8 Digital Marketing Checklists To Simplify Tasks + Free Templates

Think of marketing plans, tactics, and strategies as the blueprint of a skyscraper. Without a robust and adaptable plan, the highest towers of ambition can crumble. This is where the art of creating effective marketing checklists comes into play, ensuring that your team’s efforts in content creation, social media engagement, and ad campaigns align with your clients’ goals.

Marketing checklists act as navigational beacons in the vast sea of digital marketing, guiding your team through the complexities of various campaigns. They bring order to chaos, transforming haphazard efforts into streamlined processes.

Digital marketing is complex. Without marketing launch checklists, you risk creating incomplete strategies that miss the mark and end up flopping. That’s why your agency needs a clear, top-level marketing checklist to organize many moving parts, prevent cutting corners, and keep track of your progress against goals.

And what better way to get organized than having a complete digital marketing checklist to get your priorities in order and your team on point?

This article will explore a tried and true method for making a successful checklist that your employees will actually pay attention to. We’ll also outline six marketing checklists every agency needs to launch new marketing channels and show you how to track all that data at scale.

Bonus: We’ve included a free marketing checklist template with all the launch checklists you need to keep your upper-level strategy on point. Download and edit it as you please! 👇

Why Do Marketing Agencies Need Launch Checklists?

There are many aspects to digital marketing: from content marketing to social media, email, SEO, video, and more. Each has its own goals, key messages, and materials to prevent marketing managers from missing any important steps and assigning responsibilities. Aligning these activities with your digital marketing campaign goals is vital for success.

Including social media posts in your marketing checklists ensures comprehensive coverage of all digital marketing activities.

So whether you’re a team of one or one hundred, you need marketing checklists and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place to organize your activities.

Marketing launch checklists allow you to:

• Prioritize tasks to create a complete strategy for each marketing channel,

• Set clear expectations for internal teams,

• Streamline your client onboarding process with clear steps to follow, and

• Hold team members accountable for specific deliverables or results.

The first step of your marketing plan is to create a launch checklist that allows you to delegate tasks to various team members, keep everyone on the same page, and focuson executing tasks. Ultimately, this saves you time and effort to scale your business and create data-driven campaigns for your clients.

The Checklist Manifesto: 6 Steps To Build Efficient Checklists for Your Marketing Strategies

Ultimately, for a checklist to be effective, it needs to be followed. A well-structured digital marketing strategy, including a comprehensive checklist, is key before launching any campaign. Here are six tips for efficient checklist-making that are outlined in the book ‘The Checklist Manifesto’ in Tl;dr form.

1. Set the Scope of Your Marketing Checklist

Just as you determine the scope of a project, you’ll need to determine the scope of your checklist, including various digital marketing strategies. What is the purpose of it, who is responsible, and when should it be used? This allows your team to use the checklist accordingly.

For example, a project launch checklist typically breaks the project down into its larger and more critical chunks. However, an executional checklist, such as Content Optimization Checklist, includes more tactical items that need to be checked before publishing a specific piece of content and a Google Ads Optimization Checklist would include the finer details regarding specific levers or settings to adjust. A blog post checklist might include tasks such as keyword optimization, headline creation, and internal linking.

2. Pick Your Flow Type for Filling Out the Checklist Items

Once an item is completed, how do you determine if it’s really done, or needs to be verified? You’ll need to specify when a checkmark is enough, and when the manager needs to review it. To know what ‘marked as completed’ really means, you’ll need to know when a task is concluded successfully.

There are two types of checklist items depending on the nature of a task, and it’s up to the marketing manager to decide the type of checklist needed, based on the scope of the checklist, the employee’s experience, and the task at hand. 

Read-do

Like following a recipe, a ‘Read-do’ checklist is a step-by-step list that you carry out as you go. First, you read, then you do. This type of checklist might take longer to complete because it’s a series of steps that must be followed in order. But it helps break down more complex tasks into smaller ones and can help newer team members learn a process. 

Do-confirm

A ‘Do-confirm’ checklist item is one that can be done from experience or memory, and be checked off after the fact. You first do the task, then check it off. It need not follow a particular order. Instead, its purpose is to ensure you haven’t missed anything important. 

