Tactics to Transformation: Why Integrated Digital Marketing is the Key to Achieving Big Results

The last thing you want to do is see minimal or unclear returns on your digital marketing spend. Your solution is an integrated digital marketing strategy.

If you’re like most business leaders, you fixate on trendy tactics and external conditions you can’t control. Especially if your job is to create growth, opportunity, and innovation for your organization.

To you, growth is a Jekyll and Hyde situation. It’s what keeps you coming back but is also a constant source of concern and frankly… stress. What you don’t realize is that growth isn’t actually about executing specific tactics or conditions at all. It’s about rising the tide across a group of boats through vision, strategy, and investment.

Executives and their teams who invest in raising the tide can cross over a line. Once you cross over, growth becomes inevitable and effortless, and the investments you make constantly increase your return.

Once you reach this point, your force is multiplying. You and your company become a transformational growth machine. You significantly enhance brand presence and achieves ambitious business goals. Substantial increases in sales and market share happen regardless of what you do or how you do it.

The problem with siloed digital marketing tactics

Many organizations fall into the trap of throwing spaghetti at the wall when it comes to digital marketing. They hire specific contractors or employees to tackle isolated jobs. Often, these jobs are SEO, digital ads, or website redesigns. Unfortunately, their efforts fall flat due to the siloed nature of their approach. 

The core issue lies in the focus on individual tactics and the urge to see quick results, which often leads to disjointed efforts and missed opportunities. 

The real key to growth in marketing (and frankly in any area) lies in embracing an integrated digital marketing strategy that unifies your efforts under a single trajectory. By casting a big vision and investing in a cohesive strategy, your organization can achieve the transformational growth that turns you into an unstoppable growth machine.

A real-world example 

It was only a couple of days ago that I was on an introductory consultation call with the Marketing Director and CEO of a growing organization with a national presence in a few key cities across the United States. As usual, they shared specific challenges and opportunities as it related to their growth and trajectory.

Their business model was fascinating. Their ideal customer profile was unique. They had an uncommon amount of resources and experience. This was a bit surprising because not every consult call I’m on does the company have a success stack like that.

But what wasn’t surprising was their core issue: isolated, tactical digital marketing efforts. We spent the majority of the call discussing SEO strategy, press releases they’d put together, and other small tactical initiatives. 

If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably experienced this or found yourself in this position before. But the question is: what do you do about it? How do you overcome the tendency of fragmentation or piecemeal efforts?

Fighting fragmentation

Isolated efforts, specifically in digital marketing, lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities—often at the cost of visible or viable results. Common symptoms of this approach are DIY duct tape results, shoestring budgets, and an overfocus on quick wins.

Over the years, we’ve worked with many companies with siloed digital marketing mindsets. I remember one company in particular, a small manufacturing company, who had hired four different digital agencies (Structure included) to handle different aspects of their website and digital marketing. 

Our team helped them manage their website development, but they had another team working on website design, another working on digital ads, and yet another working on SEO. Talk about silos within silos!

This company wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money on any single integrated digital marketing strategy, so they dissected it in multiple ways. The result was a highly inefficient process and ineffective result.

Addressing the symptoms

I’ve learned that it’s no use addressing any of these symptoms—DIY duct tape results, shoestring budgets, and an overfocus on quick wins—head-on. For example, you can’t fix a shoestring budget with more tactics and ideas—that just comes across as more cost.

The only way you succeed in a silo is to see the bigger picture. Share a bigger vision. Do the deep work. In other words, focus your gaze on something with a higher, more exponential impact.

The power of an integrated digital marketing strategy

The solution to siloed digital marketing tactics is to develop an integrated digital marketing strategy. It’s a switch to thinking about the “boats” to thinking about the “tide.”

After all, as your vision grows, every tactic will have a higher ceiling. You don’t raise the ceiling by improving the tactics—you start by developing the vision.

Here’s are three ways to develop the vision:

1. Inspire possibility
2. Integrate your strategy
3. Invest in the future

Let’s break these down further, including common challenges with embracing each and what to do about it.

1. Inspire possibility

Dan Sullivan has said, “If your goals aren’t making you uncomfortable, you’re not aiming high enough.”

This sentiment captures the essence of pursuing ambitious goals, where fear and discomfort are not obstacles but essential parts of what’s possible.

