{"id":3899,"date":"2019-08-29T06:19:07","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T06:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=3899"},"modified":"2025-04-19T14:28:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T12:28:20","slug":"what-goes-into-digital-marketing-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/what-goes-into-digital-marketing-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"What goes into a digital marketing plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_3-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-image align_center\"><div class=\"w-image-h\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSM_Infographics_SocialMedia19-e1567002343552.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing - marketing plan\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSM_Infographics_SocialMedia19-e1567002343552.jpg 700w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSM_Infographics_SocialMedia19-e1567002343552-600x423.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSM_Infographics_SocialMedia19-e1567002343552-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSM_Infographics_SocialMedia19-e1567002343552-283x200.jpg 283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>Today, all marketing plans include a <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/why-digital-marketing-strategy-needs-to-be-flexible\/\">digital strategy<\/a>. Some of these marketing plans are only digital. This is as marketing goals typically focus on how it is possible for the business to touch more potential clients, keep existing customers as well as increase sales.<\/p>\n<p>In this IoT world, your customers are all online and hanging out on <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/how-to-formulate-your-social-media-marketing-strategy\/\">social media<\/a>. It\u2019s an inescapable fact that digital marketing has turned out to be one of the most effectual ways to communicate. This is because you can connect with your customers on the channels that they prefer.<\/p>\n<p>However, the wide range of <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/googles-digital-marketing-transformation-programmes-hit-sa-shores\/\">digital marketing<\/a> choices can make it overwhelming. This makes it extremely difficult to know where to put your focus. Organisations that want to differentiate themselves in the market comprehend that effectively reaching, as well as engaging, with potential clients is at the top of their agenda.<\/p>\n<p>This plethora of choices in the world of digital marketing means it is necessary to use creative ways to connect with the correct people in the correct place as well as delivering a compelling message that assists them with deciding if a product might respond to their needs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is understood by a digital marketing plan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-are-the-components-of-a-digital-marketing-plan\/\">digital marketing plan<\/a>\u2019 looks at what you want to achieve within a given time frame. This is so that you can meet a set of business goals. When creating a digital marketing plan, it is important to remember that marketing is still about sharing the benefits of your product or service in a manner that resonates with customers. So your plan should focus on the digital marketing tactics that will help your company engage your target audience with a cohesive experience.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Here are the essential items that need to be in your digital marketing plan.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Website<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A website is undoubtedly the most critical component of your digital marketing. Owning a website means that your leads can find you online and discover more about your products or services. However, there are some vital factors that must be looked at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The site must be user-friendly and responsive.<\/li>\n<li>The design of your site must be clean, professional as well as easy to navigate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most of your customers will look for products and services by making use of search engines. If your website isn\u2019t optimised for SEO you probably won\u2019t display within the first three pages of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Seventy five percent of Internet users never scroll past the first page of search results. This means that if your site isn\u2019t SEO optimised you\u2019re losing clients.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/285960906?autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0&color=00adef&portrait=0&byline=1&title=1&controls=1&muted=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3><strong>Paid Ads<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>SEO takes up a lot of time. It necessitates a bit of patience before it is possible to see results. The best way to show up\u00a0 immediately on the first or second page of the SERPs is through paid ads. Google Ads permits you to target particular keywords or key phrases as well as to promote to those users who are searching for these terms.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Social Media<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Social media is a successful way to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Build a presence online,<\/li>\n<li>Engage your leads in addition to your customers, as well as<\/li>\n<li>Listen to what your customers are telling you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Social media allows you, in real time, to learn what you can improve in your service as well as product offerings in addition to your overall business practices.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>High-quality content is indispensable in an effective digital marketing strategy. You can increase brand awareness by posting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blog posts on your website,<\/li>\n<li>Videos or photos on social media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Help to direct prospects back to your site where you can seal the deal on a landing page. Posting news, optimised content regularly can assist you to increase the traffic to your site and can benefit your website\u2019s position\u00a0 on search engines.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Email Marketing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Email marketing is a fabulous way to keep in touch with customers. This type of marketing is also a great way to give customers an in-depth account of your products as well as services. It\u2019s also an excellent way of marketing specials and receiving customer feedback. Email marketing can turn a prospect into a sale and a sale into a loyal customer.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Analytics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Analytics is, undoubtedly, one of the best assets in digital marketing. It will allow you to quantify your marketing efforts as well as track its success (or lack-thereof). It is possible to analyse the efficacy of a campaign as well as make adjustments or changes based on the data. All digital marketing channels have analytics that you can use to help you to market more effectively.