Digital Marketing Fundamentals (And Why They Matter)

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Technology and the Internet are constantly being upgraded and, in turn, expanding their various roles in our lives. For business owners, trying to understand how to operate a successful online business (or leveraging digital technology to promote your brick-and-mortar business) in this ever-shifting landscape can be a dizzying proposition. The online marketing world is a daunting egg to crack for anyone unfamiliar with all the buzzwords and concepts, but don’t worry!

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While the Internet (and the devices and platforms we use to access it) keeps on changing, the fundamentals of a solid digital marketing strategy have remained fairly stable throughout the long reign of Web 2.0 technologies (mostly defined by ubiquitous social network use, streaming multimedia, and cloud computing).

Here are some key concepts you’ll need to understand and address to be an effective digital marketer:

SEO – Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization means writing your website’s content in such a way that search engines can not only find it, but will also feature it high among listings of competitors and digital noise. While best practices for SEO have changed over the years as search technology becomes more and more sophisticated, the basic concept has always been to identify keywords that people are searching and then use those keywords on your website at a density that will positively affect your search rankings. The exact keyword density that should be aimed for can depend on a lot of factors, such as what industry you’re operating in, what your competitors’ websites look like, and what search terms you’re targeting.

PPC – Pay-Per-Click

The idea behind pay-per-click is simple. Every time someone clicks on your advertisement, you pay the advertiser. PPC can be an effective blunt force tool when you advertise on the correct platforms and find the correct audience. Be sure you’re running detailed analytics so that you know how many of your precious clicks are being converted to actual business.

Email Marketing

Email isn’t dead! A person’s primary email inbox is still a great place to reach them when you want to reach out with passive, low-pressure communications. Email can be especially effective with professional types and older folks. If you can compile an effective email list of past, current, and potential customers and pair that with compelling marketing copy, direct email marketing can still offer an excellent return on your marketing dollars in a landscape dominated by social media.

Social Media

Speaking of social media… it’s no longer optional, if anyone was still wondering. A good website and an e-mail newsletter simply aren’t enough to survive as an online business anymore. Know which social media platforms your target audiences are using, and then learn them inside and out. Post every day, or multiple times per week at a minimum. Not every post has to be a sales pitch—post content that is helpful to your existing customers, or links to engaging news stories relevant to your products. You may feel that your time as a serious business person is being wasted on TikTok and Instagram. It’s not. Loosen up and lean into the opportunity to expand your brand in ways you hadn’t thought of before.

Digital marketing in the modern marketplace is all about creating engaging content and knowing where to place it. That could mean a long-form blog post about a serious technological breakthrough your company made, or it could just be a fun TikTok dance that happens to feature your newest t-shirt design. Find your niche, master it, and exploit it to its fullest potential.

Need help with your digital marketing? Reach out to SteerPoint!