What Is a Digital Marketing Strategy and Why Do You Need One?

One thing that true-blue marketers unanimously agree on is that strategy is critical to success. Come to think of it, even digital cowboys strategise. So what is a digital marketing strategy, and why is everyone so gung-ho about them?

The Importance of Having a Digital Marketing Strategy

Picture this. You frantically wave to catch a cab’s attention. You get in, and the cabby asks, “Where to?”

“Dunno, let’s just drive around aimlessly till I see something I like.” you reply.

What a waste of energy, time and money!

You need to know where you’re headed, otherwise, what’s the point? Unbelievably, that’s what many companies do when they start digital marketing without a strategy.

What Is A Digital Marketing Strategy?

Fundamentally, marketing identifies customers; their wants or needs; then determines the optimal product design, price, place and promotion to satisfy those needs profitably.

Digital marketing is a component marketing, and thus it works to fulfil marketing’s goals. It can’t exist in insolation.

Marketing Strategy is the marketing logic by which the business unit expects to achieve its marketing objectives. – Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing

A strategy—quite literally—keeps everyone running in the same direction. It provides a framework for decision-making¹ and thus informs the digital marketing plan.

Let’s call it the blueprint from which you will create the detailed designs of your digital marketing activities.

What does a digital marketing strategy do?

A digital marketing strategy:

• Aligns to business objectives.
• Looks at the long-term, big picture.
• Provides the general direction to which all online marketing activities should head.
• Is not a plan; it provides the decision-making policy for future projects.
• Focuses on the company’s value proposition and key messaging.
• Identifies opportunities and anticipates threats to improve planning.

A digital marketing strategy sets clear, actionable and measurable marketing goals in a single comprehensive document. 

The benefits of a digital marketing strategy

We’ve placed quite a bit of emphasis on the direction that a strategy provides. Albeit significant, that’s not the only benefit of strategising your online marketing and digital media.

You’ll find a delicate ecosystem of business advantages:

1. Goals give you benchmarks against which you can measure your success

2. A big-picture view ensures the optimal allocation of resources, allowing you to:

• Define tasks, roles and responsibilities.
• Choose the most relevant online media channels.
• Eliminate wasteful spend.

3. A defined purpose and value proposition ensures consistent messaging, which strengthens your brand identity

4. Unified messaging and exposure on the right digital platforms helps you to establish a strong online presence.

5. In turn, strong online presence and brand reputation encourages positive word of mouth (sharing and reviews), thus greater exposure to potential customers.

Key Take Outs

• Without a digital marketing (or media) strategy, you’re running a rudderless ship.
• A strategy keeps you (and your team) focused on the end-game.
• You’ll save and make more money by investing in a solid strategy.
• If someone offers online marketing services and doesn’t ask about your strategy, run.

Where to from here?

If you’d like to get an effective digital marketing strategy in place, speak to us. We apply years of business, marketing and digital experience to develop a tailored and effective online strategy for your business.

Our digital media strategy development and management service takes strategy one step further by providing practical, step-by-step action tasks for your team as well. Get the most bang for your online buck. Let’s develop your digital marketing strategy.¹ Based on Forbes article by Ann Latham, an expert in strategic clarity.