A Complete Guide to Digital Marketing
Introduction
Digital marketing, although gained currency recently, tracks its emergence from the late 1990s. However, the tools and knowledge were limited to the agencies and corporations, as the internet was not affordable and accessible to the general public at large. With time, the internet started to make its existence into schools, small businesses and companies as well. Subsequently, the rise of digital marketing showed its first spike in and around 2010, globally. Emergence brought with itself a number of techniques and tools for optimization, advertising, ranking and selling. Words, products, services, ideas, almost everything was made possible to be sold digitally. In this in-depth guide, we are going to discuss each and every technique invented by experts to help people thrive in the digital marketing world. By the end of this, you will be able to decipher how digital marketing works.
Table of Contents:
- What is Digital Marketing?
- Importance of Digital Marketing
- Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
- Creating Compelling Content
- Understanding SEO for Content
- On-Page SEO Optimization
- Off-Page SEO Techniques
- Technical SEO Considerations
- Local SEO Strategies
- Google Ads
- Keyword Research and Selection
- Creating Effective Ad Campaigns
- Monitoring and Optimizing SEM Campaigns
- Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms
- Creating a Social Media Content Strategy
- Engaging with Your Audience
- Measuring Social Media ROI
- Building an Email List
- Crafting Effective Email Campaigns
- Personalization and Segmentation
- Email Marketing Analytics and Optimization
- Identifying Relevant Influencers
- Building Relationships with Influencers
- Collaborating on Influencer Campaigns
- Monitoring and Managing Your Online Reputation
- Responding to Reviews and Feedback
- Dealing with Negative PR and Crisis Management
- Cultivating a Positive Brand Image
- Setting Up Website Analytics
- Analyzing User Behavior and Conversion Funnels
- A/B Testing and Optimizing Landing Pages
- Improving Conversion Rates for Better Results
- Voice Search and Voice Assistants
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Marketing
- Chatbots and Conversational Marketing
- Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
Understanding Digital Marketing
What is Digital Marketing?
The term “digital marketing” is used to describe the process of advertising goods and services, as well as brands, via the use of digital mediums and tools. It includes a broad variety of approaches to using the internet and other digital media to communicate with and captivate certain demographics. Connecting with clients, raising brand recognition, boosting website traffic, generating leads, and accomplishing company goals are all possible owing to digital marketing’s use of the internet and other digital technology. It uses a variety of platforms, including search engines, social networking sites, email, content, applications, and display ads.
Importance of Digital Marketing
Marketing strategies aided by digitization have produced remarkable results, according to the statistics. It’s considerably more common and crucial to the formation of any identity or brand’s public perception. Entrepreneurs, advertising agencies, businesses, and even individuals may all benefit from digital marketing’s expanded audience reach and precision targeting. Getting your message out to people is cheap in comparison to old-school methods of advertising like billboards, banners, and posters. Now, digital marketing can get your electronic billboards, banners, posters, etc. in front of a wide audience. This method of advertising is also useful because it offers analytics on the campaigns. These insights are then analyzed further to produce intelligent data for making crucial decisions. Even if a business owner invests heavily in traditional advertising, reaching the ideal customers would be impossible without the help of digital marketing. The world is online. Businesses cannot be offline.
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
Traditional marketing has been employed by every sector for years. It includes bill-boards, tv commercials, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, etc. While digital marketing uses the same genres, though electronically. The cost of traditional marketing is very high, and for small businesses it was never possible to afford marketing techniques. Digital marketing, however, has provided small businesses owners with the provision of getting marketed. Also, traditional marketing did not allow two way communication. Therefore, there was no possible analytics gathered, in order to make future decisions. On the other hand, digital marketing tools provide in-depth information through various platforms that can be used for data interpretation.
Content Marketing
Creating Compelling Content
Content Marketing has been the king of this sector. Though graphics play a key role in determining whether the content will be read or not, the appealing, convincing, enticing content will always have an upper edge.
Understanding SEO for Content
Basic rules and fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization allows the content to rank on the browsers. If the content writers apply SEO tactics, then it becomes easier for them to be visible and win the race.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
On-Page SEO Optimization
On-page SEO works as the backbone or cradle of optimization techniques. It has 10 aspects – quality content, relevant page title, headers, keyword injected meta description, alt text in the image, structured markup, relevant URLs of the pages, internal links, responsiveness and site speed.
