Digital marketing just means to create hype or a buzz; a new way through which businesses are now advertising. Decades ago, a business had to physically reach out to its audience and test the market to understand product quality. When technology advanced and there was a need to innovate, digital marketing was introduced.
Digital marketing arrived in the early 2000s but not many businesses were aware. If we take a recent example about the pandemic of Covid-19 that hit worldwide, a lock-down was imposed in many countries; this is when 99% of digital marketing worked successfully for brands. Everything went online, from nappies to needles, shoes to slippers and garments to groceries. Businesses boosted their existence on social media to reach out to customers.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is merely advertising which is delivered on digital channels. Such as,
- Social media.
- Mobile applications.
- Email.
- Web applications.
- Search engines.
- Websites or any digital platforms.
In simpler words, digital marketing is used to market products or services through electronic devices. It can be done online and offline depending on the strategy that a brand is focusing on.
Why do brands need digital marketing?
Do you remember billboards? They still exist and brands advertise through them. We may have even experienced billboards war. They are mostly placed on busier roads, highways, or excessive traffic areas where most traffic is prevalent. They are short, concise, imaginative and a reminder that the brand exists.
Here is one of AUDI & BMW,
(Image source: BMW blog)
In 2015, millions of dollars were invested in billboard advertisements. However, with the invasion of digital marketing, it is not used as a first priority investment. Google and Facebook are the most revenue generating platforms as compared to any traditional media company.
According to sources, Americans are spending 11+ hours on their electronic devices each day. Even in other countries, the usage of the digital world is more. The more important pillars connecting digital marketing are online marketing and offline marketing. We will cover online marketing in our guide.
Here are four big categories of online marketing:
- SEO – Search engine optimization.
- SEM – Search engine marketing.
- Content marketing.
- SMM – Social media marketing.
SEO – Search engine optimization
SEO stands for search engine optimization; it is the procedure through which websites improve its visibility to the audience. They improve the visibility of your website in the search engine, the more attention your brand gets from potential buyers, the more sales it would make. SEO is an essential part of digital marketing because users search for everything online, with the intention to find useful information about brands, products, and services. A search engine is a basic source of getting digital traffic for businesses. A brand with good visibility and ranking will appear on top search results.
What are the benefits of SEO service?
- SEO provides a better user experience.
- SEO is the primary source of leads.
- SEO brings increased closer rates.
- SEO results in higher conversion rates.
- SEO promotes better cost management.
- SEO encourages local users.
- SEO builds brand credibility.
- SEO helps build brand awareness.
SEM – Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing is one of the most productive techniques to grow businesses in this fierce competitive market. Millions of brands are out there and aim for customer attention; it was never this important to have a stronghold on online advertisement. SEM is known to help businesses promote their products or services and increase sales. The keywords are a fundamental part of SEM. User’s enter keywords as a search query into search engines to get the desired results. This is where SEM show’s its effectiveness.
SEM Keyword Research
Keywords play a vital role in digital marketing; through SEM campaigns, you can conduct massive research on planning your keyword strategy. First, you need to identify your keywords relevant to your products and what potential customers use while searching for those services.
There are various keyword producers; simply enter a keyword that resembles your business and find the related suggestion; here is a sample picture of a free keyword tool.
What are the benefits of SEM?
- Reach customers instantly.
- Boost brand awareness.
- Develop GEO-targeted search ads.
- Acknowledge and balance ads easily and quickly.
- Target the accurate audience through optimized ads.
- Increase traffic through ad visibility.
- Pay only per action.
- Appear on the competitor’s related keywords.
Content marketing
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on producing and distributing effective and trending content. Content marketing works in the long run and focuses on developing a stronger relationship with brands and their target audience by providing them high-quality content.
Content marketing helps brands earn their audience’s loyalty and become a first-preference over their competitor’s options.
“Content marketing is education and shows the customers that the brand cares about them.”
These days customers want to find the solution to their problems, let it be work-related or house-related; they don’t want to just purchase another product that doesn’t resolve their problems.
What are the benefits of Content Marketing?
- It helps in boosting brands’ SEO and brings traffic worldwide.
- Build brand awareness.
- Brand personality shines through.
- Connect the audience in various multiple learning formats.
- Fuel social media and PR results.
- Supports your audience through the conversion funnel.
SMM – Social media marketing
Social media marketing is a type of internet marketing that utilizes social networking websites as a marketing tool. SMM’s main goal is to develop content that users share on their social network to help companies increase brand exposure and broaden customer reach.
SMM assists companies in getting direct feedback from potential customers. It provides the customers with an opportunity to question the brands and complain directly to the brand.
SMM is more common now with the increased popularity of social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
What are the benefits of SMM?
- Increased brand awareness.
- Improved inbound traffic.
- Increased SEO rankings.
- Higher conversion.
- Brand loyalty.
- Brand authority.
- Cost-effective solutions.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is essential for every brand nowadays. It is an ideal business opportunity for marketers. To compete in the digital market, brands need to have a clear understanding of its benefits. This is an ever-growing business that will be worthwhile in the upcoming years. Digital marketing will turn cherished dreams into reality. The only thing a brand needs is patience to accomplish their goals.
