This document outlines Rand Fishkin's framework for digital marketers to take an unbiased, strategic approach to marketing investments. It involves defining the audience, problem, existing solutions, potential channels, positioning, and messaging. For each element, Fishkin provides tips and tools to help evaluate options in a structured yet flexible way. The goal is to prioritize high-impact channels that fit the budget and skills of the team. By following this process, marketers can optimize investments and earn trust by conducting an unbiased evaluation tailored to each unique situation.

1. Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | rand@moz.com
The Digital Marketer’s Framework
A structured process to help make unbiased, strategic marketing
investments for your brand

2. The Problem

3. When You’re Used to Hammers…
Every Problem Looks Like a Nail.

4. Let’s Say This is Our Project:
Via https://www.crowdcow.com

5. If You Do Paid Search:

6. If You Do Paid Social:

7. If You’re a Content Marketer:

8. If You’re a Brand Marketer:
Scientifically, the best tasting, most
ethical, most unique beef available in
the US.

9. If You’re a CRO Specialist:
Test Headline
Test CTA
Test Photo

10. If You Do SEO:

11. Applying & Refining a Formula is What Made Us
Better at Our Jobs…

12. But, That Doesn’t Mean It’s Right
for Every Company, Product, or
Endeavor.

13. The Solution

14. Step Back…

15. Throw Out the Venn Diagram

16. Use a Blank Slate

17. The Goal

18. An Ordered List of
Channels & Tactics toAttempt

19. How You’ll Invest in Each
Dinners w/ Influencers in the Food WorldTactic:
Goal: 1-2 posts on Instagram, Facebook,Twitter, Snapchat,
and/or their blog per attendee
Process: 1) Identify mid-tier influencers in each city
2) Find shared connections for intros
3) Arrange meal to be highly photogenic
4) Hire pro photographer & send shots to each

20. How You’ll Measure Those Investments
Brand growth via socialGoal:
Share counts, mentions, # of accounts mentioning,
reach, and social follower growth
Metrics:
Podcast CoverageGoal:
# of Podcasts, audience sizes, # of searches for
brand, # of visits to podcast-promoted URL
Metrics:

21. How You’ll Determine When toAdd/Remove
Channels or Tactics
Dinners w/ Influencers in the Food WorldTactic:
Experiment: 4 cities, minimum 2 dinners, minimum 6
influencers per dinner
Must Be True to
Continue:
Influencer posts reach 500 engagements per
city (likes, comments, RTs, etc)AND posts &
engagements are 80%+ positive

22. How You’ll Compare Your Results
to the Competition
Dinners w/ Influencers in the Food WorldTactic:
Competitive
Metrics:
ID events from competitors (direct or indirect) &
measure: engagement rate on social platforms
per attendee, press coverage, new links, &
branded search growth

23. Pro Tool: Google Trends
New (ish) in GG Trends:
filter by geography!
Via https://trends.google.com/trends/

24. Let Me Guess What You’re
Thinking…

25. But Rand…
I’m a specialist.
This process could be self-defeating.

26. #1: You’ll Earn Trust by Conducting an Unbiased
Evaluation

27. #2: You’ll Only Work on Projects
Where You Can Deliver Great Results

28. #3: You Upgrade Your Perceived Value
(this is how marketers become CMOs, &agencies become strategic partners
instead of outsourced workers)

29. The Framework

30. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

31. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

32. WhoAre You Trying to Influence?
Demographics
(age, gender, income,
marital status, ethnicity)
Psychographics
(activities, personality &
values, attitudes)
Geographics
(local, regional, national,
density, distribution)
Behavioral
(benefits, usage rates,
patterns, use cases)

33. I kinda hate
personas…

34. But, I love working with real
customers & customer targets
Kim teaches cooking
classes? She’s a perfect
customer, and a real
person I can talk to.

35. Pro Tool: TwitterAnalytics
Via https://analytics.twitter.com

36. Pro Tool: Clearbit
Via https://clearbit.com/enrichment

37. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

38. What Problem(s)Are You Solving?
Enable people to participate in crowdfunding of meat from
animals too large for single families
Give home cooks the same access to more ethical, better
tasting beef that professional chefs have
Be the source discerning meat eaters can trust
List from more
specific to more
abstract
(this will help w/
messaging,
positioning, and
channels later)

39. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

40. Are You Growing a New Market?
Or Capturing an Existing One?
Low volume for non-
branded keywords
means Crowd Cow
almost certainly
needs to grow the
market
Via https://moz.com/explorer

41. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

42. How Does ThisAudience Make Decisions/Solve
This Today?

43. Pro Tip: Interviews
Don’t Ask:
“What do you read & who do you follow
to learn more about steak?”
Do Ask:
“Can I see how you browse Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, & your daily
news/hobby websites?”

44. Pro Tool: FullContact
Via https://fullcontact.com/gmail/

45. Pro Tool: Typeform
Via https://typeform.com

46. You can see my marketing survey for Moz’s audience here

48. Pro Tool: Nuzzel
Via http://nuzzel.com/dannysullivan
Yup! You can see what any
Nuzzel user’s feed looks like
by visiting their URL

49. Pro Tool: Klear
Via https://klear.com

50. Pro Tool: Klear

51. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

52. What Channels Have YourAudience’sAttention
Today?

53. Pro Tool: SimilarWeb’s Traffic Sources
Via https://pro.similarweb.com

54. Search

55. Pro Tip: Look for KW volume around the
“problem,” not the “solution”
Via https://moz.com/explorer
Crowd cow is a solution to
these problems.

56. Social Networks

57. Pro Tool: Keyhole.co
Via http://keyhole.co/hashtag-analytics

58. Social(ish) Content Networks

59. Email Newsletters / Subscriptions

60. Pro Tool: Discover by Revue
Via https://discover.getrevue.co/

61. TV & Video

62. Radio

63. Podcasts

64. Pro Tool: ListenNotes

65. Print Media

66. Books

67. Outdoor

68. Web Publications

69. Blogs

70. Pro Tool: Fresh Web Explorer
Via https://moz.com/researchtools/fwe/

71. Influencers

72. Pro Tool: Buzzsumo
Via https://buzzsumo.com

73. Events & Conferences

74. Industry & Trade Publications

75. NewsAggregators

76. Forums & Discussion Boards

77. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

78. What Do We Stand For &Against?

79. Pro Tip:
Ask “How Will We Make Enemies?”

80. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

81. Simple, Memorable, Compelling
Via Bob’s Red Mill

82. Pro Tip: Not a Slogan,AnAssociation
Via Team Tiffany

83. Pro Tip:
Emotions > Benefits > Features
Via https://moz.com/rand/what-are-the-most-powerful-mind-expanding-ads-youve-seen/

84. ProTip:All MarketingShould(Subtly)Reinforcethe Message
SEO Snippets
PPC Ads
Big
Content
CommentsTweets
Photos
Landing
Pages
UI & UX
Brand Name
Facebook
Posts
Emails
Product
Names
Videos
Visual
Branding
Outreach
Onboarding
Press & PR
The Brand
Promise

85. Audience
Problem
Market
Existing Solutions
Channels
Position
Message

86. Which Potential Channels…
Connect our audience to our message?
Fit our timeframe for returns?
Have low competition vs. potential reach?
Match our strengths & experience?
Fit our budget & team parameters?

87. Prioritize Based On:
Relative Odds of Success
Skills & Personnel Match
ROI (CLTV / Cost of CustomerAcquisition)
Potential Impact
Budget Requirements

88. Real Life
Application

90. Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | rand@moz.com
Rock It!