What is digital marketing?
You may ask that question while idly scrolling through Facebook on your phone before breakfast, but the answer is far more complicated than you might expect.
Digital marketing is the umbrella term for any marketing method that advertises, sells, or promotes products and services using digital technologies.
To give you a bigger view here is what Digital Marketing looks like:
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- PPC (Paid Search Advertising)
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
- E-mail Marketing
- and more…
We will be discussing the following topics to help you get started with digital marketing:
- What is digital marketing and what are its components
- How does digital marketing work and how can it be used to benefit businesses
- What strategies should businesses use when implementing a digital marketing campaigns
- What are the benefits of using digital marketing over traditional methods
- How can small businesses compete with larger companies in the online space
Make sure you read till the end-my favorite content marketing strategy.
If that sounds good to you let’s begin!
What is Digital Marketing Def-i-nition?
Digital marketing is a blanket term that refers to all of the different types of ads or messages that are delivered electronically.
In order to be successful, however, you must first understand exactly what comprises digital marketing as a whole before moving on to analyzing individual aspects.
Digital Marketing Channels
As mentioned above, digital marketing is a very broad term which encompasses a wide range of advertising methods.
In order to have a successful digital marketing campaigns, it is important for you to understand each of these specific types before creating a strategy that will address their needs.
“Digital marketing can be thought of as a city.
Just like in a city, there are different neighborhoods (types of social media), each with their own unique vibe and culture (the way people use social media).
There are busy areas always filled with people (Twitter), commercial districts (Google Ads), and residential areas (email marketing).
Just like in a city, if you’re not familiar with it, it can be overwhelming.
But once you know where everything is, it’s much easier to get around.
And just like in a city, if you want to succeed, you need to use all of the different neighborhoods together.”
The following are the four primary components of digital marketing:
1. Social Media Marketing
This form of digital marketing is based on the concept that social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, allow users to spread a message much farther than would be possible with more traditional forms of advertising.
Additionally, social media sites are known for hosting user-generated content which can further help marketers appeal to their target audiences.
Social media marketing is also an excellent tool for targeting a specific demographic, as sites such as Facebook collect extensive data on their users which can be used to pinpoint the types of people who would be most interested in a product or service.
Social media channels :
- Facebook: one of the most popular social networking sites in the world with over 1.2 billion active users as of 2014
- Twitter: a microblogging site that enables its users to send and read short 140-character messages called “tweets”
- LinkedIn: a professional network that allows companies and individuals to create profiles, share information, and make connections with one another
- YouTube: a video-sharing site which is used to post videos about products or services offered by companies for promotional purposes
- Pinterest: an image-based social networking platform that allows users to pin posts (images) on boards (virtual corkboards)
Read More: What is social media marketing
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is essentially the process of creating content that will be appealing to search engines.
In order to do this, marketers use keywords and other relevant information that will help users searching for a given topic to discover their content.
This strategy has become even more popular in recent years as social media sites have begun to incorporate search engines into their platforms.
For example, Facebook allows users to see what their friends are liking, which links they are clicking on, and other information that has been indexed by Google.
Read More: What is Search Engine Optimization(SEO)
3. PPC (Paid Search Marketing)
Also known as digital advertising or pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, this form of digital marketing allows companies to place ads on search engines, social media sites, and other platforms.
Advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their ad; meaning that more targeted ads are always more cost-effective than generic advertisements.
Additionally, advertisers can choose where on the page their ads will display, which allows them to strategically place their advertisements in the most effective locations.
Read More: What is Pay Per Click Marketing(PPC)
4. Email Marketing
With email marketing, marketers create an email that is sent out to the target market on a given schedule.
This may be daily or weekly depending on the needs of the business and its customers.
Additionally, emails can provide links to content on the company’s websites or other digital platforms, such as social media sites.
Read More: What is Email Marketing
5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM is similar to PPC marketing in that advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their ad.
However, SEM allows marketers to place ads on search engines themselves rather than requiring users to click on banner ads within other websites like AdWords does.
