A digital marketing strategy sample is what you need to build a powerful digital presence.

Businesses today need to work harder than ever to stand out, which is where an organized digital marketing strategy can help. 

Marketing is the key to building visibility, trust, and engagement – vital elements to driving traffic, leads, and ultimately sales.

So where do you start?

My personal experience working in the digital marketing industry can help here. I’ve spent the last 10 years helping brands improve their presence online with a clear focus on tangible, data-driven results.

I’ve put together this help guide to give you a head start when creating your own killer digital marketing strategy, with a clear eight-step sample digital marketing strategy that you can repurpose to drive your own results. 

I’ll let you in on some powerful methods I’ve learned from watching businesses win in the digital marketing world and the marketing mistakes that trip up marketers again and again. 

I’ll also explain why beehiiv is the digital marketing tool that will send your email marketing into another league.

Table of Contents

• Digital Marketing Strategy Sample: What I’ve Seen Actually Work

  • 1. Build a Brand That Feels Trustworthy and Approachable.

    • Professional Visuals

    • Great Customer Experience

    • Clear Messaging

    • Community Presence

  • 2. Start a Client Newsletter That Builds Real Loyalty.

  • 3. Prioritize Local SEO, So Customers Find You First.

  • 4. Make Your Business’s Instagram and Facebook Feel Human.

  • 5. Offer Referral Programs That Feel Worthwhile.

  • 6. Host Events That Make Your Business a Community Hub.

  • 7. Partner With Local Businesses To Expand Reach.

  • 8. Use Short Videos To Build Familiarity and Trust.

• Lessons I’ve Learned From Watching Businesses Win With Marketing

  • Personalization Is Key.

  • Always Stay Active.

  • Create a Relationship-Building Strategy.

• Common Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

• Make Marketing Feel Like an Extension of the Customer Experience

• Choose beehiiv as Your Digital Marketing Partner

• Google’s “People Also Ask” Questions

  • How can you write a digital marketing strategy?

  • What are the digital marketing strategies?

  • What is an example of a digital strategy?

  • What is a 5-step digital marketing strategy?

Digital Marketing Strategy Sample: What I’ve Seen Actually Work

There are many ways that you can structure a digital marketing strategy. 

The most successful brands I’ve worked with have made sure to answer the following questions before they create their digital marketing strategy:

• Who Am I Targeting?: Make sure you define your ideal type of customer and understand their demographics, motivations, and where they spend time online.

• What Digital Marketing Methods Will I Use?: Understand which marketing channels you’ll prioritize, whether it be search engine optimization (SEO), social media, email marketing, or paid advertising, and how you’ll use each channel to improve results.

• What Are My Key Goals? Set out your main objectives in your digital marketing strategy, such as increasing sales, brand awareness, or engagement rates.

• Which Type of Content Should I Make? Think about what kinds of content will benefit your objectives, such as blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, etc.

• How Will I Measure Results? Determine which tools you’ll use to track how your strategy is performing, considering key metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions.

I’ve created a digital marketing strategy sample below based on what I’ve actually seen work in the digital marketing space. 

These eight points will take you from the initial building blocks of forming a brand to the types of channels you can use and what sort of content you should create.

1. Build a Brand That Feels Trustworthy and Approachable.

Did you know that 81% of consumers say they need to trust a brand before making a purchase (Edelman)?

This super powerful statistic tells us the importance of trust and approachability when it comes to brand creation. 

If your company doesn’t take brand trust seriously, you’re unlikely to grow a loyal following that not only purchases regularly but also encourages other people to support you, too.

Here are some key elements concerning brand trust that can help you improve relationships with your customers and drive home the message that you’re approachable and willing to help.

Professional Visuals

Using high-quality visuals that ooze professionalism can contribute greatly towards building trust and credibility with your audience.

People are used to seeing so many different brands online, so making sure that yours stands out when it comes to professionalism can be the difference between someone completing a transaction or not.

Here are some key points to ensure that your visuals are always professional:

• Keep your branding consistent: Make sure you’re using the same colors and fonts across all marketing material to maintain consistency. This will look professional and help your audience understand the strength of your brand.

• Always use high-quality imagery: This shows attention to detail and your drive to create the best services/products.

• Have a Clear, Intuitive Design: The design of your website and marketing materials should be as easy to navigate as possible. This shows your commitment to making the customer journey seamless and helps foster more trust.

