Digital Marketing Guide for Business [2021]
In this guide, we cover all you need to know about digital marketing.
How to use digital channels such as your website, Google search, social media, and email to engage with prospective and current customers, and drive new inquiries and sales?
What is digital marketing?
It is the term used to describe a business’s online marketing activities; and would include digital channels such as their website, Google search, social media, and email to connect with prospective and current customers.
What are the benefits?
The fundamental benefit is a typically higher return on investment (ROI) when compared to offline advertising.
Online marketing is different from traditional offline marketing media, allowing advertisers to see results in real-time enabling them to see what is working and what is not much quicker.
Compare this to a newspaper advert, where it is difficult to assess how many people have paid attention to the advert, and even the number of direct responses.
A digital marketing consultant can use the rich data available to make adverts more effective quicker, so increasing the marketing return on investment.
Contents
- Why Digital Marketing?
- What digital tactics are there?
- What tactics are right for my business?
- What are the disadvantages of digital?
- Should I use a digital agency?
- What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
- What is Social Media Marketing?
- Does Email Marketing Still Work?
- Does PPC still pay?
- How Important Is Web Design?
- What is Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)?
Why Digital Marketing?
1. Level playing field
Small and medium sizes businesses now have the chance to compete in markets that were previously only open to large corporations.
All companies now have the opportunity to move into new markets with much lower barriers to entry.
We are now in an era where those who best give the customer what they are looking for can compete, no matter their size.
2. More Cost-Effective
In many cases, internet marketing can be much more cost-effective than the alternative offline options.
Some digital strategies can be very low cost, plus campaigns can be quickly optimised to drive a high return on investment.
3. Greater Customer Conversions
With most offline marketing it is difficult to optimise the campaigns, and the marketer simply does not have the data to know what is working and what is not.
Digital is different; it had available a wealth of performance data, so you can quickly test and improve your campaigns, and increase customer conversions.
What digital tactics are there?
There are numerous ways to drive new customers online, including:
1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
90% of UK households now have internet access [9], would your business benefit from being in the top 3 search results in Google for your main products and services?
SEO is the process of optimising your website so that it appears in the top search results within the search engines for ‘buying queries’ such as “buy BMX bike”, or “guarantor loans”. [1]
Are you capitalising on the world’s largest online advertising networks such as Google and Facebook, to drive cost-effective traffic to your website?
This is a type of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked, with a view to driving more visitors to their website. It is a way of buying visits to your site, rather than ‘earning’ those visits organically via SEO. [2]
With 66% of the UK’s internet users [9], regularly using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, are you capitalising on this marketing opportunity for your business?
Social media marketing is the practice of promoting your content and your brand on social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc) to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase brand awareness for your business. [4]