Overcoming fear and doubt

Over the weekend, I experienced this firsthand when I ran my first 10k (6.2-mile) cross-country race. Finishing my first race was exhilarating and made me hungry for the next challenge: a marathon (26.2 miles).

Initially, the idea of a marathon didn’t scare me. However, as I began researching marathons to register for, I discovered that most are downhill and on roads—neither of which appealed to me.

That’s when my wife suggested trying a shorter ultramarathon, like a 50k (31 miles). Her reasoning was simple: if I could run 26 miles, surely I could run 31.

Turning doubt into action

This suggestion triggered a wave of fear. By simply labeling it an “ultra” marathon and increasing the distance beyond 30 miles, a voice in my head kept echoing, “No way… I can’t do that.”

Interestingly, my ultimate dream is to run a 100k (62 miles). However, that idea felt distant and unrealistic. Committing to it made the goal seem intimidating.

As Price Pritchett states in his book You 2, “Doubt is what does the most damage.” He goes on to say, “Your doubts are not the product of accurate thinking, but habitual thinking… Put those old inhibiting ideas to the test by going for it with everything you’ve got.”

The key is to transform doubt into action, moving from fear to forward motion.

Most leaders aim to low

In the busyness of daily life, especially under pressure or stress, dreaming big can be challenging. As the CEO of a digital consulting firm, I often find myself caught up in present issues, ensuring I’m prepared for every situation. Yet, this focus on immediate concerns can hinder long-term vision.

According to a Harvard Business Review article, three of the top five critical errors in digital transformation relate to an undeveloped, tactical vision:

1. Lacking a Vision
2. Under Communicating the Vision by a Factor of Ten
3. Not Removing Obstacles to the New Vision

Jon Garcia, a senior partner and leader in McKinsey’s Transformation Practice, notes that 70% of companies fail to achieve transformation because leaders aim too low.

Embrace a bold vision of what’s possible

My own experiences with our company, and our clients, align with these findings.

The first step in digital marketing transformation is embracing a bold vision of what’s possible. It’s about aiming high and dreaming big—because if you don’t, you’re unlikely to achieve meaningful change.

So, how can you and your team shift from tactical thinking to transformative vision? What if the culture around you doesn’t support big, bold dreams?

Here are some common obstacles I see our clients face when harnessing the power of vision in an integrated marketing approach, along with strategies to overcome them:

1. Balance present demands with future dreams

Daily tasks and urgent issues often take precedence because they require immediate attention. This focus on the “here and now” can overshadow long-term vision, making it hard to shift your mindset to future planning.

Not to mention, managing day-to-day responsibilities can be mentally exhausting. When you’ve depleted your cognitive resources on current problems, you might find it difficult to allocate mental energy to envisioning and strategizing for the future.

In order to dream big, you might have to “get away” from today. Go offsite. Attend an event. Or better yet, book a workshop dedicated to furthering your vision and developing a strategy.

2. Promote a proactive mindset

Being reactive to immediate issues can become a habit, making it harder to shift into a proactive mindset that’s necessary for long-term planning. 

When you have a packed schedule full of immediate tasks and meetings, it can be challenging to find time to reflect on the future. Without dedicated time for strategic thinking, it’s easy to remain entrenched in current demands.

In order to overcome this hurdle, you might have to rearrange your schedule or utilize time blocking techniques so you have dedicated time for strategic thinking. For example, I follow the Entrepreneurial Time System taught by Strategic Coach. This means I break my week into three types of days: Free, Focus, and Buffer. 

Our team follows a similar system, but since they’re dealing with different issues than I am, they block out those same times during the course of each day instead of over the course of a week. It seems to work quite well.

3. Embrace faith in the future

Strategizing about future growth plans involves risk and uncertainty. Depending on your personality, the culture of your company, and the makeup of your team, this type of activity may trigger anxiety or discomfort, causing a retreat to the relative safety of managing current challenges.

Or, even if your company culture embraces failure and uncertainty, it’s common practice to reward organizations and individuals (directly or indirectly) for addressing short-term goals and predictable results… aka avoiding taking big risks. And risking your employment or the future of your company for an untested idea or unchartered territory, may not feel “smart” at the moment. This thinking can reinforce your focus on present demands rather than future aspirations.

The only way out of overcoming risk avoidance or fear of the unknown is to come to the understanding that any type of growth, in work and life, requires you to find comfort and security in future opportunities than in present circumstances. It’s an act of embracing faith in the future over fear of the present. 

