How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy from Scratch

In today’s competitive online landscape, having a well-structured digital marketing strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential. Without a clear plan, businesses waste time and money on ineffective campaigns.

But don’t worry! Whether you’re a startup, small business, or an established brand, this guide will walk you through how to create a digital marketing strategy from scratch—with actionable steps, key tools, and expert tips.

Why Do You Need a Digital Marketing Strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a roadmap that aligns your online efforts with business goals. Without one, you risk:

• Wasting budget on random ads
• Missing your target audience
• Failing to track ROI

A solid strategy helps you:
✅ Increase brand awareness
✅ Generate quality leads
✅ Boost conversions and sales
✅ Improve customer engagement

Now, let’s dive into the step-by-step process of building your strategy.

Step 1: Define Your Marketing Goals & Objectives

Before launching campaigns, ask: What do I want to achieve?

Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Examples:

• Increase website traffic by 30% in 6 months (SEO & content).
• Generate 50 leads/month via email marketing.
• Boost social media engagement by 20% in 3 months.

Pro Tip: Align goals with business objectives—whether it’s sales, brand awareness, or customer retention.

Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience

You can’t market effectively if you don’t know who you’re targeting.

How to Create Buyer Personas:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, income
• Interests: Hobbies, online behavior
• Pain Points: Problems your product/service solves

Tools to Research Your Audience:

• Google Analytics
• Facebook Audience Insights
• Surveys (Typeform, Google Forms)

Step 3: Analyze Your Competitors

Studying competitors helps you spot gaps and opportunities.

How to Conduct Competitor Research:

• Use SEMrush or Ahrefs to analyze their SEO & ads.
• Check their social media engagement (Hootsuite, Sprout Social).
• Note their content strategy (blogs, videos, webinars).

Key Questions:

• What channels are they dominating?
• What’s missing in their approach?

Step 4: Choose the Right Digital Marketing Channels

Not all platforms work for every business. Pick channels where your audience spends time.

Top Digital Marketing Channels:

Channel	Best For
SEO & Content Marketing	Organic traffic, long-term growth
Social Media Marketing	Brand awareness, engagement
Email Marketing	Lead nurturing, conversions
PPC Ads (Google/FB Ads)	Fast leads, sales
Influencer Marketing	Trust-building, niche audiences

Example: A B2B company might focus on LinkedIn & SEO, while an eCommerce brand benefits from Instagram & Google Ads.

Step 5: Create a Content Plan

Content fuels your digital marketing strategy. Plan:

• Blogs (SEO-driven, educational)
• Videos (Tutorials, testimonials)
• Social Media Posts (Engaging visuals, polls)
• Email Campaigns (Newsletters, promotions)

Tool Suggestion: Use Trello or Asana for a content calendar.

Step 6: Set a Budget & Allocate Resources

Your budget depends on:

• Organic vs. Paid Strategies
• In-house vs. Agency Costs

Example Budget Breakdown:

• 40% on Paid Ads
• 30% on Content Creation
• 20% on SEO & Tools
• 10% on Analytics & Testing

Step 7: Implement & Execute Your Strategy

Now, put your plan into action:

• Launch SEO-optimized blogs (Use Yoast SEO).
• Run targeted Facebook/Google Ads.
• Schedule social media posts (Buffer, Hootsuite).
• Automate email campaigns (Mailchimp, HubSpot).

Step 8: Track Performance & Optimize

Monitor KPIs like:

• Website Traffic (Google Analytics)
• Conversion Rates (Hotjar, Google Tag Manager)
• ROI on Ads (Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads)

Optimization Tips:

• A/B test ad copies & landing pages.
• Update underperforming content.
• Adjust budget based on ROI.

Read More: Best Digital Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses

Top Tools to Build Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Purpose	Tools
SEO	SEMrush, Ahrefs, Yoast SEO
Social Media	Hootsuite, Buffer, Canva
Email Marketing	Mailchimp, HubSpot, ConvertKit
Ads	Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager
Analytics	Google Analytics, Hotjar

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ No Clear Goals → Wasted efforts
❌ Ignoring Analytics → Can’t measure success
❌ Neglecting Mobile Users → Losing 50%+ traffic
❌ Spamming Instead of Engaging → Hurts brand reputation

Creating a digital marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming, but with the right steps, you’ll see real results. Start small, track performance, and keep optimizing.

Need help? 

Download our free digital marketing strategy template to get started today!