We answered the most frequently asked digital marketing questions below but, beware, there are often no "right" answers because each business and its needs are unique.
To truly be able to answer questions to help grow your business, we need to understand your business and goals better. To do that, we will need to get to know each other a little better. Please reach out when you are ready!
So (shake shake), take all of this wisdom with a grain of salt.
When does my business need marketing?
The answer to that question is "all the time". Effective marketing is not an activity to be done only when things get quiet. This process should be constantly and consistently happening to make your business more visible to those looking for your products. Benefits of continuous marketing:
- You build awareness and brand differentiation by being visible to your prospects and clients
- You establish a solid reputation by marketing your expertise through articles and blogging
- You distinguish your business from the competition by staying visible, engaging content and promoting your expertise
- You can evaluate your marketing efforts by the results you are seeing in business. If it's working, keep doing it; if it doesn't, try something different.
Marketing takes time to take effect plus, when you shut something down, it is really hard to kick it back up. The key is to put a marketing effort in motion and let it run, evaluate the outcome then tweaking the campaign when need be. Build marketing into your business strategy so that it becomes second nature and ensures you stay visible to your clients. If you don't feel you can do it yourself, find a marketing agency to help. An investment in marketing your business may be small but its results can be mighty.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing involves marketing to people using Internet-connected electronic devices, namely computers, smartphones and tablets. Digital marketing focuses on channels such as blogs, social media, email, websites and apps to connect with your target demographic.
Would my business benefit from digital marketing?
Definitely. Though there are many companies that continue to approach digital marketing with skepticism, avoiding digital marketing denies your business access to the media the majority of consumers turn to first and at all hours of the day.
What’s the biggest mistake made in digital marketing?
First biggest mistake: Blowing your own horn too much. Yes, of course, the primary goal of marketing is to create leads. However, in the age of digital media a brand-centric, salesy approach deflects interest in your company. Make your marketing customer-centric by creating content that isn't all about you and is engaging in other ways.
Second biggest mistake: Far too often, digital marketers start and stop. You need to contribute a steady flow of content to the channels you use to stay relevant.
Why do I need a blog for my business?
Not all businesses will be able to support the requirements of having a blog, but businesses who do blog usually get more traffic to their website than those who don’t. A quality blog helps convert that traffic into leads while establishing your business as an authority in your industry.
Every time you publish a blog post, you increase your web presence by another page which creates one more opportunity for your business to show up in search engines and drive traffic to your website in organic search.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the creation and distribution of educational and/or entertaining information assets for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic, leads and sales. Marketing content is generally free and does not explicitly promote your brand as an ad would.
What’s involved in creating a content marketing strategy?
A content marketing strategy is a plan for building an audience. Elements of content marketing strategy may include:
- establishing objectives
- audience personas
- a value proposition
- content marketing mission statement
- a buyer journey map
- plans for creating, promoting and analyzing how your content marketing assets and programs perform
Is email marketing still effective?
Email is stronger than ever and more popular than any social media. It’s more private. More personal. More reliable. Most people rely on email and check their inbox multiple times each day. If you want to communicate directly with people who actually grant you permission to market to them, email is marketing is essential.
Do I need an email newsletter?
It’s wise to send regular updates your subscribers with news of new content, new products (or improvements), events, and so forth. It’s not wise to expect your email list to expand fast simply by offering a newsletter.
Do we need video?
The reason marketers love video so much is online consumers love it. More than a billion hours of video are consumed on YouTube alone each day. Video is a flexible and engaging content format plus easy to share across multiple platforms. Smartphones and digital editing have made it far easier to create video, so the potential for a high ROI is great.