You may have heard the term “digital marketing” bandied about the internet and figured that it was too complicated an endeavor to undertake.
The name does sound a bit intimidating, but the truth is that digital marketing is nothing more than advertising your goods or services through electronic means, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
It is much easier than you would imagine and you don’t need to hire professional marketers to get on board. As a matter of fact, many of the simplest forms of digital marketing are free or of little cost. Here are a few methods for getting started:
Content Marketing
Content is basically everything that the web is made from, whether it is articles, videos, photos, infographics, tables and charts, and pretty much anything you can find. Content, as they say, is king, and without it you would have only blank pages to look at for websites.
Content as a marketing concept is simple. If you have a product or service, than you most likely have a website in 2017.
If you do not, then stop right here. Go to any site where you can construct a simple design for free just to have some sort of online presence. This is crucial in this day and age.
Or, you can pay for hosting and easily construct a custom site from WordPress or Wix. If you have a decent marketing budget, you may even want to retain the services of a professional web developer, but whatever you do, establish a website to advertise your business.
Your website should have web content in the form of ad copy, describing your product or service in detail. Let your prospective customers know what your company can do for them, and do not waste time talking about yourself. Advertising directly to a customer means satisfying his or her needs. As a business owner, you need to avail yourself as a solution to one of their pressing problems.
If you not comfortable writing ad copy, there are many professional writers on the internet that would be glad to work with you. They can also help you to establish a blog.
A blog is nothing more than a running journal dedicated to your customers and your industry providing others with information that they may find useful. Blogs have been known to bring customers to websites and convert them into leads.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When marketing with content, there are a couple of different ways to get a greater number of hits on your website. Search Engine Optimization is the most common and effective method.
This includes the use of keyword strands reflecting terms that people may search for on Google and other search engines, most of which include a business’s geographic area.
For example, “Ford Dealers, New Orleans” or Los Angeles Hair Bleaching” will get you what you need in search, so business owners must plan accordingly by placing these terms in their websites so they can be easily found by potential leads.
Social Media Marketing
Having a social media presence is just as important these days as having a website. The media that you decide to build a presence on, however, all depends on your business and the audience that you are seeking. Twitter is fast-paced and allows you to grow a following simply based upon admiration.
Unlike Facebook, where a “friendship” must be mutually agreed to, you can follow anyone you want on Twitter, and perfect strangers that enjoy your products and services can choose to follow you.
This makes it much easier to directly market your products or services to people that are actually interested in what you have to offer.
There are also Instagram and Pinterest, sites that are mostly visual, featuring a plethora of pictures and videos. These sites are great for building a brand or a concrete following for a physical product.
One thing Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook all have in common is that they are also great ways to promote your website and blog posts by leaving links available to followers/friends that may find them interesting.
In conclusion, there are many ways to get started in the exciting marketing niche known as digital advertising. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it will give you a great head start in the area so you can start promoting your brand in a modern and effective manner.