An online marketing strategy is the lifeblood of any marketing plan. After all, your strategy will dictate what type of content you create and how you engage with customers on various platforms. Without a clear idea of what to aim for, you’ll struggle to hit the mark – and that’s a surefire way to fail.

So what does an online marketing strategy consist of?

The Three Pillars Of An Effective Strategy

Here are the three pillars of an effective strategy:

• A clear goal.
• A plan to achieve that goal.
• Measurable goals.

The First Pillar: A Clear Goal

The first pillar of an effective strategy is a clear goal. Simply stated, your goal is to grow your business online through the creation and publication of valuable content. You might also want to use content to build brand awareness or to attract new customers. As an entrepreneur, this is a crucial step. You need to make sure you have a clear idea of what you’re aiming for before you begin creating content. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your time churning out dreck that won’t generate sales.

In the quest to grow your business, you’ll inevitably come across many challenges. In order to surmount these obstacles, you’ll need a clear goal. Setting a goal that’s too high may yield unsatisfactory results – you’ll either fail to reach it or you’ll leave a bad taste in your customers’ mouths. But setting a goal that’s too low may do just the opposite. You’ll be tempted to aim for the lowest common denominator and create content that everyone can enjoy – but that won’t serve your long-term interests.

The Second Pillar: A Plan To Achieve That Goal

The second pillar of an effective strategy is a plan to achieve that goal. Just like with the first pillar, this is crucial step in order to ensure you’re heading in the right direction. You need to have a clear idea of what you’re doing to get there. Without a clear plan, it’s easy to get distracted by the myriad of tasks that crop up daily – from creating content to pitching stories to growing your social media following. Without a road map, it’s easy to get lost in the wilderness of internet surfing. Unplanned, unorganized action is never a good recipe for success.

This is why, when you first start out as a solopreneur, your strategy will seem extremely shaky. There’s no guidebook that can help you plot the best course to success – you’re essentially winging it. But that’s what makes it so exciting! The more you do, the more you learn, and the more you can do. Plus, the more you do, the more you can learn. The wheel turns and turns, and before you know it, you’re evolving into a more successful version of yourself.

The Third Pillar: Measurable Goals

The third pillar of an effective strategy is measurable goals. Just because your strategy is sound and you’ve got a clear idea of where you’re headed, this doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically achieve your goals. Indeed, you may hit a brick wall that stops you in your tracks – a wall that you didn’t see coming. The goal, after all, is to grow your business, and there are certainly many factors that could get in the way. However, by establishing measurable goals, you eliminate the element of luck from the equation. If you’re lucky, you may reach your goal with little to no effort. Too often, though, we make the mistake of aiming for too much and getting caught up in the exhilaration of hitting our target. That’s when we fail.

If you want to create an effective strategy for your business’ online growth, these three pillars must be present. If you can incorporate all three, you’re well on your way to achieving your goals and more than capable of evolving into an incredibly successful entrepreneur. Now, go out there and start creating content today!