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to structure a digital marketing plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>Assess the Situation Your Company is in Currently<\/h3>\n<p>Before performing any forward planning, know what your current situation is. Evaluating your current position will reveal the insights that will help guide your approach to digital marketing.<\/p>\n<p>A SWOT analysis is a superb way to do this<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;S.W.O.T&#8217; stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities as well as Threats. It shows what&#8217;s both in and out of your control.<\/p>\n<h3>Determine What You Want to Achieve<\/h3>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve determined your SWOTs, start laying out a plan that will help you to exploit opportunities, do away with threats, minimise the weaknesses as well as capitalise on your company&#8217;s strengths.<\/p>\n<p>A SMART action plan is an excellent guide for your plan<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re unfamiliar, SMART stands for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Specific<\/li>\n<li>Measurable<\/li>\n<li>Achievable<\/li>\n<li>Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Timely<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Making use of this guide will help you to remain focused on what you need to accomplish to succeed. It&#8217;s a step-by-step approach that helps to establish the effectiveness of your plan.<\/p>\n<h3>Be In Touch With Your Audience<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s likely that you already have a\u00a0 good idea of the make-up of your audience. Spend a bit more of your time on this activity and to precisely define who they are.<\/p>\n<p>The more carefully you determine who your audience is, the better you can market to them. The more specifically you can distinguish them, the easier it becomes to target them.<\/p>\n<h3>Establish Your Position<\/h3>\n<p>Now that you know exactly who your audience is, take the time to develop your <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-is-a-brand-champion\/\">brand<\/a> carefully. Make seen as an expert as well as a thought leader on what it is they&#8217;re looking for so that they turn to you when they have a want or need.<\/p>\n<p>Determine what channels you&#8217;re going to use to reach your audience. Meet your audience where they are. But it can be more detrimental to try and force yourself into a space that doesn&#8217;t come easily to you.<\/p>\n<p>An example of this is how you use <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-makes-good-social-media-influencer\/\">social media<\/a>. It may feel like you should be present on all the major platforms. However, it&#8217;s more effective to focus on just the one or two you&#8217;re most comfortable on. Audiences know when something is not authentic. If your presence is unnatural, they&#8217;ll notice and will be mistrustful of you.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>To learn more about digital marketing, <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">check out<\/a> the Digital School of Marketing\u2019s Digital Marketing Course.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-759 size-shop_single\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSM_Footer04-600x96.jpg\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing Digital Marketing course registration\" width=\"600\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_justify\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_2\" href=\"#enquiry\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Enquire Today<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Blog Categories<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">Content Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/digital-marketing\/\">Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/cyber-security-blog\/\">Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/graphic-design-blog\/\">Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/blog\/public-relations\/\">Public Relations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/web-design-blog\/\">Web Design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">You might also like<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"w-html\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/social-media-marketing-blog\/zero-moment-of-truth-benefit-social-media-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Use the Zero Moment of Truth to Benefit your Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/your-complete-guide-to-ppc-marketing-basic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Your Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics. Find out more.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/you-can-convey-a-lot-of-meaning-with-just-one-graphic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Convey a Lot Of Meaning With Just One Graphic<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/would-you-make-a-great-marketing-manager\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Would you make a great marketing manager?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-with-bona-magazine-and-the-digital-school-of-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win with Bona Magazine and the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-a-digital-marketing-course-valued-at-r12-000\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win a Digital Marketing Course Valued at  R12 000<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Top Selling COurses<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-digital-marketing-course\/\">Advanced Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/courses\/social-media-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Social media marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-brand-management-course\/\">Brand Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/courses\/graphic-design-course\/\">Basic Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-6\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-graphic-design-course\/\">Advanced Graphic design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-7\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-certificate-of-advertising\/\">National Certificate of Advertising<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-8\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-diploma-of-copywriting-course\/\">National Diploma of Copyrighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Youtube video player\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JoEwCXKahVc?autoplay=0&controls=1&origin=https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za&loop=0&mute=0\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[467],"class_list":["post-3899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing-blog","tag-digital-marketing-plan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23298,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899\/revisions\/23298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}