Digital Marketing Strategy: 11 Types of Digital Marketing Strategies

An effective digital marketing strategy is crucial for driving business growth in the highly competitive online landscape. It involves expanding and reinforcing customer engagement through a well-crafted plan that considers unique advantages, limitations, and return on investment (ROI). In this comprehensive digital marketing strategy guide, we will explore key aspects, specific examples, and the process of building a strategy that yields measurable results.

Understanding Digital Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Tactics:
A true digital marketing strategy is a comprehensive blueprint outlining how to reach the target audience and convert them into paying customers. It sets the direction for achieving unique marketing goals. On the other hand, marketing tactics represent specific actions to implement the strategy, such as writing blog posts, social media engagement, email campaigns, and designing advertisements.

Marketing strategy vs. marketing campaign:
While a marketing campaign aligns with a marketing strategy, it is essential to distinguish between the two. A marketing strategy focuses on overall business goals and customer objectives, providing a long-term perspective. Conversely, a marketing campaign is a targeted promotion designed to achieve a specific objective under an overarching strategy, often with a defined start and end date.

11 Types of Digital Marketing Strategies

1. Inbound Marketing: Inbound marketing encompasses a holistic approach to converting website visitors into paying customers. It includes content marketing, email marketing, lead nurturing, SEO, marketing automation, website optimization, and website analytics. Inbound marketing establishes long-term relationships with customers and emphasizes trust and credibility.
2. Content Marketing: Content marketing focuses on providing valuable content to answer questions and help the audience, avoiding intrusive promotions. Content types include blog posts, landing pages, videos, podcasts, infographics, white papers, eBooks, and case studies. Content marketing builds strong customer relationships, enhances SEO, and establishes brand authority.
3. Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B strategy targeting specific accounts to expedite prospects through the sales funnel. ABM emphasizes personalization, collaboration between sales and marketing teams, and shorter sales cycles.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO involves optimizing websites and content to achieve higher search engine rankings and increase organic traffic. Tactics include creating high-quality content, keyword optimization, incorporating meta information, and ensuring overall website optimization. SEO leads to higher conversion rates, increased brand awareness, and long-term cost savings.
5. Social media marketing: Social media marketing utilizes platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to promote content, products, and services. It builds brand awareness, engages customers, and drives website traffic. It requires ongoing advertising spending for sustained results.
6. Email Marketing: Email marketing involves sending promotional and informational emails to build relationships, convert prospects, and create brand loyalty. Emails may include exclusive deals, content promotions, sales announcements, and general brand messages.

How to Build a Digital Marketing Strategy

Building an effective digital marketing strategy involves the following: Setting clear goals: Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals aligned with overall business objectives.

Understanding the Target Audience: Conduct thorough research to identify and understand the target audience’s preferences, behaviours, and needs. Choosing Appropriate Channels: Select the right digital marketing channels based on the target audience’s online presence and preferences.

Creating Compelling Content: Develop high-quality, engaging content tailored to different stages of the customer journey. Implementing Analytics: Use analytics tools to track and measure the performance of the digital marketing strategy, making data-driven adjustments as needed.

Digital Marketing Strategy Guidance

Affordability: Inbound marketing and content marketing are cost-effective strategies that deliver a higher return on investment by targeting specific audience segments.

Why use email marketing?
Traffic to your website. Your emails should contain links to pages on your website. Key performance indicators include the open rate (how many recipients opened your email) and the click-through rate (the ratio of users who click on a link in the email to the number of users who opened the email).
Cost effective. Compared to other marketing strategies like direct mail, SEM, or SMM, email marketing is usually cost-effective.

Your investment will include a subscription to email marketing software that sends thousands of emails simultaneously and the cost of someone to administer the program.
Delivers targeted messages. Everyone on an email list has opted in to receive information. Which means they want to hear from you! By further segmenting your list, you can deliver super-targeted information that is likely to be well-received.

7. PPC advertising
   Pay-per-click advertising, or PPC, is a strategy in which you (the advertiser) pay every time a user clicks on one of your online ads. It’s often done through Google Ads, Bing Ads, or other search engines, and it can be an effective way to reach people who are searching for terms related to your business.

However, costs can range from relatively inexpensive to thousands of dollars per month, depending on the size and scope of your campaign. And, when a campaign is discontinued, the traffic generated by that campaign is also discontinued.

When users click on pay-per-click ads, they are directed to dedicated landing pages that encourage them to take a certain action:

• Make a purchase
• Complete a form
• Download a report or something similar.
• If you implement a PPC campaign, your primary goal will likely be to increase sales or leads.

Why use PPC?
Easy tracking. With a PPC platform like Google Ads, you’ll be able to track how many people view your ads as well as how many click on them and what percentage of them convert. You’ll know instantly how your campaigns perform.

Controlled spend. PPC advertising is pay-as-you-go. You’ll be able to change or pause ad campaigns that are underperforming, and you don’t have to commit to a certain advertising spend.
Instant results. Other marketing strategies, like SEO and content marketing, take time to work. PPC advertising, however, offers a fast way to set up a campaign and get results right away.

