Our fast Q&A information answering the highest 10+ questions on digital advertising we’re requested
Since we launched Good Insights, we’ve specialised in serving to entrepreneurs reply the frequent questions round digital advertising, significantly associated to digital advertising technique and greatest practices. We discovered that though folks can rapidly perceive the distinction between the totally different digital advertising channels obtainable like search, social media and e mail advertising, there may be much more to digital advertising technique than that. Actually, our co-founder Dr Dave Chaffey, has written a complete ebook on Digital advertising technique and implementation, which is now nearing ten editions since there may be a lot concerned with answering these questions precisely…
To reach digital advertising technique it’s worthwhile to overview your entire method to advertising and your model, that’s the place many go fallacious with digital technique, by diving straight into the channels, with out contemplating the larger image of their advertising technique.
We’ve created this text to assist entrepreneurs since many AI Massive Language Fashions (LLMs) make the error of suggesting that digital advertising technique merely includes choosing the right digital advertising channels to make use of and tips on how to use them. That is a part of digital advertising technique, however not the complete image.
So, on this article, we current a choice of Questions and brief Solutions round digital advertising technique, linking to extra in-depth articles and free assets like our digital advertising plan templates. Now we have included a choice of visuals to assist solutions these questions, since we consider visible frameworks are probably the most environment friendly means to enhance and be taught advertising.
Primary questions on digital advertising channels
Questions on digital advertising technique
Q. What’s digital advertising?
A. Within the first chapter of my ebook Digital Advertising and marketing: Technique, Implementation and Follow we use a easy definition of digital advertising, or on-line advertising, which is:
“Attaining advertising aims via making use of digital media, information and know-how.”
Definitions of digital advertising usually begin with media and digital channels, nevertheless it’s greatest to deal with a easy definition exhibiting digital advertising is about what you you wish to obtain i.e. exhibiting how you employ digital advertising to succeed in your objectives.
If you happen to’re searching for a easy introduction to digital advertising, learn my article exploring What’s digital advertising? the place I clarify a course of to realize success by specializing in the 18 most essential digital advertising channel strategies.
On this article we introduce the totally different choices for digital advertising channels that ought to type a part of your technique:
Q. What’s the distinction between paid, owned and earned media?
A. Digital advertising may be costly, if you happen to restrict your exercise to paid media, however its energy in comparison with conventional media has all the time been that it helps built-in communications via free and paid choices.
In our article explaining What’s the distinction between paid, owned and earned media we use this basic visible to clarify the three choices:
- Paid Media – This includes paying to advertise your content material or model. Examples embody search engine adverts ((PPC), show promoting, programmatic adverts and paid social media adverts. The profit is to succeed in a wider viewers by investing in visibility.
- Owned Media – These are channels you management, comparable to your web site, weblog, or social media profiles. You create and handle the content material, permitting for constant messaging and direct engagement together with your viewers.
- Earned Media – This refers to publicity gained via word-of-mouth, public relations efforts, or buyer opinions. It’s the results of others sharing your content material or talking about your model, usually seen as extra credible by audiences.
Q. What are the varieties of digital advertising?
A. There are various on-line communications strategies that entrepreneurs should prioritize to incorporate as a part of their communications technique. Entrepreneurs usually use paid, owned and earned media to explain investments at a high-level, nevertheless it’s extra frequent to refer to those six key digital media channels I’ve outlined in our books when deciding on particular always-on and marketing campaign investments.
- Search Engine Advertising and marketing – Boosts web site visits through Google or Bing. Paid adverts or paid search use PPC (pay-per-click) comparable to Google Advertisements, whereas natural search or search engine optimisation (search engine optimisation) improves rankings organically via content material, website construction, and backlinks. Right this moment, gaining featured in AI Overviews is a rising a part of natural search.
- Social Media Advertising and marketing – Like search advertising, contains paid and natural social media. Paid covers paid adverts and natural posts on platforms like Fb, Instagram or LinkedIn. In natural social, posts are shared via your social pages.
- Show Promoting – Makes use of banner and video adverts on third-party websites to drive consciousness and visitors. Consists of programmatic (automated) and native promoting (sponsored content material).
