Digital Marketing Basics For Your Business

Looking to give your business a lift?  Digital marketing is the way to go. 

However, phrases such as ‘Social Media Management’ and ‘Search Engine Optimization’ can seem like jargon. Especially, when you are not sure the impact it will have on your business. 

Here is a guide for you to wade through and understand what you need to do in the digital space:  

First and foremost, get yourself a website. A web address is important as customers are likely to go out and check out your digital footprint. There is a no better show-window for a potential customer then a well-made website which is neat and provides the necessary information simply. This is referred in digital as a website with a good User experience (UX) and User Interface (UI).  

A website with a good UI and UX gives your business a much-needed boost in terms of building trust & providing information. To build your website, you can opt for a ready to use template or take the help of a web design agency.

Tip: Make sure that the website has a simple content management system which allows you to update the website on your own. 

Once you have the website in place, make sure you create your presence on social platforms. Depending on the nature of business, you can choose from platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Instagram and Snapchat. 

It’s important to be regular in posting on social media as it keeps your page fresh and is likely to bring you better reach. You can do updates about any new products or topical stuff which might be of interest to your audience. To ensure higher engagement on social media, always try and be interactive with the audience. Simple contest giveaways are one of the ways to keep the audience engaged.

Not so long ago, just creating a social presence was good enough to get the reach to your audience. Now, to reach even your followers, you will need to burn some money. However, the rich data which the social platforms has allows you to target users not just from a location/gender/age lens but also from interest and behavior lens which can improve the impact you are looking for. 

Tip: While running a paid campaign be clear about your goal from it – whether it is to drive brand, sales or engagement. 

Search is another important aspect of being on digital. Google is a primary driver for a lot of businesses – in markets such as US, 88%of all searches are on google, while in India its as high as 98%! What you need to do on search is to ensure that your site is optimized for Google which will bring in organic traffic. To drive higher clicks from search, you can leverage Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM is essentially paid search positions on search pages. 

Tip: Work with your SEO partner agency to set targets for keywords ranking and organic traffic.  

On digital, it’s very important to keep a track and measure of all your activities. Fortunately, you can keep track of pretty much all the relevant parameters easily. On the website ensure that you put the code of google analytics. Facebook and other platforms will provide you all the information that you need. Unless your role specifically requires it, do keep in mind how you would want to measure progress. Goals and metrics vary widely, you might want to take the help of an expert to set your expectations.  All the best as you take the plunge into the World Wide Web!