Before we dive deep into the specifics of business marketing, let’s talk about marketing in general. Marketing encompasses the actions of identifying and solving customer needs. When done successfully, marketing can increase leads and attract a large customer base. Marketing has been around for ages, however, digital marketing is a relatively new practice.
As technology has advanced, businesses began experimenting with different digital marketing techniques. They found that it is highly effective for increasing reach, driving website traffic, and ultimately growing a business.
Digital marketing is just as, if not more, important than traditional marketing for a business. It is crucial that businesses begin to plan and implement a digital marketing strategy.
Basics of Business Marketing
In today’s world, people spend many hours per day looking at a screen. This presents many opportunities to reach your ideal audience every single day and is the exact reason why you should be implementing a digital marketing strategy.
Digital marketing is defined as any marketing efforts that are conducted electronically. Some examples include a website, search engines, blog posts, social media platforms, email marketing, etc.
Digital marketing is ever-changing. It is set apart from traditional marketing because it allows for an interactive experience between the business and the audience. This allows for trust to develop much more quickly than with traditional marketing.
Who Can Benefit From Digital Marketing?
Every single business can reap the benefits of digital marketing.
There is a caveat, however. Digital marketing is not a one-size-fits-all. Every business can most definitely grow with digital marketing, but how each business goes about it will be different.
For example, the way an online course creator uses digital marketing is different than how a local boutique does.
There are many different tactics and strategies for digital marketing. Every business is going to require a unique marketing plan. Possible digital marketing avenues include social media marketing, GoogleMyBusiness, website & blog with SEO/keyword research, search engines, and email marketing campaigns.
Let’s break down each avenue to help you determine which ones will be most beneficial for your business.
Social Media Marketing
Every business should have a social media marketing plan in place. I recommend this avenue of digital marketing for every business regardless of industry, location, etc.
Millions of people are active on social media every day (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, etc.). This gives you the opportunity to reach so many people that are your ideal client – whose problems you can solve. The best statistic you’ll see today is this – 76% of consumers buy products they see in social media posts!
With social media, you have the option of organic and paid advertising. Organic social media is the process of marketing your business without spending money on ads. You can grow your social media organically with the right tactics and strategies – it just may take a little longer compared to paid advertising. Paid advertising is when you pay a fee for your social media post to be shown to your ideal client. Paid ads work very well to gain reach on your posts.
It’s important to remember that it’s necessary to create a thriving business page prior to implementing paid advertising. Why? Because when you have an established social media page with valuable content and social proof, it builds trust. This increases the likelihood that someone will purchase your product or service.
Business Marketing With Google Business Profile – Formerly GoogleMyBusiness
I believe that GoogleMyBusiness can benefit every business, but it is crucial for local and brick-and-mortar businesses. When setting up GMB you want to make sure that you optimize each section. GMB allows you to advertise any promos, deals, or sales, and I highly recommend that you do so. It also allows you to make feed posts, similarly to a social media page, and I would recommend doing this on a regular basis.
You also have the ability to upload photos and you should upload many! Photos on your GMB page act as further evidence of social proof and give your potential clients/customers an idea of what to expect if they choose to work with you or visit your location.
There is also the option for paid advertising with GoogleAds. This allows your business to show up at the top of Google’s search results. Paid advertising can be very beneficial, but just like with social media, you should have your GMB page completely optimized and full of social proof.
Website & Blog for Marketing
Every business will benefit from having a website. Businesses appear to be more established when they have a nicely designed website. Keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) are crucial when creating your website and/or blog.
Not every business will need a blog, but know that by creating blog posts frequently and with keywords, your website will rank higher on Google. That means that your website will be closer to the first or second page on Google, as opposed to being on the 10th+ page.
Search Engines for Business Marketing
The main search engine that I want to focus on is Pinterest because there is a common misconception that Pinterest is a social media platform.
Pinterest is a search engine and is extremely beneficial for businesses that sell a product or course. Pinterest allows you to create pins that provide value to your audience and drive traffic to your website, blog, online store, etc.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a great option to get your audience off of social media platforms and somewhere where you can spend time building a relationship.
The easiest way to build your list is to offer something of value (freebie, discount, etc.) when they opt-in to your email list.
Create a series of nurture emails that provide value to your audience while explaining how you can solve their problem (pain points). You don’t want your emails to sound “salesy”. Instead, you want to be educating and building a relationship with your audience.
Create a Marketing Plan
Now that you have some knowledge regarding the main avenues of digital marketing, it’s time for you to develop a plan.
Write down the goals that you have for your business and evaluate which avenues and platforms are going to help you achieve those goals most efficiently.
If you need some guidance and support to develop and implement a strategic marketing plan for your business – learn more about how I can support you.