Six digital marketing channels that you need to use in your marketing strategy
The internet is a crowded place, and it is only becoming more and more crowded every day. It is hardly surprising that there are now entire programs and certificates available for people to learn how to use the SEO tools available and maximise the SEO potential for companies of all sizes.
For those who have never waded into the world of SEO and online marketing, it can be incredibly daunting and difficult to know where to start. There are many different aspects of digital marketing which interlock, interact and build off one another. This is why developing a consistent, strong and cohesive digital marketing strategy is of the utmost importance when a company is trying to create a space for itself online.
The reality of the situation is that nearly every company needs an online presence to become successful and grow. The better that online presence is, the more likely the business is to succeed. While not every business needs to maintain a presence on every social media platform, or try every digital marketing strategy, it is essential in this day and age to have a robust online presence in order to be discovered by potential customers and develop a reputation in the community.
Although the concept of a digital marketing strategy can feel overwhelming, everything in life feels more manageable when it is broken down into bite-sized pieces. Below are six of the most important digital marketing channels for companies to use in their marketing strategies, along with a few additional helpful tips and hints.
Website
Perhaps most important of all is ensuring that a company’s website is the very best version of itself. Many digital marketing gurus and professionals tend to forget the importance of a good quality website when they discuss the tricks and tips of digital marketing. However, if a website is used by the company as a closing point, the website’s quality can really be a make-or-break aspect.
We have all had the experience of following a promising link to a company’s website only to feel as if we have travelled back to 1998 and that comic sans, clip art and primary colour backgrounds are still in vogue online. A clean, sophisticated, modern and professional website can go a long way in communicating your company’s message to potential customers, gaining their trust and securing their patronage.
One of the most important aspects of creating a good quality website is laying out the site clearly and in a well-organised, intuitive way. You want to make it easy for visitors to learn about your company, contact you, answer their own questions regarding your product or service, and read reviews.
Aesthetics and design
When starting a company and developing a marketing strategy, many people decide to focus less on the aesthetics of their brand and more on factors such as paid searches and boosting organic search. This is a mistake. One of the most important aspects of marketing and creating a presence online is having a distinct visual style, including a specific aesthetic and a good quality logo.
Not all of us are necessarily artists or great with putting together colour schemes. Thankfully, companies such as Tailor Brands can give companies a boost on a budget. Tailor Brands is something of a one stop shop for developing a company’s logo, branding and visual style. Their tools are powered by AI to create the most dynamic and eye-catching aesthetics possible, and members can get an unlimited number of designs for social media and publish digital business cards, all through the site.
In an increasingly competitive global economy, small businesses need to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd. Taking the time to develop an aesthetic and investing in a logo and branding which will stand the test of time are great ways to set your business up for long-term success.
Referral
Now onto the more technical aspects of digital marketing. Referrals are incredibly helpful when creating an online presence. Referral channels take time to develop, but they are a great way to build a sustainable, robust presence online.
Referral channels are typically created by using backlinks. When another person online refers to your business’ domain and a user or visitor clicks on the link and is redirected to your website, they are considered “referral traffic”. Referral links are most often included in blogs, articles, email campaigns and social media posts. Another form of referral traffic is from people typing your website address directly into their browser but, as you can probably imagine, this is much rarer.
The best way to increase your company’s referral traffic is to develop relationships with other companies so that your site will be linked by them. Cross pollination is a great way to forge relationships and help one another’s companies to grow and develop online.
Email marketing
Although at one time email marketing was considered too old school to be relevant to digital marketing, it is now widely recognised as an essential aspect of digital marketing. Creating an email list or newsletter is a great way to keep interested customers and potential customers up to date on the latest developments and news at the company.
There are companies such as Mail Chimp that are essential for creating and sending email campaigns, and there are companies such as Hubspot which have developed incredibly sensitive and tech-forward approaches to email marketing. Hubspot’s email marketing tech can send an email based on a particular trigger, such as when someone puts items in their online cart and then leaves the page. The Hubspot tech will then be triggered, and the person will receive an email reminding them of what they have in their cart.
One thing to avoid when it comes to email marketing is anything that is scam adjacent. Buying email lists and mass blasting emails to thousands of people will not necessarily help you to develop a dedicated following online. Depending on where in the world you live, it could be illegal.
Instead, take the time to develop a list of interested people who have signed up to your newsletter and remove them from your email list when they ask to be removed. This will help your reputation online and will help you to gain the trust and confidence of your customers.
Social media marketing
Social media is really one of the best ways to create a following online and reach out to a huge group of potentially interested people. Social media platforms were built with the express intention of helping people to find groups, people and shops they are particularly interested in. This has allowed social media platforms to create incredibly precise targeted advertising.
If you sell organic cat food and pay to have a billboard put up, your product will be seen by thousands of people, but how many people who see the billboard will also be interested in organic pet food and own a cat? When it comes to social media marketing, you can ensure that your advertisement is seen by people who have already engaged with cat content and target them by age, geographic location and even gender on some platforms.
Before launching a social media presence or paying for a social media ad campaign however, take the time to develop your brand’s online identity, aesthetic, values and tone. We have all watched as companies big and small have blown up their own accounts, reputations and online presence through missteps on social media, so take the time to think things through before launching a campaign.
Paid advertising
Paid advertising is another essential aspect of digital marketing and arguably the one which gets the most consistent attention from agencies and gurus. The three main types of paid advertising are paid search, paid social media ads like those discussed previously, and display ads. All forms of paid advertising can be very effective, but it is also the most competitive and expensive form of digital marketing.
Paid search advertising is something we all come into contact with every day but might not be aware of. The very first google results are typically ads, as this puts a certain link front and centre where it is more likely to be noticed by users surfing the web. Depending on the industry you are in, you may need a Google AdWords master on your side to get anywhere near the top of the displayed results.
Display ads are the ads which you will find on the sides, top and bottom of websites. These ads are declining in popularity because they are very expensive, and they are increasingly becoming blocked by browser extensions such as AdBlock.
These six elements are the essential foundations of every digital marketing strategy. It takes time, energy and effort to develop an online presence and strong digital marketing approach, but it is always worth it in the long run.
