With so much noise in the digital space, how do businesses ensure they’re heard? Every company, big or small, faces the challenge of cutting through the clutter to reach its target audience. The solution? A solid digital marketing strategy. But if you’re starting from scratch, where do you begin?

Whether you’re new to digital marketing or a company looking to revamp your current approach, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to build a successful strategy. 

Step 1: Define Your Goals and Objectives

The cornerstone of your successful digital marketing strategy is defining goals and objectives. This directs all the efforts and will ensure that the resources utilised are done so effectively. Without goal definition, your strategy would be guesswork. So, what’s the first step? Align with Overall Business Objectives.

First, your digital marketing goals must align with your company’s mission and vision. Your marketing strategy should be an extension of your overall business strategy. Ask yourself: 

What does your company strive to accomplish in the next year?
How can your digital marketing contribute to the achievement of those objectives?Ensuring your digital marketing goals are aimed at business objectives helps ensure all work goes in the same direction.

SMART Goals

Use the SMART framework, which sets clear, actionable, measurable goals. SMART goals ensure a solid roadmap for following through and tracking progress effectively.

Specific:

Do not have fuzzy goals. So, for example, not “I will grow my business,” but “I will increase website traffic by 20% over the next quarter.”

Measurable:

You should be able to measure your goals. For example, instead of increasing your social media engagement generally, a measurable goal would be to increase Instagram engagement by 15%.

Achievable:

Your goals should excite you but stay within your range. That means you can’t double your website’s traffic in one week but can achieve a steady 10-20% increase in some weeks.

Your goals should align with your business strategy and target audience.

Relevant:

Your goals should align with your business strategy and target audience.

Time-bound

Every goal needs a deadline. This gives it direction and a sense of urgency. A time-bound goal isn’t “I want to increase leads,” but “generate 500 new leads by the end of Q4.”

Prioritise Your Goals

Not all goals are equal. Prioritising your goals gives you the priority of using your resources—time, budget, and team effort—so that you’ll make the best use of them. Identify the goals that represent the greatest growth potential.

Is getting more conversions on the website important than acquiring more social followers? Focus on goals that directly affect your company’s bottom line.

Limit your goals to a few actionable ones. Attempting to do too much at once reduces the power of your efforts. Focus on the top 2-3 critical objectives first, and scale from there as you achieve them.

Step 2: Understand Your Target Audience

Know Your Targeted Audience

To build a successful digital marketing campaign, you must know exactly who you’re speaking to. Knowing who your audience is will be the foundation for creating content, choosing the right platform, and crafting resonating messages that can make efforts reach the mark.

Define your ideal customer

Start with buyer personas, which dramatise the characteristics of your ideal customer. This includes demographic stuff—age, gender, location—but also more defined psychographics: entertainment preferences, lifestyle, and values. This will help you tailor campaign messages to specific online behaviours, such as certain purchasing behaviours.

Market Research

Use a mix of secondary and primary information sources to gain insight. You may source information directly or indirectly from other sources, such as Google Analytics, social media analytics, and market reports on how your target market behaves and what they prefer. A mixture of data lets you know what might influence them to make certain choices, hence how you would adapt your strategy to suit theirs.

Assess Your Present Customer Base

Your existing customers are, in fact, a goldmine of information. Look deep into your customer data to notice patterns and trends in their behaviour. What are they? What are common characteristics? Customer relationship management, or CRM, software can track interactions and preferences to help you know better what motivates repeat business or conversions.

Tap Into Social Media Listening:

The best way to know your audience is to listen to what they say online. Social listening revolves around tracking conversations, trends, and discussions on social media or anywhere that mentions your industry, competitors, or relevant keywords.

Empathise with Your Audience:

Try to see from their point of view. What are their frustrations, desires, and motivations? Empathy allows you to craft more deeply touching marketing messages.

Segment Your Audience:

Not every customer is the same, nor should you treat them the same. Unless your marketing campaigns treat customers like distinct groups with particular needs and desires, you will operate ineptly. Between over another, this can be a difference that makes all the difference, for a truly holistic message splits your market into smaller groups by common characteristics—location, buying behavior, or interests—and then customises corresponding marketing efforts.

