Image by Diggity Marketing from Pixabay
In today’s current technology-based world, we can see that it is more crucial for companies to at least have a website, if not sell goods online. This can be a frightening prospect for many, but the returns on a well-executed digital marketing strategy are undeniable. One of the most well-known examples of this is Amazon.
The online ecosphere is growing, rapidly. Especially with CoVid-19, it has pushed both seasoned, and new online shoppers to actively seek out the ability to purchase online. Amazon has reached an all-time high in sales in 2020. According to Statista, Amazon has seen 96.15 Billion in sales in Quarter 3 alone.
Many ask where Amazon got started, and if they can repeat the same success. While we would state that it is hard to get the same success, it is certainly not impossible. Amazon started in Jeff Bezos’s garage in a home he rented in Bellevue Washington in 1995. While this may seem like a rags to riches story, keep in mind his parents invested $250,000 into his startup.
Amazon started selling books. That was just the start for them. They slowly offered more and more products to eventually become the largest online retailer in the world. While this isn’t impossible to reproduce, it would take a considerable amount of capital to be able to emulate the same successes that Jeff has had.
Digital marketing isn’t simply reserved for those that have a massive budget, and have a quarter million in seed money. Digital Marketing can be and should be, for everyone that has a hope and a dream. Social Media has given some of the biggest advantages in digital marketing to people that do not have the money, know-how, or desire.
One of the best things that you can start with an effective Digital Marketing strategy is to be able to identify your target market. Those are the people who are most likely to buy your goods or services. Take for instance solar panel contractors. They aren’t selling to those people that rent, but to those that have bought their houses. Their target market is homeowners.
Once you have a target market identified, you have to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. For a plumber, one service they may have that many don’t know about is hydro jetting. So they would need to think outside of the box with this and call it pipe cleanouts. That is where your keyword strategy comes into your digital marketing strategy.
One of the best tools that can be found is a keyword planner. Google offers one, to go with its Google Ads. However, not everyone will want to work with Google Ads. A great secondary tool that we use is Hoth’s Keyword Planner. You can create a pretty healthy keyword strategy that you can use to incorporate in your content.
This will allow you to start gearing your entire digital marketing strategy into where it needs to be, with the keywords that people are looking for.
Let’s talk about the benefits of digital marketing. Most people are able to calculate the benefits based on ROI. ROI is short for Return On Investment. With Digital Marketing, your ROI is based on the profit and loss that you generate with your online campaigns. LyfeMarketing.com has a great primer to be able to understand how Digital Marketing ROI works. You put money in, either through paid campaigns, or organic campaigns, and you look for the increase in business.
Analytics can be a great way to track those that are coming in and those that are sticking around. You can use this data to help further define your audience, and to be able to cater to them to maximize ROI. This is the ideal way for Digital Marketing to happen.
Social Media Platforms can also be a great way to get “influencers” and creators to help you to move forward with your Digital Marketing.
Recently, a TikTok user by the name of DoggFace208 went viral. His idea: skateboarding to work, jamming to Fleetwood Mac, and sipping on some Cranberry Juice. Well, that video took off. Fleetwood Mac became more relevant again, Ocean Spray saw a boost in sales, and as for DoggFace: He is no longer homeless and partners with mega-retailers like Walmart to create ads for them.
There is a whole slew of creators that are just looking for the opportunity to create videos and help you reach a younger audience with your product or service. The point is, that Digital Marketing isn’t restricted just to people that work with your direct content, and your site. Digital Marketing is comprised of multiple different areas. Don’t be afraid to explore them and reach your marketing needs.
If you own a small business that offers goods or services, digital marketing can be for you. We love helping others reach the digital marketing goals that they have. Whether those goals are to be able to grow locally or nationally. Digital marketing isn’t just a website, SEO, or Social Media. It is the combination of all types of digital marketing that are used together to increase your visibility, reach, and the ability to spread your ideas.
Digital Marketing isn’t just for those that have a robust marketing budget, granted that helps, there are things you can do to get a start. Know your audience. Know your field. Speak like an expert in your field. Post in forums, groups, and pages on social media. Get engaged with your audience. Companies that are engaged with their audiences garner better results from that engagement than companies that do not engage with their audience.
Better engagement means better service. The better service you offer, the better experience that your customers or users will have. That breeds authority, and trust, which increases your ROI.
No matter what, the next month will pass. Time will continue. You can either start today or not start at all. But only those that start will reap the rewards.