If you’re considering getting into digital marketing for your business, it’s important to know exactly what it is and how it works. Digital marketing can be an invaluable asset, but business owners and marketers should have a deep understanding of what it entails and the different ways they can use it. Here we’ll review what digital marketing is and the different ways in which you can incorporate it into your marketing strategies.

 

What Is Digital Marketing?

 

Digital marketing entails marketing a company’s offerings using a variety of digital channels. These could include search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) ads, social media, mobile apps, email, and over-the-top (OTT) streaming services. If marketing materials show up on electronic devices of any kind, either online or offline, they’re part of a digital marketing campaign.

 

 

It’s important to use digital marketing if you want to connect with many audiences who might otherwise be difficult to reach.

 

Why Businesses Need Digital Marketing

 

The days of businesses relying on print ads and billboards are over. While many of these channels still matter, digital marketing is crucial for success in today’s largely digital environment. Consider the fact that platforms like Google see millions of visitors. For instance, Statista found that Google alone saw over 267 million unique visitors in the U.S. in October 2020. This means that if you want your business to be seen and heard, you absolutely need to integrate a digital marketing campaign on platforms like Google, Facebook, and many others.

 

 

Part of what’s fueling the need for digital marketing today is also the rapid increase of mobile users. Today, there are currently 5.27 billion unique mobile users across the globe, according to GSMA Intelligence. Many of these people use their devices regularly, whether browsing the internet, gaming, checking their emails, scrolling through social media news feeds, or streaming their favorite videos. In turn, they’re less likely to see your ads if they aren’t on a digital platform. To ensure that people see your business and recognize you over the many competitors out there, effective digital marketing is vital.

 

The Different Types of Digital Marketing

 

 

Depending on your audience and business, there are two main types of digital marketing you can use to connect with prospective customers: online and offline marketing.

 

Online Digital Marketing

 

If you want to reach people online, you can use digital marketing to establish relationships with users of all types. You can do so using a number of methods, including:

 

SEO

 

 

SEO, or search engine optimization, involves achieving high rankings on search engines through the optimized website content. This entails including keyword instances in content, along with high-quality links and other elements that ensure people find your business on Google and other search engines.

 

PPC Advertising

 

 

PPC, or pay-per-click, is a type of advertising model that often works in conjunction with SEO. While SEO helps businesses appear in search engines organically, businesses bid on PPC ads to automatically get high placement in search engines, along with other websites. These campaigns may use text or display ads.

 

Content Marketing

 

 

This type of digital marketing strategy focuses on producing and distributing high-quality content that connects with consumers at every stage of the buyer’s journey. Content could include blog posts, webpage content, video content, and more.

 

Social Media Marketing

 

Social media platforms are also integral for reaching massive socially active audiences, making social media marketing a necessity for many companies. Facebook remains one of the biggest platforms, with around 2.89 billion active users today. Along with Facebook, businesses can reach billions through Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other channels through posts, ads, and other content.

 

 

In addition to these online digital marketing strategies, businesses can implement email marketing, affiliate marketing, and search engine marketing (SEM) to help raise brand awareness and boost sales.

 

Offline Digital Marketing

 

While online digital marketing is important for businesses to use, they can complement these efforts with offline marketing efforts. These include:

 

Enhanced Offline Digital Marketing

 

 

In lieu of old-fashioned billboards that feature static images, electronic billboards are changing the way businesses advertise in physical space. Using LED billboards, multiple businesses can occupy the same space with alternating ads, and brands can also further engage audiences with animated or video ads.

Apart from billboards, brands can also advertise using digital product demos that enable people to sample products in a virtual format.

 

TV Marketing

 

 

Although younger audiences have made a shift away from traditional linear TV, millions of people still watch TV on a daily basis. TV commercials can still generate a profit, particularly when you use them to connect to digital campaigns. For example, a local commercial could introduce people to your brand while encouraging them to visit your website or social media pages for more information. Viewers can then use their mobile devices to learn more about you before the commercial even ends. Businesses can even repurpose commercials for use as ads on video streaming platforms, and vice versa.

 

Radio Marketing

 

 

People also still actively listen to the radio, especially when commuting to and from work. If you want to connect with listeners, you can launch premade audio ads or even have hosts read or improvise an ad. Radio commercials could also translate to podcast ads, including both premade ads and live ad readings.

 

Phone Marketing

 

 

Marketers can also produce ads for mobile users in a couple of different ways. First, they can try cold calling and texting, but it’s not as likely to work and it’s generally far less efficient than other strategies. However, you can attract engaged potential customers by getting them to opt-in to texts and calls, which will help avoid simply annoying people who aren’t interested in your offerings.

 

Develop a Mixed Digital Marketing Strategy to Get the Best Results

 

 

Both online and offline digital marketing strategies are necessary for businesses to maximize visibility and sales. However, it can be difficult to get the most from these campaigns if marketers are inexperienced with digital marketing. If you would like to fully equip your business with a digital strategy that truly works based on your specific business needs, contact Vigor Seorchers today to get started on your next campaign.