2. Integrate your strategy

The phrase “A rising tide lifts all boats” was popularized by John F. Kennedy in a 1963 speech. He used it to convey the idea that an improved economy benefits all participants and that economic policy should focus on broad efforts that uplift everyone.

In this context, Kennedy’s message specifically addressed criticisms of a dam project in Arkansas that required national funding, emphasizing the interconnectedness of economic growth.

In his speech, Kennedy stated, “These projects produce wealth, they bring industry, they bring jobs, and the wealth they bring brings wealth to other sections of the United States. This State had about 200,000 cars in 1929. It has a million cars now. They weren’t built in this State. They were built in Detroit. As this State’s income rises, so does the income of Michigan. As the income of Michigan rises, so does the income of the United States. A rising tide lifts all the boats, and as Arkansas becomes more prosperous, so does the United States. And as this section declines, so does the United States. So I regard this as an investment by the people of the United States in the United States.”

Raise the tide, not the boats

While Kennedy made the phrase famous, it was originally discovered by Ted Sorensen, Kennedy’s speechwriter, who noticed the New England Council used it as their slogan. Sorensen skillfully integrated it into Kennedy’s speech.

This concept is not just a history lesson but a relatable analogy for a common issue among business executives, particularly in marketing. Leaders often focus on individual “boats” rather than the “tide” that lifts them all.

In marketing terms, this means concentrating on specific tactics instead of creating an overarching strategy that drives overall success.

When you focus on the tide, you free yourself from having to be an expert in every tactic, and instead, empower yourself to lead and create a rising tide that benefits all aspects of your business.

As Kennedy said, “as the income of Michigan rises, so does the income of the United States.” Similarly, as the success of your digital marketing strategy rises, so does the success of your entire company.

Avoid tactical over-focus

A common pitfall is becoming overly focused on specific tactics like SEO, rather than the broader digital marketing strategy. Many leaders prioritize SEO without recognizing its role in the larger marketing ecosystem.

To truly excel, you need to elevate your perspective and think bigger.

Fix functional fixedness

In cognitive psychology, “functional fixedness” refers to the tendency to see objects and their functions in a fixed way, hindering creativity and problem-solving. This mental block can prevent leaders from using resources in novel ways, especially when under stress or pressure.

Being aware of this tendency allows you to step back, reassess problems, and consider different angles for solutions. In digital marketing, it’s crucial to recognize when you’re fixated on a tactic you’re stressed about or pressured to solve. Often, the fixation stems from a lack of knowledge about the tactic itself.

Let that sink in. If you’re fixated on a specific tactic or market tendency, and are placing pressure on it to be the savior, it’s likely the source of a fear or gap in knowledge.

Therefore, the real solution is not to pour your efforts into the object you’re fixated on (aka, the boats) but to go higher in your thinking and focus on lifting the tide.

Put a pin in over-preparation

Another reason for a disjointed digital marketing strategy—and an overfocus on tactics—is over-preparation and procrastination. In You 2, Price Pritchett writes, “A person could make a career out of laying the groundwork to do something really big. Please understand—you don’t ‘prepare’ for a quantum leap. You make it, and then fine-tune your approach.”

He adds, “Getting ready is, quite frankly, a stalling tactic, an act of anxiety, a con game you’re working on yourself.”

For three years, one of our long-term clients resisted a recommendation to launch a foundational content marketing campaign. The goal was to teach potential customers how to accomplish their goals using the company’s product through one YouTube video and four instructional blog posts per month. Initially, they doubted its effectiveness.

After a year, they wanted to do it themselves. By the third year, they still hadn’t done anything and struggled to create category leadership. Finally, in the fourth year, they overcame their fear and realized they were never going to succeed if they continued trying to over-prepare or do it themselves.

Sometimes, you’re over-preparing. Other times, you’re procrastinating.

Delegate and elevate

Dan Sullivan, in his book Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork, argues that procrastination often occurs when tasks are misaligned with your strengths or interests.

“When you’re procrastinating, it’s a signal that you’re not the best person to do the task. Instead, you should be looking for someone who has the talent, experience, and motivation to get it done.”

Rather than forcing yourself to handle tactics or get through tasks, find someone skilled or enthusiastic about that work. This approach allows you to focus on transformation, leading to greater productivity and results.