Continuously Learn and Adapt:

Their preferences change, and you must, too. Stay on top of trends and shifts in behaviour, and remain confident that your digital marketing strategy will win. This step ensures that your messaging, content, and related campaigns resonate with the right people.

Step 3: Conduct a Competitor Analysis for a Strong Digital Marketing Strategy

Conduct Competitor Analysis to Craft an Effective Digital Marketing Plan Competitor analysis is a powerful way to get insights into your market environment; based on that, you can find opportunities to grow. There are several steps required to do it correctly. Here they are:

Identify Your Competitors:

Direct competitors: Businesses selling the same or similar product or service

Indirect competitors: Businesses selling the same or similar product or service to different target audiences

Substitute competitors: Businesses that offer the same kind of solutions to the problem you solve.

Information Gathering:

• Websites– their website design, content, and usability.
• Social media analysis activity on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• Content analysis-the quality, frequency, and relevance of their content.
• SEO analysis search engine ranking of the key keywords
• Paid advertisement analysis assessment of PPC campaigns, as well as ad targeting
• Customer reviews and feedback-testimonials, reviews, and ratings.

Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses of Them:

Strengths: What are they doing right?
Weaknesses: Where are they weak?
Opportunities: Where can you take advantage?
Threats: What are their weaknesses?

Benchmark Your Performance:

Compare your metrics:

• Compare your performance against the competition, for example, web traffic, social media, and conversion rates.
• Determine where you can outperform the opponent

Plan a Competitive Intelligence Plan:

Continuous monitoring: 

• Establish apparatuses to monitor competitor’s moves regularly.
• Stay in touch with the latest information by Subscribing to your industry news and following competitors on social media sites.

Spot Trends: Discover the new trends and opportunities emerging in your marketplace.

Use Competitor Analysis Tools

SEO tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz.
Social Analytics: Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social
Web analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics

A detailed competitor analysis can help you understand your market, spot areas of differentiation, and plan an effective digital marketing strategy.

Step 4: Audit Your Current Online Presence

A detailed audit will help you measure strengths and weaknesses across all digital touchpoints. Here’s step-by-step information on how to conduct the audit of your present online presence.

Website Audit

First, check your website, which could be referred to as the central hub of your digital marketing effort:

Usability: 

The website needs to be smooth and friendly. Testing navigation, loading time, and overall user experience can be conducted. Utilising tools, including Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix, can give insight into areas of optimisation.

Content:

Is your content relevant, interesting, and relevant? Ensure it adds value to the end-users. Information products are optimised for SEO. They act as a tool to create credibility and attract traffic.

SEO: 

On-page SEO elements form the core of your site’s visibility. Review title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and even image alt text. Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can analyse how well-optimised your site is.

Mobile-Friendliness: 

Mobile users are growing by the minute, so make sure your site also caters to their usage on various devices. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is handy for checking this.

Social Media Audit

• Your social media presence will often be people’s first touchpoint with your brand, So get it right.
• It’s engagement, which is a strong indicator of how relevant your posts are.
• Consistency with quality content helps maintain visibility and keeps you better connected to your audience.
• Responding to comments and messages helps you build a loyal community.

Brand Consistency: Make sure all the touchpoints of your brand, online and offline, and communication-wise, have a uniform look, messaging, and visuals. A uniform brand would solidify the concept behind brand identity and establish trust.

Analytics Review

A proper analytics review will give you an idea of how your digital is performing:
Website visitor behaviour? Which page/ content is being viewed the most? What kind of traffic is coming to your site-organic, paid, or referral traffic? Use Google Analytics for the traffic from various sources, top-performing pages, and user behavior.

Analyse metrics such as the bounce rate, average time on site, and conversion rates to understand visitors’ behaviour on your website.

Track goals set in your analytics tools, such as sales, sign-ups, or downloads. This will help you determine whether you are achieving your goals.

Keyword Performance: 

Monitor your keyword performance in bringing organic traffic. SEO tools such as SEMrush or Ahrefs can be used to monitor keyword rankings and find new opportunities.

Competitor Analysis

To discover gaps in your strategy, know what your competitors are doing online:

Identify Competitors: 

List the main competitors that can directly or indirectly compete with you by offering products or services that may satisfy a consumer’s needs.

