Crafting Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Each Platform with Key Financial Benchmarks
- Danial Hearn
- Dec 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Digital marketing offers small businesses and ecommerce ventures a powerful way to reach customers. Yet, success depends on tailoring content to each platform and wisely investing in advertising to boost reach. Understanding which content works best where, and how to measure financial returns, can transform your marketing efforts from guesswork into clear growth drivers.
This post explores the best content types for major social and digital platforms, explains how to link advertising spend to targeted reach, and highlights key financial benchmarks like MER, ROAS, and reach metrics. Whether you are an ecommerce coach guiding clients or a business coach helping small enterprises, these insights will help improve ecommerce website performance and marketing results.
Understanding Content Types for Each Platform
Each social and digital platform has its own audience preferences and content formats that perform best. Matching your content to the platform increases engagement and conversion chances.
Best content: Videos, live streams, and community posts
Why: Facebook’s algorithm favours video and interactive content that encourages comments and shares. Live videos generate real-time engagement.
Example: A small ecommerce business can post product demo videos or behind-the-scenes clips to build trust.
Best content: High-quality images, Stories, Reels, and short videos
Why: Instagram is highly visual. Stories and Reels offer quick, engaging formats that reach younger audiences.
Example: An ecommerce coach might showcase product styling tips via Reels to attract shoppers.
Best content: Professional articles, case studies, and thought leadership posts
Why: LinkedIn users seek business insights and networking opportunities. Long-form content performs well.
Example: A business coach can share success stories or industry trends to build credibility.
TikTok
Best content: Short, entertaining videos with trending sounds or challenges
Why: TikTok’s algorithm promotes creative, authentic content that captures attention quickly.
Example: An ecommerce brand can create fun product use videos to tap into viral trends.
Best content: News updates, quick tips, and conversational threads
Why: Twitter thrives on timely, concise information and real-time interaction.
Example: Sharing flash sales or customer testimonials can drive immediate traffic.
YouTube
Best content: In-depth tutorials, reviews, and storytelling videos
Why: YouTube is the go-to platform for longer video content and search-driven discovery.
Example: An ecommerce website performance coach might produce detailed guides on improving online sales.
Linking Advertising Spend to Reach Your Target Customers
Creating great content is only half the battle. Boosting posts with advertising spend helps reach the right audience beyond organic followers. Here are key steps to link spend with results:
Define your target audience: Use platform tools to select demographics, interests, and behaviours matching your ideal customers.
Set clear goals: Decide if you want more website visits, product sales, or brand awareness.
Choose the right ad format: Match your content type with ad options like carousel ads, video ads, or sponsored posts.
Monitor performance: Track metrics like impressions, clicks, and conversions to see if spend drives results.
Adjust budget and targeting: Increase spend on high-performing ads and refine audience targeting to improve efficiency.
For example, a small ecommerce business might spend $500 on Instagram Reels ads targeting women aged 25-40 interested in fashion. If this results in a 20% increase in website visits and sales, the spend is justified.
Benchmarking Financial Metrics: MER, ROAS, and Reach
Measuring financial performance is essential to understand if your digital marketing efforts pay off. Here are three key metrics to benchmark:
Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER)
Definition: Total revenue divided by total marketing spend.
Benchmark:
- Poor: MER below 2 (spend too high relative to revenue)
- Average: MER between 2 and 4
- Good: MER above 4 (efficient marketing spend)
Use: Helps ecommerce coaches assess overall marketing cost-effectiveness.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Definition: Revenue generated from ads divided by ad spend.
Benchmark:
- Poor: ROAS below 3:1 (less than $3 revenue per $1 spent)
- Average: ROAS between 3:1 and 5:1
- Great: ROAS above 5:1
Use: Indicates how well paid ads convert into sales.
Reach and Engagement
Definition: Number of unique users who see your content and interact with it.
Benchmark:
- Poor: Low reach and engagement relative to follower count
- Average: Moderate reach with steady engagement
- Great: High reach with strong engagement rates (likes, shares, comments)
Use: Shows content relevance and audience connection.
Tracking these metrics regularly helps business coaches and ecommerce professionals identify weak spots and improve ecommerce website performance. For example, if ROAS is low, it may signal the need to refine ad targeting or improve content quality.
Practical Tips to Improve Your Digital Marketing Results
Test different content formats: Experiment with videos, images, and text posts to see what resonates.
Use platform insights: Each platform offers analytics to guide content and ad decisions.
Focus on storytelling: Authentic stories about your brand or products build emotional connections.
Invest in quality visuals: Clear, attractive images and videos boost engagement.
Align ads with organic content: Consistent messaging strengthens brand recognition.
Set realistic budgets: Start small, measure results, then scale effective campaigns.
Work with an ecommerce coach: Expert guidance can accelerate learning and results.
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