{"id":11351,"date":"2021-12-15T14:41:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T13:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/?p=11351"},"modified":"2023-04-03T13:16:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T11:16:19","slug":"digital-marketing-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/digital-marketing-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Digital Marketing Strategy? (And How To Create One)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of digital marketing, it\u2019s easy for our minds to leap straight to the flashy stuff. You know what we\u2019re talking about\u2014highly engaging content and cool brands that interact with their customers in novel, headline-making ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, while the work of great brands may appear effortless on the surface, you can guarantee it\u2019s always underpinned by a rigorous digital marketing strategy. When launching a new campaign, devising an effective strategy is always the first step you should take.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If this is all alien to you, don\u2019t fear. In this post, we strip things right back, asking: What exactly is a digital marketing strategy, and how do you create one? In covering the topic, we\u2019ll answer the following questions:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What is a digital marketing strategy?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. What makes an effective digital marketing strategy?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Digital marketing strategy examples<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How to create and deliver a digital marketing strategy in 8 steps<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Key takeaways<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While \u2018devising a strategy\u2019 might not sound as exciting as creating great content, it\u2019s just as critical and can be a lot of fun, too, as we\u2019ll see. But before we get to that, let\u2019s dive in with the basics.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. What is a digital marketing strategy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    A digital marketing strategy outlines a business objective and identifies steps for achieving this through digital channels. Sounds simple enough, right? In its most basic form, it is pretty straightforward. Remove all the jargon and buzzwords and \u2018digital marketing strategy\u2019 is essentially the fancy term for a business\u2019s online game plan. What do you want to achieve, what do you need to do to achieve it, and what digital techniques and channels will you use?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Digital is transforming the way we shop, work, travel, and interact with friends and family. That\u2019s why a digital marketing strategy is something all businesses now need. Indeed, many pour huge amounts of money and resources into creating strategies that will achieve their goals (which tend to include things like lead generation, sales, brand awareness, or building loyalty).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Why is it so important to have a digital marketing strategy in place?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    We know what a digital marketing strategy is, but why is it important to have one? Surely businesses can get by without, right? You could indeed try. But why take the risk?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    A digital marketing strategy is like a blueprint for you to follow. Without it, a business is essentially winging it. Even if you\u2019re an expert in all the digital marketing techniques, from content creation to SEO, none of this is enough on its own. Knowing how to use these tools is necessary, of course. But so is knowing <\/span>when<\/span><\/i> to use them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Think of this as a bit like building a house. You might be an expert craftsperson, but start building the roof before the walls, and your house will quickly collapse! The same goes in business\u2014a digital marketing strategy can help you avoid similar mistakes. By defining your goals upfront, you\u2019ll know which actions to take, when to take them, and why. You\u2019ll also have a much better idea of what success should look like and how to measure it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the difference between a digital marketing strategy and a digital marketing campaign plan?<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Before we go further, we need to highlight a distinction between <\/span>digital marketing strategies<\/b> and <\/span>digital marketing campaign plans<\/b>. The two are often confused but there\u2019s a subtle difference. Think of it like this: if a digital marketing strategy is a blueprint for a house, the digital marketing campaign is the process that explains, in detail, how to construct the house. To clarify, let\u2019s dive a bit deeper here.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The digital marketing strategy<\/span><\/h4>\n

    A <\/span>digital marketing strategy<\/b> is a high-level plan. It uses data-driven insights to define objectives and ensures that these align with the overall direction of the business. For instance, let\u2019s say a cosmetics company has a makeup line that hasn\u2019t been selling well. To increase sales, they decide to rebrand the product line. As a result, their marketing objective might be \u2018to increase sales of this product by 5% over the next year.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

    Next, the company\u2019s strategy will cover what needs doing to achieve this objective. For example, \u2018to promote this product, we need to raise brand awareness with the new target audience: teenagers aged 16-19.\u2019 The strategy will then include broad actions that need taking to achieve this. Finally, it includes broad timeframes, such as \u2018this campaign needs to run for six to twelve months\u2019. However, it might not go into more detail than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The digital marketing campaign plan<\/span><\/h4>\n