Analyse their online presence. Look at their website, content strategy, and social media work. Use SEMrush or similar tools to monitor their SEO performance and PPC campaigns.

Find gaps and opportunities: 

Are they barking up the right trees in areas where you are not? Analyse if there’s a chance to differentiate your practice or capitalise on an opportunity they might have missed.

Customer feedback

For the best insights, it is always coming from your customers. Listening to them can improve your online presence:

Surveys: 

Conduct a survey to gather user experience, website performance, and how satisfied customers are.

Reviews: 

Monitor the reviews through Google My Business, Yelp, or Trustpilot. This is where coming to responding to comments can help build trust, especially negative ones.

Social Media Comment: 

Listen to the audience’s comments or DMs. This gives you real-time feedback on customer emotions.

Tools to Use:

Google Analytics:

Study website traffic and user behaviours.

Google Search Console: 

Follow the performance of your website on search engines. Remove broken links.

SEMrush and Ahrefs: 

Suggest keyword research, competitor analysis, and audits of backlinks.

Buffer and Hootsuite are social media management software that allows you to schedule posts, manage engagements, and monitor performance.

This is an important step in the marketing plan development process because it helps you realise your strengths and areas for improvement.

Step 5: Choose Your Channels

The right digital marketing channel selection is integral to a well-planned strategy. Consider how you choose the right channels for your goals and audience:

Know Your Resources

Know your resources before entering channels:

Budget: 

How much can you invest in this area of digital marketing?

Team:

Will you retain internal resources, or would you outsource for some tasks?

Time: 

Find out how much time you can dedicate to managing and optimising your channels.

Channel Performance Audit

Examine each channel to see how effective they are for your business:

SEO: 

Can you rank organically for relevant keywords in your industry?

PPC:

How competitive is the bidding for the keywords you want to target?

Social Media: 

Which sites does your target audience spend much time on?

Content Marketing: 

Is your content good for them and fulfils any need?

Email Marketing:

Can you demonstrate a strong email list to leverage?

Testing and Measurement

Test different channels to understand which will deliver the best performance. Use analytics tools that track performance to see why some content works and where other content does not. These results will guide your future engagements.

Adjust and Optimise

Digital marketing is ever-changing. Therefore, one should update the trends and best practices. Refine your strategy over time based on performance metrics and feedback for better results.

Channel Breakdown

Here is a quick overview of the popular channels and when to use them:

SEO:
Well-suited for long-term, sustainable growth because they help you set up your online presence.

PPC: 
Great for quick results but pricey; perfect for instant visibility.

Social Media:
Ideal for brand awareness building, engaging with audiences, and community building.

Content Marketing: 
Attract organic traffic and thought leadership through this.

Email Marketing: 
Enjoy high returns on investment in lead nurturing, given its ability to personalise customer communication enough to drive conversions.  With keen selection and subsequent testing of channels, you can craft a digital marketing strategy that reaches the target audience.

Step 6: Creating a Content Calendar

While a content calendar is awesome for organising and scheduling your content, creating one that hits the mark and captures your audience will:

Content Types

First, decide what kind of content you are going to create. A good mix of content keeps your audience interested. This may include:

Blog Posts:

Long-form articles are meant to dig deep into topics that matter to your audience.

Videos: 

Tutorials, demonstrations, interviews, and vlogs that can engage your audience.

Infographics: 

Graphic representation of information or data that brings the most complicated things into easy understanding.

Social media posts are also shortened, well-crafted content for using on different platforms to encourage engagement.

Topic

Do industry-specific research on the latest trends and challenges, and you will create content based on that. This will ensure that you always talk with your audience and keep them informed.

How Often?

Decide how often you’ll publish content. Consistency is key, whether you write weekly blog posts, update social media daily, or release monthly videos.

Distribution

Plan through which channels you’ll share your content. Depending on the medium, there are varying approaches:

Social Media:

Develop interesting posts that increase your website’s engagement and traffic.

Email:

Newsletters with curated content keep followers up-to-date and interested in your topic.

Promotion

How will you promote your content to get the word out further:

Paid Advertising: Use targeted ads to extend the reach of your content.
You can partner with influencers within your niche to gain access to their audience and credibility.

