Business programme
Start-Up, Scale-Up by Lloyds Bank Academy
Create a digital plan
Build a practical plan for using digital tools and technology in your business.
Introduction to 'Create a digital plan'
Digital tools and platforms like websites, social channels, e-commerce platforms and data tools can help your business save time, money and reach its goals. Whether you’re running a small start-up or managing a more established company, the way you use these tools and platforms can have a huge impact on your success. A digital plan provides a clear roadmap that outlines how your business will use digital technologies to achieve its goals.
In this lesson, we’ll show you how to create a digital plan that is practical, focused and tailored to your business needs.
What you'll learn
- How to build an actionable digital plan.
- What to include in your plan.
- Who your audience is – and how to get their buy-in.
- How to communicate your plan clearly and effectively.
How long it takes
12 minutes
Getting started
Chapter 1
How long it takes
4 minutes
Before you start your digital plan
There are a few things you’ll need to know or have, before you sit down and write your digital plan.
Here's our pre-plan checklist:
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Start by looking at your business vision and mission statements. These state your overall goals. From here, you can build smaller goals that you’re working towards in your day-to-day activities.
More on this topic
Need help setting your vision, mission or SMART business goals?
Learn how to do this in our Create your business strategy lesson.
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Your digital plan isn’t just to help your business. It should help your customers, too. Having to navigate a poorly designed website or not wanting to engage with digital helpers can turn them away. So it’s important to know who they are, and how they use digital. Not just with you, but elsewhere, too.
One way to do this is by creating ‘personas’ to define the types of customer you have or want to attract.
More on this topic
If you want to learn more about personas and how to create them, see our Create your business strategy lesson.
This has a whole chapter on personas and how you can use these to help develop your Unique Selling Point (USP), too.
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You may have a rough idea of some digital tools and initiatives that are going to help your business. It’s good to write these down before you build your plan.
For each tool, platform or way to use technology, include:
- What it is – The name of the tool or platform, plus 1-2 sentences on what it does.
- How it will help your business – For instance, is it going to reduce your costs, give a better customer experience or improve efficiency?
- Why you’ve picked it – Before you decide on a particular tool or platform, do your research. What alternatives are available, and how do they compare?
- How much it costs – Include initial/startup costs, plus any regular payments for subscriptions, updates and ongoing maintenance.
- Other costs – It’s not just about how much the tool or service costs. Think about any related spend, like external help you need to get it set up.
- The time and effort required – To get the most out of a new system, you may need to spend time migrating data to it, or for your team to learn how to use it.
- Any risks or limitations – Like the risk of algorithms changes, data limits or downtime. Note these down, with any plans you have to mitigate them.
More on this topic
If you’re starting to look at tools that might help your business, or just want to know what’s available, our Digital tools and technology lesson is a good starting point.
It outlines different types of tools, plus tips on what to look for when picking one that’s right for your business.
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Already using digital tools? It’s worth doing a digital audit to see what’s working and what’s not, in terms of your digital presence.
Look at:
- How old are your tools, systems and hardware? Check upcoming expiry dates for leased devices, slower or energy-hungry systems and whether your tech still meets your needs.
- Are you getting value? Like subscriptions for platforms you no longer use, or paid advertising that’s not working. Reducing costs here can free up funds for more useful tools and tech.
- Can anything be replaced for free or at a lower cost? Free AI tools can help you market, engage with your customers and perform repetitive tasks that your existing paid for systems may be doing right now.
- Is your online branding still relevant? Review the apps and sites that promote your business, including any external listings. Do they all still match what you want to say about your business?
- How digitally secure is your business? Do you have up-to-date and robust security in place to protect you, your business and your customers?
- What’s it like for your customers? Do all your page links work? How quick and easy is it to book or buy using your online channels?
You may want to use analytics tools as part of your digital audit. They help you see which of your webpages your customers visit, how many stick around to make a purchase and the social platforms that send most people to your site. Plus, some of these tools are free to use.
More on this topic
Our Web analytics lesson explains the benefits of using analytics tools, what they can show you and how to start using them.
Starting your digital plan
Now you know the digital solutions you want to use and why you want to use them. The next step is to describe the ‘how’. This is where your digital plan comes in. Its aim is to explain in detail how you’ll carry out your digital strategy.
A plan includes:
What the team need to do
A full list of activities and tasks.
Timescales
A detailed schedule that lists all the deadlines, checkpoints and dependencies.
How the team will manage it
Who will look after the different parts of your plan.
