In the modern age, it is essential to engage in digital marketing efforts. No matter the size of your business or team, your advertising must include digital mediums, or it simply won’t be effective. As most of the world is online, in order to be successful, you must be too.
Digital marketing can feel intimidating, especially if you are just beginning to use it. In truth, there are a lot of components to these campaigns, and they are constantly changing. No matter the shifts in the digital marketing world, however, some fundamentals always remain essential. If you master these basics for your company’s website and social media accounts, you will have a very solid foundation from which to grow.
To make online advertising feel more approachable, we’ve broken down the basics so you can get a good grasp on what needs to be done before you dive into the marketing deep end.
SEO
You have probably heard at least a little bit about SEO or search engine optimization. This process involves placing strategic keywords within your content to attract readers.
When considering SEO, it is important to understand that you’re playing the search engine game. Though you might have a great website that fits exactly what a searcher is looking for, the engine won’t know that unless the keywords on your page match the user’s search.
In order to do this correctly, you must research what keywords your demographic are using in their searches and create high-quality content around those keywords. This helps your site to appear at the top of search engine results (also known as ranking highly), which will only continue to improve your website’s online visibility.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a significant component of digital advertising as well. Though there may be flashier methods to try, email marketing is a tried and true tactic. In fact, it is still one of the very best ways to engage with both new and existing prospects and get them to convert to customers.
By sending an email about coupons, offers, company news, and engagement opportunities, your customers will feel involved and excited about what’s happening at your company. The more they follow the links to your websites, the more visible your website will be in search engines. Email marketing is a really effective way to gain steady website traffic.
Social Media Marketing
Never underestimate the power of social media. These platforms attract steady traffic, and most people use them daily — if not more often. You can easily attract new clients and engage with your current ones by making ads for social media. You can hone in on your key demographics on these sites too. If you are looking for more millennial customers, head to Instagram. If you want to add to your boomer consumer base, Facebook is best.
Perhaps the best part about social media marketing is the efficacy it has for businesses of all sizes. Local, one-person shops can easily blow up online with the right social media tags and SEO. By staying up to date with trends, businesses can stay relevant in the social media stratosphere for little to no cost.
Pay-Per-Click
Pay-Per-Click or PPC ads are an essential tool in digital marketing as well. You have likely seen Google results marked “ad,” which denote that the company has paid to be at the top of the search results. These provide a level of control over your search engine rankings, which can be extremely helpful during certain times. Many businesses use PPC in the following situations:
- They are a new business and do not have organic traffic flow yet.
- They are running a sale or special and wish to get the word out.
- It is a highly competitive time of year (such as the winter holidays), and they want to remain at the forefront of searches.
- They are introducing a new product and want users to know.
The payment for PPC ads hinges on the number of clicks (of course) and the keywords used. If you are using highly competitive or popular keywords, the price per click will likely be higher. From there, you simply pay the search engine whenever a user clicks on your ad. These often increase organic traffic so that they can be helpful beyond the length of the campaign. However, you must be careful to use them sparingly, as they can get expensive and lose their impact if used too often.
Mobile Marketing
The ways that users search the internet are changing. Whereas most pages were reserved for desktop or laptop use, now many searchers use their phone or tablet to browse. This means that pages need to have a mobile version to stay competitive.
The standard for mobile browsing is much higher than it used to be. Therefore, users have very little patience for websites that do not load well on their smartphones. If they click on your page and see that it is hard to maneuver on their device, they will likely click away and try a different page. This indicates to the search engine that your page does not have what users want, and it will rank you lower as a result.
Beyond the SEO implications of mobile marketing, it is important to understand just how prevalent mobile searches are. If you want to provide your customers with a pleasant browsing experience that is likely to get them to convert, then you need to have an up-to-date mobile site. This can help your social media accounts as well. Most people use social media on their phones, so if you want them to click from Instagram to your site, you have to have an appealing place for them to land.
Whether you are a freelance artist, small business owner, or marketing employee of a large corporation or company, it is crucial to understand the importance of digital marketing basics. These tools and methods can benefit companies of all kinds and help them be the best they can be. Be sure to build a solid foundation using these tools, and develop your digital marketing campaign from there. If you need help, hiring professional digital marketers is always an option.