The internet has drastically changed customer behaviour, and with it, the marketing landscape. With millions of people spending hours online every single day, it’s patently unwise not to develop and invest in a digital marketing strategy.
One of the best ways to start is to create your own website. Once you’ve established your address on the world wide web, you can more easily explore other digital techniques.
That said, here are some crucial components of a robust online marketing strategy:
SEO
SEO or search engine optimisation, is arguably the most important part of any digital marketing strategy. Why? Two things. First, most people nowadays spend their zero moment of truth (ZMOT) on search engines. ZMOT, simply defined, is when the consumer looks for relevant information before buying a product.
Second, a significant percentage of internet users don’t go beyond the first page of search engine results. Thus, the higher your ranking, the bigger the chance that the consumer will see your brand name and click on your link. The further you are from the first page, the fewer opportunities you’ll have..
This is why your website is only the first step. After this, you must invest in good SEO services so you can boost your lead generation, and hopefully, conversion numbers. SEO is especially important if you’re in a highly competitive industry, such as e-commerce.
Blogs
Content marketing, which usually comes in the form of blogs, helps immensely with SEO. With a blog, you can establish your brand identity, industry authority, and credibility. You’ll also have a platform to cultivate a relationship with your customers. All of these can contribute to your brand being interpreted by search engines as a credible entity.
What’s even better is that you don’t need a separate website for a blog. If you already have a website, you can simply host it there as a dedicated page. For some topic ideas, start with insightful discussions about industry trends and how you’re applying these as a company. You can also consult your SEO strategy and find some keywords to write about.
Social Media
During its earlier years, social media platforms were almost devoid of brands. They were instead used to interact and connect with friends and family, or even strangers who shared the same interests. Soon enough, however, companies saw the benefit of engaging their consumers where they’re already active and receptive to engagement.
Nowadays, a social media strategy is a big part of digital marketing campaigns. Remember, though, that you don’t have to be present on every platform. The most important thing is to understand how each site works and if it can help achieve your brand’s goals.
You should also engage in what is called social listening. This way, you’ll know what people are saying about your brand and address issues. You can also discover the topics most relevant to your audience and thus engage in more meaningful conversations.
Email Marketing
Unlike social media, where you’re essentially trying to talk to thousands or even millions of consumers, email is more direct. This gives way to more personalisation, which greatly increases the potential for conversions and more genuine connections.
Email marketing is especially useful for e-commerce businesses. Through newsletters, you can easily announce the arrival of new products, your latest promotions, and other offerings. You can even send personal greetings and special discounts to customers during their birthday! Doing all of these can keep you top of mind, which is important in a highly competitive space.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an increasingly popular advertising model, wherein a brand works with content creators like bloggers and vloggers to promote products and services. When a consumer performs the intended action (e.g., to avail the product or service or download an app), the content creator gets incentivised through commission fees.
This is an effective way of increasing your reach. If you’re a brand, you can tap the content creator’s fan base to expand your market. If you’re a content creator, you can add to your income stream and boost your reputation.
Online Advertising
The online space is a big one and unless you’re an equally big brand, it can be difficult for you to get noticed. This is where online advertising comes in. You can choose from a wide variety of options, including keyword advertising, boosted social posts, video ads, and more—it all depends on your goals.
For example, if you want to help maintain your presence in search results pages as you work on your SEO, you can opt for keyword ads. If you want to promote a certain piece of content or product, you can create a social media ad and then direct those who click on your website. If you want to target a certain audience, consider placing display ads on niche websites.
Remember to keep track of the ads that perform well so you can reallocate your resources when necessary.
The most important thing to remember is that there’s no singular formula to a successful digital marketing campaign. You might need just one, or maybe you need a combination of several. Having concrete goals can certainly help in deciding which ones are the best for your brand.