If businesses aren’t using digital marketing, they are losing more money than they could possibly imagine. Digital marketing is an umbrella term for marketing online on various platforms. It also includes mobile marketing and digital display advertising (think video billboards!). Knowing which marketing tools to use, and use them effectively, takes a bit of learning but will reward you greatly. Let’s take a few minutes and explore some digital marketing options that are available for you to use.
The Pay-Per-Click
A pay-per-click campaign is an easy way to start your online advertising. You get a website to host an ad, that links to your website or e-commerce site, for you. Every time one of the website’s visitors clicks your ad, you pay a small fee for that click. The idea is that when the visitor sees your ad and goes to your website, that could turn into a sale for your business. It can sound super easy and then when you dive into it, be super overwhelming. Companies, such as HigherVisibility.com, are now working to help you create the best ad campaign, to reach your target market, on websites that will get you noticed. Using a marketing firm can make your pay-per-click campaign so much easier and save you a ton of money in the long run.
Email Marketing
Email marketing campaigns are still going strong in 2018, with a few minor changes. Emails are great to keep in touch with past customers to gain new ones through a newsletter subscription. You can keep people up to date on your products or services, launch dates for new items or services, or to celebrate loyal customers. Here are a few tips to make the most of an email marketing campaign:
- Personalize it – use their name in the subject, send a curated list of sales items based on their past purchases, or send them information on services and products coming to their location.
- Build a relationship – sending promos and sales ads are great, sending newsletters highlighting articles about your industry or business is better. If a customer has a birthday, anniversary, wedding, or passes on, don’t forget to share a little shout out in a newsletter.
- Clean up your list – if people aren’t opening your emails, take them off the subscriber list. Many people can unsubscribe but most often, they just delete when they aren’t interested. Save yourself time and energy by staying engaged with who is reading your emails. If someone wants your emails, they will come back.
Say Yes to Social Media
Despite the negative press that social media platforms get, it’s still a top spot to do some of your easiest marketing possible. How you use social media is up to you and we certainly have some hot tips to make it easier:
- Know your target market – fewer millennials use Facebook and opt for other platforms. If you are looking to target the younger generations, go to where they are! Snapchat and Instagram are the big favorites.
- Be personal – this isn’t just a place for you to post sales and new campaigns, this is where you get in touch directly with your customers and get to know them. If they post questions, answer them promptly!
- Be active – post once a day or every other day. The more active you are, the more likely you are to be seen. It doesn’t have to be all business. Post a funny meme that is relevant to your industry. Share industry-specific articles. Post pictures from around your office.
Digital marketing won’t be going away any time soon. It is only going to become shinier, faster, and more intense as our technology improves. Get involved now so that you can roll with the punches later.