In today’s age, effective marketing strategies are essential for businesses to stay ahead of the competition. With the rise of digital marketing, it has become increasingly important for organisations to have a solid plan in place to achieve goals. One such planning framework is SOSTAC by PR Smith, which provides a step-by-step approach to creating a comprehensive digital marketing plan.
SOSTAC is an acronym for Situation, Objectives, Strategy, Tactics, Action, and Control. Each stage represents a crucial step in the planning process and must be followed to achieve success. Let’s take a closer look at each stage:
Situation Analysis
The first step in creating a digital marketing plan is to analyse the current situation. This includes an assessment of the internal and external factors that affect the business, such as market trends, competition, and customer behaviour. The information gathered in this stage is used to identify areas of opportunity and determine the direction of the marketing plan.
Objectives
Once the situation has been analysed, the next step is to set clear and specific objectives. These objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and align with the overall business goals.
Strategy
The strategy stage involves developing a plan of action to achieve the objectives. This may include a social media, email marketing, content marketing and SEO strategy, among others. The strategy should be tailored to the target audience and take into account the budget and resources available.
Tactics
After developing a strategy, the next step is to determine the tactics that will be used to implement the strategy. This includes creating a content calendar, planning social media posts, creating newsletters and optimising website content for search engines.
Action
The action stage is where the plan is put into action. This involves executing the tactics and closely monitoring the results. It’s important to track progress and make adjustments as and when needed.
Control
Finally, the control stage involves evaluating the results and measuring the success of the digital marketing plan. This includes analysing website traffic, engagement on social media, and conversion rates. Based on the results, the plan can be adjusted as needed to improve performance.
Make sure you follow the order…
Now that we’ve covered the different stages of the SOSTAC framework, let’s look at the importance of following the order. Each stage builds upon the previous one and lays the foundation for the next. For example, the situation analysis provides the information needed to set objectives, which inform the development of the strategy. Skipping a stage or completing them out of order can result in a weak marketing plan that fails to achieve the desired results.
Social media, newsletters, articles writing, SEO, and including SMART objectives are all critical components of a digital marketing plan. Social media platforms provide an opportunity to reach a wider audience and engage with customers. Newsletters and articles can be used to provide valuable information to customers and build trust. SEO is essential for improving search engine rankings and driving traffic to the website. SMART objectives ensure that the marketing plan is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, which makes it easier to track progress and evaluate success.
Any organisation can benefit from the PR Smith’s SOSTAC planning framework, even if they don’t use many digital marketing elements (at the moment!). A well-planned and executed digital marketing strategy can help businesses increase brand awareness, reach new customers, and drive sales. By following a framework like SOSTAC, businesses can develop a comprehensive marketing plan that aligns with their overall goals and objectives. This will not only improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts but also provide a roadmap for future growth and success.