Digital marketing strategy that gives every channel a job and a target

A useful strategy includes measurable goals, defined audiences, positioning, a role for each channel, a content plan, a budget split, a measurement framework and a prioritised roadmap. It should also say how leads move from marketing to sales and who owns each step. We keep the document short enough to be used, a focused written plan with a one-page summary, rather than a long deck nobody opens after the presentation.

A strategy decides where to compete and why, while a plan schedules the work that carries it out. The strategy sets goals, audiences, positioning and each channel's role. The plan turns that into dated activity, budgets, owners and campaign briefs for the next quarter, and campaigns are the time-bound pushes inside it. Without the strategy, each campaign is judged on its own platform metrics and budgets drift toward whatever is easiest to measure.

We fund the channels that reach your buyers at a cost your margins can carry. Research covers search demand, competitor activity, past performance in your analytics and CRM, and what a typical customer is worth over time. Each channel then gets a defined job, such as capturing existing demand, creating new demand or nurturing leads, and a target for that job. Unproven channels get a fixed test budget and success criteria, and anything that misses them is restructured or dropped.

No single percentage fits every business, so we work the figure out from your growth target. Start with the number of new customers you need, use your own close rates to find how many qualified leads that requires, then multiply by a realistic cost per qualified lead for each channel. The result shows whether the target and the budget agree. A share is then held back for time-boxed tests of new channels or messages.

Cost depends on scope: the number of markets, audiences and channels, how much research is needed and whether you want ongoing execution. A strategy can be a standalone engagement that your own team then runs, or the first stage of a longer programme where we also produce content, build lead workflows and report. We hold a discovery call first and give a fixed quote in a written proposal.

Writing the strategy typically takes a few weeks after discovery, depending on how many markets and stakeholders are involved and how quickly we can access your data. Results then arrive at different speeds by channel. Paid media produces usable data within weeks, fixes to lead handling show as soon as they go live, and content and SEO build over months. The roadmap sets expectations for each channel so progress is judged fairly.

We do both, and you choose the split. We can produce articles, guides, case studies, landing page copy, email sequences and social posts, or supply briefs and a calendar for your in-house writers. Each brief sets out the target question, audience, key points, sources and call to action. Subject matter experts in your business review technical claims before anything is published.

Yes, for parts of the process, and never without human editing. AI helps with research, outlines, first drafts, headline variations and turning long pieces into shorter formats. A writer then edits for accuracy, voice and substance, checks every factual claim against a source and removes generic filler. Readers and search engines both favour content that shows real expertise, so we treat AI as a drafting tool rather than an author.

Track a small set of outcome measures first: qualified leads, new customers, cost per customer and pipeline or revenue by channel. Below those sit stage measures that explain movement, such as landing page conversion rate, email reply rate or the share of leads sales accepts. Each channel gets KPIs that match its job, so a channel meant to create demand is not judged on last-click sales. Reach, followers and impressions are recorded but never treated as goals on their own.

A mix usually works: in-house people who know the product and customers, plus outside specialists for skills needed only part of the time. Brand voice, social community and sales enablement usually sit well in-house. Tracking, automation, paid media management and analytics are harder to justify as full-time hires for a smaller team. We agree the split in the written scope, share calendars and dashboards, and document every workflow so your team can take any part over.

They write it down together and record it in the CRM. We run a short working session with both teams, review recent won and lost deals, and turn the patterns into criteria for a marketing-qualified and a sales-qualified lead, such as fit, need, timescale and authority. Each definition becomes a CRM stage with required fields, sales records a reason whenever it rejects a lead, and those reasons are reviewed monthly so the definitions improve.

Review performance against the strategy monthly and revisit the strategy itself each quarter, or sooner when something material changes. Monthly reviews adjust budgets, content and campaigns within the agreed direction. The quarterly review asks bigger questions: whether the goals still fit the business, which channels have earned more budget and what to stop. A new market, a new product, a pricing change or a sharp fall in search clicks to your topics justifies an earlier rewrite.

Yes, mainly because buying decisions work differently. B2B purchases often involve several people, longer cycles and a sales conversation, so the strategy leans on LinkedIn, search, practical guides, target account lists and nurture sequences that keep a deal moving. B2C purchases are usually made by one person and often faster, so the strategy leans on search, social, product content, offers and lifecycle email after the first order. The planning method is the same; channel roles and measures differ.