Digital Marketing Basics That Will Bring You Back to the Future
Have you seen the movie "Back to the Future"? It was a movie I loved back in the 80's because it seemed so trippy. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could time travel? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go back in time and correct our dumb mistakes?
I have made some really bad mistakes in business over the years. Some of the wounds are still too raw to even talk about, others are now so hilarious that I can't believe how stupid I was.
Whoops
When I was around 19 or 20 years old, a friend and I decided we were going to start a cleaning business. We didn't know the first thing about starting a business (but I always had the desire to do it). We knew how to clean so we figured how could this idea go wrong?
This was back in early 1990's. There was no internet or social media. We decided to get the word out about our service the old-fashioned way. We made flyers and stuck them in the windshields of a million cars at various office complexes around town. Of course, these flyers had our phone number on them so people could contact us for our service. We just waited for the calls to come in.
Well, as you can imagine, many of these flyers flew around and created a lot of litter in the area. I received a few embarrassing phone calls from office complex landlords. They were very angry for the mess we caused. Gulp! I didn't even think of that. It was a short-lived dream as our spirits were immediately dashed by the angry people that wanted nothing to do with our service. Having a time machine would have come in handy!
Marketing Today
Marketing used to be a totally different game. Marketing meant cold calls, billboards, flyers, newspaper ads and various other inefficient tactics. The cost was high and the audience was very limited.
Today, we have so many options available to market our products or services (and also more ways to embarrass ourselves). Digital marketing has changed how we market. Not only do we have access to a much wider audience, we have easy access to tools that can measure results from our campaigns in real time.
This is scary for many business owners. So much in fact that many older business owners refuse to change their ancient marketing processes and they won't embrace the new technology. I think for many, they just don't understand what digital marketing is and how it can benefit their business.
What are the digital marketing basics? How can you use digital marketing to your benefit? What can it do for your business?
"Why Digital #Marketing is Important for Your #Business [Infographic] #DigitalMarketing #Entrepreneur #Startup #CS #CX #Sales #socialmedia #business #InboundMarketing #SEO #GrowthHacking #SMM
Digital marketing is the practice of using online channels and platforms to promote a brand, product, or service. It is a vital skill for anyone who wants to pursue a career in business or entrepreneurship, as it can help you reach and engage with your target audience, increase your brand awareness, and generate leads and sales.
But what are the basics of digital marketing that you need to know?
The Basics
According to the American Marketing Association, digital marketing refers to any marketing methods conducted through electronic devices which utilize some form of a computer, including online marketing efforts conducted on the internet.
Some of the common digital marketing channels and tactics are:
Search engine optimization (SEO): The process of improving your website’s visibility and relevance on search engines like Google or Bing.
Search engine marketing (SEM): The practice of using paid ads to appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases related to your business.
Social media marketing (SMM): The use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn to create and share content that attracts and engages your audience.
Content marketing: The creation and distribution of valuable, relevant, and consistent content that educates, entertains, or inspires your audience and drives them to take action.
Email marketing: The use of email to communicate with your prospects and customers, build relationships, and promote your offers.
Video marketing: The use of video to showcase your brand personality, demonstrate your products or services, or tell stories that connect with your audience.
Influencer marketing: The collaboration with influential people who have a large and loyal following on social media or other platforms to endorse or recommend your brand, product, or service.
Mobile marketing: The optimization of your website and content for mobile devices, as well as the use of mobile apps, SMS, or push notifications to reach and engage your audience on their smartphones or tablets.
Why Is It Important?
It helps you reach a large and diverse audience that spends a lot of time online. According to Statista, there are about 4.9 billion global internet users as of 2021, a 400 million jump from 2020.
It allows you to target your audience based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, location, and other criteria. This way, you can deliver personalized and relevant messages that resonate with them and increase your conversion rates.
It enables you to measure and analyze your performance using various tools and metrics. You can track how many people visit your website, how long they stay, what actions they take, how much revenue they generate, and more. You can also test different elements of your campaigns and optimize them accordingly.
It gives you the opportunity to be creative and innovative with your marketing strategies. You can experiment with different formats, platforms, and techniques to find out what works best for your business and audience. You can also leverage user-generated content (UGC), interactive content, gamification, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and other emerging trends to enhance your digital marketing efforts.
To Make Your Digital Marketing Effective, Follow These Steps:
Define your goals: What do you want to achieve with your digital marketing campaigns? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or something else? Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
Research your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your digital marketing campaigns? What are their characteristics, needs, preferences, pain points, and motivations? How do they behave online? What are their preferred channels and platforms? You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Audience Network, or HubSpot Buyer Persona Generator to create detailed profiles of your ideal customers.
Keep an eye on your competitors: What are they doing in terms of digital marketing? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their unique selling propositions (USPs) and value propositions? How can you differentiate yourself from them? You can use tools like SEMrush, Moz, or BuzzSumo to conduct a competitive analysis and benchmarking.
Develop your digital marketing strategy: Based on your goals and audience research.
Like anything else in the world, success isn’t guaranteed by following a formula. I wish I could say that you will all succeed if you follow these steps, but there is much more to it. Trial and error is the best path forward, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.
Back to the Future
I used to feel bad about my mistakes but now I realize that they provided a valuable learning experience. Those mistakes made me a better human and made me be a better business person.
For those of you still hanging on to the "old times", it is time to come back to the future. Understand and implement the basics of digital marketing.