Talk about raising the tide!

By identifying the “Who” to handle the “How,” you can advance projects more efficiently and effectively. It’s about multiplying your efforts through collaboration.

As Chris Ronzio, founder of Trainual has said, “Delegate and elevate.” There’s no better way to get out of the tactics than by simply getting out of the tactics.

3. Invest in the future

Looking back over all the different digital marketing projects we’ve been involved in—whether it’ be’s a website redesign, a digital transformation, a content marketing campaign—the most important lesson I’ve learned is that projects without a clear ROI are not valuable.

They become short-sighted tactical actions rather than strategic investments.

As a leader, how do you overcome the tendency to jump into new, exciting projects and instead focus on long-term, high-impact initiatives with quantifiable returns?

Here are some common situations and strategies to consider based on my experience.

Focus on ends rather than means

Many leaders get lost in the details of moving from concept to execution, becoming bogged down in research, questions, and tactical discussions. We (yes, I included myself in this) often become fixated on the “how” aspects of any project or initiative, losing sight of the big picture.

Common phrases for this situation are: 

• Getting lost in the weeds
• Losing sight of the big picture
• Missing the forest for the trees

John P. Kotter, in his Harvard Business Review article, Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail, wrote about a case that illustrates my point:

“In failed transformations, you often find plenty of plans and directives and programs, but no vision. In one case, a company gave out four-inch-thick notebooks describing its change effort. In mind-numbing detail, the books spelled out procedures, goals, methods, and deadlines. But nowhere was there a clear and compelling statement of where all this was leading.”

communicate what you want

I recently had a similar experience with a prospective digital marketing client.

I asked, “Where do you want to go?” and they proceeded to describe “how they wanted to get there.” By the end of the conversation, I told them I appreciated their detailed explanation, but I was only interested in what they wanted to achieve because I figured they were hiring us to tell them how to get there.

Having a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your digital marketing efforts is crucial. Eliminate business jargon and focus on the desired outcomes.

What do you want to achieve?

Here are a few examples of clear objectives you might want to accomplish with your digital marketing:

• $50M worth of MQLs in 3 years (lead generation)
• Transition our sales process from in-person to entirely online (digital transformation)
• 80% of people in Phoenix, AZ to know who we are (brand awareness)

When you identify your goals, you are naturally drawn to the right ways of achieving them. It becomes clear how valuable the effort is to the business, what your budget should be, and who you need to enlist to help.

This clarity makes a DIY approach, shoestring budget, or over-focus on quick wins seem unreasonable.

Balance quick fixes with sustainable strategy

Most leaders I work with are part of organizations that started small but are now growing. In smaller organizations, decisions can be implemented quickly, with little time between idea and action.

For example, a digital marketing initiative can suddenly exist in the afternoon that didn’t exist in the morning.

However, larger organizations often have decision-making processes in place to introduce strategic thinking into every decision.

Avoid the “GSD Mentality”

As an innovative visionary leader, the need for strategic thinking can be challenging.

You want to get things done, and get them done now! I understand. As Structure grows in complexity (and also capability) I struggle daily to break what Dan Martell calls the “GSD mentality” in his book Buy Back Your Time.

He writes, “I knew only one thing: GSD—Get. Shit. Done. Work hard, make money, stay out of trouble. Day after day. Until my first two companies failed, miserably. I hadn’t learned how to work well with other people or value my time.”

Martell explains how his impulsive “quick start” approach destroyed not only his companies but also his relationships. He continues, “Although I didn’t realize it at first, my two failed businesses and my failed relationship all had one thing in common—me. And at the heart of my problem was my GSD mentality, which blinded me to everything else.”

Running-and-gunning may feel liberating, but it’s important to remember, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Running-and-gunning makes anyone feel free. Because they are! But the saying holds true, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Build your digital marketing base

Failing to slow down, analyze data, and create a sustainable digital marketing strategy is a sign of underdevelopment in a leader and an organization.

I’m no fan of red tape, but structured processes force you to question your assumptions and weed out “quick fixes” in favor of sustainable solutions.

Have you heard the parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand?

The wise man built his house upon a rock, ensuring it could withstand the tests of time and nature. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, which proved disastrous when “the rains came tumbling down.” The house on the rock stood firm, while the house on the sand went “crash.”

This principle is equally applicable to your digital marketing strategy.