3. Keep it Short

Probably the hardest part of creating your marketing checklist is to balance between being brief and being effective. The human working memory can hold between 5-9 items at a time, so keep your checklist to a maximum of nine items. By focusing on only the essential steps, you prevent your team from getting distracted and taking shortcuts which can be detrimental to a campaign.

4. Be Clear

When you’re being brief, the wording is everything. Ensure you’re using simple yet objective words that clearly define the task. Try to make it actionable using active language, such as: “Brainstorm content topics for your target audience” or “Optimize your subject lines”.

Tasks like "optimizing a web page for search engines" should be clearly defined in the checklist.

The checklist item doesn’t have to be too detailed–in fact, you’ll likely have other SOPs tied to each item. The point of a launch checklist is to have more top-down control of all the tasks at hand to ensure that you’re on the right track–whereas more procedural checklists are part of your day-to-day workflow and serve different purposes.

5. Pick Your Format

This is where being both brief and effective comes to the test! Your checklist should have a simple design with easy-to-read text–and fit on one page. There are many options available, such as using a Google Sheets, making lists in robust task management software like ClickUp, or using agency task management features in your client reporting platform. 

Manage your clients and staff in one easy-to-use platform. Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days. 

6. Put It to the Test

Give the checklist a try and see if it’s succinct and clear enough to get the job(s) done. Pass it on to another team member and ask for their feedback. If you’ve missed an essential step, add it in and remove any unnecessary ones. 

7. Iterate Based on Real World Results

Checklists are typically a living document. If you come across a specific item or process that was missed, the best way to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future is to add it to the checklist. 

Marketing Checklist Do’s and Don’ts 

There’s no greater satisfaction than checking off an important item on your checklist. Marketing checklists make management more effective by creating accountability and giving credit for a job well done.

DO:

✅ Keep it short and to the point

✅ Take feedback and make improvements

✅ Test it out

✅ Make it a living document

DON’T:

❌ Describe every single minor step

❌ Create one without practical knowledge of the topic

❌ Use imprecise or irrelevant information

Remember, your marketing checklist is a work in progress and you might have to give it a few rounds of edits to get it just right. The time you’ll save afterward will be well worth it. 

Use our checklist templates as a starting point! It’ll help you kickstart a new client campaign, and is chock-full of helpful links and resources for your team at every stage. 

Having Different Checklists for Each Marketing Channel

You should have a launch checklist for every digital marketing activity you manage for your clients, including every channel they use. For example, utilizing a social media marketing checklist can help you manage social media efforts more effectively.

Continue reading as we cover the value of checklists for: 

• Content marketing

• Social media

• Email marketing

• SEO

• Influencer marketing

• Video marketing

• Growth marketing

Having a launch checklist already in your arsenal will help you know exactly what needs to be done for each area–and delegate tasks among your team accordingly. Talk about quick client onboarding!

Now, let’s take a look at what to include in each of these marketing checklists.

Digital Marketing Launch Checklists

Below we’ll go into the foundations of digital marketing checklists in more detail. A comprehensive digital marketing checklist outlines essential components and tasks for a successful strategy. Don’t forget to download the free template to tweak it as needed for your growing teams!

1. Content Marketing Checklist

A content marketing strategy thrives on its ability to strike a chord with a specific audience. It’s not just about bombarding the digital space with blog post ideas; it’s about creating blog posts, case studies, and landing pages that echo the interests, needs, and desires of the target demographic. When content resonates, it does more than inform—it engages and transforms passive readers into active participants. 

Incorporating varied content forms amplifies this effect. An online course, for instance, can serve as an immersive platform for the target consumer to not only learn but also experience a brand’s value proposition. Meanwhile, a well-placed guest post opens doors to new audiences, establishing your clients as thought leaders in their respective niches. 

But creating content is only half the battle. The other half is content promotion—a critical step that propels a message across the vast expanse of the internet. It’s a meticulous process of placing and amplifying content where it will have the most impact, ensuring that every article, every tutorial, every insight finds its way to the screens of those who will benefit most.