Also known as organic SEO (OSEO), this form of digital marketing allows marketers to achieve higher rankings in organic search engine results.
The difference between this form of optimization and SEO is that SEM allows advertisers to pay for placements at the top (homepage) or right-hand side (top-third banner) of search engine pages; whereas SEO can be achieved by making optimal use of free, organic space on search engine pages.
This form of digital marketing can be broken down into three stages: planning, execution, and analysis.
During the planning stage, businesses must identify their goals for each campaign they create; determining what they hope to achieve by running a given advertisement.
The next step is execution which requires marketers to decide on specific strategies in order to effectively meet their campaign goals.
Finally, the analysis stage consists of marketers analyzing campaign data in order to make informed decisions on how they will proceed with future campaigns.
With the abundance of digital marketing tools available today, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to choose one that will help them achieve their specific marketing objectives.
Read More: What is Search Engine Marketing(SEM)
Mobile Marketing
No matter what you digital marketing efforts is ,an increasing number of people are turning to their phones to find what they need.
You marketing strategy must build around with the mobile experience in order to be successful.
Mobile marketing is not just about marketing to people on their mobile devices.
It is marketing that takes into account the entire mobile experience.
Marketing with mobile in mind can help you achieve greater success in your business efforts.
Influencer Marketing
This is a powerful technique for drawing attention to your product or service.
It consists of identifying industry influencers and leveraging their authority along with their massive social networks to help improve brand awareness, boost sales, or both.
Today’s we must be familiar with the many different forms of marketing so we can create a successful digital marketing strategy.
Online Presence & Digital Marketing- How They Work Together
Once you understand what digital marketing entails along with its different components, they can begin creating an online presence that will help you succeed.
This first requires developing a website which should be easy to navigate and should engage users with quality content.
Next, finding a way to promote the site is important for drawing more visitors and increasing its visibility within search engine.
Depending on the strategy and goals of a company, they may choose to focus on organic SEO (as opposed to paid ads) or incorporate both methods into their digital marketing plan.
Once a company has established its online presence, they should create social media accounts to interact with users and promote their content across platforms.
Social sites make it simple to share web content; therefore, marketers should establish their social accounts by developing quality posts that will be engaging for their target audience.
Before establishing an account on any other platform, marketers should consult with their digital team to determine the best practices for successful promotion.
This brings us to email marketing, which is an integral part of digital marketing that can be used before, during, and after a campaign to enhance its overall effectiveness.
Email marketing allows companies to connect directly with consumers through personalized messages containing content that is relevant to them.
Because it is a constantly evolving field, digital marketing requires marketers to be constantly aware of new developments and strategies.
However, the basic principles for establishing an online presence and promoting a campaign remain the same: quality content, effective promotion, and consistent communication with users.
“Digital marketing can be thought of as a pitcher throwing a baseball.
The online presence would be the pitcher’s arm, while the digital marketing components would be the ball itself.
Just as the pitcher must throw the ball with perfect accuracy and velocity in order to make it to the plate, marketers must use their online presence and digital marketing components effectively in order to reach their target market.”(Did I just relate them to baseball?)
How Does Digital Marketing Work To Your Benefit (Business Owners)
Digital marketing is an ever-evolving field that requires constant attention in order to be successful.
However, by understanding the basics of digital marketing-such as its different components and how they work together-businesses can use this strategy to reach their target market and promote their products or services.
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is a company’s website.
This should be easy to navigate, contain high-quality content, and engage users.
In addition, businesses should focus on promoting their site through organic SEO or advertising.
Both methods can be effective in reaching a target market, but it is important to consult with a digital marketing team in order to determine the best strategy for success.
Once a business has established an online presence, it can begin creating social media accounts to engage with users through quality posts and promote their content across platforms.
Social media sites make it simple to share web content; therefore, marketers should establish their social media accounts by developing engaging posts that will appeal to their target market.
After establishing accounts on various social media sites, businesses should utilize email marketing as a way to communicate with users and enhance their campaign’s overall effectiveness.
Email marketing allows companies to connect with consumers directly by sending personalized messages that will draw attention and foster engagement (Did I notice/hear the word “engagement” twice?)
