16 Critical Things to Get Straight Before Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy

 Planning a digital marketing campaign isn’t a simple process. Many factors impact the creation of an effective strategy, and it’s important for everyone involved to be on the same page. However, there are a few aspects of a digital campaign that marketers may not always consider prior to creating a strategy.

As leaders in the communication space, the members of Forbes Communications Council are intimately familiar with what goes into crafting effective digital marketing campaigns. Below, 16 of them share important aspects that marketers should consider before diving into strategizing one.

Forbes Communications Council members share things to get straight before creating a digital marketing strategy.

Photos courtesy of the individual members.

1. Your Lookalike Audience

Most digital marketing campaigns involve some version of creating a lookalike audience, and most will create a lookalike audience of their entire customer database, but this is a mistake. You don’t want to target all of your customers; you only want to target your “best” customers. When you create these lookalike audiences, only mirror the top 10% to 20% of your customers, not the entire list. - John Huntinghouse, TAB Bank

2. Your Purpose And Success Metrics

Ensure there is a clearly defined purpose with the right success measures in place, then look at it strategically, using data from the entire customer lifecycle. This isn’t just a short-term campaign; it’s about enhancing business performance based on a lifetime of customer experiences that are recorded, analyzed and fed back into the brand’s data ecosystem to build personal experiences and lasting relationships. - Azlan Raj, Merkle

3. Alignment With The Overall Marketing Strategy

“How does this campaign align with our overall marketing strategy, and how will it help in delivering the business strategy?” These are two questions I ask my team before starting any campaign, digital included. Another important aspect of digital campaigns includes measurements, and not just the digital metrics, but also how we capture sales metrics aligned with a specific campaign. - Raghunath Koduvayur, IQM Quantum Computers

4. The Customer Journey

What is the customer journey that you want your users to experience? What do you have today? How far is the experience from where you want to be? How do you need to get your experience ready for visitors before investing in inviting people in? - Sarah Falcon, Object Edge

5. Your Customer Profile

Definitely start with your customer profile. Having a really good understanding of the digital habits of your ideal customer is often overlooked, but it’s one of the best ways to influence the content and behavior of your own digital marketing. - Amanda Davis, Zii Technologies

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6. Previous Campaign Performance and Processes

When teams begin planning a digital marketing campaign, they often view the project as a “fresh start” and throw all of the previous campaigns out the window. However, an assessment of previous campaigns in terms of performance and process should be at the heart of planning any new digital marketing campaign. Learn from what you’ve done and keep trying new things. - Alfie Dawson, Datasine

7. Your Target Audiences

It’s important to be aware of and define your target audience for each campaign. In the digital world, one campaign could have multiple audiences, which in turn calls for multiple ads. People are hungry for personalization, so you have to be very diligent and think through all of the different touch points within a campaign to ensure the message is speaking to the proper audience. - Emily Burroughs, BGSF

8. Contextual Targeting Through Other Channels

In light of recent changes to the availability of consumer data, digital marketers need to acknowledge the increasing importance of contextual targeting and consider other channels in the wider mix. Unlike in the online world, out-of-home advertising is one-to-many, and context has always been king. With the advancement of programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) media, marketers now have far greater control to deliver contextual messages globally and at scale. - Nikki Hawke, Hivestack

9. Testing Budget

Testing budget isn’t really something that many digital marketers talk about. View it and use it as you would money when you go to a casino: You are taking a risk, but it’s money that you can lose, and it won’t break the bank. Unlike gambling, though, if you have a great creative team you will probably get that ROI back! - Philip Kushmaro, Usercentrics

10. Purchase Behavior

Marketers should consider purchase behavior targeting. Rather than targeting a campaign at a specific age group, profession or gender, you should aim to reach people who have purchased similar products in the past and are therefore more likely to buy them again. Here, targeting is based on proof, not an assumption. Marketers can expect conversion rates to rise and the bottom line to increase. - Anil Malhotra, Bango

11. How You Can Leverage Chatbots

Digital marketing campaigns have to be omnichannel and provide the right information to customers at their point of interaction. Real-time conversation via chatbots can help turn visitors into prospects and customers. Be sure to add chatbots to the strategy and think through how the campaign message can be personalized and delivered via these intelligent tools. - Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brand and Buzz Marketing, LLC.