Budget and prioritisation
Chapter 2
How long it takes
4 minutes
Working out the costs
From your list of tools and technologies, you may already have some notes on how much each one costs. It’s worth making sure that you have clear information on this, for your plan to give an accurate idea of the investment required for your chosen tools.
You can sort the costs in three main areas:
- People
- Tools
- Other costs
People
As you plan how digital will help your business, think about the people who will make this happen. Who’s going to do the work? Do you need to hire new people, train them or contract them?
Plan the work in terms of roles and skill levels rather than specific people. Estimate how much time you’ll need from each role and use this to work out the cost.
Things to consider:
How much it will cost to develop, launch, test and manage.
How much time it will take.
The day-to-day running costs from a people perspective.
Any special skills needed
You may need to add 10% to salaries or use a contractor.
Recruitment costs and agency fees
Plus employer costs (NI, pension, etc).
Does digital mean a bigger team?
Remember to add in management time.
Idea
Not sure how much to estimate for this work?
You can search for similar roles and salaries on the web.
Tools
Do you need to buy any tools to use or create the solution? This could be software (such as web design or planning tools) or hardware (like data storage or mobile devices).
Make a note of any products or ideas you have in mind. When you’re looking at products, make the most of the seller’s expertise.
Things to consider:
Don't commit long-term until you're sure
Try before you buy or get the minimum number of licences for the team.
Look for cost savings
Always ask for discounts or see if you can get free trials.
Include research costs
If it's a complex system, finding the right tool can be a project in itself.
Other costs
We’ve looked at people and tools - the main things to estimate the costs of. There’s a few more things to think about when working out how much money you’ll need.
You might need to think about:
- How much you need to spend upfront and any regular costs.
- Any PR or advertising costs.
- Legal help if you need it.
- A buffer - maybe 10% on top of your budget?
What are the benefits?
Once you’ve created some basic cost estimates, it’s time to look at the benefits of your solutions. Then you can compare the cost with the benefits and start to prioritise.
You may have started to do this. If not, here's a few ideas to get you started:
Generating income
For example, setting up an online shop.
Time-saving
Such as using a platform that speeds up your supply chain processes.
Improving productivity
Like collaboration tools to help your team or automation to perform routine tasks.
Expanding your audience
For example, promoting your goods through social media or a website.
Future-proofing your business
Like swapping legacy systems for new tech, to improve efficiency and stay up-to-date.
Activity
Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts about these benefits for your business.
Note how you might measure these. It could be in terms of profits made, time saved or customers added. These notes will help you prioritise.
Prioritisation
At this stage, you may have a long list of digital tools or initiatives that you’d like to implement. You should also have a reasonable idea of the cost, in terms of time as well as money.
Now it's time to review these, and:
Work out which ones will go in your plan
Your cost research may have flagged some that aren’t viable right now.
Highlight low-cost vs high-impact initiatives
This will help you decide which ones to deliver first.
Start thinking about your timeline
Having a phased roadmap which contains both quick wins and longer term activities.
How to prioritise
There are many different ways to prioritise by ranking or scoring each item.
Want a quick and easy way to start? Try using a Pros and Cons list.
First, write your idea at the top of a 2-column grid. Name one column ‘pros’ and the other ‘cons’. Next, jot down all the benefits of the idea in the pros column. Then list all the disadvantages in the cons column.
Think about everything you found in your research so far, like costs and impact on end users.
Want a quick and easy way to start? Try using a Pros and Cons list.
First, write your idea at the top of a 2-column grid. Name one column ‘pros’ and the other ‘cons’. Next, jot down all the benefits of the idea in the pros column. Then list all the disadvantages in the cons column.
Think about everything you found in your research so far, like costs and impact on end users.
Another technique is SWOT analysis. This encourages you to look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each tool or initiative. You can find out more about this in our Create your business strategy lesson.
Idea
Why not try drawing up an impact vs effort matrix?
This can help to highlight the ‘quick wins’. Plus, you may be able to spot those tasks and ideas that aren’t worth the time you’d need to spend on them.
KPIs and metrics
Chapter 3
How long it takes
1 minute
Why measure?
As part of your digital plan, you’ll be sharing the benefits and value that your chosen tools and initiatives will give the business. It helps if you can state these benefits in a way that can be measured. That way, you’ll be able to track the effectiveness of each one, and have a clear idea of what success looks like.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics that are:
Quantifiable
Relying on objective, measurable data.
Actionable
They provide insights that can help you adjust plans and make decisions.
Goal-oriented
You can see direct links to your SMART goals.