- Digital PR – Builds consciousness via mentions on media websites, blogs, or by influencers. Boosts search engine optimisation through backlinks. Consists of visitor running a blog, influencer outreach, and managing model popularity on-line.
- Digital Partnerships – Collaborations with different manufacturers or associates to share audiences. Might be paid (e.g., affiliate commissions) or unpaid (e.g., co-marketing or co-branding).
- Digital Messaging – Consists of e mail, cellular push notifications, and in-app messages. Normally despatched to subscribers (owned media). Shopping for e mail lists will not be allowed beneath privateness legal guidelines.
This visible from our ebook on the prime of the submit reveals how these can damaged down additional to frequent varieties folks describe.
Q. What are the very best digital advertising media channels?
A. Essentially the most cost-effective channels are often natural visitors comparable to natural search, social media and e mail, nevertheless it’s usually mandatory to make use of paid media comparable to Google Advertisements, Paid social and show adverts to help natural.
This analysis reveals which digital acquisition channels are essential throughout totally different sectors. It’s taken from the Contentsquare Digital Expertise Benchmarks which is an efficient high quality supply. The highest 7 media channels are:
- Direct media : 30.9%
- Natural search : 25.6%
- Paid search : 24.3%
- Paid social : 8.4%
- Show adverts : 6.2%
- E mail advertising : 3.9%
- Natural social : 0.8%
Be aware that direct visitors usually contains untracked or ‘darkish’ visitors the place folks attain an internet site through a cellular app or sort in a URL, so it’s usually the most well-liked channel, though the fact is the referrers might be from different sources.
Study extra: That are the very best media for digital advertising?
Q. What’s digital advertising technique?
A. A digital advertising technique ought to embody each a framework to outline the strategic digital priorities it’s worthwhile to work on and a course of defining the steps it’s worthwhile to work via to outline, choose and implement the technique.
Our RACE Development System for enhancing advertising effectiveness has two elements which we clarify in additional element in our in-depth article on the favored RACE advertising framework:
1. The RACE Planning Framework: defines the important actions and measures companies must grasp to outlive and thrive in as we speak’s advertising world.
2. The RACE OSA enchancment course of: defines the three steps wanted to construct and implement your development plan – both to your general advertising plan or for a person channel, comparable to natural search, social media or e mail advertising.
I developed the framework practically 15 years in the past primarily based on my expertise of consulting and coaching in digital advertising for companies in a variety of sectors and in corporations of various sizes from small to massive. Though it’s usually considered as a specialist digital advertising framework, in actual fact it’s designed to work for multichannel advertising together with offline adverts and touchpoints.
Q. What ought to a web-based advertising plan include?
A. A web based advertising plan ought to include a overview of present use of digital advertising and the outcomes it delivers, SMART aims to enhance outcomes, prioritized technique initiatives and an motion plan to implement the technique.
Understanding the place to start out is maybe probably the most troublesome a part of creating any type of advertising plan for the primary time. I’ve discovered it related when writing books. However upon getting a construction outlined, it turns into a lot simpler to fill in every part. You should use the same ‘divide and conquer’ method with any type of longer type content material in Generative AI. Ask it to recommend a construction, modify it for what it has missed after which ask it to work on smaller sections. This could work for plans too, however take care since primarily based on its information base, AIs can advocate {that a} digital advertising plan is simply in regards to the channels and doesn’t embody the larger questions round objectives, visions, audiences, segmentation, focusing on, model positioning and choosing the right methods.
We advocate structuring a plan primarily based on the RACE Development System course of which defines a easy construction of Alternative > Technique > Motion. You may apply OSA to totally different advertising actions from making a development plan for the following 3 months, creating an annual plan or enhancing your advertising marketing campaign course of. It additionally works nicely for driving outcomes from particular person channels like the web site, natural or paid search, social media or e mail advertising. You may also apply it to your private studying and abilities improvement.
