Good marketing makes a company look smart. Joe Chernov: “Great marketing makes customers feel smart”
Digital marketing is full of buzzwords and tactics. It also has a variety of platforms. If you can speak humanely and understand the heart of digital marketing, then you will be able to become a Digital Marketing Strategist who guides businesses towards real growth. This article will explain what this role is, how you can build smart strategies, and how you can win the trust of your clients (and their sales).
You will walk away with the following:
- A definition of Digital Marketing Strategy
- You can follow a step-by-step procedure
- Keep you entertained with real stories
- Semantic keywords can boost SEO
- Why you should invest in your Offer
Let’s begin.
What is a digital marketing strategist?
Let’s first break it down.
A digital marketer plans and supervises the way a business engages with customers online, whether that be by buying, signing up or contacting them. You decide what and when you want to display your message. You can also track your results and make adjustments as you go.
This role goes beyond posting on social media and running ads. This role is more than just posting on social media or running ads. You have to juggle data, strategy, creativity and messaging.
Most companies use ad-hoc tactics, such as “let’s run an ad here” or “let’s post a message there.” However, when a strategist is brought in, everything aligns: emails, posts, ads and content are all aimed at the same goal.
Consider yourself the architect of your online presence.
Why strategy is important (not just tactics)
People tend to focus on tactics — Instagram posts, Google Ads and email blasts — but ignore strategy. It’s the same as building a home without a plan.
Without a strategy:
- Spending money on ineffective ads is a waste.
- You will lose consistency in your message.
- There is no reliable way to measure your success.
You can use a strategy to:
- Each action is linked to a specific goal.
- You can learn and improve by tracking.
- Reduce wasteful effort and costs.
Here, SOSTAC is a good framework (Situation Objectives Strategy Tactics Action Control). This gives you the structure for building a plan. Wikipedia
How to Think Like a Digital Market Strategist
Here is a road map you can follow. Each step is easy; they all work together to create a powerful strategy.
| Step | Name | What You Do | Why it Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Situation (Where are you now?) | Check your online presence: Website, social media, ads and content, analytics | Measurement is key to improving your business |
| 2 | Objectives | Define specific goals (SMART – Specific, Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound Goals) | Your plan will be guided by your goals |
| 3 | Strategy & Positioning | Decide on your overall strategy: who to target, what message and which channels | Here is your “big-picture” |
| 4 | Tactics | Select the tools you want to use: email marketing, content marketing, social media, paid advertising, SEO | Tactics give strategy life |
| 5 | Action / Implementation | Here is your “big picture” | Without execution, a strategy is nothing more than a wish |
| 6 | Control / Measuring | Review performance and adjust metrics as necessary | What works (and what doesn’t)? |
Let’s look at each one in detail.
1. Situation — Audit your Current State
Start by taking a look around. Ask:
- What does your website do? What is your website doing?
- What content already do you have?
- Which social media platforms are still active? Which social platforms are still alive?
- What are the ads? What are their results?
- What analytics or tools do you use (Google Analytics? Meta Pixel? )?
Your website might not load quickly or your social media posts may lack clear calls to actions.
Anecdote
I worked for a local small shop that posted daily on Facebook but did not capture emails. I audited the funnel and discovered that their website did not have a lead magnet. In two months, their email list increased by 300%. This was the “situation”, which turned into an opportunity.
2. Establish clear, measurable goals
Don’t guess. Be precise.
As an example:
- Increase organic traffic monthly by 50% within six months.
- Generate 200 qualified leads per month via content downloads.
- Increase online sales by 25% within three months.
Use Smart goals instead of vague objectives such as “get more traffic” to demonstrate to your client (or boss) the value your strategy brings.
3. Big Picture: Strategy and Positioning
You decide where:
- What is the ideal customer profile? Demographics and pain points.
- Which message resonates with you? How do you solve the problem?
- Which channels are you going to use? Blog plus SEO, social media (email), paid ads, partnerships.
- What is your position? Why would people choose your product?
Use frameworks like buyer personas, customer journeys, unique value propositions.
Semantic Keywords To think about: audience segmentation; brand positioning; buyer persona; value proposition.
4. Tactics – Choosing the tools
Choose tactics that are in line with your strategy. Here are some common tactics:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) — To drive organic traffic
- Content Marketing — blogs, videos, podcasts
- Email Marketing / Marketing Automation
- Social Media Marketing & Engagement
- Paid Advertising (PPC, display, remarketing)
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) — testing landing pages, forms
- Partner or Influencer Marketing
These should be used in conjunction, not separately.
For example, if your audience is not only interested in reading blog posts but also on Instagram and other social media platforms, you can combine the writing of content with repurposing it to these channels.
5. Take Action — Make it Happen
A strategy is worthless without a plan of action. Do this:
- Divide tactics into tasks (e.g., write blog post, design ad creatives, set up email welcome series). Write blog post, create ad creatives, and set up welcome email series.
