Digital marketing strategy is a widely used term that isn’t always understood by small business owners outside the marketing industry. So, what exactly is a digital marketing strategy, and why do you need one?

In simple terms, your digital marketing strategy encompasses several online marketing resources including web design, search engine optimisation (SEO) and more. When working together, these digital marketing services create a clear pathway for your ideal client to find you and engage your service or product.

Harnessing the power of digital marketing provides many benefits, including improved reach & organic traffic to your business, and increased conversion rates (that means profit!). Today we’ll discuss the building blocks of digital marketing strategy, and how you can leverage elements such as web design and SEO to drive results for your business. Let’s dive in!

A good digital marketing strategy considers many different elements as a whole to create visibility in your digital space.

This approach can include a combination of branding, web design, search engine optimisation (SEO), email marketing and paid marketing campaigns, and social media platforms. With so much to consider, where do you begin?

Welcome to the building blocks of your digital marketing strategy. Of all the digital marketing services I listed above, the ones to start with are branding & web design. This applies whether you’re an established business or just starting out, because these digital marketing services are the foundational elements which all other aspects of your digital marketing strategy will be built upon.

• Web design – in my humble opinion, web design is the most important asset in your digital marketing strategy. Without it, activities paid marketing campaigns and SEO have limited success. Web design incorporates many digital marketing strategies including various kinds of SEO (on-page SEO and technical SEO) for better rankings on Google, as well as conversion-oriented copy that can be SEO-optimised with keywords. The visual design process itself considers content, layout, visual elements and calls-to-action to construct a trustworthy impression of your business and increase the likelihood of conversion. To learn more about web design strategy, see this article.

• Brand identity design – in best practice, branding could be set up before your web design, but this isn’t always essential. Within your digital marketing strategy, branding includes analysis of your target audience and your brand’s positioning in relation to them, to make sure your business is highlighted as the solution to their problems. Next comes design, and I always recommend professional brand photography as well – when done right, these little things can play a huge role in your digital marketing strategy as they are top contributors to audience engagement.

Implementing these digital marketing services within your business will result in a strong and trustworthy brand built to attract your ideal client, a quick, clear way for them to understand exactly why they should engage your offer, and a method to capture their contact information (also called lead generation).

With branding & web design in place, we can now build the rest of your digital marketing strategy. Now that your visual identity and offer are refined, the next step is showing this to your ideal client.

The ability to have your audience find you and be directed to your offer is not something that happens by chance. Online visibility is the difference between pretty designs and a functional digital marketing strategy that drives results. In my experience, the next digital marketing services to incorporate are SEO and social media. 

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – SEO is a combination of techniques used to improve your website’s ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs) such as Google. Different SEO techniques play a vital role in your digital marketing strategy, from optimising your website structure for page speed (technical SEO), creating relevant content (content & local SEO), to link building and Google ads. It can often take between 3 and 6 months to start seeing results from your SEO efforts, however SEO will reward you by providing a long-lasting effect and doesn’t need to be continued forever. If it fits into your budget, I recommend starting as soon as you can. SEO is one of the best ways to target local clients and drive organic (that means free!) traffic to your website. More traffic usually equals more conversions, provided your website is designed correctly. If you have an existing site with low conversions that doesn’t feel like it measures up to your competitors, it may be worth consulting a digital marketing strategist to audit your site and provide recommendations.

• Social media platforms – depending on your niche, you may use a combination of platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest or LinkedIn as part of your digital marketing strategy. In small business, it helps to focus on 1-3 platforms to keep things manageable. As part of your digital marketing strategy, you’ll likely have identified the main platforms used by your ideal client, and this should direct you to the platform/s on which you should prioritise sharing content. Social media is a powerful way to extend your reach to ideal clients and direct them to your service – and it’s free!

Imagine your brand & service offering is a house you want to sell. To do this, you’ll need to list it on the property market in various ways to attract your ideal buyer. SEO and social media are like the property listings that attract your ideal buyer to your offer. Without them, buyers would never know your house was for sale! Digital marketing services like SEO and social media provide the means to get discovered by your ideal client and direct them to engage with your offer.

By now you can understand how a digital marketing strategy covers many aspects. In particular, web design, search engine optimisation (SEO), branding and social media provide a steady stream of traffic and conversions for your business when working together as part of a bigger digital marketing service.

Other digital marketing techniques such as Google ads and email marketing may become part of your strategy down the track, but the building blocks for digital success start here.

Whether you’re an established business or just starting out, implementing a digital marketing strategy tailored to your needs and goals will build trust with your audience and position you as an expert in your niche, as well as maintaining a consistent flow of clients (and therefore revenue).

A great starting point before seeking a digital marketing service provider is to determine a setup budget and ongoing budget, as costs will look different for each service. For example, brand and website design will fall into your setup budget, whereas website hosting, SEO and social media management are most often ongoing costs.

When seeking a service provider, it’s a good idea to choose a professional who offers a range of digital marketing services – this is often cost-effective as they may offer packages or discounts with multiple services, as well as mitigating setup costs & onboarding fees with other digital marketing agencies. In addition, they’ll get to know you and your business better than anyone else, and will be someone with whom you form an ongoing professional relationship. For help choosing a great digital marketing service provider and knowing what to look out for, see this article.

I hope I’ve helped you understand more about the building blocks of digital marketing strategy and why each digital marketing service is beneficial in their own right – but also why they’re most beneficial when used together. 

I offer a variety of web design and digital marketing service solutions suited to all kinds of budgets, so if you’re keen to start transforming your online presence and writing your digital success story, I’d love to have a chat – it’d be great to meet you!

- Emily