Digital marketing refers to any online activity designed to generate sales. For many, particularly small businesses just starting out, it can be a confusing concept. They can be unsure about how much to spend or where to advertise; however, learning all they can about digital marketing will make it easier for them to build successful campaigns. Let’s take a look at the basics.
It doesn’t have to be expensive
Investing money in digital marketing when you are unsure about what you are doing can be particularly daunting for small businesses, which often don’t have a lot of spare budget. Fortunately, there are forms of digital marketing that are free or very low cost. These are a good way to get started without risking a large investment.
Search engine optimisation, or SEO, uses keywords to help your products or services rank highly in internet searches. You can claim a free business profile from Google to boost your ranking, particularly in local searches.
You can also publish interesting stories or helpful advice related to your brand on social media. These may be shared, increasing your reach for free.
Paid options
Although it can be nerve-racking to use a significant part of your budget on digital marketing, there is the potential for this investment to pay off. If you don’t know where to start, it may be worth using a digital marketing agency. To find one, use a search term such as ‘digital marketing agency near me’ to produce results such as nettl.com/uk/digital-marketing-agency-near-me.
Paid forms of digital advertising include social ads and sponsored content that will appear in the newsfeed of social media. You can create a profile of the people you want this to reach to target your customer demographic.
Display ads appear as banners on websites. These are not commonly used by small businesses, except in a retargeting campaign to gain a sale from someone who has already visited your site.
Knowing who to target with your paid ads is the key to receiving a good return on your investment.