The first-ever Digital Marketing key event happened in 1971; on Wikipedia, Ray Tomlinson sent the world's first email and made machines share information from one to another.The concept of digital marketing has been around since 1990 with the "Archie Search Engine." I won't bother you with the details.
Still, it was a huge step forward in internet technology, making things accessible to the public on a server.It shows how marketing and the internet have been inseparable for a while now and helps better understand why digital marketing is essential and how your business or anyone can thrive in this digital world.
While digital marketing may not be a fancy "Master's in Business Administration" type word, it requires a lot of focus and effort,the language is used by over 4.6 billion people on Google and social media platforms each day.
It connects brands with potential customers and helps searchers find answers.I am obsessed with Digital Marketing and want to share my years of experience with you. Many businesses need help with online marketing & advertising, and I want to teach them.I will do my best to provide you with the necessary information and know-how for carrying out all your activities online.
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What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is undoubtedly not magic; it is done with devices to help individuals find information or provide it.The marketing aspect is when a person or business connects those tools to attract, offer, and better serve a specific market.
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All of your marketing efforts for success will depend on how much you can provide value and go beyond what is expected.Those tools and software play a large part in the online world, but there is no need to get overwhelmed. Digital Marketing brings value, proof, and actionable insight.
Online Marketing or Offline Marketing?
Offline Marketing is still a relevant topic in most industries, and this is why we need to know the seven pillars of offline marketing.
Here are the seven pillars of Offline Marketing:
- Newspaper ads
- Yellow Pages
- Card and Brochures
- Direct Mail
- Tv Ads
- Radio
- Billboards
Before getting into comparison, here are the 6 components of Online Marketing:
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Email Marketing
- Search Marketing
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Content Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
Newspaper ads
Have you ever seen an old newspaper ad? I remember them well; little, my mom always brought them home. They were massive - 8 cm wide by 12 cm high; I wanted to know what my mom was reading.
She would scold me and tell me not to mess around. This way of advertising is still used these days. That was one way in 1992 companies could reach my mom and other households because home computers were uncommon, and not everyone could afford them.
Yellow Pages
Have you heard about online directories? If not, chances are you have one of those yellow brick books on your kitchen table at home.
For almost 100 years, local companies were found and marketed on yellow pages. Almost every household ad that one yellow brick, where you could find your local brick and motor business, your favorite dentist, etc.
They were putting the world at your fingertips. In 2022, the average number of customer search queries is about 40 000 every second on google.Google Maps is an excellent way for local businesses to show up; it helps searchers find names, addresses, reviews, and pictures.
Card and BrochuresAlso called advertising postcards, great ways to promote and display local business upcoming promotions.
There are similarities to direct mail, but cards and brochures are more complimentary advertising, such as catalogs, letters, and flyers.With time, a paperless approach would be best.
Facebook advertising can reach your potential customers in the area.
Direct Mail
Direct mail advertising allows you to be creative and customize your message to your customers. I came across a blog post of Neil Patel, an entrepreneur, marketer, and best-selling author who wrote about an article back in 2020; that article was talking about the highest ROI by marketing medium.
It showed direct mail campaigns had a higher ROI than paid search marketing and display ads. Diversifying your marketing effort is always good if the proper strategy is applied.
If you wish to read the research from Neil Petal's, click here.
TV Advertising
TV will probably never go away and will still be around for decades. One of the latest research found that:
- Us as 650000 lost in Q3 for pay-tv
- Canada has seen a decline of % in 2021, compared to 2015 at 75%
- The average household still watches 4 hours of TV each day, including Netflix and Amazon Prime.
On this link, you will find the complete research on the Leichman Research Group website.
TV ad targeting becomes more challenging to find the right audience, another drawback, for a 60-second commercial aired during the Superbowl, the cost is about $6 million. Youtube allows you to advertise cheaper, plus you can monetize your channel. If you want to learn more about Youtube advertisements, click here.
Radio Marketing
Radio at its core has changed compared to previous years; some changes are at the beginning of a broadcast, the anchorperson is reading ads of different businesses.
Here are ways to promote your services or product fast with radio marketing:
- 1. Find your local radio station on Google
2. Contact the radio station you find, make sure it resonates most with your business.
3. Prepare a pitch or a flyer describing your promotion and events.
Billboards
The good news is you can utilize Google Display ads and Facebook ads to target your ideal audience visually. The bad news is billboards are dead!
Marketing is about getting your message across so people can understand, but you must first get their attention for people to understand.
That's why Google and Facebook are winning the marketing game because of the eyeballs and focus they control. Don't believe me? Next time you are in a car in the passenger seat, take a few minutes to see what everybody else is doing. The chance is, there are probably all on their phones.Another interesting fact is the number of consumer devices is rising while the decline of print marketing is dying. If you ever wondered when was a good time to learn about Digital Marketing, the time is now!
