How to create a digital marketing strategy
A digital marketing strategy is your plan for how your business will use online channels to reach customers and grow. Without one, you are running campaigns blind, hoping something sticks. With one, every pound you spend and every hour you invest has a purpose.
This guide walks through the five parts of a strategy you can build in a day and refine all year.
Start with your goal
A strategy has to point somewhere concrete. "More customers" is a wish, not a goal. Instead, pick a number and a time frame.
Increase organic traffic to the website by 40 per cent in six months. Generate 15 new enquiries per month from Google Ads. Grow your email list from 500 to 2,000 subscribers by the end of the quarter.
Each goal must be specific enough that you will know, without guessing, whether you hit it. That is what separates a strategy from a to-do list.
Know who you are talking to
Every channel works differently depending on the audience. A care home reaching families of elderly relatives needs a completely different message and channel mix from a bathroom fitter targeting homeowners who have just moved in.
Describe your ideal customer in one sentence. Their age range, what they need, and where they look for answers. That sentence decides which channels earn a spot in your strategy.
Choose your channels
Most small businesses should not be on every platform. Pick the two or three channels where your audience actually spends time and where your type of content works best.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) works for every business because people search for what they need. Google is the starting point for nearly every buying decision.
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) works when you need leads today. Google Ads puts you at the top of search results immediately, but you only pay when someone clicks.
Content marketing builds trust over time. Blog posts, guides and case studies answer the questions customers ask before they buy.
Social media works best for brands that can show what they do rather than just describe it, or for businesses that need to stay top of mind with a local audience.
Email marketing turns one-time buyers into repeat customers. It is the highest-ROI channel for most businesses, because you already have permission to contact them.
If you only have time for one channel, start with SEO. It compounds over time. If you need results this month, add PPC on top.
Set a budget and measure everything
You do not need a large budget to start, but you do need to measure what comes back. Track three numbers from day one.
Cost per lead. How much you spend divided by how many enquiries you get. If it takes 500 in ads to get one enquiry, that is your baseline.
Conversion rate. The percentage of visitors who take the action you want, whether that is filling in a form, calling you, or buying online.
Return on investment. Revenue generated divided by total spend. A positive number means the strategy is working.
Victory Digital's clients see this in practice every month. A care home marketing campaign delivered 3,446 per cent more ad conversions and 251 per cent more organic traffic. A home services client saw a 400 per cent increase in organic enquiries. These results come from having a clear strategy, not from guessing.
Write it down and review it quarterly
A strategy that lives in your head is not a strategy. Write down your goal, your audience, your chosen channels and your budget in one page. Check it every three months.
Did you hit the goal? If not, why was the gap there? If you did, what is the next number?
The channels and tactics will change as the business grows and as new tools appear, but the process of goal, audience, channel, budget and review stays the same.
If you would like help building a strategy tailored to your business, Victory Digital plans and runs digital marketing campaigns for businesses across the UK. See the full range of services at https://victory.digital/services, or start with a free SEO report at https://victory.digital/run-a-seo-report.
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