Off-Page SEO Techniques
At the culmination of on-page SEO begins the process of off-page SEO. It includes – high-quality backlink generation, social media marketing, social bookmarks (Stumble, reddit, digg, etc), youtube marketing, etc. Off-page SEO is a long term process and requires a lot of patience and sagacity.
Technical SEO Considerations
The technical part of search engine optimization fundamentally focuses on increasing the speed of the website. The faster the website the higher is the traffic. While bounce rate increases on the web pages that take more than three seconds to load. Page indexing, XML sitemaps, canonical tags and keyword usage & presence.
Local SEO Strategies
Local SEO is one of the most impactful strategies in Digital Marketing when targeting the local audience. Statistics proclaim the heavy impact of getting listed in the local area as a large number of customers trust the process and reach out to them. The process includes – Google Business Profile, SEO Audits, Site localization, Business Listing, Local keyword research, online review management, etc. The three significant pillars of Local SEO are proximity, prominence, and relevance
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Google Ads
Although there are many other search engines too, where pages are indexed and ads are run, Google has been successful in capturing the 91.9% market share. It is a paid form of advertising opted by the organizations to rank quickly on the SERP (Search engine result page). Other types of Google ads include – google display ads, google shopping ads, and Youtube ads.
Keyword Research and Selection
Keyword is another element of Digital Marketing based on which the entire campaign revolves. If you rank, even on the top, with an unsearched keyword then it is not going to bring you leads. Therefore, appropriate keyword research and selection is necessary for successful digital marketing.
Creating Effective Ad Campaigns
Ad campaigns must be carried out taking into account the trends in the market. The content tone, graphic visuals, sometimes even the background music, etc keep on changing in the market. While designing any copy, it is important to jot down the marketing trends.
Monitoring and Optimizing SEM Campaigns
There are many tools that help to track the analytics on the campaigns. The results show the target audience, targeted area, demographics, etc. Considering the data, one can optimize the search engine marketing campaigns, taking into account the response and behavior of the target audience.
Social Media Marketing
Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms
There are around 4.89 social media users globally. If your business does not exist on social media then you are perhaps losing a major portion of your potential customers. However, it is quite necessary to research the relevant social media platforms before initiating the profile establishment. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Linkedin, etc are famous social media platforms, nonetheless, not all can be targeted at once. Based on the industry’s trend, one must choose the relevant platform and start the campaign.
Creating a Social Media Content Strategy
The social media content strategy is dynamic most of the time. Therefore, it requires consistent updates and research. While researching the contemporary market trends, one can design the tailored social media content strategy for his business.
Engaging with Your Audience
Audience engagement has been given the top-most priority in the recent updates of social media optimization strategies. This process involves relationship building with the potential audience that can be converted into clients. Replying to the comments, responding through DMs, and reaching out to them directly are all such ways through which audience engagement can be done.
Measuring Social Media ROI
Social Media also provides analytics. Constant monitoring is crucial in order to make the right decision regarding investments of time, money, and technology.
Email Marketing
Building an Email List
According to research done by Oberlo, the average ROI is $40 for every $1 spent on email marketing. Email marketing helps in reaching out to the clients personally, and thus helps in building effective long-term relationships.
Crafting Effective Email Campaigns
The email will be lost in the lot if it is not designed properly. On average, a person receives 100-120 emails a day. Therefore, the ratio of reading every email is relatively lesser. Therefore to stand out from the crowd, it is important to add designs in an appealing manner.
Personalization and Segmentation
In a whole lot of email junk, people loved to be personalized and valued. Such segmentations increase ROI.
Email Marketing Analytics and Optimization
The analytics help to trace the performance of the work. Accordingly, the work of optimization can be done in order to achieve better results.
Influencer Marketing
Identifying Relevant Influencers
Reports present that 72% of millennials and Gen Z are following influencers on social media. If we combine these two generations, then they amount to the majority of the world’s active population or we can say, potential clients. However, the most important thing in this is to identify the relevant influencers. The number is in millions. To find out the one who will give you the optimum result is a difficult task.
Building Relationships with Influencers
Influencers are trusted by their followers. The goal of any company should not be to take the endorsement once, rather it should focus on building relationships with those influencers so that consistent marketing can be done.
Collaborating on Influencer Campaigns
Social Media platforms allow collaborating with influencers. According to the budget available for the marketing segment, one must reach out to the influencers in their niche and partner with them.
