How would you define digital marketing? Is it simply advertising or does it go beyond that?
Digital marketing has become a major part of our lives and every business.
From social media to mobile apps, digital marketing has changed the way businesses operate.
If you are looking at how to do digital marketing, this article will help you start to understand what it means to be a digital marketer, where your business fits in the digital landscape and how to get started with digital marketing.
What is Digital Marketing?
The term “digital marketing” refers to all forms of electronic marketing including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation and Distribution, Online Video Marketing, Influencer Marketing and more using digital devices.
It’s important to note that while there may be some overlap between digital marketing and traditional marketing methods, they have different goals and approaches.
Why Digital Marketing?
There are many reasons why companies choose to invest in digital marketing. Some of them include:
• Increasing brand awareness
• Generating leads
• Improving customer service
• Building loyalty
• Reducing costs
• Providing better communication
• Creating new revenue streams
• Growing an existing client base
How to get started with Digital Marketing?
Once you know what digital marketing is, let’s look at how to get started with it.
1. Define Your Goals
Before getting started with any kind of marketing campaign, it’s important to set clear objectives.
Here are some examples:
• Increase sales
• Reduce expenses
• Improve productivity
• Grow profits
Having a clear objective helps you focus on what needs to be done and measure your success.
2. Understand Your Audience
You need to know who you are trying to target before starting any kind of marketing campaign.
This can be done through research.
You could start by talking to current clients or potential clients about their expectations from your business.
You could also conduct surveys or ask people about their preferences and habits.
You can use apps to collect data about your audience. For example, Google Analytics is free and allows you to track traffic sources and behaviour.
3. Identify Your Competitors
You should identify your competitors so that you can learn from their mistakes and successes.
You could also find out if they are doing anything differently than you. This could give you ideas for improving your own strategy.
It can reveal pertinent information about market saturation, business opportunities and industry best practices.
It is important to learn how to do a competitive analysis.
4. Understand What You Need
Before starting any digital marketing campaign, make sure you have the right tools and resources available.
If you don’t have the budget for a full-fledged digital marketing agency, you can start by outsourcing certain tasks. Hire someone who can handle things like keyword research, link building, social media management, etc.
5. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is key when doing digital marketing. This allows you to create a strategy that works best for your business.
Start by creating a plan for each channel you intend to implement.
Then, make sure you stick to those plans.
Don’t deviate from them unless you have a good reason.
6. Start Small
Start small with your first digital marketing project. Don’t try to do everything at once.
Instead, focus on one area at a time.
7. Measure Results
After launching your first digital marketing campaign, measure results regularly. Make adjustments based on the data you collect.
Connecting your data sources into Google Data Studio allows you to consolidate data and focus on the metrics you’ve identified as being crucial to your marketing efforts.
8. Repeat
Repeat steps 1 through 7 until you see positive results.
9. Scale Up
As your business grows, so should your digital marketing efforts.
Once you reach a point where you feel comfortable scaling up, then you can stop focusing on smaller projects and move on to bigger ones.
As soon as you see a positive result, scale up your digital marketing efforts.
Different Digital Marketing Strategies
Digital marketing strategies vary depending on your industry, size and target audience.
Here are just a few examples of popular digital marketing strategies:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The process of improving visibility in organic search results.
Social Media Marketing (SMM): A form of internet marketing that involves creating and sharing valuable content on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC): An ad placement model where advertisers pay each time their ads appear on a page.
Email Marketing: Sending emails about your product or service to people who have opted in to receive messages from you.
Mobile Marketing: Using SMS text messaging, MMS, apps, QR codes, location-based services and other mobile technologies to connect with consumers.
Content Marketing: Producing and distributing written, audio, video or multimedia content that provides value to readers/listeners/viewers.
Display Advertising: Placing advertisements on websites, blogs, email newsletters, mobile applications, billboards, television and radio.
Online Reputation Management (ORM): Managing online reputation and monitoring mentions of your company across various platforms including Google My Business, Yelp, etc.
Web Analytics: Tracking website traffic and measuring conversions to help optimise your site.
Website Design: Building and updating websites to attract visitors and increase conversion rates.
Video Production: Making videos to promote products and services.
Branding: Creating a brand identity for your business.
Ecommerce: Selling physical goods or services over the Internet.
Influencer Marketing: Identifying influential individuals within your niche and engaging them via paid advertising channels such as Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Google Adwords, etc.
Podcasts: Audio recordings distributed over the internet.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to grow your business, it’s important to invest in digital marketing. It can be expensive upfront but will save money in the long run by helping you reach new customers.
The more you learn about digital marketing, the better prepared you’ll be to start growing your business.