- Use a project management tool (Trello, Asana, etc. ).
- Establish timelines (who is responsible for what and when).
- Make sure you have the right tools (CMS platform, email platform analytics, design tool).
Be agile. Do not lock yourself into a position. You’ll adapt and learn as you go.
6. What is measured gets managed.
Choose a few key performance indicators (KPIs).. Here are some common ones:
- Website visitors (organic traffic, direct traffic, referral)
- Conversion rate (leads, sales)
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Return on Advertising Spending (ROAS)
- Email click-through and open rates
- Social engagement metrics
Establish a schedule for reviewing — weekly, monthly or quarterly. Ask: What’s working? What’s not? Do you want to improve your game? Double-down on the wins and pause or modify weak areas.
Transition After going through all the steps, let’s look at how they all tie together into a plan.
A Mini Case Study: Putting Strategy into Action
Imagine that a local gym is looking to increase its online customer base. As a digital strategist, here’s how I would implement the steps:
- Situation
- The website receives 300 monthly visits.
- Instagram has 1,000 users but low engagement.
- No email list.
- There is no funnel, but they run Facebook ads from time to time.
- Objectives
- Get 1,000 monthly visits to your website in six months.
- Create a list of 500 email addresses for potential leads.
- You can get 50 bookings per week via online channels.
- Positioning / Strategy
- Persona: Young professionals 25-40, health-conscious, busy schedules.
- Position: “Effective, results-driven workouts that you can trust.”
- Channels: Blog + SEO, Instagram, email nurture, Facebook/Instagram ads.
- Tactics
- Post weekly blog articles (nutrition, fitness tips).
- Create a lead magnet email (“7-day Home Workout Plan”)
- Pay for ads to attract leads and opt-ins
- Instagram stories + posts sharing client transformations
- Follow-up emails to convert leads into bookings
- Action
- Week 1: Set up lead magnet funnel and integrate email platform
- Week 2: write 2 blog posts, design ad creative
- Week 3: Launch ad, Post on Instagram & Collect Leads
- Week 4: refine, analyze and continue posting
- Control & Measurement
- Lead magnets can be tracked to see the conversion rate from opt-ins to bookings.
- Cost per booking (CPL) and cost per lead are two ways to measure the cost per lead.
- Monitor social interaction and website traffic growth
We may notice that the blog posts are getting organic traffic after two months from searches for “home exercise”. Then, we increase the content. We boost the Instagram posts that include client stories as we believe they may generate good social engagement. Bookings increase over time.
This is how strategy, tactics and measurement work together.
Semantic Keywords and Their Roles
Here are some keywords that you can use to help with semantic search.
- digital marketing strategy
- digital marketing tactics
- SEO optimization
- content marketing
- email marketing
- paid advertising
- conversion rate optimization (CRO)
- marketing automation
- customer journey
- buyer persona
- lead generation
- customer acquisition
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
- marketing funnel
- metrics and analytics
These words help search engines to understand the topic of your article, increasing its relevance in related searches.
Persuasion: How to get readers to buy with confidence
One of your main goals is to convince your readers to buy your product or services (like a subscription, course, consulting tool, or tool). Your article should:
- Demonstrate authority — show you know what you are doing. Use frameworks and examples.
- Share case studies, testimonials and success stories.
- Answer objections — Anticipate doubts (“Will it work for me?”), and answer them.
- Provide clarity and transparency – explain to the customer what they will get, how much they will pay, and what process they are going through.
- Use a direct, but useful call to action.
You can include short stories about clients who were skeptical at first but then saw results. You can, for example:
Sara initially thought that online marketing would not apply to her shop. Within three months, Sara’s foot traffic had increased by 20% and her online revenue matched that of her store .”
Compare hiring you with doing it yourself (wasting time), or doing it yourself (faster, less mistakes, guided path).
The CTA is the final step. It should feel like an obvious next step. “Start your session,” “Download this planning template,” or, “Enroll today and see results within 90 days.”
Tips, Pitfalls & Best Practices
- Do not try all tactics at once. Start with one or two channels and get them to work, then expand.
- Be consistent. It takes time for a strategy to have an impact.
- Test headlines, images and landing pages.
- Analyze your website daily or weekly. Do not wait for months to find out what is wrong.
- Keep up to date. The digital marketing landscape is constantly changing. Stay informed by following blogs, joining communities, and attending training.
- Mobile is not a thing to ignore Most users use their phones for browsing or shopping.
- Automate where possible. Saves you time and ensures that follow-ups are done.
Final Thoughts and Invitation
To become a Digital Marketing Strategist, you don’t have to master every tool that comes along. It’s more important to create a framework, use data to guide your efforts, and align every action with the goal. You can gain trust and influence by speaking humanely, using stories and guiding your audience through the process.
I would be happy to assist you in implementing this (for your brand or as a service) by helping you create a custom strategy, training your team or reviewing your funnels. Send me a message and I will send you an action plan that you can implement immediately.