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Online Campaign Planning for Digital Media Part 3: The Digital Campaign Framework and Funnel Strategy
- theo5416
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 19
After covering the shift to digital media and the core metrics every marketer must know, the next step is understanding how campaigns align with the digital marketing funnel. The funnel is a framework that helps businesses design campaigns with clear objectives, success metrics, and creative strategies for each stage of the customer journey.
The Digital Marketing Funnel
The funnel can be broken into four main stages:
Brand Awareness & Recall: introducing the brand and reaching new audiences.
Education & Engagement: providing value and encouraging interaction.
First Purchase / Conversion: moving customers to take action.
Repeat Purchase: nurturing loyalty and repeat sales.
Each stage has different objectives, media tactics, and success metrics. A well-planned campaign uses multiple stages together to guide customers from awareness all the way to loyalty.
Awareness: Reaching New Customers
The goal of awareness campaigns is simple: get your brand in front of as many relevant people as possible.
Best channels: video ads, display campaigns, influencer collaborations.
Creative approach: storytelling and visuals that introduce the brand clearly.
Success metrics: Cost per Reach (CPR), total impressions, video views, brand recall lift.
Example: a company launching a new smartphone might run a video ad on YouTube and Facebook, repurposing its TV commercial for digital formats.
Engagement: Driving Interaction and Consideration
Once audiences know about your brand, the next step is engaging them with content that encourages interaction.
Best channels: social media contests, product education content, interactive formats.
Creative approach: quizzes, polls, tutorials, or user-generated content challenges.
Success metrics: Cost per Engagement (CPE), Click-Through Rate (CTR), time on site.
Example: a restaurant brand might launch a contest asking customers to share their favorite dish for a chance to win a voucher, driving both awareness and social engagement.
Conversion: Turning Interest into Action
At the conversion stage, campaigns are designed to drive purchases, sign-ups, or downloads.
Best channels: paid search, remarketing ads, targeted social campaigns.
Creative approach: promotional offers, coupons, call-to-action banners.
Success metrics: Cost per Click (CPC), Cost per Acquisition (CPA), conversion rate.
Example: a delivery service could run Google search ads for “best pizza near me” and use digital coupons that customers redeem in-store or online.
Repeat Purchase: Building Loyalty
The funnel does not end with a single purchase. The most successful campaigns continue to nurture existing customers and drive repeat sales.
Best channels: email marketing, app push notifications, Line messages, loyalty programs.
Creative approach: personalized offers, birthday campaigns, seasonal promotions.
Success metrics: repeat CPA, customer lifetime value, retention rate.
Example: a fashion retailer may send personalized product recommendations to past buyers based on their purchase history.
Final Thoughts
The digital campaign framework ensures that businesses move beyond isolated ads and instead build a structured journey for customers. By tailoring objectives, creative strategies, and metrics to each stage of the funnel, marketers can maximize both short-term conversions and long-term loyalty.
In the next part of this series, we will put it all together and walk through the media planning process — defining objectives, creating personas, selecting channels, and building a full budget plan.
If you would like to dive deeper into this session, you can watch the full lecture here:
Want to see how your own campaigns align with the digital funnel? Click below to request a free Insight Audit from AIQ and discover opportunities to strengthen your digital strategy.