8. Video marketing
   Video used to promote your products, services, and brand may include product demos, interviews with thought leaders in your industry, customer testimonials, or how-to videos.

You can add videos to your website, PPC landing pages, or social media outlets to encourage more conversions and sales.

KPIs may include:

• Engagement. Time spent watching the video.
• View count. How many times was it watched?
• Click-through rate. How many users clicked through to the website?
• Conversion rate. The number of leads, prospects, or customer content generated.

Why use video marketing?

Improved SEO. Marketers are 53 times more likely to end up on the first page of Google results if they utilize a video on their website, because including a video in a website improves SEO, which improves the page’s rank.

Increased conversion rates. When marketers include video on a landing page, it can increase conversion rates by up to 34%. Improved brand association. In addition to better conversion rates, brand association increases by 139% after watching a video. When consumers watch a video, 92% share that video with others.

9. Online (and in-person) events
   There’s nothing like an event to create buzz around a product. Of course, trade shows have always been a thing, most notably the International CES Tech Show. But Apple redefined such events for an online audience with its series of high-profile iPhone and Mac launches throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, often watched by up to 1.8 million people.

It’s unlikely you’ll reach such engagement levels, but there are nevertheless lessons to learn, whether you’re using an event to launch a product, service, or new business.

Why use online events?
Build anticipation. Use social media posts ahead of the live event to create buzz about what you might be launching. Consider the way Apple teases small details of its new iPhone, such as a photo of a small section of the device, in the days before.

Showcase your product. If you’ve dedicated your live event to one product, then that product will be the focus of people’s attention. Use that attention to tell stories about its features in the same way Steve Jobs once did for Apple products.

Stimulate conversation. Run a live stream of the launch, push out a press release, and create a hashtag for the event to get people talking about your product. Consider how Apple uses hashtags like #AppleEvent to trend on Twitter.

10. Chatbot and live chat marketing
    Chatbots and messaging apps have become more common in the past decade and are now seen as valuable marketing, as well as customer service, tools. Some 1.4 billion people who use messaging apps are happy to speak with chatbots. Brands use chatbots to:

• Deal with customer complaints
• Answer questions about products
• Promote live events

But despite these different uses, it’s worth considering research from chatbot platform Drift. It says the number one predicted use for a chatbot is ‘getting a quick answer in an emergency, so perhaps keep your chatbots simple.

Why use chatbots?
Provide quick answers. People go online with a task in mind. They want an answer quickly. Chatbots can help people get quick answers and resolve complaints, which can have a positive impact on brand sentiment.

Enhance the customer experience. People told Drift they would use a chatbot to ‘get detailed explanations’ and to ‘find a human customer service assistant. Both help to improve a customer’s experience with your brand.

Sell your products. A chatbot might seem like an odd place to convert sales. But 18% of people said they would buy a basic item through a chatbot, while 22% would use one to explore ideas for purchases.

11. Earned media
    Simply put, earned media is coverage of your business, products, or events written by a third party that you have not paid for. In digital marketing, it’s best described as PR, in which you outreach to the media. When the content is picked up by a publication and written up for their own site, that’s earned media.

Examples of earned media include:

• Tactical PR, such as newsjacking topical events,
• Traditional press releases on company news
• Infographics based on survey data
• Creative asset such as an interactive site.

Why use earned media?
It’s free. Once you’ve paid your staff or an agency to outreach your content, any coverage you secure from websites is free. This makes it a cost-effective digital strategy and frees up budget for future campaigns. It’s scalable. Earned media can be delivered for any budget. From a simple tactical piece, such as issuing quotes to a newswire on a topical issue, to a bigger creative campaign, such as a site build or conducting a survey,

It’s good SEO. Getting backlinks to your site from trusted publishers and institutions can be worth its weight in gold. Google ranks sites by their DA (domain authority), and sites with higher DAs, such as colleges and news sites, can help to improve your own authority.

How to build a digital marketing strategy

Now that it’s time to build a digital marketing strategy, you need to pull everything together. Regardless of which of our 11 digital marketing strategies you have chosen, establishing goals, defining audiences, and establishing what you need to create is vital.

1. Set goals and objectives
   Before you decide on a digital marketing strategy, establish and document your short- and long-term goals. After you decide on your strategy, outline and document specific objectives so you’ll know if your strategy is working. Make sure your goals and objectives are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely).

Goal: Increase awareness of our widgets among our target audience.
Strategy (how you’ll achieve the goal). Use content marketing to persuade buyers that our widgets are the best in the market by creating content for at least two user personas in every step of the sales funnel.

Objective (how you’ll know if the strategy is working). Achieve a 25% increase of downloads of our widget whitepapers and eBooks each quarter and boost email subscribers by 50% in 6 months. Read and rewrite a new form

Why employ email marketing?

Drive Traffic to Your Website:
Incorporate website links into your emails to direct recipients to specific pages. Key performance indicators include the open rate (the number of recipients who opened your email) and the click-through rate (the ratio of users clicking on a link to the number of users who opened the email).