Creating a social media marketing strategy is essential for managing social media efforts effectively. This includes identifying the target audience, measuring results, and building trust and visibility through various social media platforms.

The content marketing launch checklist is designed to:

• Identify the audience persona or job to be done–this will help your content solve their pain points and give your brand more credibility (with the end goal of increasing market share)

• Define the types of content that need to be created as part of the content marketing campaign

• Decide which content marketing KPIs you’ll track for each client and measure campaign success with 15+ content marketing metrics

Identify how to track those KPIs, whether that be Google Analytics site traffic, keyword rankings, social media engagement, or more.

2. Social Media Checklist

The potency of social media marketing lies in its capacity to forge and reinforce a brand’s identity, fostering a lasting connection with target customers. This bond is the cornerstone for improving customer retention and nurturing the target market. However, the true measure of success extends beyond the allure of vanity metrics. It lies in the insightful analysis of data that directly ties back to your client’s ROI. 

This is where meticulous market research comes into play. By understanding the behaviors and preferences of the target audience, agencies tailor their social media strategies to engage with meaningful metrics—those that reflect genuine interest, intent to purchase, and customer loyalty. Engagements, shares, and comments can indeed reflect brand popularity, but the metrics that matter are those that track the journey from follower to customer.

This checklist helps you put the priorities straight from the start, including:

• The right channels for the client’s business

• The type of content that will be successful on each channel

• Tracking and measuring campaign performance

• And more.

Add on promoted posts and multiple social media channels for multiple clients, and you’ve got dozens of channel metrics to track, from Facebook Ads metrics to Instagram metrics, and more. You’ll want to manage each of your client accounts from one streamlined platform.

Use a social media analytics dashboard or a customizable social media report template to house each of your clients’ social media campaign results in one place. Try this exact template free for 14 days!

3. Email Marketing Checklist

Email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing tactics in the digital toolbox, boasting some of the highest engagement rates among all channels. But what turns an ordinary campaign into a remarkable one is more than just a well-crafted design, compelling copy, and strong calls to action (CTAs); it's about precision targeting and timing to ensure your message lands in the right inbox at the right moment.

In this arena, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) becomes an invaluable ally, providing deeper insights into user behavior and more granular data to refine targeting strategies. With GA4's advanced tracking capabilities, marketers create segments to fully understand user engagement, purchase history, and predicted future actions, providing much-needed insights to create content that resonates with the recipient.

The email marketing checklist includes: 

• Segment your lists and target audience

• Define your goals

• Track your email engagement metrics 

• And more. 

4. Search Engine Optimization Checklist

SEO is a strategic interplay of techniques and tactics aimed at bolstering your client's organic search visibility and climbing the ranks in search results. At the heart of this long-term project lies a dual focus: on-page SEO and off-page SEO, each with its own set of strategies and metrics.

On-page SEO is the foundation, where every keyword, meta tag, and HTML header on your client's website plays a critical role. It's about optimizing content to speak the language of search engines as fluently as it speaks to users. Meanwhile, off-page SEO extends beyond the website, encompassing backlinks, social signals, and the reputation of your client's site across the vast web. To navigate this complex landscape, SEO metrics offer a compass to gauge performance and guide strategy. These metrics become even more intricate when it comes to enterprise SEO metrics, where the scale and scope of large websites demand a more granular approach. Regularly tracking and assessing these metrics ensures not just a pulse on current standings, but a roadmap for continuous improvement.

Track your search performance with a customized Google Analytics Dashboard and use the SEO report template to present organic traffic and other top metrics in your reports! Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days.

The SEO optimization checklist helps you plan and execute your tasks and avoid a poor SEO strategy from the get-go, including:

• Keyword research tools to identify priority keywords based on search intent

• Optimizing on-site SEO for conversions

• Tracking your metrics with an SEO content checklist 

• And more. 

5. Influencer Marketing Checklist

Influencer marketing is all the rage these days. Especially for eCommerce brands–half of which work with influencers already. 61% of consumers trust influencer recommendations–even more than a branded Instagram post or a reco from a friend. 

