Tackling the giant: what is digital marketing and how can it grow your business online?
Let’s get familiar with the term digital marketing.
When we hear about Digital Marketing, it sounds like one of those terms only a select few really know about. We categorize it as one of those phrases people throw around to sound smart or keep up with the times. “What is Digital Marketing” is the million-dollar question everyone seems to ask. As you walk with me, we will understand what digital marketing is in simple terms, its importance, and how to grow your business online using its tools or strategies.
What is Digital Marketing?
Let’s begin with the definition of Marketing. It is the process through which business owners get prospective customers interested in their products or services with the end goal of selling those products or services to them. Marketing is the reason why a brand can sell “fat-burning cream” and they would have tons of customers even though we know that creams are for moisturizing our skin and not for burning calories or fat. Now, I may have painted marketing to be lying or selling dreams but that is not what it entails. Marketing is essentially understanding your prospective customers and getting them interested in your products and services. The commercials you see when watching your favorite Saturday morning show and the billboard your favorite actress is on, are all forms of marketing.
Due to the constant nature of change, we experience, technology is what’s new. While some of us may not necessarily love change, we are forced to adapt to it. So, here we are helping you transition seamlessly! The role of digital marketing is to assist in moving a prospect, lead, or customer from one stage of the customer journey to the next until they purchase a product or service. If you notice, Marketing and Digital Marketing share similar definitions, why? Because they are one and the same! The only differences are that Digital marketing is online and its application for businesses differs. Essentially, digital marketing is a way to grow your business online.
Why do you need digital marketing as a business owner?
One common want for business owners is for their businesses to thrive. In this new technological age, marketing is one of the biggest tools you can leverage on. The tools I am about to tell you about have the power to transform your business by increasing exposure and boosting your business sales.
So, how can you grow your business online?
1. Social Media Marketing
The chances of a person not experiencing social media ads in 2023 are slim. Even those who are not tech-savvy have most likely come across one advert or the other. The prevalence of social media today creates more opportunities for business owners to reach a larger audience which is why we see that most companies have switched to social media as a form of advertising. How do you grow your business through social media? By building an online presence! It is important to cultivate an online presence and build a community with your customers. This can be done by posting content with the intent of attracting your target audience and gaining followers.
Influencer marketing is also another way for businesses to leverage social media for growth. Think about word-of-mouth advertising and how the trust in a particular product or business was built when someone else you know could testify and express their satisfaction with a particular product. Influencer marketing is just the digitalized version of word-of-mouth advertising. While this may seem like it is not an option for smaller businesses, it definitely is as influencers exist on different scales and it is up to the business owner to decide what they can afford. If you are opting for this and you don’t know where to begin, then you need to consult a digital marketing agency to assist you in finding the right influencer for your business.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO seems like another giant when talking about digital marketing. So, let’s do a quick introduction to SEO before delving into ways it can grow your business. Let’s start with when you search for something you need to learn more about or buy in your search engine, you are more likely to consider the top results that are displayed as credible, this is what SEO is about.
The essence of SEO is to make your website and its content visible to a larger number of people. SEO helps your website or content rank higher on search engines. If you want to know how to make your website visible on Google or other search engines, then you should concern yourself with SEO. To rank higher your content should contain relevant keywords and building links to your website should also be a priority. How this helps your business is that it improves your online presence and increases your website or business visibility which in turn leads to more visits that potentially convert to an increase in interest and then sales.
3. Online Communities
One of the ways any business can increase its sales is by having clients or customers who trust them. Credibility is extremely important today, as most people are afraid of losing their money to internet fraudsters. When you search for a product or a service on any search engine, there is a large possibility you would find one or multiple online communities having conversations about what you’re looking for which will give you more information on the product or service you need answers about. The advantage of online communities is that you they can help you make informed decisions through reviews and recommendations from multiple people. For instance, if you need an affordable website designer or you are specifically looking for a Digital Marketing agency in Abuja, there will most likely be reviews and comments from people who have had some experience with agencies that offer suitable services.
You can also increase your business’s following through online communities. Online communities such as Quora, Nairaland, Reddit, and Discord they allow many users to converse in real time about anything and everything of interest. So, this is a perfect way to inform prospective buyers or clients about the services and products your business can offer. This should be done by starting or joining conversations and replying to questions or comments organically, not sounding unnatural or salesy.
4. Personalized Email Marketing
You may have come across pop-ups asking you to sign up for a mailing list or to a newsletter while scrolling up or down a website. These are for Email Marketing purposes. This form of marketing uses personalized emails to inform people about a particular product or service.
Email marketing can be used to build relationships, promote content and turn prospective customers into paying clients. To grow your business using personalized emails, it is important to always remember the “personalized” aspect of it. The tone of these emails should be friendly and seem like they were sent from a friend to a friend while subtly advertising or reminding your customers of what they need that you offer. To build your email list, you can include call-to-actions to prompt users to subscribe to your mailing list on your website or blogs.
5. Blogging
Blogging is a great way to improve the relationship between you and your customers. It is also a great and easy way to spread information to prospective customers about your products and services. When done properly, blog posts have the ability to attract customers and increase engagement. When writing blog posts, it is important to incorporate keywords and phrases your target audience is likely to look for when searching for the type of products and services you provide. You should carry out research to help with choosing trending topics that are likely to attract traffic. Blog posts that reach a wider audience should be monitored and analyzed regularly.
It can often be confusing to understand technology and all it brings. However, its benefits are undeniable so we must take advantage of it in ways that ultimately benefit us. If you have read up to this point, then we believe that you have now gained a better understanding of Digital Marketing and conquered the ‘giant’ that is digital marketing. I also believe you have learned how to grow your business online. We will have more tips and tricks for you soon, but until then comment and share your thoughts. Thank you for reading!