So the plan ought to outline:
Alternative – evaluation and objectives
- Audit efficiency assessing present contribution of digital advertising to leads, gross sales and communications objectives
- Evaluate market together with viewers, personas, opponents and related digital intermediaries
- Key points abstract – making a digital channel SWOT
- Set imaginative and prescient and aims – that is primarily based on the above evaluation and defines SMART aims
Technique – prioritisation of actions to realize objectives:
- Evaluate advertising and digital technique choices
- Assess price range / enterprise case
- Prioritize and choose strategic initiatives
Motion:
- Plan 90-day actions
- Implement plans
- Evaluate outcomes
This query is answered additional following the really useful hyperlink within the subsequent query.
Q. How ought to I construction a digital advertising plan?
A. Alternative > Technique > Motion gives a easy construction for a digital advertising plan beginning with state of affairs evaluation and efficiency overview to set aims, then technique prioritization and eventually an motion plan.
We consider that an built-in digital advertising technique is crucial for entrepreneurs working in all varieties of enterprise to make the most of the rising digital advertising alternatives for buying and retaining clients – so you’ll be able to win extra gross sales.
On this article, we clarify tips on how to construction a digital advertising technique utilizing the Good Insights RACE framework utilizing totally different examples.
How ought to I construction a digital advertising plan
Q. The right way to do a digital advertising audit?
AA. digital advertising audit ought to use a data-driven method to overview the maturity and use of digital advertising so you’ll be able to establish enhancements which ought to type a method.
Auditing your digital advertising actions is a vital start line for outlining a digital advertising technique. However they’re additionally helpful for locating alternatives to enhance your digital advertising by figuring out priorities it’s worthwhile to act on to get higher outcomes.
Our auditing method is a data-driven audit utilizing instruments to check to your opponents and utilizing your Google Analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of your advertising communications.
I’ve structured this audit primarily based on the 5 key elements of our RACE framework:
The right way to do a digital advertising audit?
What are examples of digital advertising methods?
A. Digital advertising methods can outline:
- Acquisition vs retention focus – sometimes digital methods deal with acquisition, however must also think about how digital media and know-how can help retention
- Media focus – the precedence investments for digital media
- MarTech focus – precedence investments for companies and instruments to implement digital advertising
- Course of change focus – a imaginative and prescient exhibiting how advertising should change to help new channel use by clients – for instance this will increase the significance of always-on advertising strategies.
For extra, see our article: Three digital advertising plan examples
What’s the distinction between technique vs techniques in digital advertising?
This is likely one of the commonest questions that ‘crops up’ once I’m working coaching workshops or discussing creating advertising plans with companies.
It’s no shock because the distinction between these two actions usually isn’t distinct. But, it’s an essential query to reply since our analysis reveals that so many companies don’t have a transparent advertising technique or plan.
With no clear technique, it’s doubtless a few of your techniques could also be poorly directed, so is probably not propelling the enterprise within the route wanted.
What’s the distinction between technique vs techniques in digital advertising?
How a lot ought to I spend or price range on digital advertising?
A. This varies extensively relying on enterprise measurement, sector and turnover, however benchmarks for bigger enterprise recommend advertising price range is round 7-8% of income on common. This chart is from Gartner analysis for 2025. Inside the advertising price range digital advertising is now sometimes the vast majority of spend.
Q. What are the most recent digital advertising tendencies?
A. The most recent tendencies for digital advertising in 2025 are the elevated use of Generative AI for creating copy, customer support brokers and Predictive analytics AI for digital advertising. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a brand new pattern the place entrepreneurs attempt to acquire consciousness via Google’s AI overviews (AIOs) and Gen AI platforms like ChatGPT since there’s a pattern to declining clicks from search engines like google and yahoo on account of AIOs and use of GenAI platforms.
You may learn the 2025 version right here – What are the most recent digital advertising tendencies?
I’ve been writing opinions of the most recent digital advertising improvements for nicely over 10 years now; spurred on since they appear to be useful primarily based on the feedback on LinkedIn and once I current them. I hope that’s as a result of I attempt to hold them sensible. They’re additionally a method to hold readers of my books within the loop through the hole between new editions. You may join on LinkedIn to view my newest updates.
I hope you’ve got discovered this digital advertising Q&A helpful to reply your questions together with the extra detailed solutions and visuals the article hyperlink to. Please ask any extra particular questions on LinkedIn.
