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RGUHS informs on submission of Online Dissertation for ensuing MSc Nursing September, October Exam 2021

Karnataka: Through a recent notice, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has informed about the submission of the Online Dissertation for the ensuing M.Sc Nursing September/October-2021 Examination.All the concerned students can take note of the following details as released by the RGUHS on its official website: Si No. Name of the Events ...

Karnataka: Through a recent notice, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has informed about the submission of the Online Dissertation for the ensuing M.Sc Nursing September/October-2021 Examination.

All the concerned students can take note of the following details as released by the RGUHS on its official website:

• The Principal of all colleges are informed to submit 4 CDs (Soft Copy)
• Submission of Hard Copies of Dissertation books are not accepted in the University

To view the official notice, click on the following link:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/rguhs-msc-nursing-156048.pdf

For more details, log on to the official website of RGUHS:

https://www.rguhs.ac.in/  

Read also:  RGUHS Informs On Conduct Of University Theory Examinations Of MSc Nursing, Nurse Practitioner In Critical Care April 2021

Medical Dialogues Bureau consists of a team of passionate medical/scientific writers, led by doctors and healthcare researchers.  Our team efforts to bring you updated and timely news about the important happenings of the medical and healthcare sector. Our editorial team can be reached at [email protected].

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Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS)

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Dr. M K Ramesh Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor

Dear RGUHS Fraternity of Faculty and Students

Welcome to HELINET, a state-wide network of digital knowledge resources, from medical textbooks to research journals and multi-media learning tools! I am delighted to announce a new system through which you can access these resources at your fingertips, from anywhere, any time, and any device – laptop or mobile. Every one of our two lakhs plus users in RGUHS system will get an individual userID and password to access HELINET resources. I advise you to use these knowledge resources well to constantly learn and stay updated in pursuit of your studies and professional career. Happy learning!

Prof. M. K. Ramesh, Vice Chancellor

Vice Chancellor's Message

Dear Colleagues, Warm Greetings! And welcome to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka. It is my pleasure to greet you all on the occasion of my assuming charge as Vice Chancellor of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka. This occasion also marks the beginning of New Year - 2022. The New Year brings along with it the fading memories of yester year, which were largely the reflections of the fight against uncertainties and anguish.

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“Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka a premier Health Science University in India was established on 1st June 1996 at Bangalore by the Govt. of Karnataka through its enactment of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka Act 1994 to encompass all the existing health science colleges and institutions which were earlier affiliated to the conventional universities in Karnataka with a purpose of ensuring proper and systematic instruction, teaching, training and research in modern and Indians systems of medicine.”

The phenomenal increase in the number of institutions and students admitted to various courses of medical and allied health sciences warranted the need to regulate, monitor and standardize the curricula as well as the evaluation systems. The product of medical and health science professional education was to meet the societal needs for better healthcare. Hence, RGUHS had the vision to bring in uniformity in the standards of teaching and have a common curriculum for the various courses offered in different colleges across Karnataka.

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THESIS SYNOPSIS - Rajiv Gandhi University of...

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RAJIV GANDHI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES,

BANGALORE, KARNATAKA

ANNEXURE-11

PROFORMA FOR REGISTRATION OF SUBJECTS FOR DISSERTATION

1. NAME OF THE

CANDIDATE AND

DR. KAVYA K

POST GRADUATE

DEPT OF GENERAL MEDICINE ,

ESIC MEDICAL COLLEGE AND PGIMSR ,

RAJAJINAGAR,

BENGALURU-560010

2. NAME OF THE

INSTITUTION

3. COURSE OF THE

STUDY AND SUBJECT M.D. – GENERAL MEDICINE

4. DATE OF ADMISSION

TO COURSE 31-05-2012

5. TITLE OF TOPIC

“AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF ANAEMIA AND ITS

UNDERLYING CAUSES IN MEDICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.”

BRIEF RESUME OF THE INTENDED STUDY:

6.1 NEED FOR THE STUDY:

Anemia is common in critically ill patients and appears early during their intensive

care unit (ICU) course. By day 3 after ICU admission, almost 95% of patients are anemic.[1–3] The anemia in these critically ill patients persists throughout their ICU and hospital

stay, with or without red blood cell (RBC) transfusion.[3]

Delivery of oxygen to tissues depends upon hemoglobin level and tissue perfusion

by oxygenated blood; anemia will lead to a decreased capacity of oxygen transport, which

is compensated by cardiac compensatory mechanisms. In critically ill patients these

mechanisms might not be sufficient eventually resulting in tissue hypoxia and progression

to multiple organ dysfunction syndromes. The presence of anemia patients in ICU has been

associated with worse outcomes including increased lengths of stay and increased

mortality.[4]

Anemia is a hemoglobin concentration in blood that is below the expected value,

when age, gender, pregnancy and certain environmental factors, such as altitude, are taken

into account. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines anemia as a hemoglobin

<13 g/dl (hematocrit <39%) for adult males and <12 g/dl (hematocrit <36%) for adult non-

pregnant females. [5, 6] There are no universally agreed grades of severity for anemia during

critical illness.

Among the causes of anemia in the critically ill, important are sepsis (inflammation)

induced bone marrow suppression, blood loss especially gastrointestinal bleeding, blood

sampling, chronic renal failure, drug-induced hemolytic anemia, nutritional deficiencies

and worm infestation.[7,8] Anemia of critical illness is similar as anemia of Inflammation

and anemia of chronic disease as it develops acutely in states of inflammation. Anemia of

inflammation is the second most common cause of anemia after iron deficiency.[9]

A proper identification of anemia and its underlying causes in ICU patients is required

because various disorders may necessitate different diagnostic and therapeutic management

strategies. It will be helpful to select appropriate treatment options like blood transfusion,

erythropoietin therapy, and iron supplementation which influence the outcome in these

critically ill patients.

6.2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Corwin et. al study in the USA examined 489 admissions to ICUs the mean hemoglobin

concentration at ICU admission was 11.0 g/dl. Almost two-thirds of patients had a

hemoglobin concentration <12 g dl at ICU admission.[3]

Vincent et. al in a cohort study of 3534 patients admitted to 146 Western European

ICUs with varying case mix found that the mean hemoglobin concentration at ICU

admission was 11.3 g/dl. Sixty-three per cent of patients had a hemoglobin concentration

<12 g/dl on ICU admission and 29% of patients had an admission hemoglobin

concentration <10 g/dl.[4]

A cohort study by Bahlas S et. al., out of the 100 patients, 82% (82 patients) were

anemic with Hb average of 10.06 + 0.28, 48 of whom had blood transfusion. Sepsis was

the most common clinical setting associated with anemia in 72% of the patients followed

by Chronic Renal Failure in 56% of the patients. The others being gastrointestinal

bleeding, hemolysis and internal hemorrhage. [9]

Anemia is common in heart failure populations, with the majority of studies indicating

prevalence >20%. In most reported studies anemia is an independent predictor of increased

mortality risk and increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure.[10]

In a prospective cohort study by N Manchal, S Jayaram causes identified for anemia in

ICU were 33% due to sepsis, 9% due to chronic kidney disease,8% each for GI bleed,

internal bleed and protozoa infections.[11]

Tanne D et. al concluded in a cohort study as WHO-defined anemia was common in both

men and women among patients with acute stroke and predicted poor outcome.[12]

Hebert et al. studied 4,470 patients Critically ill patients admitted to ICU; survivors:

(n = 3,469), non-survivors: (n = 1,001) Survivors had higher Hb levels than non-survivors.[13]

6.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY1. To study occurrence of anemia among critically ill patients and its contribution to ICU

related morbidity.

2. To study the etiological factors that contributes to anemia in critically ill patients.

7 MATERIALS AND METHODS

7.1 SOURCE OF THE DATA The study includes patient selected from ICU at Employees State Insurance Corporation-

Medical Collage- Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research [ESIC-MC-

PGIMSR] over a period of 18 months.

7.2 METHOD OF COLLECTION OF DATA Patients satisfying inclusion criteria are enrolled within 24 hours of admission to ICU

after informed consent.

Complete hemogram noted on first day, third day and at the time of discharge or transfer

from ICU.C-reactive protein measured on first day and at the time of discharge or transfer

Other investigations as advised by attending physician based on primary diagnosis are

noted as relevant to the study.

Sample size: 60

Study design: observational study

Statistical analysis: The data collected in this study will be analyzed statistically using

descriptive statistics.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:1. Patients aged above 18 years admitted under medicine department.[11]

2. Males with hemoglobin <13 g/dl (hematocrit <39%) and females with<12g/dl

(hematocrit <36%) [5,6]

3. APACHE II SCORE ≥ 20 on the day of admission[4,12] or Patient on mechanical

ventilator[13]

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:1. Patient under age 18 years

2. Patient with known congenital anaemias

3. HIV positive patients

4. Patient with known malignancy and on chemotherapy

5. Pregnant patients

7.3 DOES THE STUDY REQUIRE ANY INVESTIGATIONS OR

INTERVENTIONS TO BE CONDUCTED IN PATIENTS OR OTHER

7.4 HAS ETHICAL CLEARANCE BEEN OBTAINED FROM YOUR

INSTITUTION :YES

8. REFERENCES:

1. Corwin HL, Gettinger A, Rodriguez RM, Pearl RG, Gubler KD, Enny C, Colton T,

Corwin MJ: Efficacy of recombinant human erythropoietin in the critically ill patient: a

randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Crit Care Med 1999; 27:2346-2350.

2. Rodriguez RM, Corwin HL, Gettinger A, Corwin MJ, Gubler D, Pearl RG. Nutritional

deficiencies and blunted erythropoietin response as causes of the anemia of critical illness.

J Crit Care 2001; 16:36-41.

3. Corwin HL, Gettinger A, Pearl RG, Fink MP, Levy AM, Abraham E, MacIntyre NR,

Shabot M, Dun MS, Shapiro MJ. The CRIT study: Anemia and blood transfusion in the

critically ill: current clinical practice in the United States. Crit Care Med 2004; 32:39-52.

4. Vincent JL, Baron JF, Reinhart K, et al. Anaemia and blood transfusions in critically ill

patients. JAMA 2002; 288:1499–507.

5. Longo D L et al. Harrison´s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18 th edition. Vol.I. New

York: McGraw-Hill; 2012: 448-9.

6. Nutritional anaemia’s. Report of WHO scientific group. World Health Organ Tech Rep

Ser1968; 405:5-37.

7. Walsh T.S, Ezz-El-Din Saleh. Anaemia during critical illness. British Journal of

Anaesthesia 2006; 97 (3): 278–91.

8. Irwin, Richard S., Rippe, James M. Irwin and Rippe's Intensive Care Medicine. 7th

Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: 2011; Sec IX Chap 112:1253-4.

9. Bahlas S, Faydhi A , Ahmed M.A. Prospective Study on Anemia and Blood Transfusion

in Critically ill Patients.WebmedCentral GENERAL MEDICINE 2011; 2(4):WMC001836.

