How to choose the right digital channels for your marketing strategy?

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The biggest challenge in online marketing isn’t finding channels, but making a targeted selection. What fits your organisation best, and where is your audience?  

An effective B2B marketing strategy  is about precision: knowing where your ideal customer is, what they’re looking for there, and within which channels you can make a difference. In this blog we explain the essential phases that help you design a targeted channel mix that works. 

The foundation: know your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Effective channel selection always starts with the audience, not the platform. If you want to choose the right online channels, you need to know exactly who you want to reach, which problem you solve and where they look for their information. 

This requires focus: 

• Professional behaviour: Which platforms do they use for work-related knowledge sharing and networking? Think LinkedIn or specific industry websites.
• Search intent: Which problems do they type into Google or ChatGPT (search intent)? This determines the priority of your SEO and SEA efforts and AI search.
• Content preference: Do they get their information via long whitepapers (email/download), or do they watch short videos (YouTube/LinkedIn)?

These insights are the basis for your first strategic selection. 

The reality check: data and competition

Before shifting budget, you need to test the feasibility of your choices using data. This ensures you make strategic decisions rather than decisions based on gut feeling. 

Two sources are crucial here: 

• Internal data: Which of your existing online marketing channels have historically delivered the highest conversion of MQLs? Where is the Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) the lowest?
• External data: Where are your direct competitors successful? Do they have a strong, untapped competitive advantage on a niche platform, or are they investing heavily in Google Ads?

Use these insights to determine which channels deserve scaling and which should be stopped immediately. 

The strategic role of each channel in the funnel

It’s a common mistake to use all channels for the same goal. In a well-constructed channel mix, each platform has a specific role in the user journey:

• Visibility and awareness (TOFU): This is the realm of SEO blogs, LinkedIn thought leadership and generating organic reach.
• Lead generation and nurturing (MOFU): Here you use landing pages for e-books or webinars, distributed via email marketing to establish expertise.
• Conversion and sales (BOFU): These are the places where the transaction or demo request happens, often via targeted SEA or sales outreach.

A channel that is excellent for awareness is rarely suitable for direct conversion. Focusing on the primary role is essential. 

The principle of focus: narrowing your channel mix

Success in digital marketing comes down to discipline and focus. You don’t win by being a little bit present everywhere, but by choosing three to four primary online marketing channels where you can truly excel. Quality always beats quantity. This also applies to choices for specific markets or other services.  

The most common, successful channel mix consists of a strong foundation supplemented with targeted tactics. Below are several examples: 

• SEO/Content: The sustainable foundation for organic authority and traffic.
• LinkedIn: The indispensable B2B network for professional targeting and strategic thought leadership. 
• SEA/Paid Social: For fast, scalable visibility and the necessary retargeting. 
• Email marketing: For deep lead nurturing and maintaining the relationship with your audience. 
• Geotargeting (as a sharp tactic): For influencing very specific, local audiences based on location, ideal for local campaigns or around events.
• Events The effectiveness of the digital mix is amplified by presence at events, followed by targeted digital nurturing.

The integrated buyer journey as proof of strategy

Your channel mix proves its value only when channels work consistently together. The Buyer Journey should be a smooth experience; every interaction should bring the prospect closer to a contact moment without friction or surprises.

This must be a consistent experience: 

• A prospect sees a targeted post on LinkedIn.
• That post leads to a relevant blog on your website.
• The blog contains a clear CTA for an e-book.
• After the download, the prospect receives a targeted email sequence from your marketing automation tool or CRM.

This forces you to view channels not as separate projects, but as parts of one, well-oiled machine. 

Ready to determine the right channels strategically?

Choosing the right digital channels is a strategic decision that either makes your budget perform or evaporate. Do you want help designing a channel mix that consistently contributes to your B2B goals? 

Then request a strategy session. In this session, we determine the priorities and structure that significantly accelerate your B2B organisation’s growth. 

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