What Is Digital Marketing? Channels and a 90-Day Plan
What is digital marketing, which channels does it cover, which business should start where, and how do you plan the first 90 days with measurement?
rabbitclip teamPublished: 6 min read
Short answer
Digital marketing is reaching the right people with your product or service through online channels and measuring the result. Those channels are search engines, social media, email, paid advertising and content. They do not all do the same job: one catches demand before you do, one builds recognition, one brings existing customers back. Good digital marketing does not mean using every channel. It means choosing the few that suit your business, tying them to one goal and following the outcome with a number.
Most business owners get stuck in the same place: there are many options, the budget is limited and it is unclear what is working. The answer is usually fewer channels, a clear goal and regular measurement. Trying everything at once means trying nothing for long enough.
In this article you will find what each channel is for, where different businesses should start and how the first three months can be organised. We give no budget figures, because the right amount depends on your sector, your competition and your goal.
Which channels does digital marketing cover?
It helps to split the channels into two groups. One group reaches people whose demand already exists: someone is typing a search related to what you do. The other creates or revives demand: the user is not searching, and you appear in front of them.
This difference decides where your budget goes. Channels that catch demand tend to sit closer to a sale; channels that create demand are slower but lasting for the brand. Neither replaces the other.
- Search: organic visibility (SEO) and search advertising
- Social media: organic posting and paid advertising on social platforms
- Email: permission-based contact with current and prospective customers
- Content: blogs, guides and videos that answer questions and build trust
- Remarketing: reminding people who have already visited your site
Which business should start with which channel?
The starting channel depends on where your customer is before buying. If you are unsure, ask your recent customers how they found you; that answer is often more reliable than a guess. If customers search when a need arises (a plumber, a clinic, a software service), search is the first stop. If they buy because something catches the eye (fashion, food, beauty), social media comes first.
If you already hold a customer list, email is the cheapest and most controllable channel, and it may be your first job. As a rule, two channels are enough at the start. One that catches demand and one that builds recognition make a reasonable pair for most businesses.
How do you plan the first 90 days?
A three-month plan works when each month has a single purpose. The first month is for setup and measurement: the goal is defined, tracking is built and the current position is recorded. If nothing was measured at the start, you cannot say later what worked.
The second month is for production and testing, and the third is for reading and deciding. At the end of three months the aim is not a perfect result but evidence of which channel and which message work. That evidence shows where the next budget should go.
- Month one: define the goal and conversion, set up measurement, fix the site and profiles
- Month two: publish the first content and campaigns on the two chosen channels
- Month three: read the results, grow what works and drop what does not
What do you measure in digital marketing?
Measurement should tell you whether a channel is moving you towards your goal. The goal may be a phone call, a form or a sale; these are called conversions. To see which channel brought which conversion, links carry a source tag. The free UTM builder on our site is enough to create those tags without mistakes.
Likes and impressions alone are not enough to decide anything. A number that is not tied to the goal only shows movement. A measurement report should show conversions first, then cost per conversion, split by source. Whoever reads the report should see at a glance which channel deserves the budget.
What mistakes are common in digital marketing?
The first mistake is starting without a goal. «Let us be on social media» is not a goal; «how many enquiries do we want this month for this service» is. The second is giving every channel a small share at the same time. A scattered budget is too thin to learn from on any channel.
The third is starting ads before the site is ready. Advertising brings the visitor, but if the page is slow, broken on a phone or unclear about what to do next, the visitor leaves. The fourth is giving up after two weeks; most channels need time to teach you anything.
When is digital marketing unnecessary or the wrong choice?
If the product or service is not ready, or delivery and customer communication are not yet settled, digital marketing should not come first. For a business that cannot handle the demand it already has, more demand means more complaints. The operation has to be sound first.
Where the customer base is a small, known group of buyers (for instance a business selling to only a few large organisations), broad-reach channels are inefficient. Direct contact and industry networks work better there. Digital marketing does not fit every business in the same way.
Digital marketing is reaching the right people through the right channel and measuring the outcome. Start with few channels, make the goal clear and divide the first three months into setup, production and decision. If you would like to talk through which channel makes sense for you to start with, you are welcome to arrange a discovery call with rabbitclip.
FAQ
Is digital marketing the same as social media management?
No. Social media is only one of the channels of digital marketing. Digital marketing also covers search, email, content and advertising, and ties them all to a shared goal.
Where should a small business start?
Where the customer is before buying. If they search, start with search; if you have a customer list, start with email. Managing two channels well is better than managing five halfway.
How long does it take to see results?
It depends on the channel. Paid advertising gives data sooner, while organic search visibility and content take time. Plan the first three months as a period of learning and finding the right channel, not as a promise of a final result.
How do you know digital marketing is working?
By the rise in the conversions you defined beforehand: calls, forms or sales. Likes and impressions do not replace them. Each channel's conversions should be visible separately through source tags.