Just as the wise man’s house stood firm against storms and floods, a solid digital marketing foundation can withstand market fluctuations, evolving technologies, and shifting consumer behaviors.

When you invest in a long-term, sustainable, and integrated strategy, you can bypass unpredictable conditions. Your decisions are based on solid data and strategy, allowing you to simply “run the play.”

How to spark integrated digital marketing transformation

Commit to growing upward through three transformative levels, giving yourself three (or more) years to exponentially improve every aspect of your digital strategy.

Digital transformation is a crucial part of everything we do at Structure, a digital consulting firm for ambitious and collaborative leaders who are committed to modernizing business processes and driving innovation in marketing, operations, customer experience, and more.

Our Digital Transformation Program is made up of a series of experiences that are intended to create a bigger future. This will be true for your career and your organization than you ever thought possible. Structure’s clients continually transform how they think, make decisions, and take action toward digital growth.

The digital transformation process we have to offer is truly unique. Each part of our program is constantly evolving and being refined through every experience. Just like you, we’re lifetime growers—always transforming into a better version than we were before.

Over the years, we’ve packaged our Program into a few different levels of engagement. Each level leads into the next, to be completed over a 3-5 year timeframe. 

Digital Strategy Workshop

Every successful leader who has transformed their digital presence began with a strong foundation. Our engaging and productive Digital Strategy Workshop will guide you through creating a robust action plan over 1.5 days. 

Receive expert coaching, personalized feedback, and strategic planning from our approachable digital strategists. Leading your company through a digital transformation becomes not only possible but also highly effective and sustainable.

Digital Strategy Development

In the Digital Strategy Development phase, we turn your action plan into reality over 6-12 months. This is where we design and build your new or updated systems, guiding you step-by-step through the process. Our approach is flexible and tailored to fit your needs, ensuring everything runs smoothly. We clearly define roles and responsibilities, and provide the necessary tools and templates to make the process efficient. We stay actively involved, adjusting the plan as needed to help you reach your goals and objectives.

Digital Growth System 

Our Digital Growth Systems are designed to take your digital strategy to the next level with ongoing support and optimization. We’ll recommend one of three distinct packages to fit your support needs

• Enhance: Essential website updates, security monitoring, and priority support, ensure your digital presence is stable and running smoothly.

• Optimize: Comprehensive optimization services, including SEO management, performance enhancements, and conversion optimization projects.
  
• Grow: Sales funnel strategy, digital ads management, and SEO blog posts to drive traffic and increase conversions.

Each package comes with valuable perks like a complimentary annual Digital Strategy Workshop and significant discounts on new projects. Use these to further enhance your digital presence.

Digital growth for leaders who value relationship and results

Our Digital Transformation Program is perfect for small and mid-sized businesses looking to elevate their impact. You’ll grow their business and have dedicated digital marketing support along the way. 

You can expect immediate ROI and long-term results with minimal time investment from your team. We aim for a 5–10x return on your investment within 12 months. This system is a worthwhile addition to your integrated digital strategy.

Experience transformative digital growth

If you follow Structure’s process, you will experience transformative digital growth. Significantly enhances your brand presence and achieve ambitious business goals.

You will compete and win. You will unlock meaningful long-term value for your company. And you will establish lasting category leadership your competition will envy.

Here’s what we’ve seen transformative digital growth look like for our clients, and could look like for you.

• Unified Marketing Efforts: All digital marketing efforts will work cohesively, eliminating silos and creating a unified brand message.

• Achieve Maximum ROI: Higher return on investment due to a focused, strategic approach rather than scattered, isolated efforts.

• Transformational Customer Experiences: Delivering compelling digital experiences that increase customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Increase impact through integrated digital marketing

In conclusion, embracing integrated digital marketing is vital for achieving cohesive and impactful results.

An integrated digital marketing strategy ensures all your digital channels work seamlessly together. This creates a unified brand message and optimizes efforts across platforms. Focusing on integrated digital marketing helps businesses streamline their approach and enhance customer engagement. It also maximizes return on investment.

The key to success is developing a strategy that includes various digital marketing tactics. These tactics must align with your overall business goals.

Integrated digital marketing is not just a trend but a crucial approach. It fosters synergy among different marketing components, leading to more effective campaigns.

To fully leverage integrated digital marketing, companies should prioritize coordination and collaboration. This includes their marketing teams, technology, and strategies.