10. Tang Y, Katz SD. The prevalence of anemia in chronic heart failure and its impact on

the clinical outcomes. Heart Fail Rev. 2008 Dec; 13(4):387-92

11. Manchal N, Jayaram S. A prospective cohort study on anemia and blood transfusion in

critically ill patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2007; 11:182-5.

12. Tanne D, Molshatzki N, Merzeliak O, Tsabari R, Toashi M, Schwammenthal Y.

Anaemia status, haemoglobin concentration and outcome after acute stroke: a cohort study.

BMC Neurol 2010; 10:22.

13. Hebert PC, Wells G, Tweeddale M, et al. Does transfusion practice affect mortality in

critically ill patients? Transfusion Requirements in Critical Care (TRICC) Investigators and

the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 1997; 155:1618–1623.

14. Knaus WA, Draper EA, Wagner DP, Zimmerman JE. "APACHE II: a severity of

disease classification system". Critical Care Medicine 1985; 13 (10): 818–29.

15. Wang MP, Jiang L, Zhu B, Jiang Q, Xi XM. Clinical observational study of anemia in

mechanically ventilated patients. Zhongguo Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue 2012 Feb;

24(2): 70-3.

9. SIGNATURE OF CANDIDATE

10.REMARKS OF THE GUIDE:

Anemia in ICU has diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Hence study is relevant with practical implications.

11. 11.1 NAME AND DESIGNATION( IN BLOCK LETTERS) OFGUIDE

DR.T.ANIL KUMAR, MDPROFESSOR AND HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT,DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL MEDICINE,ESIC-MC PGIMSR,RAJAJINAGAR,BENGALURU-560010

11.2 CO-GUIDE ( if any ) DR.V.SRINIVASA MURTHY, MDPROFESSOR AND HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT,DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY,ESIC-MC PGIMSR,RAJAJINAGAR,BENGALURU-560010

11.3 HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

11.4 SIGNATURE

11.5 REMARKS OF THE CHAIRMAN & PRINCIPAL

11.6 SIGNATURE

11.7 PRINCIPAL OF THE INSTITUTTION

Dr. B. RAJEEVA SHETTY, MSDEAN, ESIC MEDICAL COLLEGE & POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH, RAJAJINAGAR, BENGALURU-560010

Case No: Hospital- IP / OP No:

Address: Occupation:

History of fever – type Duration Degree Associated factors History of cough –productive Non – productive History of burning micturition History of pain abdomen/ vomiting/loose stoolsHistory of blood in vomitus / stools / black tarry stoolsHistory of recent bleeding from any orifices- menstrual, gum bleeding or othersHistory of headache / altered sensorium

Co-morbidities- Hypertension/ diabetes/ chronic renal failure/ chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/ ischemic heart disease/ tuberculosis/ epilepsy/ cirrhosis of liver

PAST HISTORY -

GPE- General Physical Examination:

General appearance:

Height / weight Temperature

Pallor: Clubbing: Icterus: Cyanosis: Edema:

Pulse: BP: Respiratory rate: Saturation:

Systemic examination:

Investigations:

APACHE II score-Arterial blood gas analysis-

Mechanical ventilation-

1. Complete Hemogram:On day 1On day 3On day of discharge or transfer

On day 1On day of discharge or transfer

Other investigations as ordered by attending physician based on primary diagnosis:

PT, aPTT, INR Smear for MP, Serological tests for dengue, leptospirosis Liver function tests Renal function tests Thyroid function tests Iron studies Serum B12, Folic acid levels Bone marrow aspiration & biopsy Blood culture & sensitivity Urine routine analysis Urine culture & sensitivity Sputum gram stains & culture sensitivity Chest x ray Ultra sonogram

Other relevant investigations as required;

TREATMENT GIVEN;

Number of units of blood transfused:

CONSENT FORM

Participant’s name: Age: Sex:

Title of the study: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF ANAEMIA AND ITS ETIOLOGICAL PROFILE IN MEDICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

The details of the study have been provided to me in writing and explained to me/us in my/our own language. I/we confirm that I have understood the above study and had the

opportunity to ask questions. I/we understand that my participation in the study is voluntary and that I/we am free to withdraw at any time, without giving any reason, without the medical care that will normally be provided by the hospital being affected. I/we agree not to restrict the use of any data or results that arise from this study provided such a use is only for scientific purpose(s). I/we have been given an information sheet giving details of the study. I/we fully consent for detailed examination, investigations and to participate in the above study.

Signature of the participant/ next of kin: ______________________ Date: _____________

Signature of the witness ________________________ Date: _____________

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business plan for digital marketing

Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their digital marketing agencies.

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• SEO Digital Marketing Agency: this type of agency focuses primarily on helping their clients’ websites and website content rank high on search engine results.
• Social Media Digital Marketing Agency: this type of digital marketing agency helps companies establish and maintain an effective social media presence. They produce social media content and manage their advertisements on social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram. Other services offered are responding to customer interactions on social media platforms and can also manage influencer outreach for cross promotion and/or affiliate marketing.
• Web Design Digital Marketing Agency: this type of agency is a team of creative designers who build customized and optimized websites for their clients’ businesses.

In addition to explaining the type of digital marketing agency you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, the number of clients with positive outcomes, reaching X number of clients served, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the digital marketing industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the digital marketing industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your digital marketing agency business plan:

• How big is the digital marketing industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your digital marketing agency? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your digital marketing agency business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: large companies, small businesses, and nonprofits.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of digital marketing agency you operate. Clearly, nonprofits would respond to different marketing promotions than large companies, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other digital marketing agencies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes social media platforms, apps, and freelancers. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of clients do they serve?
• What type of digital marketing agency are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide non digital marketing services?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a digital marketing agency business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type o f digital marketing agency that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide website design, SEO management, social media management, or public relations?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of yo ur plan, yo u are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your digital marketing agency. Document where your agency is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your digital marketing agency located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your digital marketing agency marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your digital marketing agency business, including client communication, planning and scheduling advertisement campaigns, staff meetings, billing clients, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth session, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your digital marketing agency to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your digital marketing agency’s potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing digital marketing agencies. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a digital marketing agency or successfully running an advertising and/or public relations agency.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance s heet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you book 5 clients per day, and/or offer advertising packages that can be customized ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your digital marketing agency, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a digital marketing agency:

• Cost of equipment and office supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or a list of digital marketing services you plan to offer.  

Writing a business plan for your digital marketing agency is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the digital marketing industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful digital marketing agency.  

Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my digital marketing agency business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your digital marketing agency business plan.

How Do You Start a Digital Marketing Agency?

Starting a digital marketing agency is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Digital Marketing Agency
• Create Your Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Digital Marketing Agency
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Digital Marketing Agency (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Digital Marketing Agency with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Digital Marketing Agency
• Buy or Lease the Right Digital Marketing Agency Equipment
• Develop Your Digital Marketing Agency Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Digital Marketing Agency
• Open for Business

Where Can I Download a Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free digital marketing agency business plan template PDF here . This is a sample digital marketing agency business plan template you can use in PDF format.

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How to Create a Digital Marketing Plan: 4 Steps

• 08 Feb 2024

Digital marketing is essential; it helps you connect with customers via online channels and enhance brand awareness. To ensure your campaigns succeed, you need an effective digital marketing plan and strategy.

Not all businesses understand strategic planning's importance. According to a Smart Insights report , only 17 percent clearly define their digital marketing strategies.

If you want to create a digital marketing plan, here’s an overview of what it needs and four steps to take.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is a Digital Marketing Plan & Why Is It Important?

Technology has revolutionized business, but that doesn’t mean traditional marketing tactics are obsolete.

“There are certain aspects of marketing that remain true no matter how technology changes,” says Harvard Business School Professor Sunil Gupta, who teaches the course Digital Marketing Strategy . “One of these aspects is the importance of developing a plan to effectively use your marketing resources.”

A digital marketing plan is a comprehensive strategy outlining how your company will use digital channels to promote its products and services. Unlike traditional marketing tactics, it focuses on identifying your target audience and connecting with consumers via online platforms and channels.

Your plan’s significance can’t be overstated. It provides a strategic focus while optimizing your marketing efforts and budget. More importantly, it ensures your company remains agile and responsive to market dynamics and maintains a competitive edge.

Adaptability is particularly crucial in times of uncertainty. According to HubSpot , 20 percent of marketers pivoted their established marketing plans last year due to the potential for a recession.

To help craft your digital marketing plan, here are four steps to ensuring it’s comprehensive and can weather market challenges.

4 Steps to Creating a Digital Marketing Plan

1. set goals & objectives.

The first step to creating your digital marketing plan is understanding what goals and objectives are essential to succeed.

“Companies often have multiple objectives, and you’ll need to prioritize and balance these goals,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy . “Often these goals are tied to the overall strategy of the company.”

For example, if you don’t work at a big-name company, you may want to focus on brand awareness. If you’re a market leader, you may want to expand your target audience by highlighting a new or revised product or service.

The best way to determine your company’s objectives is by identifying its challenges and opportunities throughout the customer journey , which has three stages:

• Awareness: Introducing customers to your brand or product to address a problem they have
• Consideration: Making customers aware of your brand or product while they evaluate alternatives
• Decision: Using information gathered during the previous stages to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions

“Which stage of the funnel you focus on and how you allocate your budget across different stages depends on the specific context of your brand and where you feel is the greatest barrier for your growth,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy .

Your company's strategic decisions hinge on which customer journey stage they pertain to. For example, to increase conversion rates at the consideration stage, you could allocate more resources to producing targeted, personalized content.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Your digital marketing strategy is only effective if you know who you’re trying to attract. That’s why identifying your target audience —the consumers most likely interested in your products or services—is the next step to crafting your digital marketing plan.

To determine your target audience, collect data related to:

• Demographics: General information like age, gender, and occupation that help you make implicit assumptions about customers
• Customer behavior: Behavior patterns related to your products or services, such as purchasing history and website interactions
• Consumer motivations: Primary motivations when making purchases, such as convenience, value, or status

You can use your insights to employ tactics like segmentation —organizing your customers into groups.

“While you can try and market a product to everyone, consumers have different needs and preferences,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy . “What appeals to one group of consumers may not appeal to another.”

By segmenting your customers, you can provide personalized experiences—even when their needs or market conditions shift.

Related: 3 Most Common Types of Customer Needs to Be Aware Of

3. Define Your Value Proposition

Once you know who to target, you can communicate your value proposition .

“If you want to convince consumers to buy your product, you need to give them a compelling reason to purchase your brand instead of a competing brand,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy .

To start, you need to know your:

• Target audience
• Unique value
• Competitive set
• Justifications for brand value

You can then combine these components into a value positioning statement:

For [target market] , [Brand X] is the only brand that offers [unique value claim] among all [competitive set] because [reason to believe] .

