Why Digital Marketing
is Important
Thanks to Covid-19, many of us are no longer anxious about interacting with the “unknown” world of the internet. Those born before 1994 were comfortable visiting stores and touching, feeling and authenticating things before purchasing. Moreover, we did not trust sharing our personal and financial information online.
The digital world belongs to our children.
I recall the anxiety experienced by many 50-year-olds when they had to register online for the Covid-19 vaccination. Many relied on their children to handhold them through the process. Thankfully, the lockdown forced even the die-hard traditionalists to adopt technology to keep in contact and touch with their children and colleagues and even view their church sermons.
The lesson is that it is never too late to embrace the digital world and allow it to add convenience to your life and make money for you, especially those who own small emerging businesses.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing or online marketing is the promotion of services and products via the internet and other forms of digital communication, including email, social media, and web platforms. When done successfully, digital marketing can assist your business in becoming visible to online consumers. It can also help your business stay ahead of the curve by giving you access to online consumer insights and behaviour so that a company can adapt and strategise accordingly. In addition, digital marketing can provide businesses with profitable leads helping them to grow.
Digital Marketing is Hard Work
Although it has numerous benefits, digital marketing is hard work, especially for many who are late adopters who may try to navigate this new digital world by themselves. It is hard work because it involves dedicating many hours to learning how it works and applying the knowledge. I will make an example with something many of us can relate to—a business website.
A business Website
Many businesses have websites. It is the first thing we are advised to have as soon as we become entrepreneurs. But we are seldom told that unless we invest in digital marketing, the website will not help our businesses to generate new business or sales as it will not generate organic traffic. We learn the hard way. But it’s never too late to learn.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is a digital marketing process that helps websites to work for businesses in that it enables businesses to be visible and found on the internet. Ultimately, SEO helps to increase the traffic to your website and drives leads and sales, brand engagement and brand awareness. SEO involves the back and front end of the website. The back end is the technical aspects which require website developers or coders to consider when developing your website.
Keywords
It would help if you considered your website keywords before or as your website is being developed. These keywords are essential in digital marketing as they help your site be searchable. However, be warned that the process of developing keywords is not once-off. It continues for as long as you have the website as people keep changing their search patterns on the internet.
Length of page content
This is also important for digital marketing. If your page content is too little or “too thin”, your SEO will not be successful, and your site will not be found. So be sure to pad your pages with relevant content.
Website Content
Websites are virtual repositories of your business information. It is the first place people go to when looking up your business and your business offerings. For this reason, your website must represent your business well.
The content must be relevant to your business and your target audience. If you already have customers, you must speak to them while embracing and speaking to your potential customers.
When collating the content, you must consider your keywords and the unique selling points of your business. This will help you to rise above the clutter and be found on the internet.
Content packaging is critical in driving your website’s digital marketing strategy. In this regard, there are various ways of packaging your content. In words, images, designed templates, infographics, multimedia and other exciting formats to encourage visitors to linger on your website.
Website Updates
For many small business owners, the last time they interface with their content is when the website is developed, and then the site goes on autopilot. If digital marketing works for you, this will have to change.
The content has to be updated on an ongoing basis. This includes updating company information that is no longer relevant. It also includes uploading marketing campaigns, press statements and other relevant and current information on your website.
Linking of Social Media accounts
Linking your social media accounts to your website as part of the digital marketing strategy will also assist in increasing the traffic to the website and, in turn, improve its searchability. However, this depends on how active your social media accounts are.