By understanding the different components of digital marketing and how they work together, businesses can use this strategy to promote their products or services and reach their target market effectively.
What Strategies Should Businesses Use When Implementing a Digital Marketing Campaign
First you need to train your arm, then you have to start throwing the ball on a more consistent basis.
When businesses are implementing a digital marketing campaign, there are a few key strategies that they should keep in mind.
- Establish an online presence: A company’s website should be easy to navigate, contain high-quality content, and engage users. In addition, businesses should focus on promoting their site through organic SEO or paid advertising.
- Create social media accounts: businesses should establish social media accounts by developing engaging posts that will appeal to their target market.
- Utilize email marketing: Email marketing allows companies to connect with consumers directly by sending personalized messages that will draw attention and foster engagement.
- Promote content across platforms: Social media sites make it simple to share web content; therefore, marketers should establish their social media accounts by developing engaging posts that will appeal to their target market.
- Monitor Results and Track Analytics: Because digital marketing is an ever-evolving field, it is important to track analytics and monitor results in order to enhance campaigns and maximize their effectiveness.
After establishing their online presence, creating social media accounts, and utilizing email marketing, businesses can promote content across platforms.
This allows companies to use various digital tools in order to engage users through quality posts and reach their target market effectively.
Digital Marketing VS Traditional Methods
Remember we compared digital marketing to city?
Digital marketing can be thought of as a city, while traditional marketing methods can be thought of as a village.
A city is much larger and has more resources than a village, and it is able to offer more opportunities to its residents.
In the same way, digital marketing is able to offer more opportunities to businesses than traditional marketing methods.
Additionally, a city is constantly growing and evolving, while a village remains the same.
This analogy reflects the fact that digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving, while traditional marketing methods are not.
In order to keep up with their competition, businesses must use innovative techniques and strategies in order to garner a larger audience.
Companies should be willing to experiment with digital marketing and discover new, successful ways of reaching their target market.
Traditional methods like billboards or TV ads would reach everyone generally but with digital marketing it targets who wants to see what you are doing, when you need to be seen and how you would like to be seen.
Digital Marketing Benefits…
- Helps you reach a larger audience more efficiently
- Helps you save money more cost-effective compared to traditional marketing methods
- You can personalize messages for a more engaging experience.
Traditional Methods…
- You are limited by a smaller audience
- You may need a higher cost.
- You may not able to target your specific audience.
Are just a few of the many benefits that digital marketing has to offer.
Digital Marketing COSTS- Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
If you want your business or brand to succeed in digital, then there are going to be some costs along the way.
That being said, the benefits of having a strong online presence will outweigh any potential costs by far.
Let’s take a look at the different platforms that you will need to invest in.
Website: The first thing people notice about your business is its website, so it should be clear and compelling . People are looking for sites that load quickly, have great content, and present your products or services in a way that is easy to understand.
In order to be successful, you will need to invest in a responsive website that is optimized for both mobile and desktop users.
Social Media: As previously mentioned, social media sites like Facebook allow companies to connect with consumers directly by sending personalized messages that will draw attention and foster engagement .
Creating engaging posts on your company’s social media accounts can help attract new prospects while also keeping your loyal customers coming back.
Email Marketing: Just a short time ago, information was circulated on things like word of mouth and newspaper ads, but now digital marketing is the modern way to get the word out about your business.
Customers can opt into receiving emails from businesses that interest them and will receive timely messages that can help you stay on their radar .
Pay-Per-Click (PPC): If you want your business to start bringing in customers immediately, then PPC is the best way for you to find an online audience .
Companies will pay search engine like Google ads or Bing to place them at the top of searches so that they are more likely to be seen.
As you can see there is a lot involved with digital marketing and it seems like a daunting task, but if your business wants to survive then it is something that must be invested in.
Digital marketing helps provide businesses with the ability to reach customers on a large scale and ensures their products and services will not go unnoticed.
It’s not just one aspect of digital marketing like SEO, PPC, social media marketing or email marketing that works together to create a successful online campaign.
