Digital Marketing Fundamentals
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is about using the web, mobile phones and other digital technologies to communicate a message about your brand to the people who are most likely to find it interesting or useful. If you’ve ever visited a website for information, booked tickets online, checked the weather on your phone or found a brand through a mobile advert then you’ve enjoyed digital marketing.
Your business might already be using digital marketing, but if it isn’t then you could be missing out on customers and sales. There’s an abundance of free and cost-effective tools and resources you can leverage to make the most of the internet and attract the attention of wider audiences.
Why digital marketing?
The sheer number of different communication channels available can make it difficult for businesses to stay on top of their game and stand out from competition. However, with the right strategy, tools and technologies you could be at the forefront of your field, rather than falling behind. By making use of digital marketing strategies you can give your business an edge by using more effective targeted marketing.
There are many reasons why you should invest in digital marketing, including:
Increased Sales; if done properly, it could lead to a significant increase in sales for your company.
If done properly, it could lead to a significant increase in sales for your company. Brand Awareness; by promoting your business online, you can reach more customers.
By promoting your business online, you can reach more customers. Customer Engagement; with the wealth of information available via digital marketing, you will be able to understand your customer’s needs better and engage them with a higher level of targeted messaging. This could lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
With the wealth of information available via digital marketing, you will be able to understand your customer’s needs better and engage them with a higher level of targeted messaging. This could lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Low Overheads; by doing most of your marketing online, you can reduce overheads and save money.
By doing most of your marketing online, you can reduce overheads and save money. Increased Access; with the right approach, digital marketing opens up access to niche markets around the world.
With the right approach, digital marketing opens up access to niche markets around the world. Global Reach; expanding your reach on a global scale can increase your business’ exposure and allow you to gain more customers.
Digital marketing is not just changing how consumers access information, it’s also changing the way businesses operate their marketing campaigns. It has become increasingly important to allocate budget towards digital channels since mass media channels are becoming increasingly less effective at reaching targeted audiences; this is where digital channels have a major advantage. For example, say you want to run a marketing campaign on Facebook, but you also want your promotion to appear on Google’s search results – one platform is not going to be able to accomplish this directly since it has no control over the other platform. However, by using online marketing strategies you can reach audiences effectively across both channels.
Digital marketing gives you the ability to measure things that matter, providing information to help you make smarter decisions. You can learn which channels are generating the most traffic, what type of content is performing best, and whether or not your campaign has been successful. By building a strong foundation based on these insights during each stage of your digital marketing strategy, you can scale your efforts to create a successful campaign.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a plan of action that defines the techniques used to attract, convert and retain customers in your target market. A strong strategy will allow you to make the most out of every customer with regards to their value for your business. A solid online presence can prove vital when it comes down to increasing brand awareness, boosting sales and growing your customer base.
Your digital marketing strategy will consist of a number of strategies and tactics; we call these ‘digital marketing approaches’. As you start to develop and implement each approach, your team should be testing and evaluating their success. Of course, before any digital marketing activity can begin there is the small matter of carrying out market research to determine your customer’s wants and needs.
SEO vs SMO, where do I start?
The first step in any digital marketing campaign is to carry out research on the target audience. By creating buyer personas targeting specific groups of people with unique interests you will be able to develop targeted messaging that resonates more effectively.
SEO will allow you to target an audience looking for specific words, phrases and topics related to your business. Since people are looking for information on the internet they can either find it independently or via a search engine like Google. These search engines use keywords (or ‘search terms’) as a way of ranking websites by how relevant their content is to the keywords searched. For example, if someone was searching for ‘organic food near me’ they would be presented with results that are relevant to their search terms, i.e., local organic food stores/restaurants. Ranking number one on Google’s search results can bring a business incredible exposure and traffic!
SMO will allow you to create content (blogs, status updates, images etc.) around your campaign goals. If you are running a Facebook marketing campaign this will allow you to disseminate promotional material efficiently and effectively. You can use online tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule out posts weeks in advance so they go live exactly when you want them too.
These outlets will also allow you to create a meaningful dialogue with your customers – building brand awareness and creating a closer connection between customer and company.
How do I set my digital marketing budget?
Setting a budget is the first step of any successful campaign as it allows you to determine how much can be spent, what your goals are and how these factors relate to your overall marketing strategy. When it comes to setting the right budget you should take into account all of your business objectives, whether that is brand awareness, product sales or capturing email addresses.