Great Customer Experience

Focusing on providing a great customer experience can greatly influence the trustworthiness of your brand.

The two are closely linked: if a customer has a positive experience with your brand, they’re more likely to trust you and become a returning customer.

Think about how you engage with your customers. Are you transparent? Do you treat your subscribers as individuals? Do you deliver on your promises?

If yes is the answer to the questions above, you’re on the right track. If you find yourself unsure of the answer to the questions above, don’t panic – it may just be an area you need to work on to improve customer experience and ultimately brand trust.

Clear Messaging

The most trusted brands I’ve worked with always have super clear messaging. 

Their audiences know what to expect from that brand and can rely on them to always produce consistent, transparent messaging.

Clear messaging also helps to reinforce the authenticity and credibility of your brand, demonstrating that you are conscious of the way you come across and want your customer to rely on you.

Here are some top tips for clear messaging:

• Use simple words and sentences to avoid confusing your audience.

• Maintain clarity by eliminating unnecessary words/phrases.

• Answer your customers clearly by getting to the point and not overloading them with information.

Community Presence

Your presence in your community is vital to instilling trust in your brand.

Brands that regularly engage with their local community show potential customers that they care about their customers, signalling trust and credibility.

To build a strong community presence, think about where your local community is likely to be, whether it’s online within social media groups or at local events/conventions where you may be able to engage in person.

Your participation in local events online will show your commitment to your community, helping to drive more trust in your brand as a whole.

2. Start a Client Newsletter That Builds Real Loyalty.

A client newsletter is an underrated way for businesses to stay at the forefront of their audience’s minds. 

This is a key method that I recommend for all customers when building a digital strategy, as newsletters focus primarily on keeping your customers up-to-date with the goings-on of your brand but can include subtle links to encourage people to make repeat purchases.

beehiiv is the main platform I’d recommend if you’re looking for an easy platform to build a client newsletter. 

Here are some key reasons why beehiiv is my favorite platform to use to drive tangible results and build a loyal community:

• Ease-of-Use: beehiiv’s drag-and-drop editor makes it super easy for someone like me, who doesn’t know much in the way of coding, to create a visually-appealing newsletter with a successful newsletter strategy. I also love the clean interface that is well-organized and easy to navigate!

• Segmentation and Engagement Opportunities: beehiiv excels over other email marketing platforms when it comes to segmentation and engagement techniques. I can granularly drill into my customer data to create super-relevant content that strikes a chord with my subscribers and leads to repeat business.

• Analytics and Data-Driven Results: With beehiiv, I can track key metrics such as open rates, clicks, and unsubscribes using their 3D Analytics platform to see what my customers actually think of my brand and how I can improve brand loyalty.

• Focus On Trust and Transparency: I love beehiiv’s mission to build trust with subscribers, using features such as personalization to create a unique experience for every subscriber.

If you’re interested in testing out some of beehiiv’s features, here’s a link to a 30-day, free trial. You can try out their tools to see for yourself just how much beehiiv can help build connections with your audience.

Here’s a success story about Milk Road’s experience on beehiiv if you need some reassurance.

3. Prioritize Local SEO, So Customers Find You First.

Local SEO is an extremely important part of your digital marketing strategy.

This is particularly important if your brand relies heavily on local customers and foot traffic, with local search results such as Google Business profiles having a large presence over other search listings.

Here are three tips to get local SEO looking tip-top:

• Optimize Your Google Business Profiles: Making sure your Google Business profiles are complete and accurate with business hours, a relevant category, and an informative description can make all the difference in improving visibility for your brand.

• Encourage Reviews: The number of positive reviews your Google Business profile has is a ranking factor. Regularly reaching out to your happy customers to encourage positive reviews can help your listing rank and sway potential customers from your competitors.

• Target “[Service] Near Me” Search Terms: Focusing your marketing efforts on these search terms can ensure that both local listings and your website as a whole ranks for relevant search terms, helping to connect your brand with people who require your services.

4. Make Your Business’s Instagram and Facebook Feel Human.

A brand with a human touch exudes authenticity and personality.

People prefer to connect with real people rather than automated systems, which is why ensuring that your business’s Instagram and Facebook have a human touch can be so important.

So how do we accomplish this?

The best way I’ve seen brands make their social media feel human is through customer testimonials. Your happy customers can become powerful brand ambassadors, and their thoughts are much more compelling than what you have to say about your business.