According to Digital Marketing Strategy , you can analyze your value claim’s validity and potency using the three C’s of brand positioning:

• Consumer analysis: Understanding your target audience’s behaviors, needs, preferences, and motivations.
• Competitor analysis: Evaluating your competitors' strengths, weaknesses, and market position to enhance your strategy.
• Company analysis: Assessing your value proposition, capabilities, resources, and performance to identify areas for strategic improvement.

Effective brand positioning requires being faithful to your value claim and ensuring it’s feasible and favorable.

“As you work to create a value proposition, remember: A brand’s position is not just defined by the brand itself,” Gupta says in the course. “A brand co-creates its position with its consumers as they interact with each other and react to emerging cultural trends.”

4. Establish Metrics

Metrics are critical to your marketing plan. Without key performance indicators (KPIs) , it can be difficult to tell whether it’s effective.

Common marketing KPIs include:

• Impressions
• Click through rate
• Conversion rate

“At the simplest level, you need to measure what you set out to achieve with your marketing objectives,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy . “And certain metrics will be more relevant for specific stages of the funnel.”

For example, you can focus on metrics like impressions —the number of times your brand-specific content was displayed—to determine your strategy’s effectiveness at the awareness stage.

With a well-crafted digital marketing plan, you can use metrics to optimize your strategy as priorities shift throughout the customer journey.

Create Your Own Digital Marketing Plan

If you want to be a more strategic marketer, you need a digital marketing plan. With one, you can solidify your company’s position, enhance your digital marketing skills , and satisfy customers.

“Determining your marketing goals, who you’re reaching, understanding the uniqueness of what you have to offer them, and how you’ll measure the value of your marketing efforts isn’t always easy,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy . “However, as you clarify these components and create your plan, you’ll have a much clearer path ahead toward identifying, acquiring, and retaining customers.”

One of the most effective ways to learn how to craft a plan is by enrolling in an online marketing course, such as Digital Marketing Strategy . Through real-world case studies and interactive exercises, you can understand how to position your brand for success.

Do you want to create a digital marketing plan? Explore Digital Marketing Strategy to discover how. If you’re interested in exploring online education but aren’t sure where to start, download our free guide to online learning success .

About the Author

Create a Digital Marketing Plan: 9 Step Strategic Guide

Nov 27, 2020 | Read time: 11 min.

Patrick Lane , Sr. Marketing Manager

• A digital marketing plan helps you determine the most effective strategies for your business and then put those strategies into action.
• Without a well-defined digital marketing plan in place, you’ll likely end up wasting money and not making the impact you want.
• A digital marketing plan can include business and marketing goals, strategies you’ll use to meet those goals, timelines, digital channels, and more.

Contents Jump to

Digital marketing has become exponentially more complicated since the early days of the internet. Back then, businesses rarely created a digital marketing plan. And those that did, focused mostly on websites, banner ads, and email marketing.

Now, you have dozens of digital marketing channels and platforms to choose from. Should you focus on SEO or PPC ? Blogging or webinars? Social media or email? Podcasts or video marketing? Augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR)? How much should you spend and when can you expect to see results?

Trying to choose the best options for your brand can feel daunting, overwhelming even.

What you need is a digital marketing plan.

A clear plan helps you determine the most effective strategies for your business and then put those strategies into action. A digital marketing plan helps you organize your initiatives so that you’re continually connecting with your audience, engaging them, and driving them to action. With a digital marketing business plan, you think ahead, coordinate among departments, and integrate your digital marketing for greater impact.

Read on, and learn nine steps to structure a digital marketing plan.

What is a digital marketing plan?

MARKETING TERM DEFINITION Digital Marketing Plan A digital marketing plan is a document in which you strategically map out your digital marketing objectives, as well the actions you’ll take to achieve those objectives.

Among other things, it can include business goals, digital strategies, and competitive landscape analysis as well as timelines, budgets, digital channels, and more.

Think of a digital marketing plan like a roadmap of sorts. You know where you want to go, and the plan provides you with a specific route to follow. 

Without a well-defined plan in place, your digital marketing efforts will be inefficient and ineffective. You’ll likely waste money and see diminished returns.

Digital Marketing Plan Template

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How to create a digital marketing plan

Now, let’s talk about the various digital marketing plan components as well as the specific steps to follow as you develop your strategy.

1. Define your digital marketing goals and business objectives

Clear, measurable, and attainable digital marketing plan objectives help you define exactly what you want to achieve and measure. Be clear and concise when you set these goals. You should also include specific numbers and timeframes to benchmark your progress.

For example, avoid goals that state you will update your lead generation system , boost conversion rates, or improve digital customer experience . Those are a bit too vague. You can’t measure your results and it’s not apparent what steps you should take to reach that goal.

Instead, a much better goal is to double organic search traffic in the next 12 months. This provides you with a deadline, a framework for setting milestone goals, and specific actions to take (optimize your site, create amazing content, and conduct strategic outreach for SEO, etc.).

“ SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. TERAKEET

2. Define audience segmentation and buyer personas

A key reason why digital marketing is important is because it allows you to target your audience with great precision.

For any digital marketing campaign to be successful, you need to know who you’re targeting. Segmenting your audience and then building buyer personas for each of those segments can provide you with insights about what types of marketing will be most effective. 

For example, say you sell IT services. Part of your audience might be small businesses with less than $500,000 in revenue. You might also sell to large corporations with significant IT needs. Your buyer personas and marketing strategies for each of these segments will look very different. Messaging that resonates with a small business owner probably won’t resonate with the head of a large IT department, and vice versa.

Start by defining the different segments in your target audience. From there, begin building out the personas of your ideal customer within each segment. Here are 9 great examples of personas to get started.

Your buyer persona information will vary depending on whether you’re B2B or B2C and the price of your product/service. Some demographic and additional information you may want to include is:

• Social media platforms
• Pain points
• Products/features desired

Your goal in creating personas is to get inside the minds of your target customers and to see things from their perspectives. When you understand what matters most to them, you can make a digital marketing plan that speaks to their deep desires and big challenges. 

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3. Conduct a competitive analysis and determine market share

If you want your marketing efforts to be effective, you need to know who you’re up against. A competitive analysis allows you to identify your competitors, calculate your market share , and determine the marketing strategies they employ.

When doing your competitive analysis, consider the following types of things:

• Which audience segments are they targeting?
• What digital marketing channels are your competitors using? 
• Where are they strongest?
• Where are they weakest?
• What portion of their traffic is earned/owned/paid?
• What’s their positioning in the market?
• What’s their claimed differentiation?
• What type of messaging and specific language do they use?
• What is their tonality and brand personality?

A thorough competitive landscape analysis will give you insights into how you can use online marketing to surpass your competitors. For example, you may realize that your competitors’ positioning and differentiation are well known, so you’ll benefit from crystalizing your own in contrast. Or, you may discover they’re strong in social media marketing but weak when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) performance.

4. Conduct a SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is the counterpart to a competitive landscape analysis. It offers a framework to analyze your business against other forces in your market. Use this process to identify what’s working, spot potential organic growth opportunities , and prepare for external threats.

Start by analyzing the strengths of your company. What are your primary advantages over your competition? Which things do you do particularly well? What unique resources do you have at your disposal?

Next, look at your weaknesses. What elements of your business aren’t working particularly well? What things keep you from making sales? Where do you fall short of your competitors?

The third step is to look closely at the opportunities available to your company. Are there any market trends you can take advantage of? Can you utilize new technology that your competitors can’t? Is there an under-served segment in your audience? 

Finally, identify any potential threats to your business. Could a competitor steal market share? Are there any obstacles blocking business growth ? Are there potential financial issues on the horizon? 

The data from your SWOT analysis will help you develop your digital marketing plan. Your plan should cater to your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, move toward opportunities, and proactively avoid potential threats. All in the name of helping you to increase sales.

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5. Calculate your digital marketing plan budget

The next step in creating the best digital marketing plan for your brand is to calculate your budget. The budget will define how much you have available to spend on digital marketing activities, as well as guide you toward specific channels, strategies, and tactics.

The amount you budget for digital marketing will vary based on a number of factors, including:

• Position within the industry
• Previous results
• Profitability of a strategy, tactic, or campaign

How much will you allocate to brand awareness campaigns ? What about to specific campaigns and offers? Are you going to allocate a certain amount of digital marketing budget for customer retention? Do you know how much to spend on SEO?

It’s important to establish your budget upfront. However, remain flexible so you can capitalize on opportunities for greater SEO ROI . If you notice that a certain campaign just isn’t generating positive ROI, then you may be better off eliminating that spend. Similarly, if you see that a certain campaign (or channel) is producing outsized results, consider shifting the budget and allocate additional dollars towards what’s working well. If you have a specific return-on-spend in mind that’s highly profitable, then keep increasing the budget as long as you’re keeping your acquisition costs under the target.

In this way, your budget can be a dynamic, evolving support mechanism of your digital marketing initiatives.

6. Define your digital marketing channels

Before you develop a content strategy , you’ll need to define the primary digital marketing channels you’ll be using. Your choice of channels needs to take into account your audience, goals, and budget.

For example, say your goal is to drive 30% more targeted traffic to your website. One way to do that is through PPC ads, which can give you an immediate boost. However, Google Adwords can also be expensive.

To improve ROI, turn to more cost-effective channels, like SEO and content marketing. These channels take longer to produce results but also deliver a far lower acquisition cost, giving you more bang for your buck. Plus, SEO and content marketing results compound over time, setting you up for longer-term sustainable success.

When defining your digital channels, consider where your audience spends most of their time. If you’re in a B2B industry, you may want to focus on channels like LinkedIn or webinars. If your audience is younger, you may want to consider influencer marketing on Instagram. Focus on how you can deliver value to your audience within the channels they favor most.

And don’t assume your audience doesn’t care about great content. Some of the best content marketing examples come from a broad range of companies with completely different customers.

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7. develop your digital marketing strategies and tactics.

After defining your channels, you need to develop the digital marketing tactics and strategies you’ll use within those channels.

For example, if you’re going to focus on search engine optimization, you need to determine the keywords you’re going to target and how you’re going to target them. You may decide to create a comprehensive content hub , online courses, SEO topic clusters , or a series of online tools. Or you may decide to provide more detailed, superior how-to information, or to deliver insights on upcoming trends, or to deliver content featuring celebrities.

If you’re focused on b2b lead generation , you may want to create case studies that showcase your results. As you think through your digital marketing plan look for ways to differentiate yourself from the competition. For instance:

• Dollar Shave Club caught people’s attention by being funny and irreverent in a traditionally boring industry. 
• Tableau offered a free online tool and garnered backlinks from more than 56,000 websites.
• LEGO created an online, interactive community with more than 300,000 in monthly organic traffic.

The more crowded the market space, the harder you’ll need to work to capture attention and achieve true optimization across your digital marketing portfolio. No matter what, when you build your digital marketing strategy , be true to your brand.

8. Create a marketing calendar

A marketing calendar allows you to map out exactly when you’ll implement your digital marketing campaigns and initiatives. It also creates accountability, ensuring that you hit deadlines and effectively execute the plan throughout the year. A calendar also helps ensure that you are consistently reaching each of your various audience segments throughout the year.

