You know Instagram, Facebook, Email Marketing, but Digital Marketing is so much more than just sharing posts on social media and pushing messaging out through emails. It is ranked as the fastest growing marketing tool, and if you're not already doing it, now is an excellent time to start.
The 7 Main Categories of Digital Marketing:
Content Marketing
Email Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Social Media Marketing
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Affiliate Marketing
What does that mean in layman's terms?
Digital marketing: using the internet and all other digital platforms to reach current and potential customers.. Nurturing a relationship with existing customers and gaining new ones through digital promotions, authentic branding, current and engaging digital storytelling via blogs, posts, emails, and ads.
You can break down the goals of digital marketing into a million categories, and you should, when you get into specifics for your company, however, the primary goal is always to increase sales. However, we've broken things down into three main goals that almost every client has and needs to focus on in their campaign.
Main Goals:
1) Increase brand awareness: grow the number of people who recognize your brand and product and know a product if made by your brand when they see it
2) Drive traffic: encourage people to visit your Facebook page, Instagram profile, website
3) Generate leads: gather people who are interested in your brand and may want to purchase from you
"I'm a big believer of always starting with digital-first because it's directly quantifiable, and you can turn it off like a light switch if it's not working, If you did that with a print or an advertising campaign, you need to commit to three or four months. You have no idea if it's working or not working." - Robert Weiss, President of MultiVision Digital, a New York video production company.
Do you remember the Kelloggs Frosted Flakes, Tony the Tiger slogan, "They're Gr-r-reat!" from the 90s? Even if you don't, you know the icon and the logo. That type of brand awareness is invaluable, and if you're not utilizing digital marketing, you're missing out on an enormous opportunity to introduce your brand to a much bigger audience than traditional marketing would allow with a small business budget.
The Manifest, a business research company, conducted a survey of 529 small businesses across the U.S. about the digital marketing channels they invest in, use, and prioritize.
They concluded that more than a third of small businesses (classified as having limited revenue and between 1 and 500 employees) are using digital marketing now more than traditional marketing. Being able to see results from your marketing spend directly has a significant role to play here, but also meeting your customers where they are and where they're checking out your competitors is increasingly essential. Small businesses overall plan to decrease spending on traditional and event marketing, especially as we become even more digitally reliant after Covid-19.
Digital marketing levels the playing field.
Digital marketing levels the playing field, allowing brands with much smaller budgets than the big guys to connect directly with consumers. Now, when budgets are even tighter, it is vital to have a digital marketing strategy and an effective implementation plan. It can mean the difference between reaching your target consumers or missing out on significant sales because people are simply unaware of your brand.
At Ansley Media Co., we believe deeply in making your budget worker smarter, and digital marketing is arguably the most cost-effective marketing tool available.
Got questions? Leave them for us in the comments!