In the past, businesses relied on traditional marketing techniques to reach their target audiences. However, with the advent of digital technology, businesses now have a new and more effective way to market their products and services: digital marketing.
In 2021, the number of people accessing the internet stood at 4.9 billion, which means that around two-thirds of the global population is currently connected to the world wide web. It is estimated that 6.648 billion people own smartphones around the world today, which represents 83.72 per cent of the entire population.
This presents a huge opportunity for businesses to reach a wide audience through a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy.
By creating an effective digital marketing strategy, businesses can connect with potential customers from all over the world. Additionally, digital marketing is relatively cost-effective, particularly when compared to traditional marketing methods such as television advertising.
Digital marketing campaigns can be targeted specifically at the consumers that businesses want to reach, making them more likely to be successful. As a result, it is apparent that this form of marketing is an essential tool for any business that aspires to be successful in 2022, especially when it comes to adopting search engine optimization.
The concept of digital marketing is still in its infancy and is constantly evolving. Because of this, there are no set principles of digital marketing like there are in other branches of knowledge. However, there are some basic concepts and tools that all marketers should be familiar with.
Once you have a basic understanding of these concepts, you can start to implement them in your own digital marketing projects. This blog is your guide to the fundamentals of digital marketing so you can assemble the building blocks of your successful campaigns.
The first step is creating your website
Potential customers expect to be able to find information about your company online, and they will often decide what they want to buy based on the information they find. As a result, building a website is the first milestone in your organisation’s digital marketing journey.
Your website is your chance to make a good first impression and give customers the information they need to make informed decisions. It is also an important platform for developing your brand and establishing your company as an authority in your industry.
Whether you are just starting a brand-new business venture or redesigning an existing website, investing the time and effort into making it the best it can be is essential. With so much riding on your website, it’s clear that building a strong and effective online presence is essential.
It starts with a good domain name
Registering a domain name is an essential starting point in building a website. Your domain name is your unique address on the internet, and it is what customers will use to find your site. When you are deciding on the right name for your business website, various factors such as your business name, target audience, and keywords.
Once you have taken the steps to register your domain name, you can begin building your website. There are a variety of different web design platforms to choose from, and you can select one that best suits your needs. With minimal effort, you can soon have a professional-looking website that is ready for customers.
Hosting your website
Your new site will require storage and servers to reside on and hosting your site means creating server space and an IP address for your website on the internet. There are various hosting service providers such as HostGator.com or GoDaddy.com.
One of the crucial factors in selecting a website hosting service is the page loading speed. The average user attention span is very low and if your website pages take too long to load, the user is likely to click away before they have even had a chance to see what you have to offer.
In order to ensure that your website has fast page loading times, you need to select a web hosting service that can provide you with the features and resources that you need. Some things to look for include unlimited disk space and bandwidth, a robust control panel, and around-the-clock customer support.
Designing your website
A well-designed site is vital for any business that wants to succeed in the digital age. However, just having a site built on the internet is not enough – it must be designed with digital marketing in mind. Here are a few essential considerations for anyone who wants to create a website that will effectively promote their business online:
First, focus on creating an engaging user experience. Your website should be easy to navigate and provide visitors with the information they need in a clear and concise way. Remember that modern people are increasingly using mobile devices to access the internet, so your website should be optimised for mobile viewing.
Second, make sure your website is search engine friendly (more on this later). This means ensuring that your content is keyword rich and includes relevant metadata. Good search engine optimisation (SEO) will help potential customers find your website more easily.
Third, consider integrating social media into your website design. Include sharing buttons so that visitors can easily share your content on their own social media accounts and digital channels. You might also want to add social media feeds to your website so that people can stay up-to-date with your latest posts and updates.
Preparing the content for your website
If you’re serious about digital marketing, then you need to make sure that the content on your website is up to scratch. This means more than just ensuring that all of your text is error-free and readable; it also means creating content that is engaging, informative and relevant to your target audience.
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps that you can follow to ensure that your website’s content is up to the task. First, make sure to carry out keyword research to determine which terms your audience is searching for. Then, create compelling titles and headlines that will grab attention and encourage clicks.
Finally, focus on creating quality content that provides value to your readers. By following these steps, you can be sure that your website’s content is ready for digital marketing success.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Today, more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet, and if your website isn’t optimised to be viewed and used on mobile devices, you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic.
There are a few steps you can take to make sure your website appeals to mobile marketing. First, ensure that your website is responsive so that it automatically adjusts to fit any screen size. Second, avoid using pop-ups or Flash animation, as these can be difficult to view on a small screen.
Third, make use of large, easy-to-read fonts and buttons, so that visitors can easily navigate your site. By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that your website is accessible to everyone, no matter what device they are using.
Search engine optimisation for your new website
As the internet becomes increasingly competitive, it is more important than ever to make sure your website is optimised for search engines. Otherwise, potential customers may never even know your business exists. Fortunately, there are a number of relatively simple steps you can take to improve your site’s SEO as part of your online marketing strategy.
First, consider the keywords you want to target. These should be reflective of the products or services you offer. Once you have assembled a solid list of keywords, be sure to incorporate them into your website’s content, including the titles and descriptions of your pages (on-page optimisation). In addition, try to use keywords in your website’s metatags and in the text of any blog posts or articles you include on your site.
