What is Digital Marketing – English Please
Getting started with digital marketing
Between all the channels, digital strategies, techniques, online gurus claiming to know it all, getting started with internet marketing for your business can seem overwhelming…
Let’s start with the very basics of what digital marketing is in broad, easy to comprehend strokes. We’ll also talk about whether it is worth doing for your business.
Let’s Dive In
Internet marketing is similar to traditional marketing (ads in billboards, on TV, radio, in magazines, direct mail, etc.) except done online. Believe it or not, people are still using the internet. In fact, according to pewresearch.org, about 98% of U.S. adults between the age of 18-64 use the internet regularly.
Digital Marketing Vs. Traditional Marketing
The word “marketing” originated from the concept of taking your product to a market. Now it’s the same thing just not as simple as setting up a booth. That market is also transitioning online.
In internet marketing, you’re putting yourself everywhere on the internet you can be. You want to pop up, or be in the feed, or inbox, etc. of potential clients and customers. People are already searching online for what they need, why not have your product visible when they do?
Traditional marketing was about a loud, un-targeted approach – which is more costly as you’re paying for your ad to be shown or displayed to a high percentage of people who may never have any interest in your product or services.
In digital marketing you can point your ads at people who have a high likelihood of purchasing your product based on their age, lifestyle, geographic location, interests, income, (and more data points than big brother wants you to know).
This prevents business owners from having to waste money putting their message in front of those who will never purchase from them.
You can monitor your internet marketing efforts on a day-to-day basis and make quick changes if needed to prevent wasting money and increase revenue.
Whereas changing a billboard or radio spot that isn’t performing is a complicated, expensive endeavor – most internet marketing techniques can be changed on the fly at little cost, allowing businesses to optimize over time and get the most return on their money.
A few types of internet marketing include:
Social Media Management
There are billions of active users on social media consuming content, so getting your message there, targeted to your prospective audience is an important part of internet marketing.
In essence, in social media management, you’re developing a strategy for reaching audiences across social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Snap Chat, etc.
Paid Online Ads
The fact that social media platforms are free to use tells you they are making money elsewhere. That money comes from selling advertising. Therefore, social networks are limiting the amount of exposure companies can get organically, so it’s time to pay to play.
Similarly, using Google to find something online is free to you, but Google rakes in billions every year from advertisers paying to show up in those results.
Paid advertising includes running ads in places such as social media sites as well as Google search (putting you in search results when someone searches for services or products like yours), Google Display Network (those banner ads on websites, in apps, and everywhere else).
SEO
Stands for “search engine optimization” and includes all things necessary to make sure your company gets shown to those searching. Google and other search engines have algorithms that determine what they show searchers (outside of paid ads) in what is called the organic portion of the search engine results page.
Making sure your website contains relevant information, is easy to view and use, etc. with what we know Google’s algorithms are looking for.
People typically stop at the first page so convincing search engines your website is the best thing to show for searches relevant to you and is therefore listed at the top (or close to the top) of organic search results, is one of the main goals of SEO.
Email Marketing
Everybody hates it but it works. How many times do you need to delete an email from a company before you buy from them again? There are metrics available that answer this exact question.
Through email marketing you can promote your products and services and maintain a connection with your existing customers and reward loyalty – most of the time automatically.
You can set up automatic emails to go out to targeted people, at specific times, with relevant information, allowing you to be top-of-mind of existing and potential customers and clients.
Content
Our society now consumes tremendous volumes of video, memes, clips, photos, articles – and everything else.
We do this while in line, in bed, at the park, walking the dog, on the plane, on the train, eating lunch, eating dinner, eating breakfast, at the zoo, with the kids, without the kids, at a red light (don’t do that), you get the idea. Something to read or watch is constantly at our fingertips in limitless supply.
This gives business owners the chance to reach potential customers where they already are (listed above), in a way that adds value or entertainment to them so as to get and keep their attention.
Creating that content and making sure it is woven throughout those endless streams of content, and getting viewers to engage and share, is content marketing.
Conclusion
There are many activities that fall into the category of “digital marketing,” but it all comes down to promoting through electronic means.
Should you do it? With 4.6 billion internet users (and growing) worldwide, just about everyone is online. While you could try putting an ad in a phone book or even write letters to prospective clients and customers through the Pony Express, I’d wager you won’t reach anyone.
Putting your marketing messages on their phones and computers, making it easy for them to engage and purchase, all while being able to optimize on the fly, makes internet marketing something every business owner should definitely be doing.
Getting started can be a bit overwhelming. With all the different channels and strategies, it’s sometimes best to seek help from someone who’s had success doing it.
If you want expert advice on your internet marketing strategy, or someone to just do it for you, Eden Ads is here.