Reach out to customers that you know are really happy and see if they’ll take part in a case study. You can then repurpose this content across your website, newsletter, and social media channels to get the most from the content.

Shouting about behind-the-scenes content and team highlights is another great way of injecting personality into your brand. It allows your audience an exclusive ‘sneak-peek’ behind the curtain, making them feel valued and showing that your business is human and transparent.

5. Offer Referral Programs That Feel Worthwhile.

Referral programs are a good digital marketing method -- if carried out correctly.

The idea is to reward your subscribers for recommending your brand to friends and family, but I’ve seen too many brands offering lackluster rewards as part of their referral campaigns, failing to show their audience how much they value their referrals.

Think about tangible rewards that you could give your customers, such as cash bonuses, free services, or compelling discounts. The beehiiv Referral Program is a great example of a system that allows creators to set up personalized milestones for subscribers to keep them recommending and being rewarded for doing so.

6. Host Events That Make Your Business a Community Hub.

Creating a community hub for your business can do wonders for strengthening your follower base.

While this method may sound separate from your digital marketing strategy, community events work hand-in-hand with your digital presence to help showcase your brand’s commitment to your community.

Here are some ideas that top brands have used to transform their business into a focal point for their customers:

• Charity Drives: Organizing charity events aligns your interests with your community while showing that your brand has a strong reputation for social responsibility.

• Free Service Days: Offering free or discounted services on certain days shows you are driven to connect with your community regardless of cost, creating a positive brand image and linking to customers you may not have found otherwise.

• Local Fun Weekends: Encouraging people to join in on a local fun weekend shows your connection with your local area, fosters loyalty, and promotes your brand locally as ‘the company’ for the services you offer in your area.

• Networking Events: Creating networking events for local businesses shows your desire to build relationships with like-minded brands and further creates a sense of community.

7. Partner With Local Businesses To Expand Reach.

On the subject of connection, pairing up with local businesses can be highly successful in expanding reach.

Whether it’s with your local gym, a chain of restaurants, or a mom and pop shop, you should connect with local businesses whenever you can to connect your community and benefit from each other’s marketing efforts.

Identify potential partners that have similar views to your brand and approach them with a joint collaboration or promotion that both of your audiences would love.

A big-brand example of partnering that I love is Apple’s long-standing partnership with Nike. They’ve recognized that their customers are loyal, are of a similar age, and are focused on innovation and design – similarities that allow them a good scope for connecting and promoting each other's brands with products such as the Apple watch’s fitness programs.

Once you’ve decided on a brand you want to partner with, think about how you can share resources and create a joint product/service that both of your audiences will love.

Then, you can promote your partnership on social media to benefit from each other’s followings and track results to understand the effectiveness of your campaign.

8. Use Short Videos To Build Familiarity and Trust.

Short-form media content is a favorite of mine.

You can use quick-fire videos to build familiarity and trust with your audience, allowing them exclusive access into the behind-the-scenes of your brand.

My favorite topics to promote via video content include:

• Meet the Team Videos: A professional Meet the Team video shows the faces behind your brand, improving trust and connection with your audience.

• How-To Formats: How-To videos show that you care about more than just your customers’ business. You want them to know the best ways to use your products/services, which can also help improve customer retention rates.

• Tour the Business: Allowing your customers to tour your business from the comfort of their own home helps instill early-stage trust and consumer confidence, all while helping to clearly communicate your brand message.

You can share these videos online via your brand’s website or social media channels to give your followers a sneak-peak of what’s behind the curtain, while also showing the more human side to your brand.

Why Listen to Me? I have been working in the digital marketing space for nearly 10 years, predominantly helping brands with their email marketing and online presence. I now specialize in creating great content for beehiiv to help people nail their email strategies!

Lessons I’ve Learned From Businesses Win With Marketing

I’ve learned many lessons throughout my time as a digital marketer.

It’s important to understand the benefit of learning lessons along the way. No one has all the answers from the start, so figuring out the best ways of doing things may take a bit of time.

The perk you have here is that you can learn from my experience, giving you a quick head start in digital marketing!

Here are my top three lessons I’ve learned from watching businesses win with marketing.

Personalization Is Key.

In my experience, the more you can personalize your content, the more successful your brand will be.

Personalized content can lead to increased engagement, stronger customer loyalty, and higher conversion rates as you’re providing your customers with content that is super relevant.

