Strategy vs. Tactics in Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a specialized sector of the marketing field focused primarily on promoting brands, products and services through online channels. Given that technology and the way people use the internet are always evolving, digital marketing is a relatively dynamic field that requires professionals to continuously evaluate the strategies and tactics they are using. Knowing the difference between marketing strategies vs. tactics can help you develop more intuitive and effective digital marketing campaigns.

Importance of Strategy and Tactics for Digital Marketing

There is not one singular framework that is used to define digital marketing strategy; the digital marketing campaign you create for a brand or client will vary based on their industry, the products and services they offer, their target audience and their marketing goals. It is important to understand the role of strategy and tactics in digital marketing, as knowing the difference will allow you to curate a balanced and effective digital marketing campaign.

Difference Between Tactics and Strategy

Across industries and sectors, business professionals rely on strategy and tactics to create a vision for their organization, establish long-term goals and construct a plan to reach those goals. According to Asana, strategy is defined as an action plan that focuses primarily on achieving long-term goals for an organization, whereas tactics refer to the steps that need to be taken in order to reach those goals. In general, the strategy will outline organizational initiatives, and then business professionals identify which tactics will be best for those specific initiatives.

Thus, the difference between marketing strategies vs. tactics is comparable. Strategic marketing outlines organizational goals — such as where the brand wants to be in five, 10 or even 20 years. However, tactical marketing defines which marketing actions are best for the strategy.

What Is Digital Marketing Strategy?

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), digital marketing strategy is defined as the process of identifying organizational goals and determining which actions are required to achieve them. In the current landscape, an effective digital marketing strategy is essential for any organization, regardless of its scope or industry. The AMA notes that during the process of developing a digital marketing strategy, organizational leaders and marketing experts need to consider owned, paid and earned media.

• Owned media encompasses the communication channels controlled by the organization itself, such as the company website, social media channels or newsletter.
• Paid media refers to sponsored content, such as paid advertisements or influencer partnerships.
• Earned media — which, in many ways, is one of the most powerful types of media within the digital landscape — includes any content that is shared by a third party and is completely separate from the brand itself. Earned media is highly valuable in the digital marketing landscape, encompassing user-generated content, reviews and customer testimonials

Clear Goals and Data-Driven Strategy

A data-driven marketing strategy is crucial in today’s digital landscape. This means establishing clear, achievable and measurable goals. Marketers rely heavily on metrics to evaluate results, measure success and adjust their campaigns accordingly.

According to Indeed, many digital marketing specialists rely on SMART goal-setting to outline clear and consistent goals for their digital marketing strategy. SMART goals are those that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. You may create SMART goals for your marketing strategy by:

• Identifying defined objectives for the marketing strategy.
• Choosing benchmarks for achieving those goals and identifying which metrics will be used to track progress.
• Evaluating data to verify that the goals you established are achievable.
• Collaborating with organizational leaders and other members of the marketing team to make sure goals are realistic.
• Establishing a timeline for achieving the goals and objectives.

By defining goals for your marketing strategy, you can monitor your progress and determine which marketing tactics will best serve the strategy at large.

What Are Digital Marketing Tactics?

While the marketing strategy presents an overall plan and goals for promoting a brand’s products or services, digital marketing tactics identify the steps that should be taken toward achieving those goals.

According to the AMA, a number of marketing tactics are leveraged in digital marketing to achieve organizational goals. This may vary based on the organization itself and its access to owned, paid and earned media. However, some of the most common types of digital marketing tactics include:

• Social media marketing – Social media plays a powerful role in the modern business landscape, where many consumers find the products they are most interested in while scrolling their feeds. Through social media marketing, digital marketing specialists can create a brand identity, establish a following and develop connections with the organization’s target audience.
• Search engine optimization – Commonly referred to as SEO, search engine optimization is the marketing technique of creating and optimizing website content and pages so they garner higher rankings within the search engine results page (SERP). Developing an expertly crafted SEO strategy is key to increasing online visibility for any brand.
• Email marketing – As one of the more traditional digital marketing tactics, email marketing remains incredibly relevant in today’s landscape. Through email marketing, organizations can expand their audience base and form lasting customer relationships.
• Content marketing – Whether internally or for external clients, content marketing focuses primarily on leveraging the power of an organization’s owned media to share information, promote products, improve online visibility and increase website traffic. Content marketing and SEO are often used in tandem as a blended marketing tactic.
• Digital advertising – Incorporating paid media into the marketing strategy, this digital marketing tactic is an excellent way to promote specific products or services to the group of consumers who are most likely to make a purchase.

While the marketing strategy serves as an overarching foundation, the marketing tactics actually employed comprise the essential elements of a digital marketing campaign.

Actionable and Timely Tactics

The tactics for any digital marketing campaign vary based on the overall marketing strategy that the brand has established. Regardless of whether you are creating a campaign focused primarily on content marketing or needing to develop a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign, you will want to choose actionable and timely tactics that align with the identified goals. Selecting data-driven marketing tactics and evaluating the results allows you to monitor the overall success of a marketing campaign.

Integrating Digital Marketing Strategy and Tactics

After crafting a digital marketing strategy and identifying the tactics that will best support the strategic goals, you will need to integrate both the marketing strategy and tactics into an actionable plan. According to CMOX, this requires you to:

• Consider the marketing budget for the brand you are working with.
• Study the target audience and determine how to best meet their needs.
• Evaluate the platforms available to you (including owned, paid, and earned media).
• Think about the type of content that will best support the marketing strategy.

Creating a Digital Marketing Plan

The tactics used within a digital marketing strategy become the foundation for a digital marketing plan or digital marketing campaign. Within each individual campaign, you must:

• Identify goals for the campaign, such as generating a certain number of leads or selling a specific quantity of products.
• Establish a target audience for that particular campaign. (For example, one digital marketing campaign may be focused on consumers in the local area between the ages of 18 and 24, while another campaign for a different product may be geared toward consumers between the ages of 35 to 50 in a different state.)
• Identify metrics for the campaign that can most accurately measure its success, such as conversion rates or click-through rates.

Executing Your Strategies and Tactics

With a plan in place, it’s time to execute your marketing strategy and leverage the power of the tactics you selected for the campaign. By taking the time to craft a data-driven marketing strategy as well as choosing specific tactics that best align with campaign goals, implementing your marketing campaign can prove to be a simpler and more streamlined process.

Track the Impact of Your Strategy and Tactics

Once the plan is in motion, you will want to track the results. Specific metrics provide you with critical data that allow you to monitor outcomes and adjust the campaign accordingly. Some of the most commonly used metrics in digital marketing include:

• Website traffic
• Channel traffic
• Search results trends
• Conversion rates
• Bounce rates

Start Your Journey in Digital Marketing Today

Blending traditional business strategies and advanced marketing concepts with digital techniques, the digital marketing field is constantly growing and changing. Selecting an educational program that offers a strong foundation in marketing while allowing you to develop advanced digital marketing skills can be essential to your success in this realm.

At Bryant & Stratton College, several digital marketing degree programs allow students to explore strategy vs. tactics in marketing. Our Bachelor of Business Administration in Digital Marketing and Associate of Applied Science in Digital Marketing degrees both explore leading digital marketing techniques, including SEO, social media marketing and web data analysis. In addition, we offer a Digital Marketing Specialist Diploma for professionals who want to develop advanced digital marketing skills.

Request more information about our digital marketing programs today.