A digital marketing strategy is a strategy used to be successful in marketing online; commonly called internet marketing. It is a specific type of strategy because there are several key differences when compared to conventional marketing.
When it comes to marketing strategies, the digital marketing strategy may be the most important one of all. Thats because most of the marketing these days is done online, and even the marketing that is done conventionally will often be combined with digital marketing. Thats why you have to know what is involved with a digital marketing strategy and how to create one; but in order to understand the strategy, you must first understand digital marketing in the first place.
What is Digital Marketing?
You first must understand what digital marketing is. Digital marketing is the process of marketing via the internet, over computers, websites and mobile devices. Digital marketing is very distinguishable from conventional marketing because it is used to reach a different type of consumer the one that uses the internet on a regular basis. Depending upon the demographic that you are trying to reach, you will choose the form of marketing that is best suited to them. Most people use the internet these days, but there is still a difference between the casual internet user and the regular internet user. Those that are involved in digital marketing need to know how to speak to the regular internet consumer.
The Digital Marketing Strategy
So, now that you understand that there is a difference between digital marketing and more conventional forms of marketing (such as radio, television and billboards) then you need to develop a digital marketing strategy. Thats something that we will cover a little later, but you first should understand just what a digital marketing strategy is. After all, it is difficult to develop something that you havent yet defined.
The digital marketing strategy is a plan of action that is completed in order to have success in digital marketing. In order to create a digital marketing strategy you must first have some understanding of how search engines work as well as a basic working knowledge of other IM technology or methods such as email marketing, calls to action, Google analytics, social media and the landing page; just to name a few. Obviously, you also need a product or service to sell.
Digital marketing planning starts by deciding what sorts of marketing efforts you want to pursue. Understanding what avenues are out there is an important part of your marketing strategy. For example, you can use PPC marketing campaigns or various other digital channels like banner ads on websites, advertising on internet radio stations or content marketing. Some companies even have a digital marketing manager that specifically handles that aspect of a companys marketing, often with an entire team behind them. Companies often need to make a digital transformation if they have done nothing else but conventional marketing campaigns. Smart insights into what consumers want and where a demographic is most likely to see your message is the most important part of the marketing customer experience.
Integrated digital marketing often starts with a free download in order to collect email addresses. Thats because email marketing campaigns are some of the most effective ones out there. Various tools such as soft-sell methods, case studies and powerful buying words are used to create a response to an email marketing campaign.
Various Types of Digital Marketing Strategies
There are a number of digital marketing strategies out there. We have already discussed some of them briefly. But lets look at the most common ones in more detail. One of the most common types of digital marketing strategy is email marketing. Email marketing is when you collect email addresses for the purposes of marketing to the owners of those email addresses later on. Email marketing is extremely effective because people tend to respond better to emails and you can send a series of them so that you get several chances to pitch your products or services.
Another strategy that people use is content marketing. Content marketing is when you create content for the purpose of bringing traffic to your website, where people can be exposed to your sales pitch for your products and services. Content marketers create content around keyword phrases that they have researched in advance to bring in traffic. These keywords have a lot of searches but very little competition. You can use back linking and other SEO strategies to get ranked even higher for those keyword phrases.
Yet another type of marketing in the digital realm is the pay-per-click search engine marketing. Pay-per-click marketing doesnt necessarily have to be done in partnership with the search engine like Google, but this is the most common way. Pay-per-click happens whenever you run an ad where you only have to pay when someone clicks on the ad and goes to your sales page.
CPM marketing is based on impressions. CPM stands for cost per mille. Basically, how this works is that you pay a certain amount every time someone sees your advertisement; they do not have to click on the advertisement in order for you to owe money, all they have to do is load it in their web browser or on their mobile device.
One type of digital marketing strategy that many people are familiar with is social media marketing. Social media marketing is the process of growing a following on social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, and then using that audience as a customer base. Social media marketing is different than other types of marketing because you have to continue to grow your audience while ensuring that your message gets out there. This often means walking a fine line between having an entertaining social media profile and posting overt advertisements for your products and services.
Expert tips: building a digital marketing strategy
Lets look at some expert tips on building a digital marketing strategy that works. These are relatively simple, but they are super important and many beginning marketers are not using them properly.
First, know who your customers are. If you can figure out your customers are and what they are looking for, then you can match the right customer with the right offer and you will increase your conversions drastically.
When building a digital marketing strategy, think about your strategy in terms of the entire marketing plan and not just particular websites that you are going to be using. Your website is an important part of your digital marketing strategy, but it is only one piece in a giant machine of other pieces.
Make sure that you are where your customers are. If your demographic is more likely to hang out on Instagram or Facebook than Twitter, you should know that about them already and be part of their online world.
Make use of all of the technology at your disposal. Many people do not realize that there are tons of tools out there for every aspect of Internet marketing, from researching keywords to building websites; from checking out your competition to advertising on mobile devices. Make sure you know what is available.
Digital marketing strategies are one of the most important plans you can put together for your business. If you are not marketing in the digital world, then youre not reaching all of the potential customers that you could be