Money can buy you a lot of things. Even with only a hundred dollars, the combination of items that you can buy is almost immeasurable. With so many options in the market, how do you get people to choose your product? Given the various types of digital marketing to utilise, how do you decide where to showcase your stuff?
There are some tried-and-true channels that have been tested by digital marketing agencies who have been kind enough to impart their knowledge to everyone else. Even then, there are just so, so many marketing channels, and just as many ways that you can get marketing information.
We’ve done some research, and compiled a list of digital marketing types that you ought to invest your time in.
Which type of digital marketing should you focus on?
Website
Most businesses don’t think of their website as a marketing channel, but it’s one of the most important types of digital marketing. It’s the last stop any customer will make before deciding to engage your products or services.
To use an analogy, picture this:
You’re on the first date with the girl of your dreams. Everything is going well. Conversation is flowing as smoothly as the wine.
After your date, she tells you she’s tired, and wants you to send her home. But not to her home.
Your heart pounds. You weren’t prepared for this at all. Trepidatiously, you lead her to your car.
You’re finally standing in front of your house, fumbling for your keys.
You open the door and a fetid stench wafts out, almost visible in its density. Past the living room, old pizza boxes are lying on the floor.
She tells you something happened at home without even looking at her phone, and hurries away. You never hear from her again.
No matter how good your advertisements are, your website will most probably be the first place that your customers go to before making a purchase.
Just like the first date, your website has to make a good first impression, be easy to navigate, and represent what your brand is all about.
To determine if your website is performing up to your expectations, you can use a variety of tracking tools, such as Google Analytics, to see which areas are lacking.
Found that your website isn’t drawing enough traffic? It might be time to utilise SEO to draw more organic visitors.
Learn more about how you can search-optimise your website here.
Email marketing
Gone are the days of painful, door-to-door advertisements.
With the invention of email, you can now reach your customers in a more direct manner that direct mail could never do. As 99% of consumers open their email every day, email marketing is one of the best types of digital marketing that you can use to keep your customers informed and engaged about your business.
By getting customers to sign up for your newsletters, you can be sure that they’re receptive to your updates. For this, it’s important that your email is short, sweet, and concise, with a title that draws the reader’s attention.
Your email should also include graphics to keep it visually appealing. In the same vein, limit the copy on the picture. Pictures shouldn’t be too cluttered; think of it as an Apple advertisement, or an Ikea catalogue.
Finally, give them a way to visit your website. A shiny call-to-action button should sit at the bottom of your email, allowing the reader to respond before they forget about your advertisement.
Need help with designing EDMs? We can help you with that. Learn more about our service here.
Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click advertising, also known as PPC, is an indispensable type of digital marketing to use when it comes to getting your company in the eyes of the public.
There are two names that are widely regarded as the dominating forces in the world of digital advertising: Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
Google Ads displays your advertisements to customers who are looking for similar products. It also targets people who are further down the buying cycle. For example, if your business sells leather shoes, it might display your products to those who are searching for “authentic leather shoes”, “where to buy leather shoes”, and “shoe polish for leather shoes”.
Facebook Ads allows you to create specific content and market it to specific demographics. This means that you can actually save money by not having a ton of random people click on your advertisement without buying anything. It can also act as a broadcast to raise awareness for your products and services.
Do note that the two platforms work in different ways: Google Ads works through demand harvesting, while Facebook Ads generates that demand. So it’s not uncommon for companies to stagger their advertising budgets between different ad channels to maximise their outreach.
Whether you’re using Google Ads or Facebook Ads (or both), be sure to conduct A/B testing to learn the best type of graphics and copy to use to see what works for your brand. This helps to prevent overspending on digital advertising.
Wondering what are the other digital advertising channels to use? Learn more about them here.
SEO content marketing
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is essentially used to make websites more visible on search engines. And one way to do so is to know what people are searching for online, so that you can easily craft content that addresses their queries.
Of course, SEO has its complications. It’s not easy to figure out what your customers are searching, let alone why they’re searching for these queries.
SEO articles also run the risk of falling off the front page of search engines when they get replaced by more relevant content. So it’s important to do frequent checks on your content to determine if it has fallen out of Google’s favour.
All of this takes up a lot of time, and can be extremely taxing if you wish to produce a lot of content, but don’t have the manpower to do so. One option is to hire a content marketing agency to help with your SEO.
Find out the various services that agencies provide to help with your SEO.
Social media marketing
Social media is the be-all-end-all of content marketing channels.
It isn’t accurate to say that companies cannot survive without social media. After all, many established businesses can survive just fine without ever having a Facebook or Instagram page.
But social media should be used because it’s more than just a type of digital marketing. It’s where customer engagement takes place — through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, companies can interact with their customers on a far more personal level compared to the past.
Social media platforms also serve as a peer-to-peer review channel, allowing you to learn more about your customers and get customer feedback on the various goods and services they purchase. You can also use social media to provide after-sales service, attending to customer queries as and when needed.
Ultimately, when it comes to increasing your brand awareness and conversions, it’s best to use more than one digital marketing type. Keep in mind, though, not to jump into using a digital marketing channel just because it’s the most popular one. When considering which type to use, be sure to consider if it’s suitable for your brand.
Need help with digital marketing? Drop us a line, and we’ll be more than happy to help.