Why Digital Marketing Matters for your Business
The two major platforms in the world right now are Google and Facebook; they generate more revenue than any traditional business.
Digital Marketing Examples
On this part, I'm not going to talk about traffic types like paid or free traffic. It's an overall overview and what is possible in terms of Digital Marketing. The first example is the lead magnet in exchange for an email address or a piece of information.
It gives your visitor a lead magnet such as a free eBook, a cool infographic, or anything of value that can help your visitor in their life.
In return, they provide you with their contact information. For this example, a Facebook page related to weight loss is my weapon of choice.
Things we need to succeed:- 1. Social Media Profile or a Website
2. Something of value to giveaway
3. Email software
Or lead magnet will be: "Free eBook- 7 easy Keto recipes to lose weight fast."
We have a place to show off our content; the lead magnet is ready.
The next step is to attract them with organic content or paid traffic. Once they see the free eBook, we can redirect them outside of Facebook to our lead capture page.
On that lead capture page, we can ask for a piece of information and put them on our list.
For our second example, we can use google keyword tools to understand better what people are searching for and give them our solution, seven easy Keto recipes to lose weight fast.
Things we need to achieve this goal:
- Blog or website
- Lead magnet
- Email software
For example:
Google search revealed that people are looking for a way to lose weight fast, without following a strict diet.
Good thing for us, we already have the seven easy Keto recipes to lose weight fast. We can now write this as an article for free, and at the end of this article, we can ask for a piece of contact information.
To recap:
In the first example, we ask for contact information with a lead magnet. In the second example, we give away our lead magnet for free and ask for a piece of contact information.
Finally, as a good marketer or business owner, you want to track everything and retarget everything because DATA is king.
Benefits of Online Digital Marketing
There are many advantages of utilizing Digital Marketing in your business, but one of the main reasons is to target a global audience across multiple platforms. You can increase your brand loyalty and drive more online sales.
More benefits of Digital Marketing:
- Lower cost - if planned correctly, your return on ad spend will stay positive.
- Trackable - measuring results with google analytics or any analytics tools will give you insight on what is working or not.
- Customizable - the right traffic source to your website tell you a story on how you can better market & retarget those visitors.
- Openness - social media allows you to show your business openness and value. At the same time, develop brand advocates.
- Conversion rates - the good thing about having a website or an online presence, you have sales at your fingertips. Your potential customers no longer need to commute to a physical store; the customer journey becomes more accessible.
Measure the Online marketing effectiveness of your business
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As I have mentioned in the previous section, measuring the effectiveness of your Digital Marketing goals can be much easier than you think.
It can be different from one business to another on how they measure their success online, but for this example, we will use the effectiveness of your traffic.
Top five metrics you can use to measure your Digital Marketing efforts:
- Your overall site traffic. Establish where you want your traffic to go before adding any new component.
- Look for the New traffic and the returning traffic.
- Mobile traffic
- Traffic sources
- Average time spent per visit
Your business capability for driving quality traffic will be the backbone of your brand for years to come. The end goal is for you to control your traffic and business growth.
General Digital Marketing FAQ
What is Digital Marketing? Simply advertising is delivered with different channels. Channels such as social media, push notification, email, web apps, search engines, content, or any other form of the digital channel.
What is the future of digital marketing? The online world meets the offline world for a fantastic customer experience such as digital fridges, digital desks, and even digital billboards.
What channels make up for digital marketing? Search, social, blogs, online ads, affiliate marketing, email marketing, and mobile applications.
How to Get Started in Digital Marketing?
Let me guide you on getting started and generating your first visitors, leads, and possibly sales. Free Digital Marketing Play Book Click here.
Digital Marketing Conclusion
There you have it!
The digital marketing space is full of surprises but is still the best way for any marketer and business to find success online.
Wanted or not, every business will have to adjust their belief or thinking about online marketing and know some fundamentals.
During my ten years of Digital Marketing, one of the best lessons I have learned is not to put your marketing efforts all in one place.
Knowing the best channels of communication mixte with the ideal customer will always bring good results for the sole entrepreneur and the business owner.
Digital marketing is more than likes and comments. The combination of content, traffic, and strategy is crucial for online advertising success.
As the years go by, we will see a drastic shift in using digital marketing in our day-to-day lives. We are already experiencing the metaverse, fridge with digital panels, a desk with a digital layout, and even billboards.
The opportunity to reach more customers will be limitless. If you want to learn more or help with your Digital Marketing strategy, please reach out to me. What will you do with this information? What is the primary source of traffic you will use?
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