Digital marketing is more than merely making a Facebook page or paying for banner ads. With so many different channels available, what constitutes an effective digital marketing campaign can vary widely depending on the demographic of your target audience. Here are some of the main pillars of digital marketing that companies use to formulate a basic digital marketing strategy.
1. Your Website
Your brand website is the online version of your office or shop front. Just as shoppers can be attracted by brochures and window displays, a website serves to introduce your range of products and services to customers. It also helps to establish your brand identity and value proposition. Although one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, websites retain the powerful ability to generate leads and convert them into paying customers.
A company website could be anything from one to over a hundred pages. Aside from presenting information, your website is the platform on which you can integrate other digital marketing techniques such as search engine optimization and content marketing. Therefore, you should ensure that your website is professionally designed. When you plan your website with digital marketing in mind, it makes it simpler to scale up your marketing efforts.
2. Search Engine Optimization & Marketing
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process by which you optimize your web pages to help them rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs). SEO starts with auditing your current website and making changes to each page such as adding META tags, keywords, and a clear structure. There are also technical improvements that can be made such as cleaning up unnecessary scripts and improving load time.
Backlinks are an essential component of SEO. Search engines use backlinks to determine the credibility of a web page. When a page receives numerous backlinks from authoritative external sources, its value increases in the search engine algorithm. This means that the page will be displayed above other less credible sites in a SERP. Backlink building is a complex and time-consuming task that is best outsourced to SEO experts.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is the counterpart of SEO. Where SEO works to enhance the organic presence of a website, SEM focuses on creating and managing paid search engine advertising campaigns. Unlike organic results, paid results are displayed on the top of SERPs and often in a more eye-catching format. With SEM, you can choose target keywords and audiences and ensure that your ads are reaching the right viewers.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of creating, publishing, and distributing content designed for your target audience. It serves to amplify your brand voice, build brand trust, and establish your authority and reputation in your field. Through content marketing, you can convince potential customers to convert without being intrusive. Compelling content can persuade your audience to subscribe to your mailing list or make a purchase.
The key to successful content marketing is to create unique and valuable content. It does not have to be technical or complicated, but it does have to be interesting and informative, and relevant to your target audience. This will ensure that your content is not only seen but also shared by your viewers. For instance, a company that sells natural supplements can write about the ways people can improve their health without medication.
4. Social Media Marketing
The realm of digital marketing has changed significantly since the advent of social media. Instead of the traditional detached business-to-consumer approach, businesses can now adopt a persona and personality and interact on the same level as their audience. Where websites generally use a professional tone, social media is more casual. Social media posts help a brand to establish its identity and attract an audience that holds similar values.
The modern audience is more likely to trust peer endorsements than direct advertising from brands. In addition to making frequent posts, brands can make use of social media influencers to market to their audience. There are influencers in every niche with loyal followers who listen closely to their recommendations. Companies can partner with influencers to create sponsored content that showcases their products or services.
5. Email Marketing
With so much of our work involving email communication, most people check their emails at least once a day. Where users have a notoriously short attention span on social media, they are generally prepared to pay more attention to emails. Email marketing ensures that you have a list of subscribers who are already interested in your brand. Through email marketing, you can offer exclusive launches and discounts and drive prospects to convert.
With an effective leads capturing strategy on your website, you can collect email addresses from people who are interested in your brand and add them to your mailing list. Furthermore, you should create a mailing list of people who have purchased from you. Statistics show that engaged existing customers are more likely to transact with your company again and spend more than new customers.
Digital marketing allows your brand to communicate with millions of users on the Internet. Each aspect of digital marketing serves its purpose and can bring powerful results for your audience reach and sales figures.