What is digital marketing?
According to HubSpot, “Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet.” In simple terms, digital marketing is the use of the internet and online digital technologies to sell and promote a company’s products and services.
Over the years, businesses have improved their marketing tactics and incorporated the digital world, hoping that the right people would see their products and services. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing plays a significant role in businesses reaching their niche.
As the world has advanced in many areas, reaching and communicating to consumers has also adapted. Gone were the days when the only way businesses could reach their customers was through traditional marketing such as radio, print, and telemarketing. Although these channels are still recognised today, it’s agreed that it’s not the be-all and end-all for most businesses now.
1. Versatile online channels
What’s great about digital marketing is the versatility of channels businesses can choose from to reach their desired consumer. Not only do businesses use social media, but there’s email marketing, content marketing, PPC, search engine optimisation and so on. For some businesses, digital marketing stops with social media; however, to get the full scope of reaching your potential customers and what your business can achieve in sales, incorporating more than one digital channel in your strategy is always suggested.
2. Cost-effective
Unlike traditional marketing that can cost quite a lot, digital marketing services can range from costing absolutely nothing to thousands and even more. That’s the great thing about digital marketing services. Most of the channels can provide you with organic reach, whereas others, including advertising ads, will require payments, and even then, the money spent will depend on you and how much you want to give.
3. Easy to measure results
Tracking goals and measuring outcomes for your online strategy would be easy to find. With almost all online channels having their analytics dashboard, you can always review your work for each channel. Not to mention for methods like content marketing, you can track how is it doing on your website with free tracking programs like google analytics.
4. Build trust with customers
Trust from your customers is essential to have if you want them to return. The use of digital marketing allows businesses to get close and personal in ways that traditional marketing cannot. Before anything, for some customers, researching a particular product or service is the first step to purchasing from a business. With digital marketing, informative content through social, your website, or content marketing can go a long way in starting that trust factor so many potential customers will want to see before purchasing from you. And suppose you win them with the right message. In that case, you have the opportunity to use other channels like email marketing to continue communicating with them about your new offerings and additional relevant information you want them to know.
5. Maximum reach
Without your customers, you have no business. If you weren’t sure before, there’s one significant impact digital marketing in strategy can bring, maximum reach. Businesses would have the opportunity to reach much more potential customers at a lower cost than traditional marketing methods.
When it comes to digital marketing, without doubt, there are many channels you can use to help your business attract the right market. Nevertheless, businesses need to ensure that they use the different digital channels to the highest ability. Instead of signing up and using every channel at a mediocre level, get started with one or two channels from which you can gain organic search. Once you become aware of what you can and cannot do, alongside how to reach your right market, take a look at paid online advertising.
If you’re new at digital marketing and unsure where to start, take a look at our blog, where to start with digital marketing, and find out how you can grow your reach, consumer base and, in turn, sales.
