Digital marketing is inevitable for any business. Not only is it the primary medium for a number of different industries, but it can also have the best return on investment. If you’ve been wondering how you can improve your digital marketing strategy, there are a few practices you should consider mainstays.
Social Media
If there’s one sector of digital marketing we’re likely familiar with, it has to be social media. Social media is not only something we use in our personal lives but in our professional lives as well, but it can be difficult to decipher how to use it for your business. To be successful with social media requires a skill set in which you’re constantly willing to study your medium and pursue engagement.
One of the first steps you should take is looking at which social platforms your general audience is active on and why you should spend time there. For example, if you have a younger demographic, 71 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds are on Instagram according to Pew Research. Nevertheless, Instagram sales aren’t always the easiest, as the name of the game is consistent engagement.
First and foremost, engagement is a practice you should take on daily. This includes commenting, liking, and following those in your general audience, looking to expand from where you currently stand. No matter if it’s your own post or someone else’s, always have your commentary consistent with your brand voice, as well as genuinely engaging (for example, asking a question or leaving a clever pun). I’ll note that while this might feel somewhat awkward at getting in the habit of, it’ll also start to feel more intuitive the more you do it, so be patient in getting adjusted.
Content Marketing
Another digital marketing technique you should be mindful of is content marketing. In fact, according to Hubspot, 53 percent of marketers state that content creation is their top priority. This is the case because content gives marketers the chance to tackle both quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously, providing a feedback loop that helps you improve.
Content creation is all about data-driven approaches to capturing your audience’s attention and directing it to different points you’re making within the industry. Data-driven strategies help marketers understand what audiences think of their work and what those audiences are likely to comment on, like, and share. When done well, content marketing can be the cornerstone of starting a conversation about your business.
SEO
Perhaps one of the most popular forms of digital marketing, SEO can be an excellent way to receive more inbound traffic. According to Junto Digital, 93 percent of online experiences begin with search, which goes to show how popular a medium this is. After all, the first thing most of us do when we want to look something up is to pull out or phones and Google it, which is why being near the top results is such an important practice.
With SEO, the name of the game is finding which keywords are going to be most advantageous for you to include in your content. For example, if you’re a web design agency that’s worked a lot with colleges, then “college website design” or “best college websites” could be helpful keywords. See which SEO terms are going to work efficiently for your business, giving you the best ROI as your implement them into your copy and website. The better your strategy, the more likely you’re to attract new customers.
Finally, email marketing is one of the most effective systems for increasing your ROI. According to Constant Contact, for every dollar you spend on email, $38 is seen in return, which goes to show why we get so many emails in our inbox. Although it might feel spammy to send out marketing emails, it can be one of the most lucrative systems.
In looking at the type of business you run and what function it serves, it’s important to note the purpose of your email blast. For example, a fashion blog that primarily focuses on tips for dressing could probably send out emails once or twice a week, but a fashion store which is showcasing new looks and inventory will want to send blasts more often. It’s crucial to get yourself in a position where you can handle not only the volume of work in sending out emails but also the responses you get, giving you the best chance of people returning to your site.
What are some digital marketing strategies you’ve found to be successful? Share your insights in the comments.