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Monitoring and Managing Your Online Reputation
Keeping tabs on the feedback people have about you or your company online and making adjustments as necessary is what we call “monitoring and managing your online reputation.” Managing your online reputation means listening to what others have to say about you or your business, responding quickly and effectively to any criticism, and highlighting the good parts of your product, service, or character.
Responding to Reviews and Feedback
When consumers or users offer their thoughts and ratings about your company or brand online, it’s important to take the time to read them and respond appropriately. It’s a crucial part of managing your online reputation and may have a major effect on how others evaluate you.
Dealing with Negative PR and Crisis Management
When your company is confronted with difficult circumstances or intense public scrutiny, one of the most important aspects of maintaining your brand’s image is effectively managing and responding to poor public relations and crises. It entails acting hastily yet strategically in order to fix the problem, lessen the likelihood of any damage occurring, and regain consumers’ trust and confidence in your brand.
Cultivating a Positive Brand Image
To purposefully mold and manage the perception and reputation of your brand among the consumers who are the focus of your marketing efforts is required to cultivate a positive brand image. It is the process of delivering in a consistent manner a powerful and positive brand identity that connects with consumers and other stakeholders in the business.
Data Analytics & Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Setting Up Website Analytics
The implementation of website analytics is a necessary step in the process of analyzing and improving the performance of your website. It offers extremely helpful insights into important variables like website traffic, user behavior, conversion rates, and the efficiency of marketing campaigns. You may find areas that need improvement by studying this data, which will also improve the user experience and lead to an increase in conversions.
Analyzing User Behavior and Conversion Funnels
Studying how users interact with your website or digital platform and gaining knowledge of the path they follow from their first interaction to the actions or conversions you seek as a result of that study is what’s meant by “analyzing user behavior and conversion funnels.” It assists in the localization of bottlenecks, the enhancement of user experiences, and the growth of conversion rates.
A/B Testing and Optimizing Landing Pages
The purpose of split-testing, or A/B testing, is to identify which of two versions of a web page or landing page is more effective in converting visitors into buyers. The idea is to make a single tweak (to the page’s headline, CTA, layout, or color scheme, for example) and then divide the traffic arriving to the page in two or more ways to determine which one performs better.
Improving Conversion Rates for Better Results
To increase the number of site visitors who do the desired action (e.g., buy something, sign up for a newsletter, or submit a contact form), the conversion rate must be improved. Your website’s or landing page’s conversion rate may be increased by removing obstacles to the desired action and improving the user experience.
Emerging Trends in Digital Marketing
Voice Search and Voice Assistants
Voice search is the process of conducting an online search entirely by voice, with the help of a vocal-enabled gadget or a computerized assistant. Voice assistants, often called virtual assistants or smart speakers, are artificial intelligence (AI)-powered gadgets that are capable of comprehending and responding to voice requests and carry out a variety of functions. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Microsoft Cortana are just a few examples of well-known voice assistant platforms.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Marketing
The term “artificial intelligence” (AI) is commonly used to describe the application of complex computational methods and algorithms to the marketing realm for the purposes of data mining, process automation, and the formulation of sound judgments. With the help of artificial intelligence, advertisers can up their game in terms of strategy, customer service, and campaign success.
Chatbots and Conversational Marketing
Chatbots are artificial intelligence (AI) systems that mimic human dialogue in written or spoken form. They employ AI and NLP to comprehend and answer questions posed by users or to supply information in a conversational style. Assisting consumers, answering commonly asked questions, making product suggestions, and even facilitating transactions are all possible uses for chatbots, which may be implemented on websites, messaging applications, and other platforms.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
Immersive technologies like Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) have altered the marketing landscape in profound ways. Through the application of digital overlays over the actual world, users of Augmented Reality systems may interact with digital representations of physical items. Virtual reality, on the other hand, generates wholly synthetic and immersive settings that may be explored by means of VR headgear or equipment.
Conclusion
The world of technology is always shifting, making it more important than ever for businesses of all kinds to become proficient in digital marketing. There are even claims in the market to justify the statement that “non-digital marketing isn’t marketing.” This statement nullifies the entire concept of traditional marketing. Whether the statement is true in its entirety or not, there is no denial from the fact that Digital Marketing is the need of the hour. The information contained in this guide offers a complete overview of the fundamental components of digitalization of businesses, ideas and services. If you are looking forward to employing digital marketing services to your business, feel free to contact us.
Let's Create Big Stories Together
Mobile is in our nerves. We don’t just build apps, we create brand.
Choosing us will be your best decision.