How to Create a Successful Digital Marketing Plan: Uncovering What Clients Don’t Tell You

Digital marketing plan is the foundation for anyone working in online marketing. Whether you are an agency dealing with clients daily, a freelancer, or even planning for your own company, having a roadmap is essential.

However, today we will focus primarily on those who need to create a digital marketing plan for clients. As an agency or freelancer, you often receive briefs and hold discussions. The plan acts as a compass, ensuring our work meets the client’s needs without getting lost. It determines whether a project moves forward or stops.

While Digital Break Time regularly offers planning services, today we want to share what needs to be discussed before the planning begins. This includes interpreting the hidden messages that clients might not tell you directly but are crucial for tangible success.

1. Discover the Client’s True Goals (Even the Ones They Don’t Say Directly)

The first step before drafting any digital marketing plan is to talk and receive a brief to understand what the client truly wants. Conversations can be broad, and clients might mention many things that sound like KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) but aren’t the real objectives.

“I want lots of likes,” or “I want huge engagement and followers.” Many of you have likely heard this. Clients often want viral views to make their brand famous. You need to sit down and discuss: “Is this really what will help the business?”

Sometimes, deep down, the client actually wants better Branding. Good branding leads to a positive reputation, which naturally increases social media engagement and followers over time. In this case, doing only performance marketing might not be the answer; building a branding strategy alongside it is better.

Example: “I want ads like the big brands.”

I once had a client who wanted CPAS ads (Collaborative Ads linked with Shopee/Lazada) simply because they saw big brands doing it. I asked, “Why?” They didn’t have a clear reason other than “I want it.”

I had to explain the conditions and limitations. For their specific case, the ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) for CPAS might be lower than running direct Shopee/Lazada Ads. After explaining the cost-effectiveness, the client decided they weren’t ready for it.

Example: “I want SEO, but I can’t wait 6 months.”

Everyone knows that SEO Content takes time—usually at least 6 months—to show results. Clients want it but hesitate because they need faster sales.

The Solution: We proposed starting SEO content immediately but running Google Ads (Paid Search) simultaneously.

• Google Ads closes the gap by generating leads immediately (though it costs more).
• SEO (Organic Search) works in the background.Over time, as the Organic Search starts ranking and generating leads, the client sees the value of doing both without stopping either.

We have to be the ones to dig deeper. Clients might not communicate their “real needs” initially. It is our job to ask the right questions or propose a digital marketing strategy in Thailand that truly works for them.

2. Identify “Hero Products” and Ask About Pricing Structure/Margins

Knowing the “Hero Products” (best-sellers) makes a marketer’s job much easier. These products sell easily. When you boost them with ads, they sell even better using a smaller budget. This is different from “dead stock” or hard-to-sell items; no matter how much money you throw at ads, the ROAS might not be worth it.

Tip: Ask the client directly to rank their best-selling items. This helps us allocate the budget effectively.

Regarding Pricing Structure and Profit Margins:

In some contexts, this is confidential. However, if a marketer knows the margin, we can calculate the “Break-Even Point.” We will know exactly how much we can spend on ads for each product to remain profitable.

• Some products have low margins; we allocate less budget.
• Some have high margins; we can be aggressive.

Although few companies reveal this, getting this information allows for a much sharper digital marketing plan.

3. Who is the Customer and How Do They Decide to Buy?

This is about Targeting Audience and the Customer Journey.

Don’t just look at demographics like gender or age. Focus on the Pain Points.

• Why do they need to buy?
• What problem does your product solve?

Once you know the pain points, you can look at demographics later. This makes planning the Customer Journey much easier.

Analyze the Decision Process:

• High-Value Products: Customers take a long time to decide. They read reviews and chat before buying.
  • Strategy: Google Search Ads, SEO, Reviews, Micro-Influencers (to be found when searched).
• Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG): Quick decisions, impulse buying.
  • Strategy: Focus on Awareness and being memorable.

Understanding the behavior of consumers—especially when crafting a digital marketing strategy in Thailand—ensures your plan fits the actual buying process.

4. KPIs Should Be Realistic: Expectations vs. Reality

Setting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) is normal for performance marketing. However, KPIs differ for every business model and platform.

An experienced marketer has an advantage because they know the Benchmarks—the average performance for each industry.

Advice: Explain clearly to the client where these numbers come from.

• Is it based on similar businesses?
• Is the client asking for a miracle?

If a client wants challenging growth, raising the KPI slightly is fine. But if expectations are impossibly high, you must have a serious conversation to ground the KPIs in reality.

Timeframes matter too:

• Ads: Immediate results.
• SEO: At least 6 months.
• Website Revamp: Depends on complexity.Inform the client of the “Timeframe” clearly in the digital marketing plan so they know when to expect results.

5. Client Budget and Available Resources

The final—and often most important—factor is Budget.

Agencies often hear: “No budget set yet, just propose your best idea.”

This usually means the client has no idea what they want, or they aren’t ready to buy. Working on a plan without a budget range is often a waste of time for both parties. Always try to get a realistic budget figure.

Resources (Beyond Money):

“Resources” also mean manpower, systems, and tools.

• Do they have a team to handle the work?
• Who is the coordinator?

Real Example:

A client wanted a high volume of Leads. I asked, “Who will answer the chats or call the leads back?”

At first, they didn’t have a dedicated Admin, so they let the Sales team answer. Initially, it worked. But as sales grew, the Sales team got too busy to answer chats quickly. Response times dropped, and customers were lost.

The Fix: Hiring a dedicated Admin to qualify leads before sending them to Sales was the necessary resource to make the plan work.

Conclusion: How to Prepare for a Successful Digital Marketing Plan

As seen in these 5 points, a successful digital marketing plan isn’t just about choosing a platform like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.

The heart of the plan is understanding the client’s business model inside and out.

When we understand the business, we can clearly decide what to include in the marketing plan—and, just as importantly, what not to do.

For business owners looking for a partner to help build a digital marketing strategy in Thailand that goes deep into your Business Model, you can contact Digital Break Time.

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Originally in Thai. Translated to English with the help of Gemini.