As an entrepreneur, there are many ways to promote your business, but digital marketing is by far the one with the most incredible reach. This is because it's cost-effective and, to be fair, online is where most people spend their time nowadays. I would even go so far as to say; you can't start a business today without having a digital strategy.

The only tricky things you need to overcome are: 

  • making time for it
  • reaching the right people
  • ensuring your efforts are growing your business
  • Oh, and let's not forget the need to keep up with digital trends.

As an entrepreneur, you wear many hats, but the one you will need to wear with confidence is your digital marketing hat. That's right; you can't shop your digital marketing out to someone else before you know what works, and you can't understand what works until you have tested the tactics and actions you developed in an existing digital strategy. 

It makes sense, but I have had many clients bring on digital marketing consultants wanting them to deliver results for their business without a clear strategy. The results are always dismal. For example, one of my clients invested tens of thousands into a campaign that delivered zero returns. Why? Because they didn't have a digital strategy and had no idea how to brief a digital agency. It gets worse; they had never run a digital campaign and thought they could rely on the agency to deliver results for them without fully understanding how the agency would do that. You might as well just hand the digital agency your money and walk away.

Then there is the other option, post a ton of content and hope that somewhere along the way, something will stick and revenue will start rolling in. Speaking from a ton of experience, I know this doesn't work!

After years of experimenting and research, I have found that digital marketing will not work unless you have an effective digital strategy.

What should a digital strategy include?

At a top-level, it would include:

  • a complete understanding of the challenge you face
  • a plan to overcome that challenge
  • objectives and goals that deliver specific results.

Once you understand the top-level points, you would develop more in-depth tactics to deliver that strategy. You see, the tactics and actions you take within your digital strategy deliver results for your business.

Need an example, okay here you go

Let's say your objective is to increase your revenue by 15%. One of the goals would be to get at least 1500 people signing up to your email database per year because you know that number historically converts to 15% of sales. Then, you might start focusing on posting content that would drive people to your blog, where your ideal client would find binge-able reading on topics that address their needs. From there, you would email them engaging content that would convert those warm leads into sales.

That statement sounds pretty straightforward, right. But it isn't. Inside that goal is a great deal of work before you can begin that kind of tactic.

So what's involved in developing a digital strategy?

Know your ideal customer avatar.

Yep, we aren't calling them customers anymore. They are called avatars. There's a nice little trend change for you. An avatar is a customer profile that is a perfect fit for your product or solution.

Once you know your avatar, your goal is to create content that will speak directly to them. As a result, your content will be more effective and of greater value to your avatar (I still want to say customer!).

Know your competition.

You absolutely cannot go to market without knowing precisely what your competition is up to in your space. Not only what your competitors offer but also their website, digital marketing and pricing. If you can find a niche they aren't covering, that would be gold for your business.

Read more here: Do you understand the power of a niche?

Start researching keywords.

Keywords are a crucial part of an effective digital strategy. Imagine what would happen to your results if you create content based on keywords no one is using to search for what you offer. You can expect to hear crickets. Figuring out what keywords your avatars are using to find your solution will make content creation more compelling.

Read more here: Keywords and why they are important!

That's just a quick snapshot of three key examples of what is involved in developing an effective digital strategy. There are a few more, but the great thing is, they are straightforward and will give you incredible clarity for your business and any future digital marketing you produce.

I can't stress enough how important a digital strategy is to your digital marketing efforts. It will drive your digital marketing and ensure your efforts are on target to grow your business, revenue and impact.

Want a digital strategy, but don't know where to start?

I built a step-by-step program where I will personally guide you in developing a digital strategy that will drive your digital marketing and ensure your efforts are on target to grow your business, revenue and impact.

This is a jam-packed masterclass explicitly built to give you everything you need to bring clarity and purpose to your digital marketing.

If this sounds like a solution you need, let's hop on a call to see if your business is a good fit. 

Antonia Grimard

About the author

Hi, I'm Antonia, and I know that through a compelling business strategy and effective messaging, you can inspire people to take action to buy your product or invest in your idea. So getting it right is crucial. My job is to powerfully communicate who you are to your customers, employees and equity partners through a clear business vision.

Whether your business vision includes traditional or digital marketing, I will ensure your message is compelling and clear.