Reach, act, convert, engage: An introduction to planning your digital marketing campaigns
Ken Punter, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Programme Leader of the Advertising & Digital Marketing BA (Hons) degree course at the University of Northampton, gives an introduction to planning your digital marketing campaigns.
“Fail to plan, plan to fail” – Winston Churchill
Start with the audience
The most effective way to plan with digital marketing is to start with the audience.
Simple questions can help. Who are they? What do they want? How does your product or service benefit them?
Digging deeper is important. Do they know about your organisation, and if they do, how well? Do they know about your product or service, and if they do what do they think? Are they ready to make a purchase, if not when will that time be?
The user journey
These kinds of questions relate to what is called “the user journey”. Think of it as the route from them being unaware of your organisation, products or services, through to them becoming a regular customer or client and advocate.
You may already be familiar with the idea of the sales funnel; many CRM and email providers have explainers. The sales funnel is a simple model of a user journey.
The RACE approach
Illustration of RACE model, from Digital Marketing Excellence. Chaffey and Smith.
At the University of Northampton, we introduce our students to these concepts. We explain how to develop and use them to create useful and detailed digital marketing plans, which can be applied to any sector, to all types and sizes of organisation.
A key funnel model we use is called RACE - this stands for:
Reach
Act
Convert
Engage
It was created by the digital marketing experts, Dave Chaffey and PR Smith. This is what RACE looks like.
The main reason why the RACE model is so useful is that it helps us to focus on one stage of the journey at a time.
This is important because it stops us trying to solve the whole problem of gaining new customers in one step, which is a very, very hard thing to do.
We rarely (if ever) decide to purchase something new, from a new source without first: investigating, speaking to others, thinking about it (forgetting about it!), procrastinating, thinking about it again, speaking to more people.
It’s why the user journey is probably more convoluted.
So what?
Messaging
So, when we’re planning, we need to decide which stage of the journey the potential customer is at. When we know this, we can determine which messages we have to deliver. Here are some examples:
REACH - Key Messages to people who do not yet know you. Messages of introduction with low commitment required:
“Stay ahead with the latest trends in [industry]. Subscribe to our newsletter!”
“Join our community of [product/service] enthusiasts and get exclusive insights.”
“Don’t miss out on our upcoming webinar on [topic]. Register now!”
ACT - Key Messages to people who think you seem OK, but they’re still not sure. Messages providing further information, but still with low commitment required.
“Check out our detailed guides and tutorials to make the most of [product/service].”
“Compare our [product/service] with others and see why we’re the best choice.”
“Take a free trial and experience the benefits of [product/service] first hand.”
CONVERT – Key messages to those ready to make a purchase decision but they might be hesitating and need a message to help them commit.
“Limited time offer: Get an extra 10% off on your first purchase!”
“Sign up today and receive a free gift with your order.”
“Secure your spot now with our easy and fast checkout process.”
ENGAGE – Key messages to customers, seek feedback, encourage further purchases or ask them to help you reach more potential customers.
“We value your feedback! Share your experience and help us improve.”
“Refer a friend and get rewards for every successful referral.”
“Stay connected with us on social media for the latest updates and offers.”
Tactics and activities
When using RACE, not only do we know the type of messaging we need to use, it also lets us know which tools and activities we should be using.
REACH - Approaches that reach completely new potential customers.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Improve your website’s visibility on search engines.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Use Google Ads or Bing Ads to drive traffic.
Social Media Advertising: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X.
Content Marketing: Blogs, articles, infographics, and videos.
ACT - For people who have shown some interest, they may have opted-in to receiving email updates.
Website and Landing Pages: Optimize for user experience and lead generation.
Social Media Engagement: Interactive posts, polls, and live sessions.
Webinars and Online Events: Platforms like Zoom.
Email Marketing: Use tools like Mailchimp or HubSpot.
CONVERT - They’re ready to make a purchase, make this process as easy as possible.
E-commerce Platforms: Shopify, etc
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Tools: A/B testing tools
Retargeting Ads: Use Google Ads or Facebook Ads to retarget visitors.
Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Platforms like Trustpilot
ENGAGE
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot
Loyalty Programs:
Social Media: Ongoing engagement and community building.
Email Newsletters: Regular updates and personalized content.
Summary
When you next need to create a digital marketing plan, use the RACE model to help
Make the task manageable - focus on one stage at a time. Don’t try and create a single campaign that aims to make a stranger into an advocate in one go.
Create an appropriate message - say the right thing, at the right time to the right people.
Use the correct tools - we don’t need to use every digital marketing tool at every stage, save you time and energy and be efficient.
For further information about the RACE model:
Visit Dave Chaffey’s website, Smart Insights
Order the Chaffey and Smith book Digital Marketing Excellence (see Chapter 10)
Ken Punter is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Programme Leader of the Advertising & Digital Marketing BA (Hons) degree course at the University of Northampton.
Connect with Ken on LinkedIn: Ken Punter | LinkedIn
This article draws from material and themes taught at the University of Northampton. Marketing courses are available to study full time or part time: