In our digital-first world, digital marketing is marketing. These seven essential digital marketing tactics will help improve results and increase revenue for any business.
1. Social Media
Today, with the infiltration of social media, 3.96 billion people use it regularly. That means if you leverage it effectively, social media can be a huge asset to your marketing strategy. For B2B organizations, LinkedIn is a good place to start. Other platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, can also be effective channels if you know your target audience is using them. The key is to carefully research where your targets are getting information on social media, understand what drives them to action and start with just one or two platforms. Measure results to improve your efforts, and don’t waste resources if a platform isn’t right for you regardless of its general popularity. It’s better to reach fewer, relevant targets than more people who aren’t good matches for your business.
2. Email
Despite the rise of other communication channels, like text messaging, email is still a critical marketing tactic. Use email for newsletters, nurture campaigns and special offers. Finding a balance between staying top-of-mind with your targets and customers and not overwhelming them is key. For best practices on all things email marketing, check out this article.
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3. Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is more important than ever. If we want information on anything, we search the internet. Effective SEO practices ensure people can find you when they’re searching for a product or service your offer. Optimizing keywords is a big component of effective SEO. Relevant keywords should be used throughout your website, including landing pages and blog posts. While there are many-layered components of SEO, start with these basics.
4. Marketing Automation
Marketing automation tools can help you manage your lists and automate scheduling of your email communications, ensuring the right people get the right content at the right time. Marketing automation also can manage your social media activities across platforms. With the efficiency gained, your marketing time and resources stretch much further.
5. Paid Ads
To generate leads and build awareness, paid digital ads are another important digital marketing tactic. Ads on search engines, websites and social media are all options that generate awareness, leads and even direct online sales. These ads can drive your targets to download valuable and relevant content or register for events. When they download or register, you collect their information for sales follow-up and email nurture programs. With online advertising, you can get very specific about the attributes of the people you want to reach and control how much you want to spend per lead.
6. Website
Your website is at the core of almost everything you do. For digital marketing, maintaining your website is critical. All key information and content must be on your website. Ensure your website messaging and branding are consistent across all primary pages, landing pages and content. Brands that present themselves consistently across platforms can increase revenue up to 23%. If you’re just starting to build your website, use this checklist as a guide for success.
7. Content
Digital content is the engine that drives your demand generation engine. Creating engaging and relevant digital content through blogs, articles, eBooks, videos and whitepapers should be a top priority. This content can be used for social media posts, on your website, in email marketing campaigns, in paid ads and optimized for SEO keywords. Content is the key driver of all digital marketing tactics.
While these seven tactics are not the only ones necessary for digital marketing, they are the foundation on which to grow. Looking for a way to implement digital marketing efforts that boost the success of your organization? Check out Marketing Pro Series courses across a range of topics aimed at quickly elevating your marketing to drive results.
