In years past, devising a marketing strategy was much simpler than it is now. With strategically placed billboards, public press, television, radio and newspaper advertisements, one could easily create a vast sphere of influence. While these methods still work, the internet and mobile technology have made dramatic changes in the way marketers do business. Luckily, with these inventions, marketing opportunities are more accessible to smaller businesses and there are a variety of ways to take advantage of this new marketing era at a fairly low cost.
There are four primary sectors of digital marketing that should be considered when creating any campaign: advertisements, messaging, social marketing and organic traffic.
Advertisements
One of the most common and important ways to market one’s business is through online advertisements. These can both help brand one’s business and increase traffic. There are a variety of websites and networks that one can advertise on, often being able to target specific demographics, locations and preferences. One of the most popular advertising options is Google’s pay-per-click network, which allows heavy targeting. By A/B testing over time, one can achieve a very high ROI through advertising.
Messaging
There are two primary forms of messaging in digital marketing: email and SMS. Both of these can be great options, depending on one’s niche.
Email:
Because acquiring emails can take a while, it is essential to start as early as possible. Emails can be a great way to spread the word about new products, promotions and events. By emailing, one has a better connection with the audience and can receive valuable feedback.
SMS Messaging:
SMS messaging is a relative new and untapped form of marketing. The potentials for this form of digital marketing are vast, and dependent on the market one is in. There are a variety of business SMS services which can provide a bulk SMS gateway for one to send mass messages at a low cost. These business SMS services vary in price, so it may be a good idea to browse around in order to find the cheapest and best bulkSMS gateway in order to ensure a good ROI.
Social Marketing
While social marketing has become a big buzzword over the past several years, it is more difficult than most think. The bottom line is that fans don’t necessarily equate to customers; one needs to find the perfect angle and persona in order to target the fan base and sell products effectively. Companies who have perfected this have seen massive returns and huge profits from social marketing. The best way to start this form of marketing is to create fan pages and quality content; at this point, aggressively test to see which approaches garner the most sales. By doing this, over time, one can reap huge benefits from this form of marketing.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is essential to any complete marketing strategy. The best way to do this is through proper search engine optimization. By extensive, yet safe, testing and improvements, one can rank well for a variety of highly profitable keywords over time. This traffic is essential because it is highly targeted and has the additional benefit of increasing brand recognition over time.
By implementing all of these digital marketing strategies, one has a much better opportunity to effectively market their business in this new era.