When a CEO demands a new marketing strategy, the marketing team is often left grappling with a flood of potential digital marketing strategies. Corey Morris, a leading figure in the digital marketing world, provides a clear path through this chaos with his proven framework for success.
In his latest book, The Digital Marketing Success Plan: How to Avoid Poor Communication, Misaligned Expectations, and Wasted Dollars (2024, Indie Books International), Corey Morris outlines a structured approach to achieving digital marketing success. In this blog post, we’ll explore Morris’s five-phase process—START—and how it can help you create a marketing plan that truly delivers results.
What Is the START Framework for Digital Marketing Success?
Corey Morris’s START framework breaks down the digital marketing process into five essential phases. Each phase is designed to build upon the previous one, ensuring that you don’t just generate leads but also achieve measurable results.
Here’s a comprehensive look at the five phases of the START process:
1. Strategy: Setting the Foundation for Success
The Strategy phase is where everything begins. It’s not just about setting goals but about understanding your business and how digital marketing can help you achieve these goals.
Key steps in the Strategy phase include:
- Defining Business Goals: What are your long-term objectives? Are you aiming for increased sales, brand awareness, or something else?
- Connecting Metrics to Outcomes: Align your KPIs with your business goals to ensure that you’re measuring the right things.
- Reviewing Past Efforts: Look at previous marketing strategies to identify what worked and what didn’t.
Example: If your goal is to increase online sales by 20% over the next year, you might use Google Analytics to review past campaign performance and set up metrics like conversion rates and cost per acquisition.
2. Tactics: Exploring Your Options
The Tactics phase is where you get creative. This is the time to explore various channels and methods for achieving your goals.
Key activities in the Tactics phase include:
- Evaluating Channels: Consider options like SEO, Google Ads, LinkedIn Sponsored Content, or social media marketing.
- Mapping Out Opportunities: Use research tools to discover which channels will most effectively reach your target audience.
Example: If you’re aiming to boost brand visibility, you might decide to invest in SEO to improve your website’s search engine ranking and use LinkedIn for targeted B2B advertising.
3. Application: Bringing Your Tactics to Life
The Application phase is where your ideas become reality. This is about creating the assets you need to execute your marketing strategy.
Key tasks in the Application phase include:
- Creating Marketing Assets: Develop ads, graphics, web pages, copy, and other content.
- Building a Content Calendar: Plan out your content releases and campaign milestones.
Example: If you’ve decided to run a Facebook ad campaign, you’ll need to design eye-catching ads, write compelling copy, and set up the campaign structure in Facebook Ads Manager.
4. Review: Measuring Success
The Review phase is where you evaluate how well your tactics are working.
Key components of the Review phase include:
- Setting Up Dashboards: Create systems to track performance metrics, such as Google Analytics dashboards or performance tracking tools.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Regularly check on campaign performance against your KPIs and adjust as needed.
Example: You might use Google Data Studio to create dashboards that show metrics like traffic sources, bounce rates, and conversion rates.
5. Transformation: Adapting and Optimising
The Transformation phase is where you refine your approach based on what you’ve learned.
Key activities in the Transformation phase include:
- Scheduling and Optimising: Create a detailed calendar of tactics and optimise based on performance data.
- Mapping Milestones: Define future goals and experiments for continuous improvement.
Example: Based on the performance of your initial campaigns, you might adjust your SEO strategies, tweak your ad copy, or try new A/B testing methods.
Why the START Framework Is Your Key to Digital Marketing Success
Corey Morris’s START framework isn’t just a set of steps; it’s a comprehensive approach to creating a digital marketing strategy that works. Here’s why it’s effective:
- Holistic Approach: It covers every aspect of digital marketing from initial strategy to final execution.
- Structured Process: By following a clear, documented plan, you can avoid the pitfalls of poor communication and misaligned expectations.
- Focus on ROI: Each phase is designed to ensure that your marketing efforts are not just creative but also effective and measurable.
Corey Morris emphasises that digital marketing is an investment. Without a strategic plan, you’re just spinning your wheels. His framework provides a clear roadmap for your digital marketing efforts, helping you achieve real results.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to revamp your digital marketing strategy, the START framework by Corey Morris is a powerful tool to guide you. By following the five phases—Strategy, Tactics, Application, Review, and Transformation—you can create a marketing plan that drives success and delivers ROI.
Learn more
- Corey Morris’s Official Website – Explore more about Corey Morris and his company.
- The Digital Marketing Success Plan on Indie Books International – Purchase the book and learn more about Morris’s methods.
- SEO Best Practices for 2024 – Stay updated on the latest SEO strategies.
