Breaking the myths around digital marketing strategies: What it IS and what it ISN’T…

Having a strong digital marketing strategy is crucial for businesses in the digital age we are in. But we get it, the word strategy can set off some serious eye-twitching and head-scratching action! We often see confusion about what a digital marketing strategy truly involves and what it doesn't.

In this blog, we'll dive deep into the core aspects of a digital marketing strategy, debunk common misconceptions, and clarify what it means to create an effective digital marketing strategy for your business to thrive online.

first up, What a Digital Marketing Strategy IS:

Strategic Framework:

A digital marketing strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines the goals, target audience, messaging, channels, and tactics to achieve your businesses desired marketing outcomes. It serves as a roadmap that guides businesses on how to leverage digital tools and platforms to reach their biz goals.

Data-Driven:

An effective digital marketing strategy is data-driven, using analytics and insights to make informed decisions that aren’t going to feel like stabbing in the dark. It involves analysis, and optimisation based on key performance indicators (KPIs) to understand how to maximise ROI (return on investment) and drive growth continuously (key word… CONTINUOUSLY).

Audience-Centric:

A successful strategy focuses on understanding and engaging the target audience. It means creating personalised experiences, addressing their pain points, goals and desires, as well as how to deliver value to build strong relationships and drive conversions again, and again, and again.

Multichannel Approach:

A digital marketing strategy includes multiple channels such as social media, email, blog, paid, organic content marketing, and more. It integrates these channels cohesively to create a seamless and impactful brand presence across various touch points through a marketing and content funnel. This allows your marketing efforts to be omnipresent and to engage your community on the platforms where they are most active.

Continuous Improvement:

A digital marketing strategy is dynamic and evolves over time. It involves testing new strategies, adapting to market trends, and learning from successes and failures to refine and optimise campaigns for better results. This type of business doc needs to evolve with your business and brand and where that changes and pivots (because we all know they do).

Now onto what may be a reality check 😏 …

What a Digital Marketing Strategy IS NOT:

Random Acts of Marketing:

It's not a haphazard approach where businesses engage in ad-hoc marketing activities without a clear plan or purpose. A strategic digital marketing plan requires careful planning, alignment with business goals, and a systematic process and schedule when executing the strategy. Think consistency and with purpose!

Solely Focused on Tactics:

A digital marketing strategy goes beyond tactical execution. Tactics for social media, email, and SEO must align with the strategic framework to support business objectives. Your approach should not rely on trends.

Set It and Forget It:

Contrary to popular belief, a digital marketing strategy is not a one-time effort. It requires ongoing monitoring, analysis, and optimisation to stay relevant, competitive, and effective in the ever-changing and fast-paced digital world that we live in. We suggest revisiting every 6 - 12 months depending on your business, the success and how you have evolved.

Ignoring Customer Journey:

A digital marketing strategy should not overlook the customer journey. It's essential to map out the customer's path from awareness to conversion and beyond, ensuring consistent and meaningful interactions at EVERY stage. It’s not just about large followings or going viral. It’s how you nurture your audience at ALL stages of a buyer’s journey.

Isolated from Overall Business Strategy:

A digital marketing strategy should not operate separately from the overall business strategy. Marketing efforts should align with the company's mission, vision, values, and long-term goals to drive sustainable growth and success. All marketing should wholeheartedly align with your business.

To sum it all up…

A digital marketing strategy is a strategic, data-driven, audience-centric, multichannel, and continuously evolving approach to achieving marketing objectives (A.K.A posting with purpose and not a ‘throw sh*t at a wall and see what sticks’ style of marketing). It's not a random or trend-focused effort but a comprehensive plan that works closely with your overall business strategy and goals.

By understanding what a digital marketing strategy truly is – and isn't – businesses like yours can create more effective and impactful marketing campaigns in today's digital world.

I would love to know if this was helpful, so shoot me a DM on IG or comment below if you LOVED this blog and want more useful and resourceful blogs just like it!

Until next blog,

Catch you on socials.

Chloe x

Founder Chloe’s Creative Co.