Try to map out 12 months in advance, and break down your calendar into each month of the year. This will provide you with an overall framework, along with sufficient time to prepare and execute on each delivery. For example:

• In January you’ll release a training webinar. Before you can release it, you need to create a slide deck, build a landing page, design social media graphics, etc.
• Throughout January and February, you’ll promote the training webinar across multiple channels, including social media, email, video, and PR. 
• In March, you’re going to start a blog that will be updated weekly. To make this happen, you need to decide on topics, assign them to writers, coordinate with a designer, create a blog calendar, organize videos to be embedded, etc.

Be realistic when creating your editorial calendar . Give yourself sufficient time to get everything done in a quality manner, and make sure that each deliverable is clearly assigned to a specific individual.

Popular marketing scheduling tools include CoSchedule , Contently , and Trello .

9. Measure the results and KPIs of your digital marketing plan

The final step in creating a digital marketing plan and strategy is to measure your results through the definition of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). You need to compare the outcomes of your marketing efforts to the baseline as well as original goals. If the results are underwhelming, adjust and optimize, and then measure again.

Be sure to measure each channel so that you, as a marketer, can identify what’s working most successfully for your brand, and what may need to be cut.

Keep your entire marketing team informed through dashboards. Popular marketing dashboard tools  include includes Klipfolio , TapClicks , Grow , and Domo .

Great digital marketing plans encourage integration

The process of developing a digital marketing plan encourages marketing integration which fuels greater business impact. Customers can’t ignore your brand when you consistently engulf them in your messaging, offers, and calls to action. As a result, you will achieve more, with less, by efficiently and intelligently repurposing and atomizing your marketing assets.

Whether your company is an established ecommerce brand or a brick-and-mortar juggernaut, you need to have a digital marketing plan. Although it takes time, effort, and coordination, it’s worth the work. Your marketing will be much more effective, and you’ll achieve greater marketing results for the business.

A digital marketing plan is like a blueprint. It should cover the steps and tactics to achieve the broader outcomes defined by your strategy. Your plan should cover all of the digital channels you use, including social media, email, advertising, public relations, and your website.

1. Set goals 2. Define your audience 3. Conduct a competitive analysis 4. Conduct a SWOT analysis 5. Determine your budget 6. Identify your channels 7. Develop specific tactics 8. Create a calendar 9. Measure results

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The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Strategies & How to Improve Your Digital Presence

Discover how to create a successful marketing strategy for your business to seize growth opportunities and boost revenue.

FREE MARKETING PLAN TEMPLATE

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

Updated: 03/27/24

Published: 03/25/24

Am I right in assuming that a major part of your marketing strategy today is digital? Probably.

Consumers and businesses alike are almost always online and on the go – and you want to be able to reach them and observe their behavior and where they spend their time.

But when you're growing a business, this ever-changing digital landscape can quickly become an overwhelming one. With a number of other responsibilities and tasks that you need to do, how can you also efficiently create, fine-tune, and maintain an agile digital marketing strategy?

I've put together this guide about marketing strategies to help you improve your digital presence and grow better.

What Is a Marketing Strategy?

What Is a Digital Marketing Strategy

What Is a Digital Marketing Campaign?

Create a Digital Marketing Strategy

Types of Digital Marketing Strategies

Digital Marketing Campaign Examples

What is a marketing strategy.

A marketing strategy is a plan for reaching a specific marketing-related goal (or goals) in a focused and achievable way. It takes into consideration what your business is currently doing well and what you're missing in regards to the objective you set, then developing tactics to help you meet your goal.

If you run a small business, I get that you may not know how to jumpstart your strategy. Thankfully, this digital marketing strategy template will help you get there with its actionable tips and templates to set you up for success. And did I mention that it’s free?

Now, back to the topic at hand: are you confused about the difference between a marketing strategy and marketing tactics? I’ll cover that below.

Digital Marketing For Small Business

Everything you need to know to get started with digital marketing. You'll learn about:

• Content Marketing
• Marketing Analytics

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Strategy vs. Tactic

The difference between a strategy and a tactic lies in their scope, level of detail, and time frame. A strategy is a high-level plan that guides your direction and long-term goals and how you plan on accomplishing them. Tactics, however, are specific actions and methods used to implement your strategy and achieve short-term objectives.

You can think about it like this: strategy is planning, and tactic is doing. Having a strategy without ways to act on it (tactics) is daydreaming, and taking actions with no common goal or plan (strategy) wastes your time.

Let's dive a bit deeper into the differences between the two.

Characteristics of a Strategy

Marketing or not, there are three parts to any strategy :

• A diagnosis of your challenge
• A guiding policy for dealing with the challenge
• A set of targeted actions that are necessary to accomplish the policy

Depending on the scale of your business, your marketing strategy may include several moving parts, each with different goals. With that said, working on your strategy can become daunting at times.

So, if you're ever feeling overwhelmed about your marketing strategy, I recommend referring to these three steps to keep you focused on achieving your objectives.

Characteristics of a Tactic

While strategies provide a framework for your overall vision, tactics determine the specific steps taken to execute that vision.

A good tactic should:

• Be specific, actionable, and measurable
• Align with the overall strategy
• Have a relatively short time frame

Depending on your marketing strategy, your tactics may include email marketing campaigns, publishing a blog , or organizing an event.

Now, let's look at digital marketing strategy.

What is digital marketing strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a plan for using online channels to establish an internet presence and achieve specific marketing objectives. These channels can include organic search, social media, paid ads, and other web-based mediums such as your website. Ultimately, the goal is to boost your business’s visibility and attract new customers.

A strong digital marketing strategy helps your business achieve specific digital goals through carefully selected mediums. Similar to marketing strategies versus marketing tactics , “digital marketing strategy” and “digital marketing campaign” are also often used interchangeably. How do they differ?

I'll discuss that in the following sections.

What is a digital marketing campaign?

Digital marketing campaigns are the building blocks and actions within your digital marketing strategy that move you toward a specific end goal.

For instance, if the overarching goal of my digital marketing strategy is to generate more leads through social media, I might run a digital marketing campaign on X (formerly Twitter.) I'd share some of my business's best-performing gated content on the platform to generate more leads through the channel.

Let's tie it all together to help you create a digital marketing strategy you execute with your digital marketing campaigns.

How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy

1. build your buyer personas..

For any marketing strategy – digital or not – you need to know who you're marketing to. The best digital marketing strategies are built upon detailed buyer personas ; creating them is your first step.

Featured Resource: Organize your audience segments and strengthen your marketing with these templates to build your buyer personas . They'll help you organize your insights and have a clear visualization of your target audience.

Buyer personas represent your ideal customer(s) and can be created by researching, surveying, and interviewing your business's target audience.

I have to note that it’s important that the information you gather is based on real data whenever possible. Making assumptions about your audience can cause your marketing strategy to go wrong.

Buyer personas are especially helpful if you have a niche audience. For example, I run Breaking the Blueprint , a HubSpot Blog column for minority business owners and entrepreneurs — a more specific group than the general HubSpot audience.

I could publish content based on what I think they might look for and benefit from, but I’m much more effective, impactful, and helpful if I dig deep and uncover their specific interests, needs, and challenges.

To get a well-rounded picture of your persona, your research pool should include customers, prospects, and people outside your contacts database who align with your target audience.

But what information should you gather for your buyer persona(s) to inform your digital marketing strategy?

That depends on your business — it‘s likely to vary by whether you’re B2B or B2C or sell a high-cost or low-cost product.

I’ve outlined some starting points that you can fine-tune and tailor to your particular business:

Quantitative and Demographic Information

• Location: Use web analytics tools to easily identify what location your website traffic is coming from.
• Age: Depending on your business, this may or may not be relevant information. But if it is, it's best to gather this data by identifying trends in your existing prospect and contact database .
• Income: If relevant, I recommend gathering sensitive information like personal income through persona research interviews, as people might be unwilling to share these details via online forms.
• Job Title: You can get a rough idea of this from your existing customer base, and it is most relevant for B2B companies.

Qualitative and Psychographic Information

• Goals: Depending on what challenge your product or service solves, you may already have a good idea of the goals of your buyer persona. Cement your assumptions by speaking to real customers and internal sales and customer service reps.
• Challenges: Speak to customers, sales and customer service reps, and any other customer-facing employees to get an idea of the common challenges your audience members face.
• Hobbies/Interests: Ask customers and those who align with your target audience about their hobbies and interests. For example, if you‘re a fashion brand, it’s helpful to know if large segments of your audience are also interested in fitness and well-being to inform future content and partnerships.
• Priorities: Talk to customers and target audience members to find out what‘s most important to them in relation to your business. For example, you’re a B2B software company, knowing your audience values customer support over a competitive price point is very valuable information.

By combining all of these details, you'll be able to create buyer personas that are accurate and highly valuable for your business.

2. Identify your goals and the digital marketing tools you'll need.

Your marketing goals should always be tied back to the fundamental goals of your business.

For example, if my business‘s goal is to increase online revenue by 20%, my marketing team’s goal might be to generate 50% more leads via the website than the previous year to contribute to that success.

Download this Template

Whatever your overarching digital marketing goal is, you must be able to measure the success of your strategy along the way with the right digital marketing tools.

For instance, HubSpot's Reporting Dashboard brings all of your marketing and sales data into one place, so you can quickly determine what works and what doesn't to improve your strategy for the future. My favorite feature is that you can customize your dashboards with the drag-and-drop editor to ensure your reports feature the metrics that matter most.

3. Evaluate your existing digital channels and assets.

When reviewing your existing digital marketing channels and assets to determine what to incorporate in your strategy, it's helpful to first consider the big picture — this will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Gather what you have and categorize each vehicle or asset in a spreadsheet so you have a clear picture of your existing owned, earned, and paid media.

Owned, Earned, Paid Media Framework

To do this effectively, I recommend using the owned, earned, and paid media framework to categorize the digital “vehicles,” assets, or channels you‘re already using and decide what’s a good fit for your strategy.

Owned Media

Owned media refers to the digital assets your brand or company owns, like your website , social media profiles, blog content, or imagery.

Owned channels are what your business has complete control over. The HubSpot Blog is an example of owned media, but this can also include some off-site content you own (e.g. a blog you publish on Medium).

Earned Media

Earned media , also called earned content, is anything written about or created about your business that doesn’t come from paid advertising or sponsorships. It’s published by a third party, like press mentions or media outlet coverage, people sharing your content via their networks, user-generated content, and even word-of-mouth marketing from satisfied customers.

Essentially, earned media is the recognition you receive from these efforts.

Paid media is the opposite of earned media, and it refers to any vehicle or channel you spend money on to catch the attention of your buyer personas.

This includes things like Google Ads, paid social media posts, native advertising (e.g. sponsored posts on other websites), or any other medium through which you pay in exchange for increased visibility.

I’ll go over an example now that I’ve outlined the framework.

