5 Reasons Why You Should Have a Digital Marketing Strategy3

5 Reasons Why You Should Have a Digital Marketing Strategy3

A report by Smart Insights, Managing Digital Marketing , shows that nearly half of marketers have active digital marketing programmes, but no defined strategy at all. I’m sure that many of the 49% of companies that do not yet have a written strategy are using digital media and getting results, but with an integrated digital marketing plan, digital media like organic and paid search, retargeting ads and social media marketing work better together and can be supported by other activities like marketing automation or conversion optimization of the website. Companies often tell me that they already have enough strategies and plans, and that they are rarely referred to; that putting their strategy down in writing will create problems of integration and ownership; that digital plans are not useful, as technologies and marketing approaches change so fast; and that they simply do not have the resources or time to create one. A written strategy gives you direction and focus Companies that have not written down their approach may have a general sense of what they want to do online and what their tactics are, but are unlikely to have properly defined some of the essential elements. Through consulting with many businesses, big and small, to create digital marketing strategies, I have identified 25 essential digital marketing activities in our Smart Insights RACE planning framework that are relevant for businesses in different sectors that need to be worked on. An example of the main digital marketing touchpoints that should be reviewed in a business-to-business (B2B) digital marketing strategy are shown in this customer lifecycle map. Through reviewing priority activities using a lifecycle marketing strategy you can create a planned roadmaps of priorities to focus on. Surely it would be more efficient – and easier to successfully make the case – if you were able to present a long-term plan for budget and staff members? An integrated strategy will build testing into your programme, ensuring that continuous improvement is possible. A good strategy will benchmark your activity against competitors to show where you are behind the curve and clearly set out what goals you need to hit online, enabling you to measure what’s working and what isn’t, and make the necessary changes.

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Digital Strategy
A digital marketing strategy is an absolute given for any company trying to market itself online – right?

That’s certainly the impression you’d get from reading most digital marketing blogs, where the question of whether you should have a digital marketing strategy has long ago been eclipsed by how to develop one.

And yet, on the ground, most companies remain unconvinced.

A report by Smart Insights, Managing Digital Marketing , shows that nearly half of marketers have active digital marketing programmes, but no defined strategy at all.

The other half is divided between those who have a stand-alone digital strategy (17%), and those who have integrated it into a more general marketing plan (34%). This is the way it should be, for more advanced marketers, for whom digital marketing has become ‘business as usual’.

digital marketing strategy

I’m sure that many of the 49% of companies that do not yet have a written strategy are using digital media and getting results, but with an integrated digital marketing plan, digital media like organic and paid search, retargeting ads and social media marketing work better together and can be supported by other activities like marketing automation or conversion optimization of the website.

Perhaps they even have good reasons not to create a strategy.

Companies often tell me that they already have enough strategies and plans, and that they are rarely referred to; that putting their strategy down in writing will create problems of integration and ownership; that digital plans are not useful, as technologies and marketing approaches change so fast; and that they simply do not have the resources or time to create one.

But I am also sure that they would benefit from writing down their approach.

Here are five reasons why:

1. A written strategy gives you direction and focus

Companies that have not written down their approach may have a general sense of what they want to do online and what their tactics are, but are unlikely to have properly defined some of the essential elements.

For example, they may know that they want to get more visits to their website, but can they say how many? They may want to gain more customers, but can they pinpoint by what percentage, or through which channels?

Without specific targets based on creating conversion funnel-based forecasts, it’s harder to know exactly what you need to do online, and later to measure how successful you are.

customer lifecycle map

Creating a written strategy forces companies to tackle these crucial questions, as well as formulate a powerful online value proposition, narrowly define the target audience, and carefully consider all the other building blocks for an effective digital program.

Another challenge with digital marketing is that there are so many activities you could be working on, that you may spread yourself too thin, or miss key activities. A strategy helps you choose focus on priority strategic initiatives.

Through consulting with many businesses, big and small, to create digital marketing strategies, I have identified 25 essential digital marketing activities in our Smart Insights RACE planning framework that are relevant for businesses in different sectors that need to be worked on. An example of the main digital marketing touchpoints that should be reviewed in a business-to-business (B2B) digital marketing strategy are shown…

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