The Essentials of Modern Digital Marketing

The Essentials of Modern Digital Marketing

The digital world is constantly changing, meaning that marketers need to constantly be adapting. There are of course some tried and true marketing strategies that still stand up to the test of time, but print ads aren’t all that’s paying the bills for advertising agencies these days. 

Year after year, companies are giving more of their attention (and their budgets) to the digital sphere of communication strategies. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at a few different methods of reaching your audience online, how to leverage them, and what to expect from the digital marketing world in the future. 

Whether your digital marketing strategy will center around content marketing, search engine optimization or web design is up to you – but having a strategy that supports each branch of the digital marketing funnel is essential. 

To understand the state of digital marketing currently, we need to understand how the space has changed in the past few years. Reach has been the major driver of why brands are so keen to capitalize on technology and online engagement. Social media, for instance, allows companies to reach exponentially more people than they would be able to with a more traditional approach. 

People look for information almost entirely online, meaning that the way your company presents there might be the only place you have an opportunity to make a first impression on potential customers and targets. 

Simply telling people what you do and for how much isn’t enough anymore. It is imperative that you find a way to cut through the clutter and make yourself heard in a way that nobody else in your niche is. 

Companies nowadays realize that making your customer identify with you is just as important as making a sale. Not to mention, people have fine-tuned their BS detectors. Anyone can spend five minutes doing a brief search on a company you’re considering doing business with and easily unearth negative reviews, a glitching website, and other potential turn offs without putting in too much effort at all. What we’re saying is, if you’re going to put your best foot forward anywhere, do it online. 

So, if that’s the state of digital marketing right now, where are we headed? 

Well, that’s where our expert opinion comes in. Outsourcing the creation and execution of a digital marketing plan is a job for someone who has the industry expertise to make predictions on trends, analyze industry chatter and guide you to solutions that twill save you time, money, and energy. 

Even though many businesses are reluctant to contact outside firms, it generally becomes clear quickly why this is the recommended avenue. 

Successfully leveraging digital marketing tactics like SEO, social media, and other online tools can be a full-time job, and learning the ins-and-outs of these different methods takes time. 

But today’s consumers have notoriously low attention spans, and they won’t wait around for you to get your company to get your act together. Outside contractors like encite can consult with you on the essential elements of a digital marketing strategy like: 

SEO 

The easiest way to wrap your head around search engine optimization as a concept is to think of the last time you searched something like “best pizza near me”. If you were the owner of a local pizza shop, you’d obviously want your restaurant to be the first hit that Google shows the user who entered the search. Organic, unpaid search methods use specific keywords and other factors to rank web pages. A team with SEO expertise can help you to rank higher and build a search strategy. 

Content Marketing 

Content is the bread and butter of any successful campaign. Easily digestible blog posts, concise, informative video content, and creative, engaging attempts to start a dialogue with your customer base are the keys to a content strategy that works. 

Social Media Marketing 

Today’s social media users spread their time out over a variety of different online platforms. Regardless of which you choose to focus on, it’s important to build your brand’s profile here in the same way you have worked to define yourself anywhere else. Your voice on social media should match up with the perception that customers already have of you in their minds. Social media offers you an opportunity to grow your audience, build a following and stay in the competition. 

Web Design 

Design (in all of its forms) is the cornerstone of brand development. It’s how consumers identify your company and what draws them to you. Having a website isn’t enough, it needs to be easy to use, informative and aesthetically appealing. 

So, while we’re not telling you to forget about billboards and radio ads entirely, we are telling you that implementing a digital marketing strategy is an absolutely imperative step that companies need to take to continue to be successful in this day and age. 

Companies that use things like SEO, social media, and mobile-friendly, responsive website design to their advantage get their brand in front of more people and address the needs of their target audience more effectively. 

At encite branding + marketing + creative, we are here to help you navigate the digital marketing world. Contact us today to learn more about how we build brands that work and take businesses to the next level.