There was a time when digital marketing was reserved for big brands and e-commerce businesses. However, when people started searching for the things they want online instead of physically going out to find them, small local businesses started needing to embrace digital marketing too. Some have, but many still haven’t. It does not help that the field of digital marketing has evolved into a sprawling collection of strategies and specialties. Here are the basics to get you started.
Creating a Solid Foundation
In the world of digital marketing, all roads lead to your website. And even if you are not selling online, your website will be the major factor that influences people’s perceptions of your business. A quick-loading website that is clean, easy to read, intuitive to navigate, and mobile-friendly will not only gain the trust of potential customers, but also search engines. This is important for the next strategy.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is basically trying to get your website shown first in the search results for particular phrases. Statistically, people are much more likely to click on the first result, with the chances decreasing sharply with each subsequent position. SEO is an entire area of digital marketing all by itself, but essentially it involves creating content for your website (such as a blog post) that uses the phrases your customers are searching for.
Paid Ads
Marketing expert and strategist Sabri Suby has said that how effectively your marketing results in new sources of revenue is the deciding factor in entrepreneurial success. Paid advertising is one of the fastest and most effective digital marketing strategies for raising revenue. This is when you place targeted ads on popular websites like Google and Facebook which, when clicked, send people to a landing page on your website where they will perform an action, like buying something or signing up.
Email Marketing
Not all marketing strategies are about gaining new customers. Getting existing ones to come back is just as important. They are often easier to market to; after all, you already know they are interested in what you are selling. If you can get their email addresses, email marketing is an excellent low-cost way to showcase new products and deals to your existing audience.
Conclusion
There are many more digital marketing strategies to explore, but these are some of the oldest and most proven strategies, which makes them excellent places to start.
