Digital Marketing for Business: A Beginner’s Guide
The business world is constantly evolving and has officially stepped into the digital world. As these worlds collided, the competition has only increased ever since. It is no surprise that now, companies have to work harder than ever to reach the top.
So for your humble business, how do you manage to fight through and make it to the top? The answer is simple: digital marketing.
Digital marketing is a pretty self-explanatory word: it’s a form of marketing done on digital channels like the internet, email, SMS, etc. The purpose is fundamental: to create awareness of your product and brand name for people to know.
As simple as it sounds, you want people to turn their heads as soon as they hear your brand name. For small businesses to achieve that goal, they need to make the most of their digital marketing strategies. That’s why we have compiled some tips and tricks every beginner needs:
What are you marketing for?
This is a question even booming businesses fail to answer right away. It matters because it defines your entire marketing strategy.
Do you want to increase the size of your audience with time, or do you want to capture the interest of a selected group of people? Brand awareness, or lead generation – pick which one applies to your end-goal. Your tactics are bound to change as your business grows, but it’s important that you know where you stand before you can take the next step towards success.
What does your audience want?
The best way to create compelling marketing content for your audience is by connecting with their sentiments directly – what’s bothering them, and what do they expect as a solution?
This kind of thinking works wonders because it takes marketing strategies to the most practical – and effective – level. Customers instinctively orbit your brand in hopes of seeking the best “solution”, thereby increasing brand awareness and lead generation.
You can have your customers involved directly through quizzes, questionnaires, surveys and the like. Have their voices heard, and you will have successfully captured their hearts and their loyalty.
Make the most of SEO
An online presence does not necessarily mean social media. Expand your horizons by exploring SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. In fact, the sooner it is the top priority, the better – not only can you achieve greater insight on what is it that your customers want, it happens to be the main thing that makes you visible in search engines.
Start by searching for popular keywords that are relevant to your brand. Pick a few, and incorporate them throughout your website’s content. That way, you’ll rank higher up in terms of search results; not only will you be able to beef up your online presence, but you’ll also garner traffic, revenue, popularity – and then ultimately drive sales.
Test all possible channels
Considering how huge the digital world is, you won’t find your entire target audience in a single platform. You have to branch out into other platforms and channels of marketing, so that your content – and online presence – gains more attraction.
For beginners, the three main options you have are:
Email – this is a great option to share the voice of your company through bundles, system updates, or even newsletters
SMS – this adds a touch of personalization to the customer experience, and is great to promote things like limited-time offers or customer service messages
Social Media – this is a good platform to build popularity among a wide audience through innovative content (giveaways, competitions, showcasing features – you name it!) and direct interaction with customers
Plan, plan, plan
We don’t mean just putting everything out there and run – we’re talking about a full-fledged plan outlining your entire marketing approach. After thoroughly researching different platforms, you need to clearly identify your goal, the amount you want to invest, the platforms you want to target, and everything else in between. It can be subjected to change, but creating one regardless is the ideal first step towards success.
Keep an eye on data
This is the part where you truly test your success. Marketing strategies need to be tested before they can be implemented for real, so you need to see if they even work or not. So, right after you’re done running a campaign, collect and analyse data – it can be in the form of website clicks, total reach, number of shares, and more. The metrics you record will depend on the end-goal in mind.
If you’d like to see results quickly, you can opt for investing in point-of-sale systems that help you carry targeted campaigns. Oscar POS offers a CRM System that creates customer profiles, where you can log in customer likes, dislikes, and purchasing preferences. That way, the advertisements you run will be smarter, and more efficient at gaining attention from the right people.
A great thing about digital marketing is how flexible it is – there are no rules restricting you from customising and optimising your advertisements to achieve the best of the best results. Even if some campaigns fail, the experience you gain in turn is second to none.
After all, every opportunity is a chance to grow – and drive sales for your business.