Whether you’re marketing an e-commerce brand or focusing on lead generation, it’s essential that you spend smart to get the best return.
When it comes to digital marketing in particular, there are plenty of shiny objects—er, exciting opportunities—trying to attract your marketing dollars, from TikTok TopView ads to influencer partnerships.
With the average company allocating nearly 8% of their revenue to marketing, where should you focus your spend for maximum ROI? Read on as we share the top 5 focus areas for digital marketing ROI.
Sections
1. Organic search
Organic search is still one of the most cost-effective digital channels. The top organic search result has an average click-through rate (CTR) of 27%, which is frankly astronomical when compared to the typical CTRs of paid search.
And while AI is changing how people search, it’s not replacing search altogether. The takeaway? SEO still pays off.
Brands that win at SEO will prioritize:
- Optimizing for branded search terms and high-intent keywords
- Creating helpful, comprehensive content that answers real user questions
- Building topical authority around specific subject matter
Following these tips can help you optimize your content for increased visibility in the SERPs, from a traditional search result to Google’s People Also Ask and AI Overviews.
2. Paid ads
While organic search offers an incredible ROI, it’s not exactly known for driving fast—let alone immediate—results. That’s where paid ads come in.
Search and social ads are still one of the fastest ways to drive growth, but rising costs and increased competition mean sloppy campaigns get expensive fast.
To maximize ROI from your ad spend:
- Use conversion tracking and attribution tools to understand what’s really working
- Optimize landing pages with clear CTAs and minimal friction
- Segment audiences by funnel stage, not just interest or demographic
- Test campaigns across Google, Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Amazon (for e-commerce)
3. Email marketing
When it comes to digital marketing ROI, email still reigns supreme, with an average ROI between $36 up to $40. But, that kind of ROI doesn’t just happen. You have to set up your campaign for success.
To do that, follow these email marketing tips:
- Nurture your leads with helpful (i.e. non-salesy), relevant content to build a relationship
- Send behavior-triggered flows (cart abandonment, post-purchase, winbacks)
- Get granular with your segmentation and test subject lines, timing, and offers
4. Customer loyalty
Too many brands chase new traffic while ignoring people who already bought from them. This is not only rude, but it ignores a major element of maximizing your ROI: retaining a customer can be 5 to 7 times cheaper than acquiring a new one.
Even small touches can turn one-time buyers into brand advocates, and increase their lifetime value in the process. Boost your customer loyalty with:
- Loyalty programs and referral incentives
- Post-purchase email and content strategies
- Surprise-and-delight campaigns for top buyers
5. Top-tier creative
No matter your channel, having strong creative can amplify your efforts. A well-designed ad or landing page can instantly boost performance, brand recognition, and brand reputation. On the other hand, bad creative can stop a campaign in its tracks.
Investing in strong creative assets is a must if you want to maximize ROI. Do like the top-performing brands do and:
- Constantly A/B test images, headlines, copy, and CTAs
- Use video wherever possible (especially short-form for social)
- Adapt your creative to match platform behavior
Pro Tip: While having strong, polished creative is important, it doesn’t mean that UGC doesn’t deserve a spot in your digital marketing campaigns. It continues to outperform polished brand videos on most platforms, especially TikTok, and can complement your professional creative nicely.
It’s time to maximize your ROI
Brands that spend smart know that they don’t need to be everywhere at once. It’s more important to be in the right places, with the right message, for the right audience, at the right time.
By focusing your time and budget on what actually drives conversions and retention, your digital marketing team can do more with less. Make this your year of smarter marketing, not just more marketing. Contact Your Marketing People today to get started.
