So, what is Digital Marketing?

Maybe it is best to start this article with what it is not, Digital Marketing is not witchcraft, nor is it just having a website or occasionally posting some funny cat videos on Facebook. Unless of course your products are related to cute, furry little creatures that make you press replay hundreds of times. That’s a story for another day though.

Digital marketing, also referred to as online marketing, is marketing that takes place on the internet. I know what you must be thinking, this guy is a “genius”!

You don’t say!

In all seriousness, once all the influencing factors are understood, Digital Marketing does seem quite simple. Digital Marketing however is a science, and one that deals in chain reactions. Marketers need to know exactly which digital channels to leverage in order to target their preferred audiences and showcase their customers’ services or products. I am by no means saying you can’t or should not invest time into doing your Digital Marketing yourself, but if you won’t trust yourself with building your own house or doing your own taxes, a second opinion could not just save you a lot of time, but also a lot of money. Heck it could even make you more money.

Why is digital marketing important for your business?

As business owners we need to adapt our communication channels to stay relevant to our customers. With more people living more aspects of their lives online, digital marketing provides new platforms for businesses to connect with their audiences. Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or even TikTok (that app where people are making those videos on your kids won’t stop watching, and by your kids I mean you), businesses are finding new ways to maintain brand awareness in this ever-changing world.

Digital Marketing helps your business reach a larger audience than would be possible through traditional methods like print or radio advertising.Think about it, when was the last time you saw someone handing out flyers, and you actually took one?

It also allows you to target your marketing towards prospects who are most likely to buy your product or service. 

So, what are the benefits of digital marketing?

1. Digital marketing is more cost effective than traditional marketing. Digital marketing campaigns and strategies are flexible and can be altered when needed, almost instantly. Budgets and targeting can be tweaked again and again to ensure a return on investment.

    

    

2. Digital marketing is measurable. We can instantly see whether campaigns are driving traffic to our website and whether that traffic comes from our target audience; it’s also easy to determine whether campaigns are generating quality leads.

    

    

3. Digital marketing makes it possible to engage with our target audience throughout the marketing process. Traditional marketing channels do not allow for an easy back-and-forth between business and audience, but always-on digital marketing makes it possible to communicate with our desired audience as needed.

    

4. Digital marketing allows businesses to focus on prospective clientele. It makes it possible to communicate with these individuals directly. There is no need to waste time chasing people who are not actually interested in your offering. Nobody likes to make those awkward phone calls and get rejected.

What are the types of digital marketing?

Here is a quick explanation of the different digital marketing types. We’re keeping it short and sweet so that you don’t have to sit and read for the entire day:

1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

This process optimises your website content so that it appears higher up on search engine results pages. Improved search engine rankings increase the amount of organic traffic your website receives. 

The marketing channels that benefit from being optimised for SEO include websites, blogs and infographics. In other words, every time you type your symptoms into Google and the worst medical condition pops up, it’s all because of well-written SEO.

• Content Marketing

This is the creation and promotion of content assets to generate brand awareness, website traffic, leads and conversions. 

• Social Media Marketing

This marketing approach uses social media to share branded content on social media channels. Examples of these channels include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest (that pretty picture board app) and TikTok. This approach aims to increase brand awareness, website traffic and business leads. 

• Affiliate Marketing

This is a type of performance-based advertising where a business or individual receives commission for promoting someone else’s products or services on their website. 

In other words, you get paid if the campaign does well.

• Pay Per Click

Fondly referred to as Google Ads, it is important to know that this type of marketing is not exclusive to Google, other services like Yahoo, Baidu, Microsoft Bing (formerly MSN/Bing) do exist and it is important not to leave them out of your strategy. This type of marketing deals with adverts you see on search engine results pages and while you are browsing around the internet. Ever visited a website and then didn’t stop seeing an ad of that company for the next 3 weeks? That is called retargeting, it means they thought you liked what you saw but you did not fully commit, kind of like swiping right on Tinder but then never messaging. 

• Email Marketing

Companies often use email marketing as a way of communicating with their audiences. Email newsletters are often used to share relevant content, discounts and events. They may also be used to direct people toward the business’s website. Just don’t be that guy that spams your contacts with a million newsletters every day. It’s annoying and nobody likes you.

Digital marketing can work for any business in any industry. Regardless of what your company sells, digital marketing can help you access your ideal audience. 

However, digital marketing still depends on accurately identifying your audience’s needs. It also depends on having valuable digital content to share with your audience. 

Whether your business makes use of social media platforms, websites, text messages or any other online medium, digital marketing is an invaluable way to promote your business and its offering.

You might be sitting there and thinking, that is a lot of information to digest, and you would be right, it is definitely, quite a large chunk to sink your mind into. My best advice is to speak to an expert, conversations are free, ask questions and if the expert is worth their salt, they will be excited to tell you about it. Go forth and conquer your Digital Marketing.