The Difference Between Digital Marketing and Digital Strategy Explained

Digital transformation and digital strategy are strategic in nature, while digital marketing is very tactical or operational. It involves an evaluation of specific objectives that can be achieved through online channels. In the modern era of business and technology, a strong digital marketing strategy is essential for organizational success. To plan your long-term strategy, typically between six and 12 months, you need a reliable digital marketing strategy document.

This document should include achievable goals for both traditional (print, radio, broadcast) and digital channels. Digital marketing campaigns also typically include the integration of multiple (multi-channel) digital channel strategies, such as search engine marketing, content marketing, display advertising, and email marketing. At the heart of digital marketing is own media and they are almost always presented in the form of content. Technological advances have made it quite easy to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns through digital analytics dashboards such as Google Analytics, Google Data Studio and Adobe Analytics.

Depending on the scale of your business, your marketing strategy can include several moving parts, each with different objectives. Digital marketing, in its current form, is functionally focused on marketing aspects and focuses primarily on social media channels as a communication and delivery mechanism to external stakeholders. In digital marketing, digital channels are ways for your customers to learn about your business and what it has to offer. Compared to traditional marketing methods, such as print, billboards, and television, digital marketing is mostly data-driven. To better understand what digital strategies entail, see the following list of basic marketing strategies that are commonly used by teams in a variety of industries.

A general marketing strategy will highlight achievable goals for both traditional (print, radio, broadcast) and digital channels. For a more complete example, see a sample digital marketing strategic plan completed by one of the Equinet graduates of the Certified Digital Marketing Strategist (CDMS) program. This is a brief process that you can follow to determine what content of your own you need to meet your digital marketing strategy objectives. In an era where many consumers transact business on their mobile devices, a well-executed digital marketing strategy can be crucial to the success of the organization.

Stephanie Givhan
Stephanie Givhan

Typical web evangelist. Total student. Freelance beer expert. Avid coffee trailblazer. Professional travel practitioner. Avid social media trailblazer.