How to Determine Your Digital Marketing Mix

Creating the right digital marketing mix isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being in the right place with the right message. But how do you know which marketing channels deserve your attention (and budget)?

Most businesses struggle to figure out where they should focus their efforts–especially when there are seemingly endless options. Should you go all-in on social media? Double down on SEO? Try that new platform everyone’s talking about? The first step is to figure out a digital marketing mix that works for your goals and resources.

This guide explains how to prioritize marketing channels, balance branding with discoverability, and track campaign performance.

Master Your Marketing Mix with These Step-by-Step Strategies

Ready to build a successful digital marketing mix? Here’s how it’s done:

1. Find Out Where Your Audience Is.

Before you can put together a marketing mix for your business, it’s important to learn more about your audience. Ask:

• Do customers understand what my product or service is? For example, is your business a specialty that a customer may not know to look for?
• Is it something they would search for?

Great examples of this are legal, plumbing, and landscaping services. When legal issues arise, people often search terms like “divorce lawyer near me” or “how much does a will cost.” They’re typically seeking immediate help for specific situations. When emergencies happen, plumbing searches for “24-hour plumber” spike, whereas landscaping searches may be seasonal.

Though some customers have recurring maintenance contracts, many seek out local services on an as-needed basis.

New types of products also may not have much search volume. If customers don’t know they have a problem, then they won’t know they need a solution. For instance, trinkets being sold online probably wouldn’t be suitable for search. A software that customers don’t know exists would require awareness marketing over search engine optimization.

Answering these questions can give you insight into where your audience is–whether it’s Google, Pinterest, YouTube, or niche websites where banner ads can be displayed. Audiences can be segmented based on the type of business. B2B clients and leads are mostly active on Google, email, and LinkedIn; B2C customers may be found on Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok.

2. Choose Between Awareness vs. Search Marketing.

Marketing strategies typically fall into two categories:

• Search marketing: Capturing customers actively looking for your services (SEO, Google Ads, local services ads).
• Awareness marketing: Building recognition so customers think of you when they need services (social media, display ads, billboards).

Here’s when to focus on each:

Prioritize Search Marketing When:

• Customers need immediate solutions (plumbers, locksmiths).
• You’re in a new or growing business.
• Your services are straightforward (landscaping, cleaning).
• Local competition is high.
• You serve a specific geographic area.

Focus on Awareness Marketing When:

• Services are planned in advance (cosmetic surgery, luxury homes).
• You’re an established brand.
• Your services need explanation (new technologies, specialized treatments).
• You have a unique market position and/or charge premium prices.
• You serve regional/national markets.

Most businesses need both strategies, but understanding these factors helps determine where to place your focus. Roughly 80% of customers search for local businesses weekly, while 64% want brands to build emotional connections.

3. Decide on Channels and Track Progress.

If you own a pilates studio and know where your customers are spending time–i.e., following advanced pilates instructors on social media–that’s where you’ll start advertising and building awareness first. Social advertising on TikTok, YouTube, and Meta in this example can help to drive a larger omnichannel digital marketing strategy.

Commonly used digital marketing channels include:

• Google Search: Essential for all businesses in some capacity, with more results seen locally. Follow the search volume and focus on high-intent keywords.
  • Google Search Ads: Ideal for local services (plumbers, dentists) and products needing immediate leads. Split test and track conversions and cost per lead.
• Bing Search: Lower volume but often less competitive than Google. Important for desktop users and older demographics.
  • Chat GPT: Growing channel for discovery and conversational search (predicted to capture 1% of the search market in 2025). Optimize content for AI readability and question-based searches.
• Display Ads: Work well for many business types, including products and services. Retarget website visitors, monitor impressions, and build awareness.
• LinkedIn: Ideal for B2B businesses and professional services. Share industry insights and case studies and measure impressions and engagement.
• Meta/Instagram: Ideal for visual products and lifestyle services (boutiques, fitness). Share lifestyle content and testimonials and track engagement and leads.
• Pinterest: Ideal for lifestyle businesses (designers, wedding planners), e-commerce, and educational content. Post inspiration and guides and track saves and engagement.
  • Pinterest Ads: Effective for visual products and services. Target users in planning mode (home decor, fashion) and track click-throughs and conversions.
  • Reddit: Valuable for tech, gaming, and niche communities. Build authentic connections through AMAs and subreddit engagement and use Reddit Ads.
  • TikTok: Ideal for businesses with a TikTok audience and/or trending services (pilates studios, beauty). Create tutorials and trending content.
  • YouTube: Ideal for complex services (real estate, finance) needing to educate, product reviews, and entertainment. Share how-to videos and track watch time and clicks.
  • Other: For all businesses, podcasts can build credibility through thought leadership, webinars drive B2B lead generation, and industry newsletters reach niche audiences. Track downloads, registrations, and open rates.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Your Marketing Mix

Even the best-laid marketing plans can be derailed with these mistakes:

• Channel overload: Trying to maintain presence on too many platforms instead of mastering a few key channels first.
• Following competitors blindly: Adopting others’ strategies without considering your unique market position and resources.
• Missing measurement foundations: Starting campaigns without clear KPIs or proper tracking setup across channels.
• Overlooking audience behavior: Failing to analyze how your target market engages with different channels before investing.
• Poor budget allocation: Spreading resources too thin across multiple channels instead of focusing on high-performing ones.
• Siloed thinking: Missing opportunities to create powerful cross-channel campaigns that amplify your message.

It’s a good idea to start with two to three primary channels and master them before expanding. Test new channels with small budgets, then scale what works. Document which content and offers resonate with your audience and replicate successful patterns across all channels.

Weekly tracking may include cost per lead by channel, ad engagement, search rankings, and conversion rates. A monthly analysis might measure channel ROIs, lead quality by source, content performance, and customer acquisition costs.

For many businesses, methods like A/B and multivariate testing are more likely to happen in-house. More complex strategies, like marketing mix modeling, may be handled by an outside agency.

Remember, to find the right digital marketing mix, let your audience be the guide. Through their behavior and activity, your audience will tell you where and how to reach them–whether they’re searching on Google, following experts on LinkedIn, or seeking inspiration on Instagram. The key is to analyze these patterns and adjust your strategy to meet them.

Need help finding your marketing sweet spot? From SEO to Google Ads to social media marketing, our team of in-house experts can help determine which channels work best for your business. Schedule a discovery call to get started.