Digital Marketing – Does Your SMME Need It?
Digital marketing is a complex and ever-changing field. But there’s one thing that remains constant. Digital marketing is here to stay and if you want your business to grow – digital marketing is essential.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the process of using digital technologies such as social media, traditional search engines, and websites to market products or services. Digital marketing allows businesses to connect with their customers in ways which were never before possible (or measurable). One of the most powerful advantages of digital marketing is that it gives business owners the ability to measure key variables such as customer engagement, customer awareness, and share of voice.
Types of Digital Marketing:
Social Media Marketing
Social media is one of the most important places to start when thinking about digital marketing. Social media platforms are free-to-use and can be used to have direct communication with people interested in your product or service. Furthermore, the global reach of social media can help you to grow awareness as well, helping people discover your brand. After all, the first step to becoming a customer is to know that a product or service exists. Depending on your business vertical, you may want to take advantage of some or all of the following platforms:
Certain social media platforms also include paid services allowing you to expand your reach and target specific types of people. Super cool side note, Scout Cloud can now run and manage TikTok Ads for your company in South Africa.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search engine optimisation is a cornerstone of an effective digital marketing strategy. SEO is the practice of identifying keywords associated with your brand, product, or service and then creating useful and informative content. Doing so in a deliberate and strategic fashion will help your website slowly climb search engine result page rankings and make your website easier to find. SEO is not merely a matter of stuffing your website full of keywords and trying to trick Google into thinking your website is the best. If it were that easy, search engines wouldn’t be very useful because we would never be able to find real information, only pages filled with keywords. Over and above the technical aspects, SEO is fundamentally about providing useful information in an easy-to-read style. Blog articles, FAQ pages, and a well-structured site map and important places to start when tackling SEO as part of your digital marketing strategy.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)/Pay Per Click (PPC)
Search engine marketing, not to be confused with SEO, is the practice of driving traffic to your website using legitimate paid methods. Legitimate forms of paying for website traffic include:
Often referred to as pay-per-click or PPC, search engine marketing provides you with the opportunity of showing up on search engine pages without waiting for your website’s SEO to improve. SEM is an important part of any digital marketing strategy but it should never be the sole pillar. Just as all digital marketing areas are competitive, so is SEM and it can quickly become an expensive endeavour if not done correctly.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a phenomenal way to turn your social media community and website traffic into paying customers. When website visitors consent to email marketing they are authorizing you to send them marketing messages directly to their email inbox. A massive advantage. Unlike scrolling through social media feeds where media consumers tend to be more passive and less focused, people tend to be concentrating when engaging with their emails. No one wants to miss an important email after all. That means you can be more certain that at the very least your subject line will be read. When done correctly, email marketing can be a powerful tool for generating massive short-term profits and long-term brand awareness.
Digital Marketing Specialists
Digital marketing is a complex field. Many digital marketing channels require specialists, designers, copywriters, and other skilled professionals to execute effectively. Getting the most out of these complex systems doesn’t have to be costly if done right. However, not investing in digital marketing might just be enough to cost you your entire business.
Digital marketing agencies such as Scout Cloud can advise and guide you through your overall digital strategy. It is important to ensure your business is promoting itself on the correct platforms, targeting the right keywords and optimising your budgets correctly.