One advantage that companies have in the modern age that was not present in decades past is the imminently scalable, cost-effective digital marketing methods that empower businesses to reach their target markets at a fraction of the cost of so long ago. Navigating these various methods, however, is another thing entirely.
There are many options and not all of them may be suitable for your business type, campaign effort, or overall company goals. Determining that is up to you, yet we’re not going to leave you without some helpful advice and insights into each method to get you started on your own research.
Here are some of the most commonly utilized digital marketing methods available to businesses right now:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is where you target certain keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business demographic. If you already have a website, you should be implementing basic SEO practices already – it’s that important. Think of it as your business’s calling card or billboard on the information superhighway. You want people to see it, and you want it to be effective, but you need to get started with the basics if you haven’t already done so. Luckily for you, SEO also ties in with our next common method.
Pay-per-Click
Pay-per-click advertising, like SEO, targets keywords and phrases used in search, whether on Google or Facebook and serves up your content to potential customers that are searching on those phrases. Unlike SEO, which is completely free outside of labor and research, pay-per-click is an ongoing expense and a variable cost at that. While you can get away without knowing what you’re doing with SEO, pay-per-click advertising can cost some serious money if you don’t know what you’re doing. We recommend implementing a solid SEO strategy first before dipping your toes into this side of things.
Social Media Marketing
A combination of the two we just mentioned, social media marketing allows you to target ads, content, and even your business in general at relevant parties. Some channels might be more worthwhile than others (such as using LinkedIn for a recruiting firm as opposed to Facebook), but experimenting with what works best never hurts anyone and that’s what makes social media exciting. It rewards trying out different things and encourages innovation in brand presentation and marketing campaigns.
Content Marketing
Your SEO effort should be underpinned by solid content. Content marketing blends the science of advertising with the art of creating compelling content. You need somewhere for visitors to go once they arrive on your site and providing valuable content is a great way to do this time and time again.
Email Marketing
Once you have a robust archive of content to offer readers, email marketing lists are the next step toward total engagement. Again, this may be more appropriate for some companies than others but the end goal here is to keep your name and brand front and center with potential clients who have signed up for your email list. To do this in a way that doesn’t detract from their experience with you, you need to offer consistent value through content and products.
Mobile Marketing
Reaching customers wherever they may be is the way of the future and mobile marketing takes all of the above methods and condenses it into a format that is applicable to smartphones and tablets. These strategies can include apps, push notifications, and text messaging campaigns, among others.
Affiliate Marketing
Partnering with relevant firms to drive mutual benefits is more common (and easier) than ever before thanks to the synergies online platforms offer.
