In the world of business development and branding, digital marketing coach is on everyone’s lips. But what exactly is digital marketing and how can we use it to grow our business?
Digital Marketing Defined
Digital marketing is the advertising and promotion of businesses and their brands through digital media channels. Digital media currently includes websites, social media, radio, television, cell phones, and even forms of traditionally non-digital media such as billboards and road signs.
Essentially, any marketing medium that is delivered electronically is considered digital marketing.
Only various forms of person-to-person (P2P) marketing, print advertising and direct marketing fall outside the scope of digital marketing. And even then, print ads, direct mail, directories, billboards and posters are beginning to connect with their digital counterparts.
With elements like URL landing pages, QR codes, web banner ads, online directories, and text codes, traditional marketing and advertising almost always has a connection to digital marketing.
Why the focus on digital media?
The shift to digital media is being driven by marketing agencies, businesses and consumers alike. The ever-increasing demand for quantifiable results makes the shift to digital media a dream for the digital marketing agency. Most digital media, including websites, social media and mobile advertising, is much easier to track than traditional marketing media such as print advertising.
For business owners, many forms of digital marketing trainer advertising are very cost-effective. A web presence, engaging customers in conversations via social media, and email marketing are cost-effective alternatives to print advertising and direct mail. These digital channels are available to businesses of all sizes and help give startups, small businesses and independent consultants looking for new business an equal opportunity.
For consumers, digital advertising is a must given the fast pace of life. When consumers need goods and services, gone are the days when they had to flip through a phone book to find them. Today, we whip out our mobile devices or search for answers on our computers — and we find them quickly.
Use digital media to build your business and brand
Regardless of the size of your business — large enterprise or small to medium enterprise (SME) — you can effectively market your business through cost-effective digital channels. The foundation of your marketing efforts is your website. Invest wisely in your website, and make sure it does the following
Appropriately represents your business and brand (look and feel, messaging)
Appeals appropriately to your target audience
Can be found by searchers on major search engines
It is up-to-date and easy to navigate
Provides multiple channels for customer communication
Links to other marketing activities
It is recommended that you work with a professional web design firm that understands web development and search engine optimization. Since your website is the foundation upon which all other digital channels are built, it should be considered one of your most important business investments.
Once you have your small business marketing coach ready, the next thing you should do is launch regular monthly or bi-monthly email campaigns and engage with your customers through social media. If you really only have a small budget to work with, you can have these tasks done in-house (by someone with the skills) or inexpensively by an outside digital marketing agency. Make sure that all of your efforts drive customers back to your website, where they can fully engage with your company, products and services, and choose the channels through which they contact you.