Digital Marketing Strategist: What They Do and When to Hire One

Marketing advice is everywhere. A clear plan is not. Many owners end up paying for posts, ads and links without knowing how any of it fits together.

That gap is where this role comes in. This guide explains what a strategist produces, how the role compares to other options, what it can cost, and how to decide when it’s time to hire one.

What a Digital Marketing Strategist Does (In Plain English)

A strategist decides which online channels, messages and priorities will best support your business goals. Then they build the plan to act on it. Think of them as the person who draws the map before anyone starts driving.

Strategy vs. execution

Strategy is planning, prioritizing and measuring. Execution is writing the posts, building the links, running the ads and fixing the pages.

Some people do both. Others only do one. Knowing which you are buying matters, because a great plan that nobody carries out won’t change much.

Typical deliverables

A good strategist hands you things you can actually read and use:

• Goal setting: what “success” means in leads, calls or sales.
• Audience and keyword research: who your buyers are and what they search.
• Competitor review: who shows up where you want to be, and why.
• Channel plan: which channels to use and which to skip for now.
• Roadmap: what happens first, next and later.
• Reporting framework: how progress will be measured.

Why the role matters more with AI search

People now get answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, not just a list of links. That adds one more place your brand needs to show up. Someone has to decide how traditional search and AI answers fit into one plan. That is a strategy job.

Core Responsibilities of a Marketing Strategist

Audit what you have today

A strategist starts by looking at your website, search visibility, analytics and local listings. That includes technical health, such as crawl errors, site speed and indexing. Problems like these can hold back even great content, so they often shape the order of work. Open Sales offers Technical SEO for crawl errors, site speed, Core Web Vitals, indexing and structured data.

Define customers and the questions they search

Good strategy begins with people. Who is buying, what do they worry about, and what do they type into Google or ask an AI tool? The answers shape your pages, posts and offers.

Choose channels and make them fit together

Options include SEO, local search, content, paid ads, email and social. The strategist’s job is not to use all of them. It’s to pick the few that suit your goals and budget, and make sure they support each other.

Set realistic KPIs

Likes and page views can feel good. Leads, calls, booked jobs and sales pay the bills. A strategist ties measurement to those outcomes so you can tell what is working.

Allocate budget and sequence the work

You can’t fix everything at once. A strategist decides what to fix first, such as a broken checkout, thin service pages or an unclaimed business listing, and what can wait.

Report and adjust

Plans need regular review. Results depend on competition, your starting point and time, so a strategist should check the numbers regularly and change course when something isn’t moving.

Strategist vs. Marketing Manager, Freelancer and Agency

Strategist vs. marketing manager

A marketing manager usually runs a day-to-day team, handles budgets and keeps campaigns on schedule. A strategist focuses on the plan: what to do, in what order, and why. In small companies, one person may wear both hats.

Strategist vs. specialist

Specialists go deep in one area, such as SEO, PPC or social media. A strategist goes broad and decides how those areas work together. You often need both, but the plan should come first.

Freelancer vs. agency

A freelancer offers flexibility and direct contact, often at a lower cost. An agency brings a team with several skills under one roof, which helps when you need more than one kind of work done. Neither is better in every case. It depends on how much you need done.

Do you need a strategist or just an SEO agency?

If search is your main channel, an SEO agency may be all you need. If you are juggling five channels and an in-house team, a standalone strategist may be a better fit. Either way, ask what you will actually receive.

Questions to ask any candidate

• Who will actually do the work?
• Who will I talk to week to week?
• How will progress be reported, and in what format?
• What happens if I want to stop?

Small, hands-on teams tend to make these answers simple. The people doing the work are the people you talk to.

Signs It’s Time to Hire a Strategist

• Spend without clarity. You pay for marketing but can’t tell what works.
• Traffic without action. Visitors arrive, but calls, leads or sales stay low.
• Too many tactics, no plan. You’ve tried a bit of everything and nothing connects.
• A big launch. You’re opening a new site, store, product or location.
• Competitors show up and you don’t. They appear in local results or AI answers while you are missing. AI search is changing how customers find businesses, and this overview of how AI-generated answers work is a useful starting point.

When you may not need one yet

If you are very early stage and have a simple, one-channel need, such as claiming your Google Business Profile, you may be fine without a strategist. Start small, learn what your customers respond to, and bring in help when things get more complex.

How Strategy Differs by Business Type: Local, E-commerce, SaaS and B2B

The same role looks different depending on how you sell. The mini-plans below are options to consider, not promised outcomes.

Local service businesses

Focus on your Google Business Profile, local search, reviews, citations, and the calls and visits that follow.

• Audit and complete your profile.
• Build a steady review-response habit.
• Create service pages for each thing you offer.

E-commerce

Product and category pages carry most of the weight, along with technical health. Platform details matter, whether you’re on Shopify or WooCommerce. Open Sales offers e-commerce SEO for Shopify, WooCommerce and more, with technical fixes, optimized product pages and content.

• Fix crawl and speed issues first.
• Improve top category pages.
• Add helpful buying guides.

SaaS and startups

Sales cycles are longer, so content should answer buyer questions at each stage.

• Build comparison and use-case pages.
• Answer the questions buyers ask before a demo.
• Track sign-ups and demo requests, not just visits.

B2B

Lead quality matters more than lead volume. Expertise content builds trust, and sales and marketing need to share feedback.