Don’t be too cautious with how much you invest in your campaign as this can often lead to missing out on opportunities or failing to meet targets! Of course, before you can determine a budget, it’s important to have pre-determined the goals of your campaign – what do you want to achieve? Selling a specific number of products or capturing email addresses for a newsletter are just some things that may be on your list. Once you’ve outlined these objectives you will be able to use them as benchmarks for measuring the success of your campaign.
The next factor to take into account is how much money you have available to spend, which will allow you to decide on a realistic budget range for your campaign. As a rough guide, spend from £5 per customer for acquisition campaigns and from 25p per customer when running retention campaigns.
Which digital marketing channels should I use?
Choosing the right digital marketing channels will depend on your campaign objectives and how these can be achieved. For example, if you are running a product launch it may make more sense to use Facebook advertising as a way of targeting relevant users with specific interests – however for brand awareness this approach would make less sense. Other factors to consider are your resources and budget as well as the nature of the product or service you are trying to promote.
Social media can be a great way to create online buzz around a new launch or campaign, particularly if using Facebook advertising as it allows you to target specific demographics with relevant adverts. It’s also possible to engage in meaningful conversations with customers via these outlets, helping to build an authentic relationship between consumer and brand. Social media is also a great way of fostering relationships with influencers or key individuals within your sector – who can then spread the word about your product or service!
If you are looking for quick wins then search engine marketing (SEM) is a good place to start as you are able to spend as little as £5 per click on Google Adwords. A successful SEM campaign can drive traffic quickly to your site, allowing you the opportunity to track data related to sales or time spent on site etc. As most pay per click platforms will allow for this kind of tracking it’s a highly effective way of measuring ROI.
What is the best way to advertise online?
Digital marketing campaigns can be run using a variety of channels, allowing you to benefit from different approaches depending on your overall objectives. For example, if you are looking for quick wins then search engine marketing (SEM) may be the right option as it allows adverts to go live quickly and track data such as the number of clicks made on your adverts. Social media can be another great way to drive traffic quickly and create an online buzz around a campaign.
Programmatic advertising (using automated software) is becoming increasingly popular and allows you to tailor and target specific audiences with relevant messaging – which can often lead to lower costs per customer than other campaigns. This strategy can be used to run a wide range of campaigns and isn’t just something that’s limited to product launches – for example you could use this as part of your wider retention campaign to encourage existing customers to buy from you again!
What is social media marketing?
Social media can be a very effective digital marketing channel, particularly if using Facebook advertising as it allows you to target specific demographics with relevant adverts. You can also engage with customers on social channels like Twitter and Pinterest, helping to build an authentic relationship between consumer and brand. It’s possible to achieve quick wins through social media by running campaigns that are relevant to breaking news or current affairs.
Social Media Marketing Strategy:
Social media campaigns can be run using a wide variety of platforms and this is often one of the factors that makes it an attractive marketing strategy. However, different platforms may suit different kinds of messages or products/services so it’s important to think about the type of brand you are and the nature of the campaign you are running when choosing where to advertise.
Facebook is a great option for product launches or campaigns with specific time-sensitive deadlines (for example Black Friday deals) due to its highly targeted adverts and easy set up process. As part of an awareness campaign it can also be effective, allowing your ads to reach people in a similar demographic to your core customer base.
If you are currently focusing on building up your eCommerce business and looking for quick wins then advertising via Google Adwords or Bing can be a great way of driving traffic quickly to your site and tracking data such as the number of clicks etc. These channels also allow you to create ads which link customers directly to specific product pages on your site.
If you are looking to build relationships with influencers or key individuals within your sector then social media can be a great way of building these relationships, as well as reaching out to your target audience and fostering brand awareness. Social media is unique in that it allows you to engage directly with customers and establish an authentic relationship with them, without the need to pay a third party to distribute your message.
How do I measure the success of my online marketing campaign?
There are a number of ways in which you can work out whether or not your campaign has been successful. You may choose to use one of the following metrics as an indicator:
• Cost per customer acquired – The total amount spent divided by number of customers. This figure can be used to help compare different channels and highlight which had more success in bringing in new conversions.
• Number of unique visitors to your site – This metric provides an overview of the number of people who visited your site.
