Understand why it is crucial to have a complete digital marketing strategy for your startup and how to get it right

Today, online competition is fierce and consumer attention is increasingly difficult to capture. In this context, a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy has become essential for any startup that aspires to stand out and thrive in the digital world. In fact, according to the Think Digital Report 2022, by Inesdi Business Techschool, 85% of Spanish organisations have said that they have started their digital transformation.

This type of strategy is defined as a planned and coordinated approach that uses various digital tools and tactics to promote a brand, product or service, and establish an effective connection with the target audience in the online environment. The main purpose is to increase the visibility of the company, generate leads, encourage user engagement and drive growth and sales.

Why is it important to have one? The answer is very simple: consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in recent years. More and more people use the internet and social networks to search for information, research products or services and make purchases. As El País reports in this article, “more than half of Spaniards shop online and, moreover, they do so with a certain degree of regularity. On average, three times a month, according to the study E-commerce 2022, published by the global association of communication, advertising and digital marketing IAB Spain”. In addition, “e-commerce turnover in the second quarter of 2022 (last period with published data) increased by 33% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC)”. In short, companies that do not adapt to this new reality and do not take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital marketing run the risk of falling behind and losing market share.

In short, a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy allows you to reach a wider audience, interact directly with customers, measure results and adapt quickly to changing market needs. Working without one is like trying to navigate a rough sea without a compass or map. If you have a clear roadmap, you will be able to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by the digital world.

In this article you will learn the essential steps to building a solid digital marketing strategy that will help you succeed online.

1. Analyse your audience

Understanding your audience is the first pillar in developing an effective marketing strategy. No matter how innovative or well-designed your product or service is, if you do not connect with the needs, interests and preferences of your target audience, it will be difficult to succeed. To gain this in-depth understanding, you need to conduct market research and data analysis (through surveys, interviews, focus groups, network interactions, etc.). In this way, you will be able to gather information about your buyer persona, who represents your ideal customer and who should be the focus of your efforts. The references you should get are quantitative (location, age, gender, social class, etc.) and qualitative (motivations, problems, interests, priorities, etc.). This will help you get a more accurate picture of your audience’s behaviour. With the information gained, you can tailor your message and choose the right platforms or channels to reach your audience effectively.

2. Define your objectives

Once you know your audience, it’s time to define what you want to achieve. You will need to set SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. A specific purpose refers to a particular aspect, task or action that indicates exactly what you hope to achieve. For a objective to be measurable, apart from being delimited, you must have the tools to be able to measure it. By achievable, we mean that it is perfectly realisable under the conditions and with the means of the start-up. Once it is achieved, you can aim higher afterwards. It will be relevant if it is aligned with the general objectives of the business. The actions must be focused and aligned with the company’s development plan. Finally, it should be time-bound, limited to a certain time, which should be well suited to the purpose we want to achieve. Remember that goals should be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. It is a continuous and dynamic process, and it is important to monitor results, analyse data and change as necessary.

3. Know your budget

Before starting to imagine the type of actions you want to execute, it is essential to be clear about the amount of financial resources you have. This will allow you to set your limits and focus your strategy on activities that fit your budget. In this way, by being realistic, you will avoid spending more money than you actually have or should use, and you will avoid designing campaigns that cannot be carried out properly, which could result in a waste of resources.

4. Select the channels and tactics

At this point, you need to select the right channels and tactics to reach your target audience. Digital channels are the means or platforms through which you can communicate with your online audience. The most common are website, social media, content marketing, online advertising, email, SEO (search engine optimisation) or influencer marketing. Each of these channels has its own characteristics and advantages. Once selected, you must define the specific tactics to implement in each of them (there is a wide variety for each channel), adapting them to your objectives and available resources. Moreover, as Philip Kotler, the American economist and professor who is considered the father of modern marketing, said, “marketing is the art of creating genuine value for your customers”. And that is exactly what your different content, messages and operations should focus on.

5. Plan a calendar of actions

Planning and organisation are key to achieving effective results and maximising the impact of your efforts. Launching all actions at the same time can be counterproductive, as it does not allow you to convey a gradual evolution that can capture the attention and interest of your audience. By scheduling your work, you can allocate adequate time and focus to each channel, thus avoiding sending contradictory messages (conveyed in a confusing or unstructured way) or overwhelming with too much information at the same time. In the end, it is a way to establish a logical and coherent sequence over time.

6. Follow and monitor the development

It is important to monitor the development of the implemented digital marketing strategy for several fundamental reasons. First, it allows us to measure compliance with the goals set and make adjustments if necessary to change course. In this way, you do not miss the opportunity to improve and optimise the actions taken. And not only do you have the option to grow, but also to correct if an effect contrary to the expected one is emerging. In addition, it helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy, because having established clear and specific metrics, we can evaluate performance objectively and determine whether the desired results are being obtained. In the end, by monitoring your marketing campaign you can ensure that you are achieving tangible and positive results.

7. Study the results and enrich the strategy

Once the strategy has been finalised, you should check whether you have met the expectations you had in mind and detect where you may have failed. Repeat the efforts that have worked, and touch up those that haven’t. Corrections will help you to achieve better results in the future. It is necessary to keep an eye on changes in consumer behaviour, new trends or emerging technologies in order to adapt and enrich the methods used.

Creating a comprehensive digital marketing strategy takes time, research and effort, but the results are often worth it. In addition, now you have the help of artificial intelligence, which is key to facilitate and improve certain processes. Here is an article that may be useful for you.

By following the steps outlined above, you can build a solid strategy that will bring you closer to your goals. And if it doesn’t, you can tweak it to make it work better the next time around.

Keep in mind that digital marketing is a constantly evolving field, so it is important to keep up to date and adapt your strategy as needed. At the end, as CMO and business angel Mike Volpe said, “don’t be afraid to be creative and experiment”. Marketing is not a one-size-fits-all formula, so to some extent you can (and should) deviate, explore new formulas and throw yourself into uncertainty.