What to measure
So, what should your KPIs be? This can depend on the type of tool or platform, or the way you want to use technology to achieve your goals. It will also depend on the goals themselves.
Here are some suggestions:
Brand awareness and reach goals
- Website traffic: total sessions, unique users, traffic growth rate month-on-month.
- Social media impressions and reach per platform, follower growth rate.
Engagement goals
- Number of blog/article views, time spent on pages.
- Number of likes comments and shares.
- Number of emails opened and click-through rate.
Conversion and revenue goals
- Website conversion rate.
- Number of leads generated.
- Number of sales and average order value.
Retention and customer value goals
- Customer/subscriber retention rate.
- Repeat purchase rate.
- Churn rate.
Resilience and performance goals
- Error rates and downtime.
- Page load speed.
Marketing ROI goals
- Return on Ad spend.
- Cost per click.
- Search engine optimisation (SEO) rankings.
Tools to help you measure
We mentioned analytics tools earlier. These can help you with metrics and may be part of your digital plan themselves.
Our Web analytics lesson can help get you started with this type of tool.
Your stakeholders
Chapter 4
How long it takes
1 minute
Who are your stakeholders?
Stakeholders include any people or organisations that have an interest in, are affected by or can influence your digital plan. They’re also the audience for your plan and the people who can help you carry out the tasks in it.
So let’s think about who they are, what motivates them and how you might go about getting them on board with your plans.
Internal stakeholders
Co-owners/founders
You’ll need to jointly agree goal-setting, priorities and approve the plan for it to go ahead.
Your team
Key to carrying out the work, they’ll want to know what it means for them in terms of workload, responsibilities and ways of working.
Specific roles/teams: marketing, sales, operations, finance
Expect role-specific concerns here. For example, finance may want to know where the funding will come from.
External stakeholders
Suppliers/partners
Will the nature of your relationship change when you implement your plan?
What will they need to do, or do differently?
Digital service providers
For example, marketing agencies, web developers and platform providers.
They’ll need a clear understanding of what you need and when you need it.
Investors/financial backers
They may be the ones who determine whether you can go ahead with your plans.
So expect questions on profitability and return on investment.
Sharing your plan
Chapter 5
How long it takes
2 minutes
How to share your plan
Think about your audience
You’ve put together your plan. It’s now time to share it. And now you know who your stakeholders are, you can consider how to write it with them in mind.
Are you writing for the CEO and Board? Inspiring a new team? If your business is new and it’s just you, you might even be writing a plan for yourself. It could also be all of these.
Once you understand who you’re writing for, you’ll know how to share it in a way that works for them.
An example
Imagine a business trying to put in place a new client management system.
They might share their plan with their stakeholders and have a Q&A session with their team.
Their team session may result in several offers to help. Team members who show an interest could sign up as ‘Champions’. They would then receive training, test the system and shape the process for its use.
Imagine a business trying to put in place a new client management system.
They might share their plan with their stakeholders and have a Q&A session with their team.
Their team session may result in several offers to help. Team members who show an interest could sign up as ‘Champions’. They would then receive training, test the system and shape the process for its use.
Pick your format
How you present your plan may depend on who your audience is, what you’re including in your plan and the size and scope of the what you’re hoping to achieve.
Your format may include one or more of:
A one-pager or short document
A visual roadmap with a timeline
A dashboard that makes the plan easy to track and manage
Idea
Tools like Microsoft Word and Canva can provide templates for your digital plan.
Combine these with AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot to review and improve your writing.
Structure your communication
Once you’ve decided on a format and gathered the information you need in your plan, it’s time to structure it in a way that works for you and your audience.
Key topics to include:
Vision and goals
A reminder of where you want the business to be.
Digital initiatives
How you aim to reach your goals – named tools and tech, along with the costs/benefits and prioritisation.
Impact
What your plan will mean for the business, customers and your stakeholders.
Actions
What needs to be done and who will do it. Include responsibilities/ expectations and a timeline.
Tips for a clear digital plan
Here are our top tips for writing an effective, actionable plan:
- Avoid jargon.
- Focus on outcomes, not tools.
- Show business impact (not just digital activity).
- Use data, benchmarks, and quick-win examples.
- Highlight the risks of doing nothing.
- Present clear benefits and expected outcomes.
- Be transparent on costs and timelines.
- Ask for specific commitments – what do you want/need from your audience?
Want to learn more?
Using technology to grow your business
Strategy and planning
Related lessons
Create your business strategy
Digital tools and technology
Create a growth plan
Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 24th June 2026.