12. First-Party Data

Knowing how to use first-party data is a critical first step. In our cookie-less world, it’s increasingly expensive to acquire new customers. To maintain the ROI of digital programs, marketers must focus on creating long-term customer engagements that increase the lifetime value of any customer they do acquire. And the best way to do that is to use first-party data to create unique, engaging experiences. - Christian Selchau-Hansen, Formation

13. Where The Target Is In The Sales Funnel

As marketers, we need to evaluate where the target is in the funnel and align our strategy accordingly. Are you not only looking for buzz and to create amplification for your brand, but also to potentially bring a number of unqualified contacts, leads or visitors to your website? Or is it something more product-focused to engage with people who already know about the brand but are still discovering what you do? - Alison Bringé, Launchmetrics

14. The Follow-Up Communication Plan

Assuming the basics—goal, audiences, content, visuals, channels and measurement—are defined, the digital marketing campaign funnel and follow-up communication plan are critical for monetization purposes. This should be based on a mix of segmentation buckets with clear goals to convert leads, boost activity and build loyalty. Growth acquisition, support and loyalty-team dialogue are key here. - João Mendes-Roter, Itamar-Medical

15. Other Internal Viewpoints And Ideas

As a marketer, you should have multiple brainstorming sessions with your internal teammates. This should include sales and other teams that are impacted by the campaign. Another very important part is to create messaging that embodies your solution. - Alex Cox, Opsani

16. The Cost Of Doing It Right

Many don’t consider what it costs to do it right. As a product-based company, we need multiple studio shots, videos and blackouts to create the right digital imagery. These upfront costs are more expensive to commit to consistently than the fairly transparent ad-buying CPC and ACoS metrics that you will track and optimize to define the winners after the initial investment. - Edwin Bender, Broan-NuTone

Digital Marketing Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s digital-first world, businesses must leverage effective digital marketing strategies to stay competitive, reach their target audience, and drive growth. A well-structured digital marketing strategy integrates multiple online channels to create a cohesive and measurable approach to achieving business objectives. This guide explores the key components, best practices, and emerging trends in digital marketing strategy.

Understanding Digital Marketing Strategy

A digital marketing strategy is a plan that outlines how a business will use digital channels—such as search engines, social media, email, and websites—to achieve its marketing goals. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing allows for precise targeting, real-time analytics, and cost-effective campaigns.

Key Components of a Digital Marketing Strategy

1. Goal Setting Every strategy begins with clear objectives. Common goals include increasing brand awareness, generating leads, boosting sales, or improving customer engagement. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

2. Target Audience Identification Understanding the audience is crucial. Businesses should create detailed customer personas based on demographics, interests, and online behavior. Tools like Google Analytics and social media insights help refine audience segmentation.

3. Competitor Analysis Analyzing competitors’ digital strategies provides insights into industry trends, gaps, and opportunities. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs help track competitors’ SEO, PPC, and content strategies.

4. Channel Selection Not all digital channels are equally for every business. The choice depends on the audience and goals. Common channels include: - Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing website content to rank higher in search results. - Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Running targeted ads on Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn. - Social Media Marketing: Engaging audiences on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. - Email Marketing: Nurturing leads through personalized email campaigns. - Content Marketing: Creating valuable content to attract and retain customers.

5. Content Strategy High-quality content drives engagement and conversions. A content strategy should include blog posts, videos, infographics, and whitepapers tailored to audience needs. Content should be optimized for SEO and shared across relevant platforms.

6. Budget Allocation Digital marketing requires investment in tools, ads, and talent. Businesses must allocate budgets wisely, prioritizing high-ROI activities. For example, startups may focus on organic growth (SEO, content), while established brands may invest in paid ads.

7. Performance Measurement Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures strategy effectiveness. Common KPIs include website traffic, conversion rates, click-through rates (CTR), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Tools like Google Analytics and HubSpot provide actionable insights.

Best Practices for an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy

1. Mobile Optimization With over 60% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, businesses must ensure websites and ads are mobile-friendly. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, making responsive design essential.

2. Personalization Consumers expect tailored experiences. Personalized emails, product recommendations, and dynamic ads improve engagement. AI-driven tools help automate personalization at scale.

3. Data-Driven Decision Making Leveraging analytics helps refine strategies. A/B testing, heatmaps, and customer journey analysis identify what works and what doesn’t.

4. Omnichannel Marketing A seamless experience across all digital touchpoints—website, social media, email—enhances customer satisfaction. Consistent branding and messaging reinforce trust.

5. Voice Search Optimization With the rise of smart speakers, optimizing for voice search is crucial. Businesses should focus on conversational keywords and FAQ-style content.

Emerging Trends in Digital Marketing

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation AI-powered chatbots, predictive analytics, and programmatic advertising streamline marketing efforts. Tools like ChatGPT enhance content creation and customer service.

2. Video Marketing Dominance Short-form videos (TikTok, Reels) and live streaming continue to grow. Businesses should invest in engaging video content to capture attention.

3. Privacy-First Marketing With stricter data regulations (GDPR, CCPA), marketers must prioritize transparency and consent-based data collection.

4. Sustainability and Ethical Marketing Consumers prefer brands with strong ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) values. Authentic sustainability messaging builds long-term loyalty.

Conclusion

A successful digital marketing strategy requires continuous process of planning, execution, and optimization. By understanding audience needs, leveraging the right channels, and staying ahead of trends, businesses can achieve sustainable growth in the digital landscape. The key lies in adaptability—constantly refining strategies based on data and evolving consumer behaviors to maintain a competitive edge.

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