Owned, Earned, and Paid Media Framework Example

Say I have an owned piece of content on a landing page on my website that's been created to help me generate leads. I know I want to incorporate different parts of the framework rather than just working with owned, earned, or paid media alone.

To amplify the number of leads the content generates, I ensure it's shareable so my audience can distribute it via their social media profiles. In return, this will increase traffic to my landing page. This is the earned media component.

To support my content's success, I might post about the content on my Facebook page and pay to have it seen by more people in my target audience.

This is how the three parts of the framework can work together, although it's not necessary for success. For instance, if my owned and earned media are already both successful, I might not need to invest in paid methods.

I recommend evaluating what solution will help you best meet your goals and then incorporating those channels into your digital marketing strategy.

Featured Resource: Keep track of your paid media efforts with HubSpot's free Paid Media Template .

Download the Template

4. Audit and plan your owned media campaigns.

At the heart of digital marketing is owned media — and it almost always comes in the form of content. That‘s because nearly every message your brand broadcasts can be classified as content, whether it’s an About Us site page, product descriptions, blog posts , ebooks, infographics, podcasts, or social media posts.

Content helps convert website visitors into leads and customers while improving your brand's online presence. And when this content is search engine optimized (SEO), it can boost your search and organic traffic.

Whatever your digital marketing strategy goal is, you'll want to incorporate owned content. To start, decide what content will help you reach your goals.

Continuing with the example from above, my goal is to generate 50% more leads on my website this year. My ‘About Us’ page is probably useless to my strategy unless it’s somehow been a lead-generation machine in the past.

If you’re feeling stuck, below I’ve outlined a brief process you can follow to work out what owned content you need to meet your digital marketing strategy goals.

Audit your existing content.

I promise marketing audits are significantly less scary than any other type of audit and much simpler.

Just make a list of your existing owned content, then rank each item according to what has previously performed best concerning your current goals.

For example, if your goal is lead generation, rank your content according to which pieces generated the most leads over the last year (such as a blog post, ebook, or site page).

The idea here is to figure out what‘s currently working, and what’s not so that you can set yourself up for success when planning future content.

Identify gaps in your existing content.

Based on your buyer personas, identify any gaps in the content you have.

For example, if you're a math tutoring company and know through research that a major challenge for your personas is finding effective ways to study, create some.

By looking at your content audit, you might discover that ebooks hosted on a certain type of landing page convert really well (better than webinars, for example).

In the case of this math tutoring company, you might make the decision to add an ebook about “how to make studying more effective” to your content creation plans.

Create a content creation plan.

Based on your findings and the gaps you‘ve identified, make a content creation plan outlining the content needed to help you hit your goals.

This should include:

• Promotional channels
• Why you're creating the content
• The priority level of the content

This can be a simple spreadsheet and should include budget information if you plan to outsource the content creation or a time estimate if you’re producing it yourself.

5. Audit and plan your earned media campaigns.

Evaluating your previous earned media against your current goals can help you get an idea of where to focus your time. Look at where your traffic and leads are coming from (if that's your goal) and rank each earned media source from most effective to least effective.

If you use an analytics tool, you’ll likely have an option to filter leads by source. If you’re a HubSpot user, the Sources reports in HubSpot’s Traffic Analytics tool is where you’ll find this information.

You may find a particular article you contributed to the industry press drove a lot of qualified traffic to your website, which boosted conversions. Or, you may discover LinkedIn is where you see most people sharing content, which increases traffic.

The idea is to build a picture of what types of earned media will help you reach your goals (and what won‘t) based on historical data. However, if there’s something new you want to experiment with, don‘t rule it out just because it’s never been done before.

6. Audit and plan your paid media campaigns.

Auditing your paid media campaigns (also a simple, no-frills audit) is the same process: evaluate your existing paid media across each platform (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and identify what’s most likely to help you meet your current goals.

Say, for example, you spend a lot of money on ads and find that you don’t get the results you’d hoped for. It might be time to refine your approach or scrap it all together and focus on another platform that yields better results.

Featured Resource: Use this Google Ads PPC Kit to learn how to leverage Google Ads for your digital marketing strategy.

By the end of the process, you should have a clear idea of which paid media platforms you want to continue using and which (if any) you'd like to remove from your strategy.

7. Bring your digital marketing campaign together.

You've done the planning and the research, and you now have a solid vision of the elements that will make up your digital marketing strategy.

To review, here's what you should have solidified so far:

• Clear profile(s) of your buyer persona(s)
• One or more digital marketing-specific goals
• An inventory of your existing owned, earned, and paid media (and what performs best)
• An audit of your existing owned, earned, and paid media (and what performs best)
• An owned content creation plan or wish list

Now, you bring all of your findings together to plan the campaign(s) that will make up your digital marketing strategy.

A better understanding of digital marketing strategies is vital to your ultimate success. Earning a bachelor’s in marketing or a related field can be valuable and boost your career.

In the meantime, I made a list of basic marketing strategies commonly used by teams across various industries. To make it even more helpful, I used our 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report to order the list based on what marketers use most and find the most effective.

Digital Marketing Strategies

• Email Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Paid Advertising
• Social Media Marketing
• Influencer Marketing
• Account Based Marketing (ABM)

Digital marketing isn’t one size fits all. Every business has its own unique needs and goals; therefore, every marketing team will have their own approach. However, there are many online marketing strategies that you can implement to spread awareness about your business and attract new customers. Here are some common yet effective strategies to help you build a comprehensive digital marketing plan.

1. Email Marketing

Every few years, email marketing falls victim to the “X marketing tactic is dead!!!!!!” conversation, but it’s not. It’s one of the most leveraged channels among marketers and offers the second-highest ROI, making it one of the most important digital strategies you can implement today.

It gives you plenty of opportunity to nurture customers who are highly interested in your products. It’s important, however, to only email those who have opted-in to receive emails from you. It’s bad form to do otherwise, and it risks diminishing your email deliverability . After all, you wouldn’t subscribe to a newsletter for a brand that doesn’t interest you, right?

You can earn subscribers through your blog, contests, and even through webinars. Any time someone gives you their email — and every time they give consent to receive communication from you — you have full permission to target them with an email marketing campaign.

Featured Resource: Email Marketing Planning Template

Download Your Free Template

Online Marketing Benefits of Email Marketing

• Builds Relationships: Email allows you to communicate directly with your audience, establishing a personal relationship and building trust over time. You can also customize email campaigns to the interests and unique preferences of your target audience, providing more content that is relevant to their needs. Fun fact: Segmented and personalized emails drive 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs.
• Drives Traffic to Your Website: Emails with links to your website or blog can drive traffic to your website and engage with your brand. You can even send your email subscribers exclusive deals, promotions, or discounts, which can increase the potential for conversions.
• Easy to Track: Email marketing campaigns can be tracked and measured, providing valuable insights such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. By analyzing these metrics, you can make data-driven decisions that can help you reach your target audience more effectively.

My Pro Tip: Streamline your email marketing efforts with generative AI, as marketers told us it’s the most effective at creating emails. Try it for yourself with AI Email Writer , HubSpot’s generative AI tool that will help you automate copywriting and create marketing emails that capture attention and inspire clicks.

Recommended Reading

16 Benefits of Email Marketing Your Marketing Team Must Know

The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing

30 Brilliant Marketing Email Campaign Examples [+ Template]

12 Email Marketing Trends Marketers Should Know [According to My Inbox]

2. Video Marketing

Video, specifically short-form, is the number one trend companies leverage in their marketing strategy.

Given this, it’s no surprise that the fastest-growing platforms are a video haven, especially TikTok. Of the marketers already using the platform, 56% plan to increase their investments in 2024, making it the platform poised to grow the most this year.

The increase in investment is also because video marketing is more effective than ever. In fact, 96% of video marketers surveyed by Wyzowl reported that video is an important part of their strategy, the highest it’s ever been in nine years.

One of the reasons videos are so effective is because they allow you to communicate with your audience in a more personal way. Plus, short-form video takes less bandwith and effort to create, you can still share a lot of information, and shorter videos align with the fast-paced attention span of many watchers.

By making video an integral part of your digital strategy, you can showcase your brand’s creativity and explore more content formats, such as product demos, explainer videos, expert interviews, customer testimonials, and more.

Online Marketing Benefits of Video Marketing

• Boosts SEO: Since Google includes video content in its search results, implementing video as part of your marketing strategy can improve your search engine visibility. Plus, video content can be optimized with relevant titles, descriptions, and keywords, making it easier for search engines to understand and categorize the content.
• Better Retention: Video is easier to remember than text-based content because it allows you to use storytelling techniques and communicate important messages more effectively. Video has the power to invoke emotions and create a connection with your audience, making it easier for them to consume and remember your content.
• Enhances Reach: Video is highly shareable on social media due to its easily digestible nature. As people share your video content with their own social media networks, it exposes your brand to new audiences.
• The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing
• The Best Video Marketing Channels to Grow Your Brand
• The Video Marketing Playbook

22 Video Marketing & Advertising Campaigns You'll Actually Enjoy Watching

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is optimizing your web content, structure, and technical aspects to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). The ultimate goal of SEO is to increase organic, non-paid traffic to your website from search engines like Google and Bing.

If your product pages aren’t earning traffic, SEO is your best bet to get those pages in front of those searching for those products and services. Investing in an on-page SEO strategy is important to ensure your content engages and converts users.

According to our survey, website/blog/SEO is the second-most used channel among marketers, but they say it offers the best ROI. I’m not surprised by this because of my own experience. More often than not, I’m looking to Google to find answers to my questions, and so are my other consumer peers — among all generations, people prefer to find answers to their questions with search engines.

Image Source

And, while social search (which I’ll cover below) continues to gain steam, consumers still find the best answers on search engines.

Not sure how to get started? Download our starter pack below.

Featured Resource: SEO Starter Pack

Download Your Free SEO Pack

Online Marketing Benefits of SEO

• Increases Organic Traffic: Optimizing your digital content for search engines can help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords that your audience is using. As your ranking increases, so does your brand’s visibility and your website’s organic traffic.
• Improves User Experience: When it comes to getting higher rankings, optimizing your website for users is just as important as optimizing for search engines. I recommend ensuring that your website is easy to navigate and has a clear information hierarchy so users can quickly find what they are looking for. In doing this, you not only improve the user experience, but you also increase the chances of users staying on your website longer, engaging with your brand, and ultimately, becoming customers.
• Provides Long-Term Benefits: Unlike paid advertising, which requires ongoing investment, optimizing your content for search engines can provide long-term benefits by driving consistent and ongoing organic traffic to your website. Yes, it can take longer to reach your goals, but the payoff includes saving your business money and building an authentic brand reputation.
• The Ultimate Guide to SEO
• How to Create an SEO Strategy & How to Do Keyword Research for SEO

19 SEO Tips Straight From the Mouths of HubSpot's SEO Team

• The SEO Evolution: Expert Insights into the Future Landscape of Search

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage your target audience. Instead of bombarding your audience with ads and promotional messages, content marketing focuses on providing your customers with information that is actually interesting and useful to them.

