Who, Where, How: A Targeted Approach to Digital Marketing for Growing Businesses

Your digital marketing strategy is only as good as your ability to reach the right audience, on the right channels, with the right message.

For growing businesses, success in digital marketing boils down to answering three essential questions:

• Who is your target audience,
• where can you find them,
• and how can you execute your strategy with the right resources?

Rather than chasing every new marketing trend, focus on these three areas to ensure your marketing efforts deliver real results. Let’s break down how to approach each one.

Shameless plug: Looking for an agency for your marketing needs? I founded and manage 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency , a 360° agency that connects you with your customers. Drop me a DM.

Who: The Importance of an ICP and Customer Personas for B2B/B2C

The foundation of any successful digital marketing strategy is understanding who you are trying to reach.

For both B2B and B2C businesses, this involves creating a detailed profile of your ideal customer, but the approach varies slightly.

For B2B Companies

The first step is developing an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), which defines the type of company that is the best fit for your product or service.

Even within that ICP, it’s crucial to create Customer Personas to understand the individuals you're selling to—whether that’s a CTO, a procurement officer, or a department head.

While building personas in B2B can be more complex, the payoff is huge because you’ll be able to craft more targeted and effective messaging.

For example, a B2B CRM software company might define its ICP as mid-sized companies with annual revenues of $10M to $50M. But within that ICP, it’s important to identify key decision-makers—like the CEO or Head of Sales—to target with more personalised content.

For B2C Companies

Creating Customer Personas is just as critical but focuses more on individual demographics and psychographics.

This means developing profiles based on age, gender, income level, interests, and purchasing behaviour.

For example, a B2C fitness apparel company might create a persona like “Fitness Fiona,” a 24-year-old woman who works out 4 times a week and is willing to spend on quality activewear.

Here’s what to include when building your personas:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, income, education level
• Job Role (for B2B): Title, department, decision-making power
• Behavioural Traits: Purchasing habits, interests, challenges
• Pain Points: What problems are they looking to solve?
• Goals: What are they trying to achieve?

Building personas ensures that you know who you’re marketing to, allowing you to create targeted messaging that resonates.

Where: Determining the Right Channels for Your Audience

Once you’ve nailed down who your audience is, the next step is figuring out where to reach them. It's not just picking popular platforms but about focusing on the channels where your audience is most active and engaged.

Here’s how to determine which channels make sense for your business:

1. Survey Existing Customers Ask your current customers how they discovered your brand and what platforms they use regularly. This will give you real insights into where your audience spends their time.
2. Spy on Competitors Check out what channels your competitors are using successfully. If they’re investing heavily in LinkedIn or Instagram ads, there’s a good chance your audience is active on those platforms, too.
3. Leverage Analytics Tools Use tools like Google Analytics , Meta 's Audience Insights, and LinkedIn Analytics to track traffic sources and engagement data. These tools provide valuable information about where your audience comes from and how they interact with your content.

It’s also important to think about the marketing funnel and where different channels fit in:

• Top of Funnel (ToFu): Channels like social media, SEO, and display ads are great for building awareness.
• Middle of Funnel (MoFu): Channels like email marketing, webinars, and retargeting ads are perfect for nurturing leads.
• Bottom of Funnel (BoFu): Direct response ads, Google Ads, and sales calls work best when you're ready to convert those leads into paying customers.

For example, a B2B business targeting decision-makers might use LinkedIn for ToFu content and retargeting ads for MoFu engagement.

Meanwhile, a B2C eCommerce brand could use Instagram Ads to drive awareness and email marketing to close sales.

How: Identifying the Right Channels Based on Budget, Resources, and ROI

Now that you know who your audience is and where they are, the next step is figuring out how to maximise your budget and resources for the best return on investment (ROI).

1. Budget Considerations

Your budget will dictate how much you can invest in different channels.

For smaller budgets, focus on organic strategies like SEO or social media content to drive traffic without large upfront costs.

If you have a bigger budget, you can diversify across paid channels like Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

2. Resource Allocation

Don’t try to be everywhere at once, especially if your team is small. Focus your resources on the platforms where you can make the biggest impact.

If your team excels in content creation, focus on content marketing and social channels that allow you to share high-quality material. If you’re strong in analytics, invest in data-driven channels like Google Ads, where you can closely monitor performance.

3. Measuring ROI with ROAS

For paid channels like Google and Facebook, ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is a key metric to watch.

ROAS shows you exactly how much revenue you’re generating for every dollar spent on ads. The formula is simple:

ROAS = (Revenue from Ads ÷ Cost of Ads)

For example, if you spend $2,000 on ads and generate $8,000 in sales, your ROAS is 4:1—meaning you earned $4 for every $1 spent.

This tells you if your ad campaigns are working efficiently and can be scaled up.

The Bottom Line: Focus on Who, Where, and How

For growing businesses, digital marketing success depends on getting these three things right: Who are you targeting? Where can you reach them? And how can you maximise your resources for the best ROI?

Focus on these key elements, and you’ll create a digital marketing strategy that drives growth and delivers results.

Shameless plug: Need help dialling in your digital marketing strategy? I founded and manage 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency, a 360° agency that connects you with your customers. Drop me a DM.