Another important factor in SEO is link building. This means creating links from other high-authority websites back to yours. This helps to improve both your site’s visibility and its page rank. To build links, you can reach out to other businesses in your industry and offer to exchange links, or you can submit your site to relevant online directories.
Finally, make sure your website is easy for both users and search engine crawlers to navigate. A well-designed site with clear navigation and a sitemap will help ensure that visitors stay on your site and that search engines can index your content and rank it correctly.
Invest in search engine marketing (SEM)
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of digital marketing that involves promoting websites by increasing their prominence on search engine results pages (SERPs). SEM includes both paid search results (using tools like Google AdWords or Bing Ads) and organic search results (using techniques like SEO).
By increasing the visibility of your website in SERPs, you can increase the number of visitors to your site and, ultimately, convert more incoming leads into paying customers.
However, SEM is not a quick or easy process; digital advertising takes time, effort, and money to achieve successful results. But if your business is willing to invest the time and resources, SEM can be an extremely effective way to grow your business online.
Email marketing is still a viable digital strategy
You’ve just launched your new website and you’re ready to start marketing it. One of the most effective ways to reach your target audience is through email marketing. By sending targeted emails to potential customers, you can introduce them to your brand, build relationships, and drive conversions.
But how do you get started? First, you’ll need to create a list of email subscribers. You can do this by placing an opt-in form on your website or blog, or by running a contest or promotion.
Once you have a list of subscribers, you’ll need to create compelling email content that speaks to their needs and interests. Make sure to include calls-to-action (CTAs) in your emails so that your readers know what they should do next.
Finally, assess your results and adjust your strategy accordingly. With a little effort, email marketing can be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your new website.
Set up your social media accounts for social media marketing
With the advent of social media, businesses have had to adapt their digital marketing strategies to stay competitive. One of the most powerful ways to reach potential customers is through social media marketing.
By creating and maintaining a strong online presence, businesses can connect with their target audience and build relationships of trust. In addition, social media marketing can be highly customised, allowing businesses to tailor their message to specific demographics.
As a result, businesses that decide to invest in social media marketing are better able to reach their target market and achieve their desired results. When used effectively, social media marketing is an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes.
Combine and integrate your digital marketing techniques
While some digital marketing tools can be used independently, many are interdependent. For example, social media marketing and email marketing often work hand-in-hand.
Traffic from social media can provide details like email addresses, which can then be used to enrich email marketing campaigns. This, in turn, can translate to increased conversion rates from social media. Similarly, search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing are often complementary, with SEO helping to drive traffic to content and content helping to improve SEO rankings.
By understanding the relationships between different digital marketing tools, businesses can create more effective and efficient strategies that maximise their reach and impact.
Leverage web analytics
Web analytics involves the collection, analysis and reporting of web data to help understand and optimise website behaviour. It provides insights that help drive better decision-making around website design, content, marketing and advertising.
Digital marketing efforts can be significantly improved by web analytics. By having a greater understanding how users interact with a website, digital marketers can make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources. Analytics can also help identify which marketing channels are most effective at driving traffic and conversions. By understanding which channels generate the most valuable traffic, digital marketers can focus their efforts on these channels to maximise ROI.
Analytics are essential tools for any digital marketing campaign. Without it, it’s difficult to understand what is working and what is not. With this information at hand, digital marketers can fine-tune their campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
Investing in a mobile app for smart devices
Mobile apps are a great way to promote your business and reach potential customers. With so many people using smart devices, it’s important to have a presence on these devices as digital marketing channels.
Mobile apps can assist you with connecting with customers and promoting your brand. There are a variety of marketing strategies that you can use with mobile apps, such as providing special offers, coupons, or discounts; sending push notifications; or creating a loyalty program.
You can also use mobile apps to collect customer data, such as contact information or purchase history. This collated customer data can then be used to create targeted marketing campaigns. By investing in mobile apps, you can reach more customers and grow your business.
Invest in e-commerce
As the world rapidly moves towards a digital environment, businesses must do the same in order to remain competitive. E-commerce is a 24/7 digital storefront that allows customers the opportunity to shop online for products and services around the clock.
In addition, it gives businesses a wider reach, as they are no longer limited to selling only to those within a certain geographic area. For these reasons, e-commerce should be a key part of any business’s digital marketing strategy.
By creating an online store, businesses can reach a larger audience and provide their customers with a convenient way to shop. This will be successful when you create a site that is user-friendly and that their products are adequately represented.
By investing in e-commerce, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the digital world.
Leverage Google and Universal Analytics
Google Analytics is an effective and highly popular platform. More than half of all website owners use Google Analytics to track and analyse their website traffic.
Universal Analytics is a newer, more advanced version of Google Analytics that was released in 2014. Universal Analytics introduces several new features that can be used to improve your digital marketing efforts. One of the most useful features is user ID tracking.
This allows you to track individual users as they move between devices and platforms, making it easy to see how they interact with your brand across different channels.
Similarly, Universal Analytics also includes improved cross-device tracking, which makes it easier to see how users interact with your website on different devices. In addition, Universal Analytics offers enhanced e-commerce tracking, which can be used to track user behaviour on your website and better understand how they interact with your product or service.
Overall, Universal Analytics provides a more complete picture of your users and their behaviour, making it an essential tool for any business and their digital marketing campaigns.
Digital marketing is a vast field that helps in promoting and growing your business., but it can only be mastered by implementing it. So, what are you waiting for? Start learning the basics now. Contact Edge to kickstart your online journey now.