• Time spent on site – Shows how long users are spending engaging with your product or service, which again can be an indication of increased conversions. • Leads generated – A lead is defined as any time someone submits their contact information into your system.
• Sales or revenue – The final step in the sales cycle is completed when a customer actually buys something from you! Tracking sales data can show how successful each stage of your campaign was.
How to choose between Google Adwords and Facebook advertising?
Google Adwords allows people to advertise on specific keywords related to their industry, whereas Facebook advertising can be targeted to specific demographics. This means it’s easy to compare the number of clicks and conversions for each channel – which you might want to do as part of your campaign planning process. Customers who use Adwords tend to be more advanced than those using Facebook, but if you’re just starting out then this is a great way of building your brand awareness and getting people to visit your site.
What’s the difference between Facebook advertising and using news feeds?
Using a news feed is a targeted approach – so you can highlight specific products or services – whereas Facebook advertising allows you to target by demographics, interests and behaviours – such as age, location and interests. Of course this means that news feed posts will only be seen by a small proportion of your customers, whereas more people can see Facebook advertising. How many of your customers have shown an interest in your product or service?
In terms of social media, Facebook advertising has been the most widely used channel to date. In fact, according to an analysis conducted by TrackMaven , 93% of B2B marketers currently use it. However, there is a growing number of users being acquired via other channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter.It’s also possible to get involved in the conversation surrounding current affairs by running campaigns on social media. By advertising through a range of channels you can hit different audiences and test which ones are the most effective for your brand.
Social media is growing in popularity, and with increasingly sophisticated ad targeting options, it’s becoming an increasingly attractive way to advertise. However, it has to suit both your brand and the campaign you are running. If you are already using social media to communicate with your customers, try advertising on it for increased reach, better tracking and improved ROI.
What is the purpose of retargeting?
Retargeting allows you to show adverts on third-party sites – such as Google – to people who have visited your site, but not yet converted. Retargeting can be used alongside other marketing strategies – such as SEO or email marketing – to generate more interest and increase conversions.
The following adverts are seen by the customer until they’ve either converted, or decided against purchasing your product. This allows you to re-engage with customers who might have otherwise not returned to your site again.
Who should use remarketing?
Retargeting can be a great way of driving conversions with existing customers – for this reason it’s important to use remarketing on your site so you can track who has visited before. It’s likely that customers will hear about your brand from marketing campaigns and word of mouth – which means they already have some knowledge of what you’re offering before clicking on your adverts.
How can I use remarketing to attract new customers?
If the customer hasn’t made a purchase before, then you might want to try using different ads – such as explaining the benefits of buying from you. This could be compared to retargeting with existing customers where there’s less emphasis on what your product or service is and more on why it’s worth buying.
What is the difference between remarketing to existing customers and remarketing to new customers?
Retargeting with current customers means you can try different adverts that might appeal more, based on past behaviour. For example, if they visited your site once then didn’t make a purchase this time around, you might want to highlight specific aspects of your product next time. When remarketing to new customers you still want the advert to be appealing, but it might be worth considering including a discount code or special offer in order to get them interested right away.
How can I measure the success of my remarketing campaign?
You can use Google Analytics to see how many people have been exposed to each advert – which you can then use as a basis for future campaigns. It’s also worth checking out Google Adwords and Facebook Ads Manager as well as using programme such as Think With Google for benchmarking purposes.
How does remarketing work with SEO?
It’s important that your site is easy to navigate, so the customer can find their way around and learn more about your products and services. If people visit your site once but don’t convert, then this allows you to analyse what’s stopping them from converting – such as price or location. You might want to consider changing the website design based on this insight.
How does remarketing work with email marketing?
Email marketing can also help to drive conversions, so using a news feed advert alongside a targeted email campaign could potentially increase your reach and get more customers interested. You need to make sure that the products you show in both formats are relevant to ensure you generate potential interest from both sources.
Conclusion:
These are just some of the digital marketing tactics that can be used for promoting a product or service. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks and it’s up to you to determine which will work best in your particular sector and with your specific objectives. By combining multiple approaches you can gain an all-round view of how well each is working, allowing you to make the right adjustments along the way.
By following these steps you can promote your product or service with confidence, knowing that your campaign is both measurable and achievable! Of course, there are many more factors to consider when setting up a digital marketing campaign such as social media ROI , mobile advertising and search engine ranking (to name but a few!), but hopefully this article has given you a good starting point.