To clarify, digital marketing is any marketing effort that uses an online channel. The most popular digital channels for example would be websites, social media and email. Businesses are increasingly using these to try and connect with potential or existing customers. In fact, with over half of the global population now online, digital marketing has become a vital marketing tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes!
Digital marketing might be something you have never tried with your company, but it definitely should be. The digital experts here at PRG Marketing Communications have put their brains together to come up with a breakdown on what digital marketing actually entails and how it differs to the traditional methods.
Websites
Starting with one of the first and no doubt one of the most important aspects of digital marketing is websites. Websites are key in the digital marketing mix, they’re your online shop window. If a customer were to search your company name in Google, your website is what will come up and it will be their first impression of your company. So, you want it to be a good one.
The world’s first ever website launched over 30 years ago on the 6th of August 1991. The world’s first website was created by the man who also created the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, and it is still up and running to this day. It is a very simple website, there is much less going on than some of the 1.9 billion active websites in the world today.
In the modern day, we believe that having a well-built website is a key first step in digital marketing. Websites integrate with all the other components of digital marketing; they are the landing place for your social media content and email marketing campaigns so it’s essential your website appeals to your target audience. There are so many website building platforms available, such as Webflow, GoDaddy or Squarespace. Here at PRG we like to build our websites in WordPress. Powering over 40% of the world’s websites, WordPress websites hold so much possibility, with easy to install plug-ins like WooCommerce and Yoast available to further power your website. Our website team ensures that all our clients have access to the back end of their own website. Our flexible WordPress layouts, built in-house by our own Web Development Manager, allow you to easily add, remove or edit content on your website, meaning you will never outgrow your own website.
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and goes hand in hand with websites. SEO is all about working with search engine algorithms to try and make your website appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). With over 86% of the market share, Google is the world’s most popular search engine. Google uses something called crawlers (or spiders) to scan your website, using links to jump from page to page, going from website to website to index and rank your website against all the others.
There are multiple features you can optimise to take advantage of Google’s algorithms and help your page rank higher on the SERP. Keywords, meta descriptions, picture alt text, backlinks and referring domains are all features that need to be taken advantage of when creating a well optimised website. We have another blog all about SEO that you can read here.
Email marketing
Considering email marketing is the oldest digital marketing tool, with the first ever email being sent in 1971 and the first marketing email campaign being sent out in 1978, some may think it is a dying art. This is most certainly not the case, and in a lot of cases a very important part of a company’s digital marketing strategy!
Email marketing is still thriving, with over 4.3 billion emails users in the world and over 360 billion emails going round every single day. So, with all these huge numbers, what can email marketing do for your business? A study by Emailtooltester found that the email marketing ROI is currently at 4400%. So, for every £1 you spend on your email campaign, you’ll get back £44, not a bad return is it!
Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Spotler allow small and large businesses to target customers with sales announcements, newsletters or company updates. Email marketing is great for customer interaction as it feels quite personal, it has landed in their inbox directly from you. By adding a custom greeting, you can make them feel even more involved and cared about by your business.
Social media
Social media is the newest addition to the digital marketing spectrum, and is arguably the most powerful when used correctly. There are so many platforms available, all with different audiences and niches.
Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world with over 2.9 billion active monthly users, it has a slightly older general age demographic than other social media platforms. 45% of Facebook users in the UK are aged between 35-64, compared to 27.7% for Instagram. LinkedIn is the world’s top B2B social media platform, focusing on much more professional than personal content. TikTok is the latest social media platform taking the world by storm, with its short videos appealing mainly to younger audiences. Instagram is where the term ‘influencer’ became mainstream. People were gaining hundreds and thousands of followers by showing off a desirable lifestyle and are now being paid thousands to endorse products, being given free holidays to promote hotels and being invited to events to push ticket sales.
With all the different options, when it comes to social media, there is a platform suitable for every business. With billions of people using social media every day, as long as you can create engaging content, correct hashtags and keep engaging with other accounts, you can get your company or product in front of thousands of people for free. If you are willing to put money behind sponsored posts or partner with an influencer, you could propel your brand even further and reach millions of people.
How PRG can help shape your digital presence
Our digital marketing experts at PRG specialise in everything you’ve read here today, and more! Website building, SEO, email marketing and social media management are just some of the digital marketing services we offer. Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help you take your digital presence and conversions to the next level.
