Digital marketing has taken the world by storm and because of its on-hand, and innovative nature, it’s making entrepreneurs able to do more (for less). The internet has revolutionized how business owners and everyday people can reach a target audience and communicate over a wider scale.
Promoting your business online can seem intimidating because there are so many foreign aspects to deal with that completely differ from a brick and mortar store.
That being said, there are some key marketing concepts that will help you take your marketing to the next level.
This post will help you get some insights as to what the basics are and how you improve your presence in the digital marketing scene.
12 Digital Marketing Concepts to Remember :
1. Create and “groom” your online presence
Digital marketing is all about being present online. For this simple reason, creating an online presence is crucial to the success of your business. You’ll need an online profile and engage in your social media content, which we will discuss a bit later in this post.
You can build your online presence with a blog for instance. Blog about your business (but don’t promote your business directly). Instead, talk about things that relate to what your business is about.
For example, you might sell designer handbags. You can blog about the process of designing and creating your handbags, how to pair handbags to your outfit of the day, what the latest trends are for colours, fabrics and embellishments. This list goes on. In this way, you’re establishing your authority in your niche without “overselling” your product.
2. Keep an eye on the trends
When it comes to digital marketing, it’s a “cut-throat” industry and you have to stand out and be better than your competitors. How do you achieve this you may ask? By staying on top of your game!
You must keep your eyes peeled for what’s hip and happening in the digital scene because this is what people (your customers, viewer and potential customers) will be checking out as well. There are also courses and seminars that you can attend to improve your skills and further “arm” yourself for the battle of the “digital titans!”
3. Network with peers
You heard the saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” Well, this is a similar concept, because when you network with your peers you not only gain insights to the latest trends but also gain a sneak peek into what works for them and what doesn’t. It’s a good way to measure what will work better for your industry too. In this way, if the scales weigh positively, then you can apply it to your business, and see how it benefits your market niche.
Networking should be considered a key marketing concept because it’s vital to meet people and forge connections that may be valuable for your own business. During the time you can take the liberty to market your business to the people you meet. Leave them with something memorable so that they will always know what you and your brand stands for.
4. Create your ideal customer avatar
Customer avatars will go a long way in helping you determine your market and voice of your product. This will give you a sense of direction when you’re crafting marketing materials such as newsletters, or marketing emails for that matter. You can create customer avatars by finding out key information regarding your market.
5. Navigate the ways of analytics
You’ll find that in the online or digital business, there’s a lot of talk about “analytics”.
The reason for this is because analytics are actual statistics that can help steer the business in the right direction. In your quest for growing your business and skills, it’s always a good idea to learn more about analytics and the integral aspects related to it.
It’s even more crucial not to be blinded by vanity metrics but rather to focus on the numbers that really matter.
Analytics can also help you learn whether or not you’re spending money on the right campaigns and tools for that matter.
6. Very new? Consider doing some pro bono work
This may sound like a schlep at first, but if you’re brand new in this market, then you need exposure. Exposure pays off in the long run, even if you start off doing some small projects for free.
Obtaining social proof is another key marketing concept that you need to embrace. Performing some work for free can be a valuable way to obtain testimonials and references. We don’t mean you have to do free work for a lifetime but consider doing some projects for free or at a lower cost just to give you the boost you need.
7. For the love of social media
We can almost consider social media a “digital deity” because it plays a huge role online. People become influencers on both a micro and macro scale and folks are always looking to follow, learn, and do more on their social media platforms of choice.
If your business has no social media ties, then it’s high time you start today! Facebook is one of the easiest platforms to work with and while it originally sold as a personal tool, it’s long become a favourite amongst entrepreneurs. Other thriving social media markets include Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to name a few.
It may seem intimidating if you’ve never ever used it before, but you’ll quickly learn just how imperative social media platforms are for you and your business.
8. Digital Marketing: start small and grow
It’s logical that if you’re a “new kid on the block” people may need to learn to trust you and see how good you are before they’ll be willing to pay more. So it’s no surprise that you might not land a huge client immediately, no matter how good your digital marketing is.
Realise that digital and social media isn’t a “magic wand” that will allow you to print money. It’s simply a vehicle to make more people aware of what you do. Be patient and be committed to doing it for the long haul.
9. Your profile is important
Once stepping online, it’s essential to set up a captivating online profile. This will differ from one social media platform to the next, and you’ll have to edit your profile accordingly. The point is is that you need to create a good profile, one that clearly defines you and your business.
Don’t forget that anything online needs to be found or optimized so keywords are very important. People don’t often fancy a “know it all” because quite frankly that would be off-putting. Instead, sell yourself as a humble, professional individual. Never lie on your profile, always be honest as honesty is the one thing people appreciate in business.
10. Add a picture
People associate and relate on a personal level. “Business is business” but what some pros don’t mention is the fact that business is also about emotions. Emotions in the sense of being “personal”. There is, however, a fine line here and it does not necessarily mean you have to walk around exposing yourself carrying your heart on your sleeve. People can take advantage of your personal emotions. The emotion, in this case, is speaking to your customers and followers on an emotional level.
Being personal brings us to the actual point of this section of the post, and that is adding a picture to your profile because people want to see who you are. They want to relate on an emotional level and seeing a picture of you already sets this tone ie. “You’re a real person”
11. Stay consistent
Consistency is very important and there’s no time to slack down when you’re on a roll to market your brand. Consistency may include regular posting of content on your blog or making your weekly “how-to” YouTube video. As soon as you start to grow, you’ll begin to develop an audience who expects certain things from you.
It later comes to a point where you operate to 1: grow your brand and 2: to keep your audience and customers happy. At the end of the day, this is what’s needed for your thriving digital business.
12. Keep learning
Digital marketing concepts is a constant and ever-growing industry and there are always new things sparking trends online. To be even better at what you do, never stop learning.
The more you learn and equip yourself, the better it will be to grow your company. At the end of the day, you’ll be abreast with the latest trends, online marketing tools, and in a position to differentiate what’s working and what isn’t. In a nutshell, there’s no downtime when it comes to learning about digital marketing.
The takeaway
For your online efforts to pay off means that you have to leverage all the social media tips you can get your hands on. Be sure to read our previous blogs if you are brand new to digital marketing and wish to learn more.
Stay ahead of the game and when you are ready, consider hiring a digital marketing agency to professionally promote your business to the masses.
