We have come a long way since the times paper ads and flyers were the ubiquitous marketing strategy for all products and services. Back then, things were simple yet somehow so complicated at the same time. How on Earth were you to know where to look for a certain product or if that said product actually existed? People in the past did not have the luxury we have today of being able to compare products and place grocery orders without as much as lifting a finger! Well, we still swipe the screens, maybe, but still without lifting our fingers!
Businesses used to compete in securing the best airtime to show their ads on TV, so they can gain exposure and generate higher sales. However, the rules have drastically changed when it comes to marketing. Companies now are all about digital marketing. With strategies like search engine optimization and email marketing, companies are surviving in the cutthroat business world of today. If you are planning to start your own business soon, then you need to learn about the different digital marketing strategies out there.
Read on below for seven types that you should know about:
1. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Companies pay search engines to have their ads pop up on their target audience’s Search Engine Result Page or SERP. These search engines are usually related to keywords that are pre-identified as relevant. Once a searcher types any keyword on his/her search engine bar, he/she sees the company’s ad on an agreed-upon place on the page. Apparently, this strategy is one that depends on using visuals to attract the attention of the audience. Blake Davis from Digitrio says that ads with a simple image and just a few words can be extremely effective, as proven by Apple. The experts in digital marketing have been using this strategy for years now for bulletproof results. Think about it; you are more likely to click on an image relating to the keyword you are searching for than on other results that show only plain texts. Advertisers usually pay search engines for SEM by “pay per clicks”; this means that every time a searcher clicks on the company’s ad, they are charged for it.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is the process companies use to have their websites appear as high on the Search Engine Result Page as possible. First results are thought to be more credible and will almost always get chosen. This is one of the most critical digital marketing strategies since it guarantees exposure for a business, resulting in growing traffic on the company’s website. This will in turn increase potential sales and will inevitably increase profitability. Companies do extensive research to identify all the relevant keywords that they need to include on their webpages to make sure as much of their target audience as possible can end up visiting these websites. Having an airtight content management will organically improve a business’ Search Engine Optimization, making it more important.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Businesses use this marketing strategy to get the word out about their product by creating affiliations with relevant individuals or other businesses. Companies pay commissions to affiliates to generate sales by vouching for their products. Many influencers on social media depend on affiliate marketing for income. When beauty bloggers do reviews about beauty brands and encourage you-the target customer-to make a purchase, this is an example of affiliate marketing. Companies usually like this strategy since the affiliate only gets paid if an actual sale is made, which means that they only pay for a tangible benefit. To make this strategy work successfully, marketers need to find relevant affiliates that share the same values as the advertising company to ensure credibility and increase the chances of actual sales.
4. Email-Marketing
This marketing strategy can easily fulfill a business’s need to increase exposure. By having the target customers on an email list, companies have the ability to convey any message they wish to. News about new products and upcoming sales can easily be shared with thousands of customers around the world. However, email-marketing can sometimes become redundant if the receiver deems the content being shared not useful nor interesting. That is why companies always need to keep their emails fresh and engaging to encourage the customers to keep reading and not delete them from their Inbox folders. A QR code is not a new technology but its virtually unlimited number of different configurations makes its possibilities endless. This can make certain aspects of business easier and more seamless. QR codes can be created online such as with this QR code generator.
5. SMS Marketing
This is sometimes also referred to as Phone Marketing. Companies use this marketing method to be able to reach their target audience through SMS. One example of this is when cashiers at a store, ask customers for their phone numbers to add on their phone list and send them notifications about upcoming promotions and new launches. This strategy remains effective as long as the customer is interested. Once they are not interested, customers can easily block any SMSs from this store. So, just like email marketing, advertisers need to keep the messages interesting enough, like through including vouchers and promo codes.
6. Content Marketing
This refers to using meaningful content to market for products and services. Bloggers who use their blogs to share useful information with their audience and encourage engagement on certain topics is one form of content marketing. Many IT companies use content marketing by addressing common issues on online forums to discuss common issues their users face and how to solve these issues. Customers usually prefer this kind of marketing, since the content involved is informative and valuable; even if they do not end up buying anything, they deem the advertiser trustworthy.
7. Influencer Marketing
This is one of the most-used marketing strategies nowadays. Because of how effective influencer marketing has proven to be, many big companies are now shifting their focus and marketing budgets towards it. Thanks to Instagram, influencers have become a force to reckon with. With millions of followers checking their daily updates and stories, they can multiply a company’s sales in a matter of seconds. Digital Marketing specialists are the ones responsible for identifying relevant influencers that are well-aligned with the product being promoted in order to make sure this collaboration works. The more stories and posts they share with the product, the higher the sales and profitability of the advertising company are.
No single digital marketing strategy works alone; the best marketers are the ones who know how to create the best mix of all of the above strategies and then tweak and adjust as they go. Regardless of how well these strategies work today, you need to make sure to always stay updated as the world of digital marketing is fast and continuously evolving.