Marketing Basics 101: How To Do Digital Marketing

A modern era calls for modern marketing.

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American adults spend an average of 11 hours on a screen every single day.

That’s why old-fashioned, billboard-style marketing just doesn’t cut it these days. People now encounter and engage with adverts in totally different ways. Eyes of all ages are online instead.

Which means your marketing must be too.

However, it’s one thing to know your business must adapt to the digital era. It’s a totally different thing to make that happen. After all, you might have been relying on flyers, signage, and direct mail for years!

The world of social media, content marketing, and Google Adwords may seem a total mystery. We wanted to help.

Do you want to bring your business up to speed and master digital marketing?

Keep reading for a basic guide on how to do digital marketing.

What is Digital Marketing?

A solid understanding of digital marketing starts with a definition.

Thankfully, the premise behind it is relatively straight forward. Essentially, the clue’s in the name!

Digital marketing is a term describing marketing that utilizes an electronic device. Note that it doesn’t have to be online. For instance, the first digital marketing started way back with the start of the radio.

People began using the radio to market their products and services and generate business.

Obviously, technology has advanced a bit. These days, primary digital marketing channels include search engines, email, social media, websites, and so on.

There are many benefits involved. For instance, digital media simplifies traditionally long-winded processes, such as marketing proposals (here’s a marketing campaign proposal example).

How to Do Digital Marketing

With a definition out of the way, let’s turn to how to do it. Check out the following components of digital marketing that’ll help get you up and running.

Online Digital Marketing

Let’s start with the online side of things. Here are 5 components of online digital marketing.

1. Email Marketing

Email marketing has been a foundation of digital marketing for some time.

It begins with acquiring subscribers to your site. You provide an incentive of some kind that persuades someone to give their email address. For instance, your website might offer a free e-book or online course. The user subscribes with their email address and receives it in their inbox.

Once you have the address, you can contact them via email whenever you wish. Build a relationship, and send deals, discounts, news, and updates.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is central to digital marketing.

It’s all about ranking your website in search engines. The power of search is insane. Consider that Google receives 63,000 searches per second. Even a small percentage of that traffic to your site can provide a giant boost to business.

Optimizing a site for SEO helps you get to the top of page one of SERPs. There’s a lot to it though. Here’s a handy guide to get you started.

3. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

SMM leverages the power of social media to generate business.

Like each individual component of digital marketing, we could write an entire piece on SMM. The basic idea is that you create content for a social media platform. It’s purpose is to drive engagement and traffic to your website and business.

Alas, you can’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach. You must tailor the content to each platform.

Social media is a powerful tool. Get it right and your business with thrive.

4. Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click advertising enables you to pay for high rankings in search engines.

People search for particular keywords. For example, ‘dental treatment in Florida’. Oh, and you happen to be a dentist in Florida.

Essentially, you tell Google you’re willing to pay them a certain fee to rank your ad. Depending on the competition (there may be lots of other dentists in Florida doing the same thing), your ad may show up in the top spot.

If the user clicks on your listing, you pay Google the asking price for that term and win a lead in return. You’re buying visits to your website, as opposed to using SEO to rank organically. Here’s a guide to PPC to explain further.

5. Content Marketing

Content marketing is about telling stories.

That might sound strange, but your goal is to create compelling stories that market a product. Great content (usually through blog articles) that provides value will generate interest, build rapport, and lead to conversions.

In essence: awesome content generates sales and subscribers. This all links in with email, SEO and SMM. Optimize the content for search engines, then market it through all available channels.

Offline Digital Marketing

On to a brief look at the offline side of things.

You may already be familiar with many types of offline marketing.

Think electronic billboards (yes, these still work!), TV commercials, radio advertisements (where it all began), and finally, mobile phones. In reality, the opportunities are endless. And it all counts as digital marketing.

Each platform provides different opportunities. All of them, used in the right way, can have a profound effect on business success.

TV Marketing

TV commercials can be huge. But they need to be well made and be showed at a time and place where your audience will be watching. Think super-bowl ads! Oh, and it’ll cost you.

Radio Marketing

Radio can still work for you too. It’s a little old-school these days. However, an entertaining podcast or radio show can still generate masses of attention. Get on it in some shape or form to promote your product.

Mobile Marketing

A final note on mobile phone marketing. Smartphones are ubiquitous. The opportunities to utilize them in your marketing are endless. Online mobile marketing will be essential- more people are now accessing the internet via mobile than any other platform!

But offline mobile marketing works too. Think calls and text messages. Cold calling might make you cringe, but it can bring business. Text messages are better. The open-rates are insane, and you can offer discounts and deals that promote loyalty and return business.

Time to Get Marketing

There you have it: how to do digital marketing!

The digital era calls for a new approach to marketing. More and more people are turning their attention to screens. Marketing strategies must take that into consideration.

Offline or online, marketing your products or services through electronic devices is now essential to success. Hopefully, the information here will help you get started!

Want to learn more about digital marketing? Click here for 5 reasons it’s crucial to business growth.