Topic 5 Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing, known also as online marketing, refers to all marketing that takes place on the internet. Many businesses use digital channels (search engines, social media, email, text) to attract and connect with customers.

In today’s world, digital marketing is key to the success of any business, with most businesses now having their own website and/or social media presence. Digital marketing is so common that customers have come to rely on it, and expect to be able to learn about a business via an online platform.

Digital marketing is important as it helps businesses to reach a wider target audience than using more traditional marketing methods. It can also be more cost-effective and measures the success of marketing efforts.

Some other major benefits of digital marketing include:

❖Efforts can be focused specifically on the customers that are most likely to engage with your services or products.

❖Digital marketing allows for more equal competition with other businesses evens the playing field within your industry and allows you to compete with bigger brands.

❖It is less problematic to adapt and change the digital marketing strategy as required.

❖Digital marketing can improve the quality of your leads.

In order for modern businesses to be successful, it is very important to be able to conduct online marketing to promote services and products. Lorenzen (2017) says that every entrepreneur should know the following seven online marketing skills to help achieve online marketing success.

1. Facebook Advertising: While many businesses have a Facebook page, few use it to their advantage. It can be budget-friendly and reaches a wide target audience.
2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Including SEO content in a marketing campaign increases the business’s chances of appearing high on search engine results and attracting more customers.
3. PPC Advertising: Pay-per-click advertising drives traffic to the business website by paying a website owner, such as Google, whenever an ad for the business appears on their website.
4. Content Marketing: The goal of content marketing should be to inform people of the business. To do this, relevant and valuable content needs to be created and published to attract followers. This can include blogs, articles, and posts that ensure the delivery of quality content that truly reflects the business.
5. Using Video to Your Advantage with YouTube, Snapchat, FB Live and Periscope: Video is one of the most powerful online advertising tools and many people do not take advantage of it. There are many types of videos that you can take advantage of, such as ‘how-to’ guides, live broadcasts, tours of the business facility, or showcasing new products or services.
6. Email Marketing: Email is still very valuable in today’s business market. Many people have their emails linked directly to their phones and check these consistently throughout the day. Email marketing campaigns can be used to engage with customers, increase sales or provide incentives and promotions to encourage them.
7. Building a Brand on Social Media: Social media is one of the best ways to build a strong brand identity or reputation for the business and communicate with current and potential customers as it allows for a more personal relationship with customers.