It doesn’t need to get too expensive, either. Nano and micro-influencer marketing is on the rise, and for a reason: higher engagement rates.

Source

So if your clients aren’t doing it already, this is a chance to upsell your services and convince them to get on board. And you even have a checklist ready for you to get started, which includes key steps such as:

• Determining your objectives 

• Researching the influencer’s audience

• Tracking 8 influencer marketing metrics

• And more. 

6. Video Marketing Checklist

As consumer preferences pivot increasingly towards dynamic and engaging formats, video marketing has surged to the forefront of content strategy. It's no longer just an option—it's imperative for staying relevant in today's fast-paced digital ecosystem.

Source

Videos offer a rich canvas for content ideas, allowing brands to weave stories that resonate, educate, and inspire action. Developing a content strategy that incorporates video requires a blend of creativity and analytics. It's not just about producing visually appealing content; it's about creating videos that align with the client's brand narrative and marketing objectives. From explainer videos to live streams, each piece should serve a strategic purpose, whether it's to enlighten, entertain, or convert.

But video marketing is more time-consuming to create, and needs its own SOPs in place. The video marketing launch checklist ensures you’re covering all your bases, including:

• Content planning for each stage of the customer journey

• Production considerations

• Optimization

• And more.

Not sure how to track your video metrics? AgencyAnalytics integrates with YouTube and Vimeo to capture all your key metrics in live marketing dashboards, such as  if your client's YouTube videos are gaining organic views through expert video SEO.

AgencyAnalytics’ YouTube analytics reporting tool tracks your most important YouTube metrics in a way that’s easy to understand. Use a Youtube Report Template to demonstrate the value your agency brings. Try it free for 14 days!

Growth Marketing Checklists

Apart from creating launch campaigns, you’ll also want to consider growth marketing campaigns for yourself–and your clients. Here are two additional checklists for you to try: one for your agency’s growth (lead generation), and one for yourself and your clients (advertising). 

7.  Client Onboarding Questionnaire

A client onboarding checklist streamlines the process of bringing a new client to your agency. It’s that key step that ensures you understand your client’s needs and expectations and prevents future disagreements by keeping communication clear, and proves your agency’s abilities. 

The client onboarding questionnaire below ensures that it’s fast and efficient for you each time. 

8. Google Ads Optimization Checklist

With Google, Meta, and Amazon on track to account for over 50% of all ad spending, Google Ads is an essential aspect of any PPC campaign. Google Ads is especially effective at bringing in lots of leads for your clients’ businesses in a short period of time.

Use the Google Ads optimization checklist to ensure you’re getting the most out of the platform. 

Track all your clients’ key metrics in a live Google Ads dashboard–the latest stats updated for you, so you won’t need to log in and out of multiple client platforms, manually sifting through their data. (This article highlights 11 Google Ads metrics you won’t want to miss.) 

And let’s not forget local advertising to bring high-intent customers right to your client’s local business. Track GLSA metrics like the number of bookings, ROAS, and response rates to show your clients the impact your agency is having on their bottom line. 

Keeping Track of All Your Marketing Metrics

We’ve covered a lot of KPIs and metrics in this article, as determining success metrics are typically one of the earlier steps in any campaign launch. Each channel has its own success metrics that need to be tracked in order for your campaigns to work–from conversion metrics to eCommerce metrics specific to each platform (like Shopify analytics)–and every content type has its own KPIs to track success. 

With all this and more, how do you keep track of your marketing efforts?

For one, you can stop logging in and out of multiple platforms for each of your clients–and house all of that data in one place. 

AgencyAnalytics’ marketing dashboards combine data from over 80 integrations to create custom marketing dashboards and reports that are ready in minutes. Use custom metrics to combine data from multiple platforms into one widget that tracks your clients’ KPIs that are unique to their business objectives. 

By integrating multiple platforms into one, you save your marketing team countless hours every month and free up your time to do more billable tasks that actually impact your clients’ campaigns.

Simplify data presentation, align your metrics with your clients' interests, and impress them with your successes. With professional marketing report templates, turn data into narratives that consistently resonate: