WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING
1. Marketing in Simple Terms
It is important that we know the meaning of marketing and the reason why it is of great importance to the success of any business or company.
In the old days, before the sophisticated invention of social media and other technology in marketing, the older men were able to engage in buying and selling and, more importantly, in the advertising of their goods through word of mouth, hawking, writings on walls, stones, etc. They did this because they understood that for sales of their goods to happen, someone had to know that they had those goods to meet the needs of their customers, hence the need for marketing.
Marketing can be said to be a way of persuading consumers to purchase their goods and show loyalty to a certain business. It can also mean the process of generating, conveying, delivering, and exchanging valuable offerings.
2. Digital Marketing Explained
In layman’s terms, “digital marketing” is a way of using digital technology to advertise your products and services to potential customers.
“Digital marketing” is any time you use the Internet to educate people about your company and engage potential customers. You can utilize any form of digital marketing channel, including social media, email, and content marketing, etc.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING
It is crucial that the need for digital marketing be known in order to maximize its potential. There are a lot of advantages this invention has brought to the business world, to mention but a few.
Moving toward digital marketing makes sense for a variety of reasons. It is an easier and cheaper way to interact with a larger audience. Let’s explore further to learn why and how digital marketing functions.
1. Reduce Advertising Expenses
Digital marketing helps promote small businesses and companies who have not grown to the level of affording traditional marketing for example, the use of billboards, newspapers, etc. It’s a way of reaching a larger audience at a lower cost.
2. Reaching A Bigger Audience
Getting people to be aware of your products, goods, and services and allowing them access to the information that will persuade them into becoming customers all lie within the confines of digital marketing, which has little cost and a larger reach.
Because you can reach more individuals online, digital marketing transcends the bounds of your physical location. When prospective customers access the internet using their mobile devices, you may stay in touch with them wherever and whenever you want.
This makes you or your business always available and accessible at all times, and this information attracts customers.
3. Identify Your Ideal Clients
Conventional marketing techniques like radio ads and billboards may be a blind leap of faith. Although you might have a particular target market in mind, you can’t be sure if those marketing channels actually reach them.
It is simpler to make sure you reach the correct audience for your content thanks to digital marketing. By using search engine optimization (SEO), you may reach customers who are actively looking for what you have to offer. The ability to target the kind of customer who will be interested in your goods and services is also provided through pay-per-click and social media techniques.
4. Marketing Analysis
It is important to be able to measure your level of growth and this can be done when you can trace the audience who responded to your adverts. Digital marketing helps in being able to track your audience, their response and know your potential customers.
5. Provide Customers with A Successful Platform for Customer Engagement
Through digital marketing, you can not only connect with the clients who are most likely to be interested in your goods or services but also solicit their opinions. Get insightful knowledge about your brand by having a live, one-on-one chat. You won’t have access to this advantage through conventional marketing strategies.
EXAMPLES OF DIGITAL MARKETING
1. Email Marketing
When potential customers appreciate your company enough to sign up for your mailing list, email marketing is a great approach to increase interest and awareness among them.
A savvy digital marketer builds their email list of leads by utilizing a range of marketing methods. Provide interesting content for your target audience in order to make them interested in what you have to say and help you establish an email list.
You must create intriguing subject lines for your emails to your email list subscribers and decide when the best time is to send them. The goal is to use emails to strengthen client relationships and increase consumer loyalty.
The contents of your emails can be:
● General newsletter information from your business
● New product and or service announcements
● Special event invitations
● Coupons and special offers
2. Social Media Marketing
Popular social media channels include:
● YouTube
The accessibility and affordability of social media are its main advantages. Your goal when marketing on these platforms should increase brand recognition and foster social trust among your followers and the larger online community.
3. Search Engine Optimization
In order to reach more potential clients, SEO employs strategies that help you rank higher on search engine results pages. On-page SEO includes everything you do to attract visitors to your website, such as creating compelling content and having a beautiful website. Everything you do to promote your website off of its pages, including building links, is known as off-page SEO.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a long-term strategy that focuses on building strong relationships with your target audience by consistently delivering high-quality, relevant content that educates and, ultimately, sells.
In many ways, content marketing is the complete customer acquisition channel. It drives traffic, builds trust, establishes your authority, and generates revenue.
Content marketing is so important — and works so well — because it captures people throughout the sales funnel.
You can use content marketing to attract users at the very top of the funnel, before they even think about making a purchase.
In many cases, a great piece of content is the moment when your relationship with the customer begins, and that content is going to be with them through every step of the customer journey.
That’s well and good, but it’s all for naught if those efforts don’t generate revenue. That’s not the case with content marketing, however. In fact, the yearly return on investment (ROI) for a successful content marketing campaign is $984,000.
This is why 82% of marketers are still actively investing in content marketing. And it’s why you should, too.
5. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Paid Marketing
Pay-per-click is a common advertising model in internet marketing. It allows advertisers to place ads on search engines, social media platforms, and third-party websites, paying a fee whenever the ad is clicked.
Like any form of marketing, pay-per-click advertising has its pros and cons. Ideally, your company will use PPC as part of a complete digital marketing strategy, so you maximize its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.
Pros of PPC Marketing
- Immediate results: As soon as your ads are approved, they will reach your target audience.
- Highly targeted: You can be extremely specific about who sees your ads.
- Easy to track: You can quickly track the success of your campaign and measure your ROI.
- Potentially huge exposure: Paid ads are prominently displayed, with the potential to reach a virtually unlimited number of people.
Cons of PPC Marketing
- Costly long-term option: You have to pay for every click, leaving you in the hands of advertising pricing. If you do this for months or years, it’ll add up.
- Not building an asset: When you invest in content marketing or building an email list, you’re creating an asset you own. With PPC, your success is reliant on continued ad spend.
This is why my own digital marketing agency works to create a well-rounded digital marketing plan for your business. PPC has some amazing benefits, but you need good marketing in other areas as well.
PPC isn’t a replacement for organic SEO. The two should complement each other, with organic work taking a good amount of your focus because those clicks are free.
6. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is promoting other people’s products in return for a small commission for each sale. You’ve probably seen headings marked “affiliate link” or “sponsored post” on many of the websites you visit; or maybe you’ve already taken the first step and signed up for an affiliate network.
If you are new to affiliate marketing, let’s cover how it works.
First, you find an affiliate program or network that you are interested in. Look at the program overview, including the type of products or services, payment methods, and commissions they offer.
If it appeals to you, sign up and wait for confirmation of your acceptance. Then, start creating content, adding the custom links the program provides. Those links track when one of your users makes a purchase, and you’ll earn a small commission.
You can work with individual companies or affiliate networks, where you register and choose the programs that interest you. The programs are generally divided into categories to make selections easier. Once approved, start promoting your affiliate links on your website — in newsletters, on social media, and anywhere else you’re permitted to share links.
The network sends you a payment when you’ve reached the minimum payment level. Payment methods vary and usually include PayPal, bank transfers, and checks.
CONCLUSION
Digital marketing is the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to promote your brand and raise online and global awareness for your business and company. You can conveniently track your growth, sustain your level of communication with your potential customers, and gain their trust even with or without seeing them physically. The technology has smiles on us, we can harness its power for our profits.