    While the strategy outlines the broad objectives, the <\/span>digital marketing campaign plan<\/b> is more detailed. Although it\u2019s technically a part of the strategy, it defines the individual tasks, techniques, tools, and timeframes for delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    For example, it might include deadlines for activities like content creation or pay-per-click advertising (or whatever else you\u2019ve identified as suitable for delivering on the objective). Our cosmetics company\u2019s marketing campaign plan, for instance, might include a sixth-month schedule with dates for completing individual pieces of content, when they will be released, via which channels, how to measure engagement, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If this isn\u2019t clear, don\u2019t worry\u2014we\u2019ll go into more detail in section four. First, though, let\u2019s look at what a digital marketing strategy requires to succeed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"A<\/p>\n

    2. What makes an effective digital marketing strategy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Time to get down to the details! What exactly makes a digital marketing strategy effective? According to the<\/span> Digital Marketing Institute<\/span><\/a>, which has over 160,000 members worldwide, there are seven ingredients for a successful digital marketing strategy. In this section, we\u2019ll look at each of these in brief.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Establish realistic objectives<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Starting a new project is exciting! But with this excitement must come caution. That\u2019s because there\u2019s a risk of thinking we can achieve more than we really can. Rather than overstretching with too many objectives, aim for simplicity. If you have numerous objectives, that\u2019s OK, but ensure they\u2019re all working towards the same ultimate purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Whatever your objective (or objectives) you should ask yourself the following: Do they align with the organization\u2019s overall goals? Are they realistically achievable given the time, money, and resources you have available? (If the answer is no, it\u2019s time to rethink them!)<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Choose appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs)<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Once you\u2019ve established your goals, you need to identify appropriate KPIs against which to measure them. Without clear goals and success metrics, it\u2019s easy to lose focus. KPIs measure whether a goal was reached and can help us identify areas for improvement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    When determining KPIs, ask yourself how each one relates to your objective, how you intend to measure it, and how it will help you define what success (or failure) looks like. Be willing to change your KPIs as you go. When it comes to executing your campaign plan, your initial KPIs may not serve the purpose you thought they would when you started out.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Learn more: What are marketing metrics, and which ones should you know about?<\/a><\/p>\n

    3. Familiarize yourself with the sales funnel<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The sales funnel is a common business tool used to identify the steps a typical customer takes throughout the sales journey. While there are many variations, it typically begins with brand awareness (on the broad end) and ends with sales or closing (on the narrow end). The steps in between include things like engagement (where prospective customers actively connect with a brand), evaluation (where they assess the brand\u2019s value), and conversion (where they become paying customers).<\/span><\/p>\n

    For the most part, digital marketing deals with the broad end of this spectrum, i.e. brand awareness and engagement. It\u2019s all about relationship building. However, loyalty and retention marketing are also important, since these deal with existing customers at the narrow end of the spectrum. Any digital marketing strategy must consider each step carefully, to support customers throughout the entire brand journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Understand what makes effective content<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Great content is more than just well-written blog posts or videos with high-production values. It needs to serve two purposes. Firstly, it should push the company\u2019s core messaging. Secondly, users should find it engaging and perhaps even shareable.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Striking the balance between the needs of business and the needs of prospective customers is tricky. It helps to begin by building your product or service offering, then producing ads or content that drive customers towards this with compelling content and clear calls to action. At the same time, it must be relevant to your customers while accounting for practical issues like SEO. Nobody said content creation was straightforward!<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Allow for contingency and flexibility<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Just as you would build contingency into any project plan with a client, you should do the same for your digital marketing strategy. Being too rigid is a guaranteed way of getting in trouble. Although the emergence of fields like data analytics<\/a> has reduced much of the guesswork, marketing is never an exact science.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Current affairs, shifts in the business landscape, what your competitors are doing, and other unforeseen factors can all impact your digital marketing strategy. Build in \u2018breathing room\u2019 and be prepared to change direction if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. Produce a library of reusable content<\/span><\/h3>\n

    As far as possible, try to create what\u2019s known in the industry as \u2018evergreen content.\u2019 This is content that remains relevant over long periods, is SEO optimized, and can be shared across numerous different digital channels.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Naturally, you\u2019ll probably want to complement your evergreen content with context-specific or responsive material that\u2019s relevant to current affairs. However, your digital marketing strategy will be much easier to execute if you have a library of reusable collateral that keeps customers and prospects engaged and gives you something to fall back on in the case of an emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7. Remain goal-focused<\/span><\/h3>\n

    It sounds obvious, but always remain focused on your goals. They should drive everything you do. When you reach an important milestone in your strategy, or something forces you to change direction, ask yourself: Does this serve our end goal? Are customers\/prospects still engaged?<\/span><\/p>\n

