Digital technology has changed the way people communicate around the world. It has led to a new kind of marketing known as digital marketing.
Digital marketing is simply marketing using digital channels such as social media, email, websites, email, and mobile applications.
Business owners have it made in the digital era! With so many ways to get your name out there through digital marketing platforms, the opportunities and combinations are virtually limitless. So let us look at the methods and tips on how to use digital marketing to promote businesses.
Table of Contents
Digital marketing
Digital marketing is advertising produced via digital channels such as websites, search engines, social media, email, and mobile applications. With these digital channels, digital marketing is a method by which businesses promote products, services, and brands.
Consumers heavily rely on digital methods to do product research. For instance, Think with Google marketing insights discovered that 48% of customers begin their inquiries on search engines, 33% go to brand websites, and 26% search via mobile apps.
Marketing your business using digital tools is becoming more vital as people use their mobile phones or tablets to research items and services on the internet.
The 5Ds of digital marketing
To know the importance of digital marketing to the future of marketing in any business, evaluate what audience interactions we should understand and manage.
Today’s marketing is about much more than just a website or an email. It involves monitoring and leveraging the ‘5Ds of Digital,’ which define the potential for consumers to connect with brands and for businesses to reach and learn from their audiences in various ways:
- Digital devices – audiences interact with companies through different connected devices, including smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, televisions, and gaming consoles, as they engage with business websites and mobile applications.
- Digital platforms – most of the interactions on these devices occur via a browser or applications from the leading platforms or services. These included Facebook (and Instagram), Google (and YouTube), Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Digital media – advertising, email and messaging, search engines, and social networks are examples of paid, owned, and earned communications channels for reaching and engaging audiences.
- Digital data – the insight businesses collect data about their audience profiles and their interactions with companies, which in most countries now need to be secured by the law.
- Digital technology – The marketing technology stack, or martech stack we’re used by businesses to generate interactive experiences varying from websites and mobile applications to in-store kiosks and email campaigns.
7 Ways to Use Digital Marketing
In today’s digital world, It is impossible to learn how to use digital marketing to promote businesses. However, you have entered the fray and become competent at leveraging digital marketing for business growth. Even if you cannot perform digital marketing by yourself, you can hire a digital marketing agency to support you.
Local search marketing is the first step in using digital marketing to promote your business. 70% of people online shop for local items and services using their mobile phones. People are looking online to give them those services and goods, and they’re using Google to discover them. As a result, your business must be located locally on search engines.
How to do this:
- First, create a responsive website for your business and verify that includes in search engines.
- Second, include your business’s website and other details in local business directories.
- Third, set up an account for your business on Google My Business.
- Then, create social media pages for your business on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Lastly, add your business website and social media pages to your business cards, flyers, and banners.
These five steps will help people to find you online locally when they are looking for items related to your industry.
The second way to promote your business is Content Marketing. Again, companies that educated the most sell the most. To use content marketing to promote your business, start by creating high-value and problem-solving material and distributing it to your target customers.
The content can take various formats such as:
- Articles
- Case Studies
- Industry Reports/News
- EBooks
You can post it on your website’s blog and then share it with your customers using social share buttons on your business blog. The more often you write and promote your blog posts, the more traffic you will attract to your website.
In addition, you must generate high-quality materials such as high-resolution photos for your content using Adobe Photoshop Elements or other programs that are commonly available in computer software stores.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media has grown into a decisive factor in our everyday lives. Radio and television stations are now using social media to expand the reach and visibility of their broadcasts.
With the help of your business blog and good content, you can engage your customers and generate traffic to your website through social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Local search marketing gets you on search engines, but search engine optimization (SEO) keeps you there. You must start blogging and optimizing your blog entries to improved search engine rankings if you want to rank higher on search engines for issues related to your industry. Also, ensure that your website has superior web hosting to provide a better user experience to your audience.
5. Mobile Marketing
Today, the number of mobile phone users is growing. That means you’ll need to figure out using mobile phones and mobile channels of communication to promote your business.
WhatsApp, Instagram, Viber, and Snapchat are all mobile messaging applications that appear and work on mobile devices. To participate and leverage digital marketing to promote your business, you should create tactics to expand your business using mobile messaging applications.
6. Email Marketing
Despite the noise on social media, email marketing remains successful. Many consumers who use the internet now have an email address and check it often. As a result, you can start receiving marketing messages through email marketing.
However, it would be best to be careful while using email marketing and avoid spamming consumers. For example, before adding individuals to your mailing list, always get their permission first not to misinterpret your emails for spam. Also, when it comes to marketing campaigns, be informative rather than forceful.
7. Online Advertising
Businesses need quick and efficient communications. But, unfortunately, it means that they’ll need to spend a part of their sales earnings on advertising. Digital platforms invest in digital advertising at the lowest possible cost and with the highest potential return on investment.
Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and many more are examples of internet advertising systems. With the proper content, target market, and geographical targeting, you can enjoy the advantages of digital advertising.
Final Thought
Digital marketing is essential for businesses to compete in this new normal economy. Online is where the customers are. It is an excellent opportunity for your businesses to grow and achieve new heights. You will be able to run different digital campaigns to generate valuable results for your business.
AUTHOR:
Jennysis Lajom is an IT graduate, a chemist, an eCommerce business owner, and a Korean drama fan. Her passion for digital marketing led her to a career in graphic design, editing, and social media marketing. She is also one of the resident SEO writers inSoftvire USand Softvire Australia.