Ultimately, the goal of content marketing is to build trust, establish thought leadership, and drive profitable customer action. Since buyers view around three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep, content marketing is how you give them what they’re looking for.

Despite also falling victim to the “Is X marketing tactic dead???!??” by a few dissenting voices (some even call it a massive waste of your time !), blogging is one of the most popular forms of content marketing. You might call me biased because I’m a blogger writing about why blogging is important, but you can also trust the 92% of marketers who told us that they’re boosting their investments in blogging in 2024.

It’s a major play for businesses that want to attract customers who are genuinely interested in their products and services. And well-written, well-researched blog posts often answer an urgent need for a potential customer. For instance, HubSpot sells marketing software , and our users are typically marketing professionals who create plans, campaigns, and editorial calendars for their employers.

The key is not to blog just because: blog with the intent to solve for the customer. To effectively do so, it’s important to understand your target audience and their pain points . That way, you can write highly targeted content that’s genuinely helpful for readers, especially since consumers say they read 1-4 blog posts per month .

Another trend in the content marketing space is generative AI, and 85% of marketers say it will change how they create content this year. Those who already use it say it helps them create high-quality, better-performing content.

Online Marketing Benefits of Content Marketing

• Boosts Web Traffic: Regularly publishing fresh and relevant blog content can improve your SEO rankings, attracting more organic visitors to your website. Plus, sharing content on your social media pages and other channels can help you stay engaged with your audience while increasing visibility.
• Establishes Experience, Authority and Credibility: Sharing your expertise and insights through blog articles and other content helps establish you and your company as thought leaders in your industry. You can engage with your audience and provide them with useful information that speaks to their pain points, building trust and positioning yourself as a reliable and knowledgeable resource.
• Generates Leads and Conversions: By creating engaging and relevant content, you can attract potential customers interested in your business and move them through the buyer’s journey. You can also convert readers into leads by including CTAs that encourage readers to take action, such as subscribing to a newsletter or registering for a free trial.
• Why Blog? The Benefits of Blogging for Business and Marketing
• How to Create a Successful Blog Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Blog SEO: How to Search Engine Optimize Your Blog Content
• Blogging Mistakes to Avoid According to HubSpot Bloggers
• How to Fit AI Into Your Content Marketing Strategy [+ Its Biggest Pitfalls], According to Jasper's Head of Enterprise Marketing

5. Paid Advertising

An organic content marketing strategy is only a portion of the story. It’s just as important to implement non-organic plays, such as paid advertising. Not only will this help you drive more brand awareness, it will also help you reach audiences who can’t find your business organically yet.

I recommend paid advertising if you’re still growing your blog or business and not getting as much traffic as you want. There are a few types of advertising you can consider adding to your digital strategy:

• Social Media Advertising
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
• Online Advertising

Nearly every platform has an option for you to advertise — either through a display network (such as Google’s ) or through its built-in ad system (such as Instagram’s, Facebook’s, and LinkedIn’s self-serve advertising portal).

Here’s one example of an ad on LinkedIn :

What I like the most, and the biggest benefit of paid advertising, is that it’s not dependent on a content or SEO strategy where success can take a while to build. You choose a platform, create your budget, write copy, decide on images, and launch your advertising campaigns. Still, to ensure your success, I’d recommend creating an advertising plan that outlines who you’re targeting, which channels you’ll be using, and how much you plan to spend.

I recommend downloading the following template to create your plan.

Featured Resource: Advertising Plan Template

Online Marketing Benefits of Paid Advertising

• Targeted Campaigns: Platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram enable you to target your ads to specific audiences based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. This helps ensure that your ads are seen by the right people who are more likely to be interested in your products or services.
• Measurable Results: No matter which platform you advertise on, you’ll be able to track the success of your ad campaigns by analyzing performance metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions. By analyzing this data, you can identify which ads and targeting strategies are most effective and make informed decisions to improve future campaigns.
• Flexibility: Paid advertising gives you the option to adjust your campaigns, targeting options, and budget based on your marketing goals and audience preferences. This can help you stay agile and responsive in the fast-moving digital marketing landscape and ensure that you are getting the most from your advertising budget.

6. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is another way to generate brand awareness online and boost your digital strategy. It involves creating and sharing content on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others, to attract attention, drive website traffic, and generate leads.

Social media is one of the highest ROI marketing channels, and lately, a lot of its success comes from apps incorporating ecommerce. It’s now one of the leading product discovery and purchasing channels for consumers, so much so that 17% of social media users bought a product in-app in the past three months. Given this, it’s no surprise that 59% of marketers report driving more social sales than in past years.

Social media marketing is also great for building communities around your brand. You can speak directly to your audience, engage with followers through comments and messages, and have discussions to connect with them on a more personal level. The stronger your relationship with your audience, the more loyal they will be to your brand.

Online Marketing Benefits of Social Media Marketing

• Increases Brand Awareness: With billions of active social media users, you can reach a wide audience and increase your brand’s visibility. This is especially true if you participate in relevant social media trends, run paid campaigns, create and promote branded hashtags, and collaborate with other brands.
• Boosts Engagement: A strong social media presence can help create a community around your brand and build a strong relationship with your followers. Plus, you can use tactics like contests and giveaways to encourage specific actions that support your marketing goals, such as asking users to tag a friend or write a review.
• Rich Insights and Analytics: Social media platforms typically provide robust analytics tools that allow you to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, track key metrics, and gain insights for continuous improvement.
• Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Create a Great Social Media Strategy in 2024 (+New Data)

The HubSpot Blog's 2024 Social Media Marketing Report: Data from 1400+ Global Marketers

• How to Run a Social Media Contest That Gets Tons of Engagement
• The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms [New Data]

6. Influencer Marketing

The global market for influencer marketing has more than tripled since 2019, making it more popular than ever. By partnering with influencers, brands can create content that promotes their products or services while leveraging the influencer’s reach. Of marketers who used it in 2023, 86% say it was effective for their business. I don’t see this slowing down in 2024, considering that most marketers are only increasing their investments.

There are many ways you can partner with influencers, such as sponsored content, guest blogging, product collaborations, influencer takeovers, and more.

Before initiating a partnership, it’s important to research and ensure they have an engaged following within your industry or niche and are aligned with your values and messaging.

Featured Resource: The Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing

Download Your Free Guide

I know that influencer marketing might seem unattainable from a cost perspective as most businesses don’t have the most A list of A list influencer funds available in their budgets. The good thing is that you don’t have to use these influencers, especially since those with a high price tag aren’t the most effective type of influencer.

Micro-influencers, with 10,000 - 100,000 followers, are the most effective. Marketers prefer working with them and find them the most effective, which makes sense — the cost is lower, and these influencers typically have a stronger bond with a smaller and more engaged community, ready and open to hear from them.

Online Marketing Benefits of Influencer Marketing

• Brand Exposure: Partnering with influencers allows you to tap into the influencer’s existing audience and reach, which can significantly boost your brand’s awareness. By leveraging an influencer’s platform and following, you can expose your products or services to a larger audience and gain visibility among potential new customers.
• Authentic Content Creation: Influencers are skilled in creating engaging and authentic content that resonates with their followers. By partnering with influencers, you can tap into their creativity and expertise to develop compelling content that promotes your brand’s offerings in an organic and relatable manner. Plus, user-generated content created by influencers can showcase real-life experiences with your brand, which can influence buyer decisions and foster trust.
• Trust and Credibility: Influencers are seen as trusted authorities within their niches. When they endorse or recommend a brand’s products or services, it adds credibility and trust. This can positively influence consumer perceptions and increase the likelihood of potential customers trying or purchasing from your brand.

Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist & Template

• What Will Influencer Marketing Look Like in 2024?

13 Influencer Marketing Campaigns to Inspire and Get You Started With Your Own

The Top Channels for Influencer Marketing

7. Podcasting

According to Edison Research, the number of Americans (aged 12+) who have listened to a podcast in the last month is up 30% from 2013.

While audio marketing and platforms like Clubhouse are different from podcasting , the idea is the same: you can educate and engage an audience; all they need is a device that plays audio.

When digging into the data, I found that podcasting and other audio content aren’t as popular as other strategies on this list. This makes sense because podcasting isn’t a channel offering the immediate ROI you might want. Dan Stillgoe, Blend’s Marketing Manager, spoke to my colleague Caroline Forsey and told her the same thing.

He said , “It's true that you can't directly attribute leads or revenue from a podcast, but that's not its purpose. Podcasts are a long-term brand-building channel that can improve affinity and connection for your brand like no other channel. When you realize the long-term and surrounding benefits, podcasting becomes a clear and obvious investment.”

He added, “Podcasting is the perfect way to craft content that's engaging and authentic — something buyers are beginning to crave in this AI era.”

For inspiration, check out the HubSpot Podcast Network :

Instead of looking to podcasts to drive exponential ROI, I recommend leveraging it to drive engagement. Having podcasts in your digital strategy allows you to reach people on platforms other than search engines and social media channels, and it’s a much more unplanned, natural medium — though, of course, you should plan each episode carefully and ensure you’re delivering contact that actually serves your listeners.

As a consumer, I like the authenticity of podcasts and how it feels like a free flowing conversation. I even pay for premium membership subscriptions to some of my favorite shows to take advantage of extra content.

Featured Resource: How to Start a Podcast

Online marketing benefits of podcasting.

• Discoverability: Podcasts can be hosted on various platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher, expanding your brand’s reach. You can also transcribe your podcasts and publish the transcript to make them more SEO-friendly. Plus, you can invite guests to speak on your podcast and have them share the episode with their followers.
• Authenticity: Podcasting allows for a more conversational tone compared to other forms of content. The audio format lends itself to authentic and unscripted conversations, creating a sense of connection and genuine interaction between you and your listeners.
• Sustainable: Podcasts have a long shelf life and can remain relevant for months to come, helping you get the most out of your content. Plus, you can repurpose the audio material to create blog posts, videos, ebooks, and other types of content.

Podcasting: What You Need + Nine Steps To Get Started

• 3 Tips on Launching a Kickass Podcast, from My First Million Producers

The Anatomy of a Perfect Podcast Episode, According to HubSpot's Podcast Expert

The Ultimate Guide to Podcast Audio, According to HubSpot's Podcast Expert

8. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Account-based marketing is a strategic approach that focuses on targeting and engaging specific high-value accounts or key decision-makers within those accounts. Rather than casting a wide net to reach a broad audience, ABM personalizes marketing efforts to cater to the needs and preferences of specific target accounts.

For instance, let’s say my software company wants to target enterprise account XYZ Inc. Instead of a broad marketing approach, I adopt an ABM strategy and tailor my efforts to XYZ Inc. by researching its pain points and business objectives. I’ll develop personalized content tailored to its needs, engage with decision-makers and nurture relationships, and coordinate my marketing and sales efforts. All of my marketing efforts focus on what works for this one account.

Since it has a specific use case, ABM is lower on the list of popular digital marketing strategies, and I don’t recommend it to anyone but B2B organizations or industries with high-value accounts and complex sales cycles.

