Choosing the Right Digital Marketing Tactics to Execute Your Strategy

So, you’ve completed the “Strategy” phase of START Planning or in your own process have a defined set of goals and have built a solid strategy for your digital marketing success plan—defining goals, understanding your audience, and aligning efforts with business outcomes. 

Now, the next challenge: Which digital marketing tactics will actually get you there?

Too often, businesses either chase the latest digital trends without a plan or stick to outdated methods that no longer deliver ROI. That’s where the Tactics phase of the START planning process comes in—helping you evaluate, prioritize, and implement the right marketing channels that align with your strategy and business objectives.

In this article, we’ll break down the four essential steps to choosing and executing the right tactics for your business.

Step 1: Exploring All Potential Digital Marketing Channels

Many businesses default to tactics they’re comfortable with or those they’ve used in the past. But past success doesn’t guarantee future results. The digital marketing landscape evolves constantly, and so should your approach.

Here are key digital channels to consider:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Long-term organic visibility in Google’s search results.
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising): Immediate traffic through platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads.
• Social Media Marketing: Organic and paid strategies to engage audiences on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Email Marketing: Nurturing leads and maintaining customer engagement through automation and targeted campaigns.
• Programmatic Display Ads: Automated bidding to serve ads to your ideal customers based on online behavior.

Common mistake: Jumping into execution before evaluating all your options. Many companies invest in Google Ads because they assume it’s the fastest route to leads, when in reality, SEO and content creation might be a better long-term play for high-quality leads at a lower cost.

Action Step: Create a list of all digital marketing channels and platforms you could use, even ones you’ve never tested before. Keep an open mind.

Step 2: Matching Tactics to Business Goals

Once you have a list of potential marketing tactics, the next step is to align them with your business goals. Not every channel is right for every objective.

Examples of goal-to-tactic alignment:

• If your goal is brand awareness: Invest in SEO, social media, and content development.
• If you need immediate lead generation: Consider PPC, email marketing, and retargeting ads.
• If your sales cycle is long and complex: Focus on thought leadership content, LinkedIn marketing, and SEO.

Case Study Example:

A B2B logistics company approached VOLTAGE with a scattered marketing strategy. They were running Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, SEO, and social media all at once, but weren’t tracking ROI.

After evaluating their actual sales cycle and customer journey, we found that their highest-converting leads came from organic search and LinkedIn outreach, while Google Ads had a high spend but low close rate.

By reallocating their budget toward SEO-driven content marketing and targeted LinkedIn campaigns, we tripled their lead conversion rate within six months.

Action Step: For each tactic, ask: Does this directly support my business goals, or am I just using it because I think I should?

Step 3: Prioritizing Based on ROI Potential

Not all tactics deliver the same return on investment and some are hard to quantify. Before executing, consider three key factors when prioritizing your digital marketing mix.

1. Cost Efficiency: What’s the cost per lead or conversion for each channel? PPC might be expensive but offer instant results, while SEO requires long-term investment but delivers sustainable traffic.
2. Time to Impact: Some channels take months to show results (SEO and content marketing), while others offer quick wins (Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads).
3. Scalability & Sustainability: Will this tactic be effective long-term, or will it require constant reinvestment? SEO and email marketing compound over time, while paid ads stop working when the budget runs out.

Common mistake: Trying to do everything at once. Many businesses waste time and budget by spreading themselves too thin across multiple tactics without a clear prioritization framework.

Action Step: Rank your top tactics by ROI potential and time to impact. If best for you, consider starting with one or two key tactics before expanding.

Step 4: Defining Success Metrics & Preparing for Implementation

Once you’ve selected the right mix of tactics, the next step is to define how success will be measured and mapped out before moving on to the Application phase of START Planning, then to the Review Phase where you’ll go deep into ROI measurement planning holistically. This ensures that when implementation begins, your team (or agency) has clear performance benchmarks to track.

Key Considerations in This Stage

• Identify KPIs for each tactic to track progress effectively.
• Establish performance benchmarks using historical data and industry standards.
• Develop a monitoring framework so reporting aligns with business goals.
• Plan for flexibility—account for potential adjustments as results come in.

Mapping Benchmarks to Tactics

Different tactics require different success metrics. Your planning process should document:

• SEO: Target organic traffic growth, ranking improvements, and lead generation.
• PPC: Expected cost per lead, conversion rate goals, and budget pacing.
• Content Marketing: Engagement metrics, lead generation, and search visibility impact.
• Social Media: Follower growth, engagement rates, and click-throughs.
• Email Marketing: Open rates, CTR, and revenue from campaigns.

Case Study Example:

A national insurance services company approached VOLTAGE, believing their Google Ads campaigns were profitable and seeking help in making some incremental improvements in performance. However, when we mapped true customer acquisition costs against ad spend and sales cycles, we discovered they were actually losing money on every ad dollar spent.

By establishing new benchmarks before execution, we uncovered a major issue before they invested even more budget increasing hidden losses. Instead of running more ads blindly, they adjusted their marketing strategy, shifting focus to SEO and email marketing (while also getting their Google Ads in better shape), which led to sustainable ROI growth.

Action Step: Before launching any tactics, document the success metrics, data sources, and reporting cadence needed to evaluate performance once implementation begins and incorporate into your documented digital marketing plan (or, Digital Marketing Success Plan™).

Final Thoughts: The Right Tactics Require the Right Planning

Tactics should never be chosen based on gut instinct or the latest trends. The Tactics phase of the START Planning Process ensures that:

• Every tactic is tied directly to a business goal.
• ROI is considered before budget is allocated.
• Benchmarks for success are documented before execution.
• Data-driven insights guide future adjustments.

By completing this phase thoroughly, you’ll ensure your digital marketing investments are strategic, measurable, and aligned with your business’s long-term success and you’re ready to move into Application, Review, and Transformation in the START Planning Process.