What is digital marketing and why invest in it?
What is digital marketing and why invest in it?
What is digital marketing?
What does a digital marketer do?
What is the role of digital marketing in a company?
How much money do you need for digital marketing?
Contrary to popular belief, digital marketing—also known as online marketing, cybermarketing and many other monikers—is not such a recent invention. In fact, we have to go back to 1990 (an eternity in the computer world) to find the use of the expression digital marketing, and it was about 10 years later that Universal Music launched the very first mobile marketing campaign.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and digital marketing strategies have diversified and are constantly evolving. Although it is now almost essential for a company to make the digital shift and develop an e-marketing strategy, it is also essential that this strategy allows the company to stand out from the competition, which has never been stronger; however, a certain amount of money must be spent to stay in the race!
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing, just like conventional marketing, is the set of marketing activities used to get in touch with customers—current and future—except that instead of advertising in newspapers, magazines and other media, we use different digital media: apps, websites, video games, etc.
Different digital channels exist to reach users faster and more efficiently than ever before, and here is a sample of some of them.
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- Social media. From Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even YouTube, social networks and music streaming platforms give you almost instant access to thousands of users, provided of course that you have the right strategy and target your audience.
- Websites. Of course, we are thinking of your company’s website, but there are plenty of others, such as the websites of the major daily newspapers.
- E-mail. Announcements of current or upcoming sales, promotional codes, newsletters: these are just some of the ways you can reach customers and prospects whose e-mail addresses you have.
- Online advertising. These “pay-per-click” ads can be found not only on social media, but also on the search results page, where your company will find itself alongside competitors. This way, users looking for product X will be offered similar products and services, offering more options at a glance.
On social media, these ads will also be used to introduce you to users who may not have been looking for you (but who will be glad they found you!).
Why invest in digital marketing?
For the same reason as for traditional marketing: to boost your recognition and to build loyalty among your existing customers! But there are many additional advantages to investing part of your advertising budget in digital marketing!
By having a professional page on social networks and by regularly feeding it with new content, you will promote more interactions with your current and future customers, thus reinforcing the feeling of proximity. The simple fact that users can tell you if they prefer red socks or green socks creates a connection with them and makes you more accessible to them.
Businesses and stores with a physical office often have business hours between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.; if people need information about your products and services, they should visit or call you during business hours. However, if you have a website or one or more pages on social networks, you become even more accessible because a lot of information about your products and services will always be available. You will even be able to make online sales in the middle of the night if you offer this option!
Small businesses often don’t have the same financial means as large companies, which makes it harder for them to be visible outside their city, or even their neighborhood. By going digital—even if it’s just a professional Facebook page that requires a minimal investment—you become instantly visible to a large number of users who may not live in your area, not to mention all your new potential customers near you looking for local businesses!
Setting up a website, online advertising or a professional page on social networks requires a smaller budget than placing ads in newspapers, on television or along highways!
Finally, it will be easier for you to know how many people have seen your advertising content, visited your page(s) or left contact information, things that are impossible to quantify in traditional media—you won’t know how many people have seen your ad in the local newspaper for example. You will also be able to define your audience and target new customers, increasing your conversion rate.
Digital marketing in constant evolution
The Internet world is changing at a rapid pace, and so are the interests of users, so it is essential to establish a content strategy that will allow you to keep up with your target audience. What was valid 3 months ago to reach your target audience may not be valid today; that’s why it is important to be able to quickly turn things around or, as they say, to be able to “turn around on a dime”, which is not possible with traditional marketing.
By doing business with experts in SEM, SMM, and SEO, such as those at Leadstream Agency, you are assured of always being one step ahead of your competitors when it comes to digital marketing and tracking your statistics!
See our digital marketing services
What does a digital marketer do?
Knowing about online marketing is good, but knowing all the intricacies and subtleties is even better for developing the best digital strategy there is! That’s why at Leadstream, you’ll find digital marketing specialists on the lookout for the latest developments in advertising, SEM and SMM.
For example, an online marketing expert will be responsible for creating and monitoring digital advertising campaigns; writing relevant content for websites, blogs and emails, analyzing digital marketing campaign data and results, updating social networks and client web pages are just some of the many tasks a digital marketer must perform.
Inbound marketing and outbound marketing: which one to choose?
Inbound marketing and outbound marketing are completely different from each other, but they are still complementary. Whereas inbound marketing aims at attracting users by creating attractive content, outbound marketing is not only about attracting new prospects, but literally going out to find them where they are.
While both offer many advantages, inbound leads generally cost less in terms of SEO.
Is digital marketing for all businesses?
Whether you are self-employed with no other employees, or the head of a multinational corporation, digital marketing has become a must. In fact, by creating quality content and targeting one or more distinct categories of users, you will always come out a winner. Whether your business is B2B or B2C, a well executed digital marketing campaign will allow you to stand out from the competition and increase your conversion rate (and your sales).
What is the role of digital marketing in a company?
People—perhaps including you—are doing more and more research on the Internet before going to a store or making an online purchase; this is another reason to put all the chances on your side and invest so as to be among the first search results! And while a good SEO strategy can move you up a few steps in the search results, it is more than wise to use Google Ads to get your website listed first!
What kind of digital content should be created?
Relevant, unique, and content optimized for search engines will allow you to gain additional market share. But do not forget that it must be mobile-friendly! More and more users are accessing the Internet using their smartphones, so it is essential that your content is optimized for this type of medium, otherwise users won’t stay on your page very long!
Different types of content are more popular among Internet users: clear and detailed infographics, micro content with short videos, carousels, in short, anything that will capture the attention of your audience in a few seconds. Because let’s not forget, users are fickle and impatient; have you ever jumped from one page to another because you weren’t interested in the content or the loading time was too long?
QED.
How long before you see the first results?
A web marketing agency that would tell you that in only 24 or 48 hours you could get the first position in search results would not be honest with you and is about as credible as a site boasting about a miracle pill that makes you lose 20 kg in a week…
Admittedly, you have invested a certain amount of money in your web marketing strategy and you want concrete results quickly, which is understandable. However, it is a long-term job and you will have to wait a few weeks before you can reap the fruits of your efforts.
After that, you cannot rest on your laurels! In fact, you need to feed your different platforms with new content so that search engines know that it is active, and worth being consulted!
How much money do you need for digital marketing?
According to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the budget allocated to digital marketing depends on various factors, such as your objectives, your revenues, and the type of business you’re in. In an industry where competition is fierce, you may need to invest more than your competitors to get ahead of the pack, whereas if you are about the only player in your industry, it will probably cost you less.
According to the BDC, you can expect to earn 2–5% of your revenues if you are a B2B company; this proportion can be as high as 10% for B2Cs because you will have to opt for a multi-channel strategy.
How does mobile marketing fit into my digital marketing strategy?
Did you know that nearly 9 out of 10 queries for a business conducted from a mobile device result in a phone call or visit within 24 hours? That is why it’s important not to neglect this platform and why mobile marketing should be an important part of your digital strategy!
And since 46% of searches concern local businesses, you have everything to gain by making life easier for users near you by offering them a digital experience that meets their expectations!
I’m ready to do digital marketing; what should I do?
To make sure you start your digital marketing campaign off on the right foot, trust online marketers who will do everything they can to ensure that the results exceed your expectations. Entrust your content strategy to the Leadstream Agency, your e-marketing experts!
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