• Publish content from real client questions.
• Agree with sales on what a good lead looks like.
• Review lead quality regularly.

What a Strategist Costs and How Pricing Works

Pricing varies widely, so we won’t quote a single market figure. What matters is understanding the models.

Common pricing models

• Hourly: flexible, but costs can drift.
• Project-based: a fixed fee for a defined deliverable, such as a strategy document.
• Monthly retainer: ongoing planning, and often execution and reporting.
• In-house salary: a full-time hire, with benefits and management on top.

What drives price

Scope is the biggest factor. Other drivers include the number of channels, how competitive your market is, and how much hands-on work is included versus planning only.

Questions to ask about cost

• Is there a setup fee?
• Is there a long-term contract?
• Are there add-on charges or surprise upsells?
• What exactly is included?

Cancel-anytime arrangements mean the provider has to keep earning your business. For more on pricing, see this overview of what SEO costs.

How to Hire the Right Strategist: A Step-by-Step Checklist

1. Write down your goals and budget range. Be specific, such as more booked jobs or more online orders.
2. Ask for an audit first. A proposal built on an audit is based on facts, not guesses.
3. Check the reporting. It should be plain language and transparent, with no jargon walls.
4. Ask who does the work and who your contact is. You want a clear name and direct access.
5. Ask what is included. Get the services in writing and ask how progress will be reported.
6. Confirm Google and AI search are both covered. Ask whether ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity are part of the plan.

Red flags

• Jargon that nobody explains.
• Promises of specific rankings or fixed results.
• Long lock-in contracts.
• Vague deliverables.

Common Mistakes When Working With a Strategist

• Hiring without clear goals. If you can’t say what success looks like, nobody can measure it.
• Expecting fast results. SEO takes time and varies with competition, your starting point and budget.
• Spreading budget too thin. Doing five channels poorly is worse than doing two well.
• Withholding access and feedback. Your strategist needs analytics access, site access and sales feedback to make good calls.
• Treating strategy as a one-time document. A plan that isn’t reviewed regularly goes stale.

Ready to Get Started? How to Book a Free Audit with Open Sales LLC

Open Sales is an SEO agency based in Lauderhill, FL. We started in 2021 and became an official company in 2023. We’re a small, hands-on team, so the people doing your SEO work are the people you talk to.

1. Ask for a free audit. We offer a free SEO audit and a free Google Business Profile audit.
2. Review the findings. Your dedicated account manager is your point of contact, and we explain things in plain language.
3. Choose a plan if it fits. Options include On-Page, Technical, Local, AI, E-commerce and Content SEO, link building, and Google Business Profile management.

Pricing is transparent. There’s no setup fee and no long-term contract, so you can cancel anytime. We also provide monthly ranking and performance reporting in plain English.

Call +14845211064 or visit https://opensales.us to request an audit. You can also use our contact page. Results depend on competition, your starting point and time, and we’ll be upfront about that from the start.

Frequently asked questions

What does a digital marketing strategist do?

A digital marketing strategist sets goals, researches your customers and competitors, chooses which online channels to use, and builds a prioritized roadmap with a way to measure progress. The plan can cover search, local visibility and content. At Open Sales, we start with an audit and explain the findings in plain language.

What is the difference between a digital marketing strategist and a digital marketer?

A strategist decides what to do, in what order and why. A marketer usually carries out specific tasks like writing content or managing listings. The roles can overlap, especially in small teams. At Open Sales, our small, hands-on team does the SEO work directly, and the people doing the work are the people you talk to.

When should a small business hire a digital marketing strategist?

Consider one when you're spending on marketing without a clear plan, when results have stalled, when you're unsure which channels deserve your budget, or when you're launching a new site, store or location. A free SEO audit from Open Sales is one way to see where you stand first.

How much does a digital marketing strategist cost?

Costs vary by provider and scope. Common models are hourly, project-based, monthly retainer or a full-time salary. At Open Sales, SEO plans are Foundation at $897/mo, Growth at $1897/mo and Dominate at $2497/mo, with no setup fee and no long-term contract. Google Business Profile plans are $197/mo, $247/mo and $547/mo.

Can a digital marketing strategist help with AI search like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews?

Yes. A strategist who understands AI search can help plan your content and online presence with AI answers in mind. Open Sales offers AI SEO, which aims to get your brand cited in ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity. Results depend on competition, your starting point and time.

Do I need a digital marketing strategist or just an SEO agency?

If search is your main channel, an SEO agency may be enough. If you're juggling several channels and an in-house team, a standalone strategist can help set priorities. Open Sales is an SEO agency offering on-page, technical, local, content, e-commerce and AI SEO, plus link building.

What should I ask before hiring a digital marketing strategist?

Ask who will do the work, who your day-to-day contact is, how progress is reported, what the pricing includes and whether you're locked into a contract. At Open Sales, you get a dedicated account manager, monthly reporting in plain English and the freedom to cancel anytime. Pricing is transparent, with no hidden fees.

How long does it take to see results from a digital marketing strategy?

It depends on your competition, your starting point and the channels involved. SEO takes time to build, and no one can promise a specific timeline. Open Sales provides monthly ranking and performance reporting in plain English so you can track progress.

About the author

Mihail Romanciuc

SEO Senior with 5 years of SEO experience