Dustin Brackett , CEO and Founder of HIVE Strategy , feels similarly and says he believes in the power ABM has for some organizations but understands why it’s not a popular trend: “ABM is really only valuable for organizations that have high-value customers. There isn't a ton of ROI to be had by investing in ABM for a B2C organization, or any organization that has a lower customer lifetime value because ABM is a large investment in time, resources, and dollars.”

Featured Resource: How to Implement an ABM Strategy

Online Marketing Benefits of Account-Based Marketing

• Personalized Approach: Unlike other marketing strategies, ABM enables you to create tailor-made content, communications, and campaigns for each account you target. This level of personalization helps you establish stronger relationships with your target accounts and increase the likelihood of conversion.
• Alignment Between Marketing and Sales: Alignment between your marketing and sales team is crucial for implementing a successful ABM strategy. It ensures that both teams are focused on the same goals and committed to creating consistent experiences for accounts.
• Improved Customer Retention: ABM emphasizes building long-term relationships with target accounts. By understanding their specific needs and providing relevant solutions, marketers can increase customer satisfaction, retention, and even drive further expansion within the account.
• The Ultimate Guide to Account-Based Marketing
• How to Choose the Right Accounts for ABM, from HubSpot's ABM Product Manager
• Account-Based Marketing vs. Inbound Marketing
• The Best Account-Based Marketing Software

Now it‘s time to bring all of this together to form a cohesive marketing strategy document. Your strategy document should map out the series of actions you’re going to take to achieve your goals, based on your research up to this point.

Let's discuss how our digital strategy template can help.

Digital Marketing Strategy Template

While a spreadsheet can be an efficient format for mapping your digital marketing strategy, that approach can quickly become messy and overwhelming.

To plan your strategy for the long-term – typically between six to 12 months out, I recommend a reliable digital marketing strategy document. But where to start? With our free digital marketing plan template.

This template will walk you through your business summary and initiatives, help you build your target market and competitor information, and flesh out your marketing strategy — including your budget and specific channels and metrics.

Use this digital strategy template to build out your annual digital marketing strategy and tactics. By planning out these yearly plans, you can overlay when you and your team will be executing each action. For example:

• In January, you'll start a blog that will be continually updated once a week, for the entire year.
• In March, you'll launch a new ebook, accompanied by paid promotion.
• In July, you'll prepare for your biggest business month — what do you hope to have observed at this point that will influence the content you produce to support it?
• In September, you'll focus on earned media in the form of PR to drive additional traffic during the run-up.

This approach provides a structured timeline for your activity which will help communicate plans among colleagues.

Finally, here are some examples of digital marketing campaigns and their strategies to inspire you.

• The General

1. Béis : Paid Ad

Travel accessory brand, Béis, recently launched a social media campaign to announce feature updates to one of its products. And they did it in the best way: by showing instead of telling.

Why I Like This

In a 34-second clip distributed on Instagram Stories, the brand shows how its product performed before and how it performs now after updating the material.

This is a great campaign for a few reasons:

• It not only highlights product improvement but shows customers that the brand is committed to iterating and improving,
• It makes sure to include captions in the video so it's accessible to everyone,
• There’s a CTA button at the bottom of the screen that encourages customers to make a purchase.

2. Omsom : Social Media

Asian food brand Omsom creates starter kits for home cooks who want a simple way to cook Asian cuisine without sacrificing authentic ingredients and flavors. The brand leverages its TikTok profile to share behind-the-scenes content, recipes, and culturally relevant content.

In a recent video, the brand's co-founder shared how it sources one of its key ingredients and how it chose the more difficult route to preserve the integrity of the food.

@weareomsom here's why we choose to make our lives harder as food founders! #business #sourcing ♬ original sound - Omsom

Here‘s what Omsom did right:

• Highlighted its brand values while still building excitement around the product,
• Includes its website link in its TikTok bio,
• Offers a discount to customers who find it through the video-sharing platform.

Sharing behind-the-scenes content is a great way to connect with your audience and share details that will simultaneously highlight your mission and/or values.

3. The General : Paid Advertising

After reports that consumers thought the brand was untrustworthy due to its low-budget ads, The General decided to revamp its entire marketing strategy.

In a commercial featuring basketball superstar Shaq, the brand addressed the elephant in the room and introduced a new and improved look.

The General’s ad is a great example of effective crisis management:

• It addresses negative perceptions head-on, showing viewers that it's in tune with its target audience and their needs,
• It builds back credibility by emphasizing how long it’s been in business and the number of people it has helped.

Grow Better With Marketing Strategies That Improve Your Digital Presence

As I mentioned above, your final strategy document will be individual to your business, so it’s almost impossible for me to create a one-size-fits-all digital marketing strategy template.

As you create your own, remember that the purpose of your strategy document is to map out the actions you’re going to take to achieve your goal over a period of time. If it communicates that, you’ve nailed the basics of creating a digital strategy.

If you're eager to build a truly effective strategy to help grow your business, check out our free collection of content marketing templates below.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to Write a Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan (with PDF Template)

SEOptimer now serves over 2,000 digital agencies around the world and through the years we've had the chance to connect with many of our agency customers to understand their early days in starting their agency. This is incredibly interesting to us because it helps us understand where and how they plan to grow so we can help build the features they need in SEOptimer.

This article is the 3rd in our series focused on starting a new digital agency. For some useful prior reading be sure to check out our previous articles:

• How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency : a comprehensive guide covering typical agency business models, services, hiring, training, new business, day to day management and more!
• Digital Agency Lean Canvas : a digital agency business model on a single page! The lean canvas is a popular documentation methodology borrowed from the tech startup world.

Don't be dismayed if it feels like there's a lot of other competing digital agencies in your city. This is perfectly normal. Digital marketing services like local SEO, for example, are dominated by small agencies. Search Engine Land reported that over 50% of local SEO agencies have 10 or fewer clients. Forbes Council Member Jon Hall says, this keeps the industry "weird" - aka diverse as its not dominated by a small handful of big agencies.

The first step in launching a new digital marketing agency is to write a plan. In this guide, we'll cover two of the more traditional ways to define a business plan document with handy downloadable templates:

• Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan Document (DOCX & PDF) Template
• Creative Agency Business Plan Deck (PPTX) Template

Why do you need a Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan?

The days of mandatory 50+ page business plans are long gone. The choice is now yours as to whether you define your digital agency business plan in an in-depth strategic document or not. Some agency founders find it useful to brainstorm this way and document their thought process in a long-form fashion across many pages. Other founders prefer creating shorter slide decks, others opt for a 1-page lean canvas version or some even write their plan in a wiki or business planning tool.

There is no right or wrong way to document your plan. You need to find the documentation method that suits you best. If you're unsure what suits you best, the following factors may help you decide:

Consideration #1: Who is the audience?

Think about who this document is for. Who will read it? In some cases it will just be you and the founding team. If you are raising money, obviously your investors will be a key audience.

You might also have business partners or board members who may be an audience too. When thnking through all these different groups, work backwards from the most optimal presentation format.

Consideration #2: Seek an unbiased third-party opinion

Devin Schumacher is the Founder of SEO agency SERP and says it's easy to get swept up in your own overly optimistic projections.

"Ask an experienced agency founder you trust or admire to sanity-check your plan. Seeking an objective opinion from a third-party detached from your new business is vital."

Devin makes a great point. This type of peer review methodology is commonplace in other industries but sometimes lacking amongst agency founders. Make sure you get at least 1 other unbiased opinion from someone who has already achieved success in your niche.

Don't fall into the trap of asking a friend or your accountant or someone you know personally to review your plan. Doing so will give you a biased opinion. You need an unbiased opinion from someone willing to give you objective feedback.

Consideration #3: Stand your ground

The whole point of a business plan is to take the time and effort to research the market, your competitors and potential clients. This document will distill all your insights into a strategic plan you can operationalize. As is always the case, unexpected distractions masquerading as opportunities (rightly or wrongly) will pop up in your field of view demanding your attention.

Perhaps it's a new client opportunity with a project slightly adjacent to your niche. Perhpas a hiring opportunity for a role you didn't plan to hire yet. Sometimes the hardest thing is to say no, when you're in the mindset of taking every opportunity for growth.

During these situations, revisit your agency business plan and remind yourself of your focus area niche and how you planned to grow within that niche.

Consideration #4: But, be ok with change

In fact this balance between sticking to the plan and pivoting the plan needs to be navigated by every digital agency founder. It's not easy and often you will be second-guessing yourself.

"Every agency owner I know has had to massively adjust their target audience, pricing structure, competitor analysis, and service offerings based on the way they grow over the first 2-5 years."

Rebekah says that founders need to be prepared for change, afterall, digital marketing is in constant flux and evolution, so change is the norm and we need to write business plans with flexibility in mind.

Trust your performance metrics and continue to do the things that have the biggest quantifiable business impact.

Typical Business Plan structures

We mentioned previously that there's no right or wrong way to document your business plan. So with that said, let's look at some typical marketing agency business plan templates that you can use. After considering all the factors above, choose the structure that works for you and your stakeholders best. We've outlined six of the more common options below:

Option #1: Written business document

This is the more traditional (and still valid) way to describe your business. A written business plan document in MS Word or Google Docs is still the most common way to document your digital marketing agency business plan.

This type of business plan is considered "long-form", ie: longer in length and suited to more descriptive language. Expect to write longer rationales, longer explanations with plenty of space for evidence, research, insights and strategy. This type of plan will likely be 30+ pages and feel comprehensive. This comprehensiveness is especially needed if external investors or business partners are involved who need to be convinced of the robustness of your plan.

Option #2: Slide deck

The PowerPoint Presentation (or Google Slides or Keynote) has become the go-to corporate communication format. Digital agency founders spend most of their time communicating to staff, clients and stakeholders in PowerPoint so it makes sense to use this format for the purposes of communicating the agency's overall business plan.

The fundamental difference between this option and the written document, is that a slide deck is a presentable format. So typically you might be in the room with your business partners, walking through the presentation on the screen. Whereas in option #1, a written document is not a compelling way to present an idea. It's much more suited as a sent document to be consumed in isolation. That's not to say that a slide deck can't be utilized this way, it's just more common that you would be presenting and talking through your plan with the slides serving as a visual backup to what you say.

There's also a good argument for doing both (ie written document AND slide deck). It comes down to who all the stakeholders are (eg investors, business partners or just you) and whether you intend to present your plan or just document your plan.

Option #3: Lean canvas

The Lean Canvas developed by leanstack.com is a business plan on a page split into 10 boxes. This planning document has become very popular in the tech/startup world and has since been adopted in many other industries, including digital agencies. Be sure to check out our previous article explaining how to use a Lean Canvas for your agency .

The entire business plan fits on a single page which means you obviously need to sweat on every single world and ensure only the most important details are included. We are big supporters of this format because this helps you prioritize and focus your efforts down to the fundamental aspects of your new business.

