Digital marketing is a wide range of online tactics that help businesses connect with their target audience. It’s a fast-moving field, and gurus often declare tools and techniques hot one week and dead the next.
But this doesn’t have to be the case. This chapter offers a technical outline of the basics that any brand can use to build its digital marketing strategy.
Social media
Using social media marketing, businesses can connect with their audiences and drive traffic to their websites. A successful social media campaign requires a clear strategy, goals, and a team that can produce content. This team should include at least one person who knows how to use the platform and the tools.
This type of marketing has many benefits, including increased sales and customer retention. It is also a great way to build brand awareness and position the company as an industry leader. According to a 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer report, people trust recommendations from friends and family more than ads or celebrity endorsements.
Developing an effective social media strategy is key to growing your business. Be sure to set SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. These goals will help your team stay focused on what matters most. They will also make it easier to track and measure your progress. Then you can adjust your tactics as needed.
Search engine optimization
Digital marketing encompasses a variety of strategies and tactics that businesses use to promote their products or services online. It can include everything from email campaigns to social media marketing. Using these techniques can help you reach new customers and increase your sales. However, it is important to understand that not all digital marketing techniques are created equal. Some of them may be misleading or even harmful.
The field of digital marketing is constantly changing, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends. It can also be confusing to decide which tools are right for your business. It is important to ask questions and learn as much as possible about the different options available. A good digital marketer will be able to explain how each tool works and how it can be used to achieve your goals. They will also be able to recommend other tools and techniques that you may not have considered.
Email marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, but it’s still a powerful tool for connecting with customers and encouraging brand loyalty. Using a combination of personalized emails and email automation, you can target your audience based on their last purchase history or other criteria. Email marketers can also experiment with email format, hero images, and tone to discover what resonates with their audience.
Creating an email that is both informative and entertaining will keep recipients engaged. This will increase your chances of achieving a high open and click-through rate. Similarly, creating an email with a sense of urgency will encourage recipients to act quickly before the offer expires.
Oral health company Willo uses a fun and creative approach to email marketing in this example. The eye-catching design and CTA ’Stay subscribed’ encourage recipients to remain part of their community and receive more information about their products. The email also offers a simple way to update preferences and stay in line with new UK privacy laws.
Instant messaging
Instant messaging is a form of online communication that lets you send and receive brief textual messages in real time. It’s commonly used by businesses and individuals to communicate quickly with co-workers. However, IM is different from email in that it’s more like a digital conversation than a letter.
Unlike email, which is often open to anyone with an Internet connection, IM systems tend to facilitate connections between known users through a contact or buddy list. Messages can include images and emojis, as well as links to other modes of communication such as video conference calls or voice chats.
IM also differs from email in that it isn’t usually interoperable. This means that two people using different IM applications may not be able to exchange messages, although this has some disadvantages as well. Moreover, the nature of IM is such that it can be difficult to switch off conversations. Therefore, it’s important to practice proper IM etiquette.