
We live in a digital world. Every day more and more people are online, searching for information and consuming content. Believe it or not, there are still many businesses that are not online and do not even have a website. If your prospective customers cannot find you online, they will find your competitor. That’s why it is crucial to not only have a stunning website, but you also need to take full advantage of the world wide web and reach out to your prospects via digital marketing.
So what exactly is digital marketing? Digital marketing is simply the use of the internet to market your products or services. It uses artificial intelligence, algorithms, and retargeting and gives businesses direct access to consumers who are interested in their products. The data collected allows your business to get to know your customers better and offer content that speaks to their needs and desires.
Today, we are breaking down the basics of what you need to get started. And of course, if you need any assistance with your digital marketing – we can help!
Web Development & Design
You absolutely must have a website! Websites lead site users through your sales funnel to become subscribers and/or customers. Your website should be engaging, easy to use and follows good design and marketing principles.
SEO
In order to receive traffic to your website via organic search engine results, you need to use SEO (search engine optimization). SEO incorporates the use of techniques and tools that help search engines discover website content and serve relevant content to search engine users. On-page SEO involves the use of tags and website structure to tell search engines what a website page is about. Off-page SEO tells search engines that your site has authority and is trustworthy. even things like Yelp reviews or links to your content from authoritative sites, help boost your off-page SEO by letting search engines know your website contains quality information that is relevant to searchers. To learn more about SEO check out these articles.
Content Marketing
SEO and content work together. You need to create, publish, and promote content that attracts your target audience (your ideal buyer). The use of content such as web pages, blog articles, videos, social media posts, and eBooks to attract website visitors through helpful and engaging published information that answers their questions and provides value. Having a blog on your website, that is updated regularly, is a plus for content marketing and it’s something search engines like Google LOVE! Check out this article to see how you can boost your ranking on Google (using your website content).
Social Media
Your business MUST have a social media presence! Social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn are valuable lead generation tools for driving visitors to websites and landing pages.
Create engaging content, including images, written posts, and video while building a community of fans and customers! You can find tons of information about using social media in your digital marketing strategy here!
PPC and Social Advertising
While you can do tons of free marketing by using social media platforms and sharing your awesome reviews (from sites like Yelp) you should still consider advertising! Place ads in front of targeted search engine and social media users. Drive leads to your website through the use of ads, without having to earn a spot in organic search results.
Start out by focusing on PPC and Social Advertising. PPC = “Pay Per Click”. Pay-per-click is a method of advertising by displaying ads in search engine results. Google PPC ads are based on targeted keywords. Advertisers pay when the ad is clicked by a search engine user. Social advertising is the display of ads on social media platforms. Advertisers select targeted audiences based on user behaviors and interests.
Lead Magnets
You need to attract relevant, targeted leads to your website so that you may build a relationship with them resulting in sales. Create a lead magnet to attract visitors to your website or landing page. A lead magnet is free content that is offered as a free download in exchange for the users contact information.
Here are a few examples of lead magnets you can offer
- Worksheets
- Outline/cheatsheet
- Spreadsheet
- Email course or challenge
- Video training or tutorial
- Webinar or audio recording
- E-book
- Infographic
- Resource library with many worksheets/ebooks/etc
Email Marketing
Once you have leads, you’ll want to build a relationship with them by providing value and extending your content beyond what they can find on your website. Email marketing allows you to stay in front of your audience and customers on a consistent basis. It will help you build trust with your leads which will lead the potential customer further down your sales funnel toward a purchase.
Analytics
In order to make adjustments and/or informed decisions about your digital marketing strategy, you need to look at the numbers. Analytics is the use of metrics and data to determine whether or not your digital marketing efforts are successful in meeting goals. Tools such as Google Analytics (which is free to use) reveals your websites use data that can help you make decisions about the efficacy of your digital marketing strategy and the effectiveness of your tactics. Social media platforms also have analytics available for business pages, free of charge.

Now that you know the basics of digital marketing, it’s time to put the pieces together! If you need any assistance with any or all of the items we mentioned, please give us a call!
Is there something missing from your current digital marketing strategy that you will be adding? Let us know how our tips have helped your strategy in the comments below!