Option #4: Wiki

In the context of a business, a Wiki is usually an internal website with multiple interlinking articles. The biggest Wiki in the world is Wikipedia and if you want to get really meta, check out Wikipedia's wiki about wikis :

"A wiki (/wɪki/ WIK-ee) is a hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience directly using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project."

Wiki's are generally perceived as internal knowledge bases so if your business plan has executional detail, this might be a good format for documenting processes and methodologies for staff.

Option #5: General Planning tool

Tools like Notion and Trello have grown massively in recent years as more people are working remotely and more work in general is being done collaboratively online.

These types of planning tools are designed to be multi-purpose and fall somewhere between a wiki and a specialized business planning tool.

How to construct the business plan

Now that we've covered the typical business plan structures let's look at the specifics of how you actually go about constructing the business plan and each of the main tasks you need to perform and sections of the business plan.

Market research data gathering

Customer/client research.

Rebekah Edwards, who we spoke to previously stresses the importance of market research with as many potential clients as you can. She interviewed several businesses in their target market when developing their service offerings and pricing. Some of the questions she thought were most helpful included:

• With no other information, what do you think X would cost from an agency? (X being the service in question.)
• What is the biggest roadblock for you to accomplish X in-house? (X being basic content/SEO projects, such as article creation/editing/uploading or strategizing new keywords.)
• How would you typically search for a digital marketing agency? (Referrals, social media, Google search, etc. — this helped us understand how to best market our services)
• If you already work with a digital marketing agency of any kind, what stood out? Why did you sign on the dotted line?
• Have there been digital marketing agencies you've specifically decided not to work with for any particular reason? What were the red flags or the issues with a fit that led you to say no?
• What matters most to you when working with a digital marketing agency? (Examples: data/analytics, frequent communication, hitting deadlines every time, price, niche of expertise, etc.)

Answers to these questions are invaluable as they help you position and market your new digital agency based on customer insight.

Competitor research

The importance of competitor research goes without saying. It's vital you have a good understanding of how your competitors are going to market, how they sell, who they target and what their rough price points are. If you have a friend who owns a small business, ask them to mystery shop at a competitor so they can report back to you what the sales process was like.

The way you position and sell your services should be informed by a combination of both customer insights and competitor insights. Addressing client needs whilst maintaining a unique selling proposition will set your new digital agency up for success!

Building out the business plan

Download our template: digital marketing agency business plan document.

To make edits to the document make sure to download our DOCX template which you can edit directly in Microsoft Word. However if you would prefer a printable PDF, we also provide this option too. Use these templates as a starting point to help you draft your digital marketing business plan:

Below are some of the highlight areas of the plan:

Market Research Findings

We suggest conducting three types of research to inform your marketing agency business plan:

• Qualitative research like one-on-one interviews, focus groups and meetings with prospective clients
• Quantitative reserach like online surveys, mass emails and multivariate testing
• Competitor analysis to determine their strengths and weaknesses

Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and Service Offering

Nailing your USP will be tough especially if you are in a competitive industry / city. Use the previous market research tasks to discover where the gaps are in the market and leverage these insights to position your new agency to be competitive AND different. Perform a SWOT analysis based on your new USP. Then you can determine your actual service offerings and pricing strategy.

Go-To-Market (GTM) Plan and Org Structure

Define your target market - the exact client types who you want to sell to and list the marketing and advertising activities that you will perform that would be most effective in reaching these types of people.

Also list your people (this might not be many on day 1!), sources of advice and support as well as the strategies you'll use to retain your staff and build their skills and knowledge.

Goals Sales Forecasting

This marketing agency business plan template includes goal setting for the next year and goal setting for the next 3 years. This page is structured to help you set SMART goals.

SMART goals are:

• Specific : In the '[Enter a goal]' section describe your goal clearly and ensure you attach a person responsible in the 'Who's responsible' section.
• Measureable : Ensure the actions you list in the 'Actions to achieve goal' have an objective outcome
• Achievable : Ensure you sense-check your goals with your team and all agree that they are attainable
• Relevant : Ensure this is a priority goal and will help your new agency grow
• Time-bound : Enter a due date to ensure the goal doesn't get forgotten

Use the Cash flow forecast table as a simple way to visualize cash-on-hand in your first 12 months. Add rows to estimate your monthly expenses like payroll, rent, utilities, subscriptions, insurance, fees and other ongoing costs.

Tools and Tech

Finally, list out all the tools and technology your new agency will likely need to run an efficient operation. We've listed SEOptimer for you already because it's one of the best, low-cost lead generation tools for your agency. Over 2,000 digital agencies use SEOptimer to generate white label site audits and embed an audit form on their agency website to capture new lead details.

Creative Agency Business Plan Slide Deck PPTX Template

If you prefer a slide deck template, use this creative agency business plan example in PowerPoint format:

Tim's background is in digital marketing working for both large and small digital agencies and diverse client types. He has a passion for tech, software and staying up to date on the latest search engine news.

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Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Digital marketing is a fast-paced and ever-evolving field, making it crucial for entrepreneurs and businesses to have a solid plan in place. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing, you can easily map out your objectives, target audience, marketing channels, budget allocation, and key performance indicators, ensuring that your digital marketing efforts are focused and effective. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this template provides the structure and guidance you need to promote your products or services online and achieve measurable business growth. Get started today and watch your digital marketing strategy soar!

Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing Benefits

A business plan template for digital marketing offers a range of benefits to entrepreneurs and businesses looking to excel in the digital space:

• Provides a strategic roadmap for achieving business goals and objectives
• Helps identify and target the right audience for maximum impact
• Guides the selection and optimization of marketing channels for effective promotion
• Assists in allocating budget resources efficiently and maximizing ROI
• Enables tracking and measuring key performance indicators for continuous improvement
• Facilitates collaboration and alignment within the marketing team
• Allows for regular evaluation and adjustment of digital marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition.

Main Elements of Digital Marketing Business Plan Template

ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing is the perfect tool to help entrepreneurs and businesses set clear objectives and track progress in their digital marketing efforts. Here are the main elements of this template:

Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of each task with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do, ensuring that every aspect of your digital marketing plan is accounted for.

Custom Fields: Use custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add important details to your tasks, such as relevant documents, approval status, and specific sections of your business plan.

Custom Views: Access different views to gain a comprehensive understanding of your digital marketing plan. Explore the Topics view to see all the different areas of your plan, the Status view to track the progress of each task, the Timeline view to visualize your plan over time, the Business Plan view to get an overview of your entire strategy, and the Getting Started Guide view to help you navigate the template effectively.

Collaboration and Tracking: Utilize ClickUp's collaboration features, such as task assignments, comments, and attachments, to collaborate with your team and ensure everyone is on the same page. Track your progress, set due dates, and receive notifications to stay on top of your digital marketing plan.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing, you can streamline your digital marketing efforts, stay organized, and achieve your business goals effectively.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Crafting a comprehensive business plan for your digital marketing efforts is essential for success. Follow these four steps to effectively utilize the Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing in ClickUp:

1. Define your objectives and target audience

Start by clarifying your business goals and objectives. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, identify your target audience. Understanding their demographics, preferences, and pain points will help you tailor your digital marketing strategy to effectively reach and engage them.

Utilize custom fields in ClickUp to outline your business objectives and create personas for your target audience.

2. Conduct a thorough competitor analysis

Research and analyze your competitors to gain insights into their digital marketing strategies. Identify their strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling propositions. This analysis will help you identify opportunities for differentiation and areas where you can outperform your competition.

Use the Board view in ClickUp to create cards for each competitor and track their key marketing strategies, such as social media presence, content marketing, and SEO efforts.

3. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy

Based on your objectives, target audience, and competitor analysis, create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. This should include specific tactics for each digital marketing channel, such as social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising.

Utilize the Gantt chart in ClickUp to visually map out your marketing strategy and set deadlines for each tactic.

4. Implement, track, and optimize your campaigns

Once your strategy is in place, it's time to implement your campaigns. Launch your digital marketing efforts across various channels, monitor their performance, and track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement. This data will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns and allow you to make data-driven optimizations.

Use the Dashboards in ClickUp to track and analyze your digital marketing metrics in real-time, allowing you to make informed decisions and continually optimize your campaigns for maximum results.

By following these steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing in ClickUp, you'll be well-equipped to create a comprehensive and effective business plan for your digital marketing efforts.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Entrepreneurs and businesses can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing to effectively plan and execute their digital marketing strategies.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a comprehensive digital marketing plan:

• Use the Topics View to outline the key sections of your business plan, such as objectives, target audience, marketing channels, budget allocation, and key performance indicators
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
• Utilize the Timeline View to set deadlines and milestones for each section of your business plan
• The Business Plan View provides a holistic overview of your entire digital marketing strategy, allowing you to see how all the sections fit together
• Create a Getting Started Guide View to provide step-by-step instructions and resources for team members to follow when executing the digital marketing plan
• Customize the template with custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add more context and organization to your business plan
• Update statuses and custom fields as you progress through each section to keep team members informed and on track
• Monitor and analyze the progress of your digital marketing plan to ensure you're achieving your business goals
• Business Plan Template for Waste Management
• Business Plan Template for Wholesale Business
• Business Plan Template for Food Producers
• Business Plan Template for Nanotechnologists
• Business Plan Template for Competitors

Template details

Free forever with 100mb storage.

Free training & 24-hours support

Serious about security & privacy

Highest levels of uptime the last 12 months

• Product Roadmap
• Affiliate & Referrals
• On-Demand Demo
• Integrations
• Consultants
• Gantt Chart
• Native Time Tracking
• Automations
• Kanban Board
• vs Airtable
• vs Basecamp
• vs MS Project
• vs Smartsheet
• Software Team Hub
• PM Software Guide

Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows. Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your digital marketing agency business , including client communication, planning and scheduling advertisement campaigns, staff meetings, billing clients, etc.

4 Steps to Creating a Digital Marketing Plan . 1. Set Goals & Objectives. The first step to creating your digital marketing plan is understanding what goals and objectives are essential to succeed. “Companies often have multiple objectives, and you’ll need to prioritize and balance these goals,” Gupta says in Digital Marketing Strategy.

9. Measure the results and KPIs of your digital marketing plan . The final step in creating a digital marketing plan and strategy is to measure your results through the definition of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). You need to compare the outcomes of your marketing efforts to the baseline as well as original goals.

6. Social Media Marketing . Social media marketing is another way to generate brand awareness online and boost your digital strategy. It involves creating and sharing content on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others, to attract attention, drive website traffic, and generate leads.

The first step in launching a new digital marketing agency is to write a plan . In this guide, we'll cover two of the more traditional ways to define a business plan document with handy downloadable templates: Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan Document (DOCX & PDF) Template. Creative Agency Business Plan Deck (PPTX) Template.

Digital marketing is a fast-paced and ever-evolving field, making it crucial for entrepreneurs and businesses to have a solid plan in place. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing , you can easily map out your objectives, target audience, marketing channels, budget allocation, and key performance indicators, ensuring that your digital marketing efforts are focused and ...