Step 7: Setting Your Digital Marketing Budget

First, you have to decide the overall budget for the digital marketing. In that process, the following things have to be kept in mind:

What are you looking to happen through your marketing with your help?
Industry benchmarks: What is your competition spending?
ROI: What return do you expect from your investments?

Once you have allocated a budget to different channels and tactics, based on both effectiveness and how well aligned they are with your goals, here’s a list of what you need to consider:

Paid advertising: 

Social media ads, Google Ads, display ads

Organic search:

SEO efforts to improve search engine rankings

Content marketing:

Creating and promoting helpful content

Social media marketing:

Developing and engaging with your audience

Email marketing: 

Nurturing leads and customers

Public relations:

Building relationships with media outlets

Tracking and Adjusting

Track the performance of your marketing efforts and budget consistently. Use analytics tools to monitor these key metrics.

Web traffic: 

Visitors to your site

Lead generation: 

Potential customers

Conversion rates:

Percentage of visitors who complete desired actions, such as making a purchase

Return on investment: 

With a well-projected budget and prudent allocation, you can maximally leverage the success potential of your campaigns.

Step 8: Measuring and Analysing Results

KPIs

Use KPIs to monitor the performance of your digital marketing program relative to your key goals. Some widely used ones are:

Website traffic:

Number of visitors to your website

Lead generation: 

Number of potential customers

Conversion rates:

Percentage of visitors who take a desired action, e.g., purchase, download, subscription, sign-up

Social media engagement: 

Likes, comments, shares, followers

Return on investment (ROI): 

The monetary return from your marketing efforts

Analytics Tools

Utilise analytics tools to gather data and insights. There are quite several of them, including:

Google Analytics: 

Tracks visitors, user behaviour, and conversions;

Google Search Console: 

More about search engines’ performance and the ability to optimise the SEO;

Analytics provided by platforms of social media: 

Monitor the engagement rates and performance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter;

Analysis through the accounts of email marketing: 

Evaluate open rates, click-through rates, and conversions

Step 9: Data Analysis and Insights

Analyse your data for trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.

 Ask yourself:

What is working well? Which channels and tactics are contributing to results?
What needs to be fixed? Where are there areas for improvement?
What can be learned? What does the data tell you to inform future strategies?

Continuous Optimisation

Optimise and refine decisions through a data-driven approach based on your analysis. This optimisation may include:

Adjusting budgets: 

Spending money more efficiently

Optimise content: 

Ensuring you have the right engaging and relevant content.

Improve targeting: 

Improve your targeting criteria with paid adverts

Try new tactics: 

It’s a way of testing different tactics so that you can implement the one that will most help.

Construct Your Roadmap to Success:

Throughout this blog, we’ve explored the essential steps for building a digital marketing strategy—from understanding your audience to choosing the right channels and tracking your performance. What challenges have you faced when developing your strategy? Share your thoughts in the comments; I’d love to hear from you!

And if you’re ready to elevate your digital marketing efforts, Wonkrew is here to help you make an impact. Let’s craft a strategy together that turns your goals into measurable

FAQ:

1. What are the essential steps to build a digital marketing strategy from scratch?

The essential steps to build a digital marketing strategy from scratch include identifying your target audience, setting clear goals, and creating a Digital Marketing Plan.

2. How do I identify my target audience for a digital marketing strategy?

Analyze demographics, behaviour, and preferences to identify your target audience for a digital marketing strategy. This is a crucial step in developing a strong digital marketing strategy.

3. What role does competitor analysis play in developing a digital marketing strategy?

Competitor analysis helps develop a Digital Marketing Strategy by identifying industry trends, successful tactics, and market gaps, guiding your Digital Marketing Plan.

4. How can I measure the effectiveness of my digital marketing strategy?

Track KPIs like website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement to measure the effectiveness of your Digital Marketing Plan and ensure ongoing optimization.

5. What types of content should I include in my digital marketing strategy?

To effectively engage your audience, include blogs, social media, videos, and email campaigns in your Digital Marketing Strategy Template.

6. What are the 5 main strategies of digital marketing?

SEO, content marketing, social media, email marketing, and PPC are the core strategies to include in your Digital Marketing Plan.

7. How often should I review and adjust my digital marketing strategy?

Review your Digital Marketing Strategy quarterly to keep it aligned with performance data and market changes.