Cost-Effectiveness:
Compared to other strategies like direct mail, SEM, or SMM, email marketing is typically cost-effective. The investment involves subscribing to email marketing software for sending bulk emails and hiring someone to manage the program.

Deliver targeted messages.
Everyone on an email list has opted-in to receive information, indicating their interest. By further segmenting your list, you can deliver highly targeted information that is likely to be well received.

PPC Advertising: What makes PPC effective?

Easy Tracking: Platforms like Google Ads allow you to track ad views, clicks, and conversions, providing instant insights into campaign performance.

Controlled Spend: PPC is pay-as-you-go, enabling you to adjust or pause underperforming campaigns without committing to a fixed advertising spend.

Instant Results: Unlike strategies such as SEO and content marketing that take time, PPC delivers quick results, making it suitable for immediate campaign setup.

Video Marketing: Why opt for video marketing?

Improved SEO: Websites with videos are 53 times more likely to land on the first page of Google results, enhancing overall SEO.

Increased Conversion Rates: Video inclusion on landing pages can boost conversion rates by up to 34%, providing a compelling reason to leverage video content.

Enhanced Brand Association: After watching a video, brand association increases by 139%, and 92% of viewers share videos with others, contributing to brand visibility.

Online (and In-person) Events: Advantages of Online Events:

Build Anticipation: Use social media posts before the event to generate buzz. Tease details about what might be launched, creating excitement.

Showcase your product: Focus attention on the product during the event, using the opportunity to narrate stories about its features.

Stimulate Conversation: Run a live stream, release a press statement, and create a hashtag to encourage discussions and trend on social media.

Chatbot and Live Chat Marketing: Why integrate chatbots?

Provide quick answers: Chatbots offer rapid responses, catering to users seeking immediate answers, positively impacting brand sentiment.

Enhance Customer Experience: Users appreciate chatbots for detailed explanations and assistance, contributing to an improved overall customer experience.

Drive Sales: Surprisingly, 18% of people would purchase a basic item through a chatbot, making it a potential avenue for sales conversions.

Earned Media: Benefits of Earned Media:

Cost-Free Exposure: Securing coverage from third-party publications after outreach is cost-free, making it a budget-friendly digital strategy.

Scalability: Earned media is adaptable to any budget, from tactical PR to larger creative campaigns, providing flexibility.

SEO Boost: Backlinks from trusted publishers enhance SEO, improving site authority and visibility on search engines.

Building a Digital Marketing Strategy

1. Set goals and objectives: Define short- and long-term goals and document them. Ensure that goals and objectives are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely).

Example:

Goal: Increase awareness of our widgets.
Strategy: Use content marketing for two user personas at each sales funnel stage.

Objective: Achieve a 25% quarterly increase in widget whitepaper downloads and boost email subscribers by 50% in 6 months. Now, pull together all elements of your chosen digital marketing strategies, aligning with established goals, audiences, and content creation needs.

Trust and Credibility: Inbound marketing builds trust by providing valuable content, positioning the business as a reliable industry expert.

Personalization and Collaboration: ABM’s personalised approach and collaboration between sales and marketing teams result in shorter B2B sales cycles.

SEO for Long-Term Success: SEO not only increases conversion rates but also builds brand awareness and offers long-term cost savings.

Document Your Goals, Strategies, and Objectives: To measure success effectively, document all your goals, strategies, and objectives for reference during the evaluation phase.

Consider Buyer Personas: Understand your target audience by creating well-researched buyer personas. Utilize data from interviews, surveys, and analytics tools to define aspects such as location, income, interests, goals, and challenges. This ensures a focused approach tailored to different buyer types.

Audit Your Assets: Conduct a comprehensive audit of your current digital assets. Rank them from most to least effective and identify areas that need improvement or reconstruction. This process, such as an SEO-focused content audit, involves crawling the site, identifying gaps, gaining SEO insights, and compiling data for informed decision-making.

Plan Your Content Creation Resource: In planning content creation, consider factors like budget, available resources, necessary skills, required technology, and deadlines. Create a structured plan based on objectives, buyer personas, and the results of your asset audit.

Decide How to Distribute Your Content: Determine how your content will be distributed across owned, earned, and paid channels. Blend these approaches based on your digital marketing strategy, utilizing owned channels like your website, blog, and email, earned channels for social shares, and paid channels for promotions such as PPC and influencers.

Pinpoint your KPIs: Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy. Common KPIs include digital conversion rates, cost per lead, returning website visitors, click-through rates, and customer lifetime values.

Final Words of Advice: Digital marketing is dynamic, requiring adaptation to changing trends and continuous improvement. To ensure success, focus on creating content that addresses audience needs, leverage your network and expertise, stay informed about industry trends, and be willing to experiment with new approaches.

Regularly assess campaign data and be ready to adjust strategies based on successes and failures. Remember, the immediate measurability of digital marketing allows for agile decision-making and optimization. Stay proactive and responsive to achieve the best results.