Digital Marketing - Strategy, Planning, Execution & Evaluation

Digital marketing encompasses a comprehensive process involving strategy development, planning, execution, and evaluation to effectively promote products, services, or brands in your digital landscape.

The development of effective digital marketing strategies hinges on the creation of sound strategic marketing plans. I’ve outlined below some of the essential elements that constitute the process I utilize to assist organisations in crafting a digital marketing strategy.

Strategy Development

  • Market analysis – to understand and clearly define a market segments, their behaviours, pain points, preferences, and online habits. This also involves competitor analysis – the assessment of their relative strengths and weaknesses as well as industry trends, opportunities and threats.
  • Goal setting – to define clear, measurable objectives aligned with your overall business goals. These could include brand awareness, lead generation, sales, website traffic, etc.
  • Segmentation & targeting – to segment your audience based on demographics, psychographics, and behaviour. Tailor your strategy to specific segments.
  • Positioning and messaging – to define your unique value proposition and how you want to position your brand in the digital space.
  • Channel selection – to determine which digital channels (social media, search engines, email, content marketing, etc.) are most relevant to your audience and goals.

Strategic Planning

  • Content strategy – to plan the type of content you’ll create (blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.) and how it aligns with your goals and audience interests.
  • Channel strategy – to decide how you’ll use each digital channel to convey your message effectively. Here I consider content format, frequency, and engagement tactics.
  • Budget allocation – to allocate resources to different digital marketing activities based on their potential impact and expected ROI.
  • Campaign planning – to outline the specifics of your campaigns, including timelines, content calendars, and key milestones.

Execution

  • Content creation – the development and creation of high-quality content that resonates with your audience and reflects your brand’s messaging.
  • Social media management – the implementation of social media strategy by creating and curating content, engaging with followers, and running paid promotions.
  • Search Engine Optimisation – the optimisation of your website and content to rank higher in search engine results and attract organic traffic.
  • Email marketing – to design and send relevant emails to your subscriber list to nurture leads and build customer relationships.
  • Paid advertising – to run paid campaigns and to regularly optimise them to reach your target audience more effectively.
  • Data analytics & tracking – to monitor the performance of your campaigns and gather data on key metrics such as clicks, conversions, engagement, and more.

Evaluation/Marketing Measurement

Marketing measurement refers to the process of evaluating and quantifying the effectiveness and impact of marketing activities and campaigns. It involves collecting and analysing data to assess the performance of marketing strategies, initiatives, and tactics. The goal of marketing measurement is to gain insights into how well marketing efforts are contributing to business goals, such as increasing sales, brand awareness, customer engagement, and return on investment (ROI).

Marketing measurement encompasses various methods, tools, and metrics to track and evaluate different aspects of marketing performance. Some key components of marketing measurement I can support you with include:

  • Building key performance indicators – these are specific metrics that are used to track and measure the success of marketing activities. Aligned with business objectives, may include metrics such as sales revenue, website traffic, conversion rates, customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, social media engagement, email open rates, and more.
  • KPI tracking – to measure the performance of your digital marketing efforts against the established goals. This could include metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, engagement rates, and more.
  • Data analysis – to analyse data to identify trends, successes, and areas for improvement. I use tools like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google Data Studio to analyse and report on valuable online insights.
  • Adjustment and optimisation – based on the analysis, making the necessary adjustments to strategies, such as refining targeting, adjusting content, reallocating budget, and improving campaign elements.
  • Analytics – using tools and software to analyse data and generate insights. Examples include Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google Data Studio
  • Attribution analysis – determining which marketing channels or touchpoints contributed to conversions or sales. Attribution models help allocate credit to different touchpoints along the customer journey.
  • Market research – conducting research to understand customer preferences, behaviors, and trends. This informs marketing strategies and helps measure their impact.
  • A/B testing – comparing different versions of marketing elements (e.g., email subject lines, ad copies, website layouts) to identify which performs better and drives desired outcomes.
  • ROI calculation – calculating the return on investment for specific marketing initiatives by comparing the revenue generated to the costs incurred.
  • Dashboards and reports – creating visual representations of marketing data to facilitate easy interpretation and decision-making.
  • Customer surveys and feedback – gathering feedback from customers to understand their perceptions, satisfaction levels, and preferences related to marketing efforts.
  • Competitor analysis – monitoring and comparing marketing strategies and performance with competitors to gain insights and identify areas for improvement.
  • Continuous improvement – using data-driven insights to refine and optimize marketing strategies over time. Regularly analysing performance data helps identify trends and opportunities for enhancement.

Effective marketing measurement enables businesses to make informed decisions, allocate resources efficiently, and adapt strategies for better results. By understanding what works and what doesn’t, I help organisations fine-tune their marketing efforts to achieve their goals and maintain their sustainable competitive advantage in the market.