If you make little effort in personalizing your content, you may save time, but your results will be minimal in return. 

With the number of brands out there, you want to show your customer that you’re the best business for them specifically, fostering a long-term relationship and strong connection.

Always Stay Active.

Becoming stagnant online is a one-way ticket to low traffic.

We’ve all seen that brand that hasn’t posted on its Facebook page since 2021. The underlying message of this behavior is that the brand has gone bust or doesn’t care about engaging with its audience.

Make sure you’re regularly posting on your social media platforms to ensure high engagement rates. 

Updating your website often is also super important for SEO, as Google favors websites that frequently update users because it shows that they are active and relevant.

Create a Relationship-Building Strategy.

The most successful brands I’ve worked with are super passionate about connecting with their customers and other businesses.

Not only does it help improve communication, loyalty, and retention rates, but having a strong relationship with customers can also make customer service a much easier process.

Think about how you can connect with your audience and like-minded brands to foster loyal relationships and further grow your community.

Common Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Just like with lessons learned, there are mistakes and ways not to do things that we should also consider when it comes to digital marketing.

One of my frustrations in brand marketing is overly promotional companies. Consumers need to have trust in a company before they’ll feel ready to make a purchase. It seems some brands forget this and jump straight into promotional tactics, which can come across as pushy and aggressive.

Nurturing your relationship and garnering trust is a better long-term strategy for success and being the go-to, trusted company when your audience is ready.

Another mistake many brands make is failing to issue follow-ups with their customers. It’s important to know the good and the bad when it comes to customer feedback. If you can approach your customer before they leave feedback, you can help them and protect your online reputation in the process.

Make Marketing Feel Like an Extension of the Customer Experience

Good marketing reflects the ease, trust, and excitement customers feel when interacting with your business.

This means that your marketing should work hand-in-hand with customer experience, with both aiming to create a positive perception of your brand and encouraging customer loyalty.

Create memorable experiences along the user journey that will remind customers why they’ve chosen your brand.

Think personalization, loyalty, and building a sense of community. Each of these aspects helps to improve the customer experience, while marketing your brand’s big positives.

Choose beehiiv as Your Digital Marketing Partner

Hopefully, you now feel confident to create your own digital marketing strategy!

In summary:

• Think about your target audience, preferred marketing channels, and content types before creating your digital marketing strategy.

• Focus on trust, transparency, and relationship-building when growing your brand and digital strategy.

• Create a client newsletter to build loyalty and create strong customer relationships.

• Think about how you can build connections with other brands and your community to drive growth.

• Learn from my digital marketing lessons and mistakes!

I strongly recommend beehiiv as the go-to email marketing tool for creators looking to improve their digital marketing strategy. 

beehiiv is an email marketing tool and a website platform in one, designed for creators looking to streamline their digital marketing and link/send from one main platform.

beehiiv has many powerful features and tools, from advanced segmentation techniques and personalization methods to its intuitive platform and powerful editing tools.

Start a free, 30-day trial with beehiiv today to experiment with some of its features for your digital marketing strategy and don’t look back!

Google’s “People Also Ask” Questions

How can you write a digital marketing strategy?

Writing a digital strategy involves the following points:

• Understanding your goals and objectives to determine what you want to achieve from your digital marketing strategy

• Identifying your target audience to establish who you should be focusing on with your marketing efforts

• Learning what types of content are most effective for your brand

• Learning how to measure your results, so you can make data-driven decisions moving forward

What are the digital marketing strategies?

Here are the top digital marketing strategies:

• SEO: Search Engine Optimization allows brands to improve their positions in online search results, increasing traffic and leads.

• Social Media Marketing: Advertising on social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook can expand a brand’s reach by connecting them with customers who are browsing on social media.

• Paid Advertising: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns offer paid advertising to companies that pay a fee each time their online ad is clicked on, offering exposure and access to new markets.

What is an example of a digital strategy?

An example of a digital strategy is a company starting a social media campaign to drive particular results, such as increased conversions or exposure.

What is a 5-step digital marketing strategy?

A 5-step digital marketing strategy has 5 clear points to help brands improve their digital marketing efforts.

These points may include the following actions:

• Defining digital marketing objectives

• Understanding current efforts and identifying areas for improvement

• Choosing marketing profiles and channels

• Determining target audiences

• Establishing analytics platforms for tracking results