All too often we've talked to companies who had no or little tangible return on the investments in digital media. When we dig further we find out that these companies either lacked the vision to align their online strategy with their overall business objectives or even more simply, did not implement a digital marketing plan.

At Being we believe planning is key.

We deploy a structured approach to strategy development from situation analysis through vision and planning, goal setting, and actions.

Digital marketing planning is a key component of our approach. Without a sound plan our clients can't measure their online activity against real business objectives.

For example when no specific objectives are set for the website and without success criteria such as clearly defined site outcomes, the value the site is contributing compared to other marketing channels cannot be assessed.

At Being we concentrate on the range of potential customer types and knowledge of customers by researching their characteristics, behaviour, what they value, what keeps them loyal and then delivering tailored web and e-mail communications. Without this the website will not meet the needs of the users, delivering a bad experience, so much so that it may never be used again.

Also new online value propositions for customers are not developed since the web is treated as ‘just another channel to market' without review of opportunities to offer improved, differentiated online services and content.

We've also seen companies approach the web an afterthought or a frivolous exercise to do something different. The result is the website is not integrated with other promotional online activity such as search engine marketing (SEM), affiliate or email marketing or offline marketing activity like print ads or direct mail. The conclusion means it does not support different customer journeys of different stages in the buy-cycle.

Finally, and just as importantly, results delivered through digital marketing are not measured or reviewed adequately, so actions cannot be taken to improve effectiveness. So many times we've discussed with companies the need for ongoing analysis. Deep measurement such as customer data quality, customer response, satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy analysis is key. But even the simple website measurement a free application that Google Analytics can provide is often conveniently forgotten about. However good or bad your web traffic figures are perceived to be at least by understanding where you are, you can plan to be more effective in the future.

Don't forget a wealth of research shows that more relevant, personalised content and messages provides uplift on response regardless of web, email or mobile.