How to Improve Your Digital Marketing Strategy

An online digital marketing strategy is crucial for reaching your business's goals in an ever-growing digital world.

It is predicted that by 2030, everything will be online, so it’s imperative to successfully implement an online digital marketing strategy to reap the benefits fully.

This article will help marketing professionals plan and successfully use a digital marketing strategy as a tool to identify and reach achievable online goals. We'll outline the steps we teach in our Digital Marketing Strategy course to present a thorough marketing plan to increase revenue and conversion rates across all suitable marketing channels.

What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?

An online digital marketing strategy is a marketing strategy for a business’s digital platforms. It refers to an overall digital plan for reaching business goals, which can range from increasing brand awareness to driving conversions. These goals are typically achieved through a combination of social media marketing, content marketing, and other digital marketing tools.

Much like a general marketing strategy, an online digital marketing strategy involves an organisation’s value proposition, branding, buyer personas, and the digital marketing channels used. These include:

- Website Marketing

- Social Media Marketing

- Digital Advertising

- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

- Content Marketing

- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

- Email Marketing

- Downloadable Content

A digital marketing strategy creates a template for your marketing goals, allowing you to see results from each campaign without having to start from scratch. It forms the base of all your online digital campaigns, where you can clearly measure what is working and adjust as needed.

Creating a digital marketing strategy is essential because it helps identify your business's unique selling points and determine how to get content to your target audience through the most effective marketing channels.

Online digital marketing strategies, when done properly, are very detailed and can help you discover new opportunities and expand your online reach.

One example is creating an in-depth buyer persona for your target audience. This allows you to understand your audience more acutely, helping you deliver a more effective strategy in reaching your marketing goals.

How to Create an Online Digital Marketing Strategy

Here are five steps to consider when creating a marketing plan for your online strategy, helping you reach your business marketing goals.

These steps are a less in-depth version of the DMI accredited Digital Marketing Strategy program. Take a look here at the program dates.

Digital Marketing Strategy for your online plan:

1. Target Audience

2. Goals and Objectives

3. Competitor Analysis

4. Digital Marketing Channels

5. Analysis and Strategy Performance

Target Audience

The first step in creating a digital marketing strategy is to know your target audience. This is the most crucial step in the plan. It helps you make vital decisions such as branding and understand which marketing channels to use to promote your services or products.

You will need to create Buyer Personas for each of your target audiences. These personas represent your customer segments, helping you tailor your digital marketing strategy to specific needs.

Goals and Objectives

Having strong goals and objectives is critical for your digital marketing strategy and your business as a whole. The goals should be well-defined to ensure that your online strategy is focused and actionable. Examples could include increasing email open rates or expanding your social media marketing reach.

Effective goals for a digital marketing strategy should be ambitious yet achievable, driving your team to put in the effort while remaining realistic.

An effective way to organise and plan your goals is by using the SMART technique:

- Specific – What are you trying to achieve?

- Measurable – How will you track progress?

- Achievable – Is the goal doable?

- Relevant – Is it aligned with your business's overall goals?

- Time-bound – When is the deadline?

 

Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis allows you to identify your competitors' weaknesses and opportunities in your sector. It involves researching your competitors' digital marketing strategies, analysing their strengths and weaknesses, and identifying potential threats.

It’s good practice to regularly analyse your competitors by tracking metrics like social media followers, email newsletters, and website updates. Use online digital marketing tools to monitor their activities and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Digital Marketing Channels

The next part of your strategy is to determine which digital marketing tools are suitable for your organisation. You will also need to decide on the type of content creation required to engage effectively with new, current, and old customers.

Consider the following marketing channels:

- Social Media: Social media marketing involves using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to connect with your audience.

- Email: Email marketing is used for sending newsletters, promotions, and updates.

- SEO: Optimise your website content to increase organic traffic.

- Paid Advertising: Includes PPC advertising through search engines and social media.

- Content Marketing: Create and distribute valuable content to attract and engage your target audience.

 

Each digital marketing channel should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine its suitability for reaching your business's goals.

Analysis and Strategy Performance

The final step in your digital marketing strategy is to analyse its performance. Tracking data from your marketing channels is crucial for understanding what’s working and making adjustments as needed.

Track your business's key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. Choose the KPIs that align with your business's goals, such as lead generation, website traffic, SEO metrics, and social media marketing engagement.

Conclusion

A well-planned digital marketing strategy creates numerous opportunities for businesses of all sizes. By effectively planning and executing your strategy, you can achieve your marketing goals and drive business growth.

If you want to create a comprehensive strategy that guarantees results, consider enrolling in our DMI-accredited Digital Marketing Strategy program. This program will equip you with the knowledge and insights needed to excel in the ever-evolving digital landscape.