    If the answer to any of these questions is no, you\u2019ll need to reassess your approach. Don\u2019t worry if that happens, though. Frankly, planning and uncertainty go hand-in-hand when it comes to digital marketing. This is challenging but juggling the two makes it fun, as well. Honestly, you should be more concerned if nothing changes at all!<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Digital marketing strategy examples<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Okay, we hear you say! We understand what makes an effective digital marketing strategy, what about some examples, already? We\u2019re with you. It\u2019s much easier to visualize this stuff by looking at what real companies are doing. So let\u2019s look briefly at three businesses that have their digital marketing strategies nailed. First up\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Digital marketing strategy example 1: Innocent Drinks: Social media marketing<\/span><\/h3>\n

    \"The<\/p>\n

    Source:<\/span> innocentdrinks.co.uk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Innocent Drinks are regularly cited as one of the best examples of how to do digital marketing right. We hate to be a broken record, but damn: they\u2019re good!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Innocent is famed for its unique tone of voice which is friendly, relatable, funny, and yep: just a bit weird. While their ultimate aim is to sell juice and smoothies, they\u2019ve built a loyal fanbase on social media and are experts at customer engagement. While it\u2019s pretty common now, they were one of the first companies ever to use Twitter to engage directly with their followers in a non-corporate, human voice. And although many organizations have since tried to emulate them, Innocent still does it better than anyone else.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Innocent uses regular quizzes, jokes, and competitions to engage with followers, as well as clever awareness events like their annual \u2018Big Knit.\u2019 This sees volunteers knitting tiny winter hats to go on their drinks bottles. For every one sold, they donate a small percentage to charities for the elderly. This is a great example of a digital marketing strategy that engages customers at all stages of the sales funnel. It creates engagement, pushes customers to buy their products, and fosters loyalty from existing buyers. Bravo, Innocent!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Digital marketing strategy example 2: ASOS: User-generated content<\/span><\/h3>\n

    \"The<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Source:<\/span> duffy.agency<\/span><\/a> \/ ASOS<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    British fashion empire ASOS has one of the most successful digital marketing strategies of any clothing brand. This is partly because they launched in 2000, right at the dawn of the digital era\u2014digital marketing has been in their blood from the start. But it also comes down to knowing their audience and finding appropriate ways to engage with them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    First up, ASOS knows that their target audience is millennials, who are highly active on social media. Tapping into this demographic, in 2014, they devised a hugely successful user-generated content campaign. This offered Instagram users the opportunity to feature as the face of ASOS on their social media channels. All they had to do was share images of themselves in ASOS clothing, using the hashtag<\/span> #AsSeenOnMe<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This approach not only fostered brand engagement but also resulted in tonnes of free advertising, creating a snowball effect. Although the campaign ended years ago, the loyalty remains: ASOS is still one of Europe\u2019s highest-grossing fashion retailers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Digital marketing strategy example 3: Taco Bell: Influencer marketing<\/span><\/h3>\n

    \"An<\/p>\n

    Source:<\/span> Chrissy Teigen on Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Back in 2012,<\/span> Nielsen reported<\/span><\/a> that 92% of people trusted word-of-mouth recommendations from family or friends over all other forms of advertising. We reckon fast-food chain Taco Bell got the memo and ran with it because, in 2013, they launched one of the first-ever influencer-marketing campaigns.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Taco Bell sent several quirky notes and gold rings (emblazoned with their name) to what they called some \u2018special ladies.\u2019 This included popular social media users, actresses, and models (including Chrissy Teigen) who had previously shown some love for the brand. Because the influencers shared images of the jewelry with their many millions of followers, Taco Bell generated greater brand awareness and conversation amongst those who might not have given them much notice before.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This quirky approach ticked many boxes: shareable content, great engagement, and loyalty rewards. And while public awareness of influencer marketing is greater today (meaning perhaps this approach would meet more consumer cynicism) it was a cutting edge idea at the time. Hats off to Taco Bell!<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. How to create a digital marketing strategy in 7 steps<\/span><\/h2>\n

    We\u2019ve learned what a digital marketing strategy is, why companies need one, and who\u2019s doing it well. But how do you go about creating one? In this section, we provide a step-by-step guide to creating your own digital marketing strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Research and analysis<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The first step in any strategy is to ensure you have the necessary data at your fingertips. Data-driven insights will help you determine appropriate objectives and KPIs. Upfront, this will involve some significant research and analysis, comprising three main threads:<\/span><\/p>\n