It’s all of them combined working together in the same direction towards the same goal : bringing in more customers and increasing sales which leads to profitability.
How can small businesses compete with larger companies in the online space ?
I’m not a fan of the term “compete with larger businesses.”
Rather, I’d prefer to examine how I may benefit from these larger firms.
How can I take advantage of their efforts?
How can I share in the success they’re having online, if only a small piece of the pie?
That’s a better way to think about it.
For example, these larger companies have made an effort to create a strong brand identity through advertising and public relations.
They have impressive websites with well-written content.
They have created their own social media platforms, and they are using them to communicate with their customers.
This is all great news for small businesses like mine!
I don’t need all of the bells and whistles that my larger competitors might be offering (especially since I may not have the budget).
But I can take advantage of the brand recognition they have worked so hard to achieve.
I can leverage tools like email marketing to increase customer loyalty and engagement.
I can learn from these larger firms in order to improve my own digital marketing strategies.
Instead of competing with them, I can simply seek to ride their coattails.
Just as a small business can learn from a larger company, a baby can learn from their parents.
Babies watch and observe everything their parents do and try to imitate them.
Over time, they learn how to communicate and develop relationships.
The same concept applies to businesses; they need to learn from their competitors in order to grow and improve.
For example, a small business might see a larger company advertising on a certain billboard.
They may not have the capital to purchase a similar billboard, but they can learn from this strategy.
Small businesses can utilize social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to advertise their products or services without having to buy an ad.
Just like babies learn from their parents, small businesses can benefit from imitating larger companies.
In the end, everyone wins!
My Favorite Digital Marketing Strategy
We are living in the world of content marketing.
If you want to show off your business in the best light possible, you need to present yourself as an industry authority.
And blogging is a great way to do that!
I have seen countless people build their own blog and successfully reach customers looking for answers online.
Whether it’s making sure they are speaking your language, or sending a clear message about your brand, digital marketing is a great way to increase sales and earn more money.
Blogging is a great inbound marketing strategy that allows customers to find you when they need you most.
Here’s why:
- Content Marketing Institute: 60% of marketers reports they generate more leads and sales thru content marketing.
- Social Media Today: Blogs are read by more than 77% of internet users!
- MarketingCharts: Vendor websites are a crucial element in the B2B buying process.
- ReportLinker: Content marketing market is anticipated to expand by $417.85 billion.
Businesses leverage digital channels to distribute content and engage with their market.
If you haven’t already, it’s never too late to start blogging!
Blogging is a crucial part of my digital marketing strategy.
Having a blog gives me the ability to reach customers in my own voice, and it has really helped improve communication with existing customers.
It’s also great for SEO!
Content marketing is an essential part of search engine optimization(SEO).
It helps websites rank higher on Google and other online search tools.
Blogging increases your relevancy in search engine rankings, which helps your website rank higher.
Digital marketing is an ever-changing process that can take some time to learn and master.
If you’re just getting started in the digital world, don’t worry – it takes everyone a little while to catch up!
Now go out there and build your brand!
Read More: What is Blogging
Final Thought
Digital marketing, online marketing or even internet marketing.
Your digital marketing efforts is used to attract customers by using website and ads.
As a result, the customer gets the product or service that they want quickly and easily.
It’s important to utilize digital marketing across all channels of communication to increase brand awareness.
To makes things easier for you here is my suggestion, going back to basic.
Basic understanding on customer journey.
The sales funnel(sales process)
Which looks like this:
- Top of the funnel(TOFU): Awareness
- Middle of the funnel(MOFU): Interest & Decision
- Bottom of the funnel(BOFU): Action
Once you have this in place you can determine your digital marketing strategy.
SEO,PPC, social media engagements(like Facebook ads, twitter ads etc.), email marketing are all part of the big picture to bring customers in the top of funnel and close them.
Now it’s your turn, go try pitch some business!
You can do it!!!
Soon you’ll be on the digital marketing highway!
And remember to TAKE YOUR TIME, because Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Good luck on your journey of digital success!