Digital Marketing at A Glance

Digital Marketing is an online platform powered by the Internet. Since the advent of the Internet, there has been the introduction of many platforms like Social Media, social bookmarking sites, and Internet publishing platforms. 

This form of marketing is named digital marketing it is purely marketing online. All basic principles of marketing apply to this form except content creation. Content creation is the key to online marketing and agencies are busy creating content through their writers, graphic designers, and video specialists.

SEO

Besides content marketing another form of marketing is SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. It simply means following the guidelines set by the search engines to get the site crawled and indexed. The webmasters also push their content along with external links to the site. This is basic to SEO since the website has to be promoted on chosen keywords. They vary the terms called anchor text. Good linking is rewarded and the website ranks high on targeted keywords. The activity follows one of the key online marketing techniques which is content distribution. Nowadays directory submissions, forum links, and blog comment links are not much appreciated hence content creation with suitable links is the only option left.  

This is a purely organic and important part of search engine optimization. This activity is not very costly and is managed by professional agencies.  The global SEO is expected to reach 122.11 USD by 2028.    

Content Marketing

This is a subset of digital marketing and is based on the creation of content and its distribution. Content creation as mentioned before is key to digital marketing campaigns. Professional agencies engage writers to create and distribute content on social media and the Internet publishing platform. Content distribution is also supplemented by listing the sites on social bookmarking sites. Thus, the key to success in digital marketing using content creation and distributing them on suitable platforms.

The varied content created   focused on:

·         Awareness

·         Attraction

·         Engagement

·         Goal Conversion

The plan behind this marketing strategy is goal conversion whatever the objective may be. The creations are shaped in the manner that the above objectives are achieved following goal conversion. Professional online marketing firms use this technique to promote websites and their objectives. Gated content is preferred for goal conversion they are white papers, annual reports, customer reviews, and videos.

 

 

Brick and Mortar to Online Marketing

 Brick and Mortar Marketing is marketing on the foot. It is working in physical locations making field visits designing advertisement campaigns, and promotional campaigns. Brick-and-mortar marketing is extensive and demanding. Teamwork is a must for local marketing. For extensive pan India marketing teams are organized in all chosen destinations. 

Brick-and-mortar marketing overseas is restricted by the laws of that country, and the rules and regulations within. In local and state-level marketing, the customer or the target audience is visible. In online marketing, the customer is not visible. This makes a major difference.

Some businesses invest in click-and-mortar marketing that is participating in both offline and online marketing. If the paid advertisement is added to the mix the results are three times more.  Offline marketing on a larger scale needs more investment labor and time. It is extensive while online marketing is carried out in a limited sphere. It is thus less costly and consumes lesser time although the target audience is invisible. 

Online marketing started with the advent of the Internet in 1960 with research but came into the picture in 1983.    January 1, 1983, is considered the official birthday of the Internet. It was the  Transfer Control Protocol/Internetwork Protocol (TCP/IP) that allowed different computers to communicate with each other. ARPANET and the Defense Data Network officially changed to the TCP/IP standard on January 1, 1983, hence the birth of the Internet. All networks could now be connected by a universal language and a larger network in cyberspace. The Internet started in India in 1995 when it was launched by the state-owned VSNL or Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.   

It was the development of social media sites that allowed organic marketing to flourish.  Online marketing came into the picture propelling brands on its feed. Thus online marketing became an organized activity as social media developed. It grew in massive proportion. The number of active users increased by a hundredfold providing an immense opportunity for the marketers to target the audience personae. While online marketing is organic it can be free of cost as well.  

Marketing on the Internet makes use of various platforms including social media. It also includes paid marketing using Googe Ads, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, interest, and newspapers and magazine. These may be costly but effective.

   

   

Digital Marketing Strategies What is Trending?

 Thanks to the Internet, marketing has become a double-edged sword.  Apart from the tremendous reach and split-second messaging the Internet is a barrier-free system. Your message can reach distant shores apart from the local reach, to add to this people are frequently on the Net, and hence it has become easier to reach your target audience. The other side of the sword is you can add to your efforts traditional physical marketing.  An online push creates awareness and helps your offline efforts in the brick-and-mortar World. Advertisement in the brick-and-mortar world costs money, while online marketing could be organic (free) or paid.  Online marketing is convenient, easy, and less strenuous than physical marketing.     

Social Media Strategy  

The trust in social media and involvement is growing exponentially day by day. Your target audience demographic could be extremely diverse but all are hitched to social media, and this gives you an opportunity to reach them. It is content that flourishes on the Internet, and hence you should attract an audience using innovative content with the right marketing message.

Content  Marketing  Strategy  

The best strategy to flourish on Social Media is to use content marketing. In this case, a series of content flow down the media feed carrying your marketing message.  You can advertise products, brands, and services on the media by publishing a series of content. If you are hiring a digital marketing agency then their team will deliver content for you and make your product brand a huge success. 

SEO

Content Marketing is part of digital marketing but you can use another subset which is search engine optimization or SEO.  Optimization is used to rank the chosen term on the SERPs to reach your target audience. SEO combined with content marketing is best to popularize your brand and services. SEO costs very less and so does content creation. While  

Influencer Marketing

Online influencers are in vogue they have access to social media with large numbers of followers and friends, and high-traffic blogs that guarantee visibility. These influencers may have a good hold over your target audience and push your branded products or service to attract and convert. Social influencers are the lead generators of the contemporary world.  

People are very aware of influencer marketing and do not easily trust whatever they see on their feeds. Therefore, you must strategize your marketing ideas, focus more on the audience's problems, and advertise accordingly.

Personalized Marketing

Does your product or service solve your target audience's problems or provide them with the right solutions? If your product and service provide a solution to the prospective customer's pain point then with the right online marketing technique success is on your way. Just advertising products and services are not enough. A brand or service is always seen from the perspective of the pain points remember to research to find out how good are they. Also, follow customer experience by following reviews in eCommerce and related sites. Read reviews and testimonials on your site to know what customers like or dislike about your products and services.   

Multi-channel Social Media Marketing

Access to multi-channel social media marketing is almost free.  Advertisers can use Youtube  Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Create content and use the social media feed to constantly advertise your products and service. The next phase is to engage and create affinity with the product or services to eventually convert.  

Why Organic Digital Marketing?

 Digital Marketing is the buzzword everywhere. It is ruling over businesses as they decide to go online to promote their brand, services, or products. The usage of the electronic medium makes it to be known as digital marketing. But there are many other words for it, the two most popular are “online marketing” and “Internet marketing”.

Though local SEO is the answer for businesses looking for customers within the city confines. They have to go for full-scale SEO for ranking over the SERPs on primary search terms but anyway,  SEO  is part or a subset of digital marketing. For large-scale marketing, the best answer is Content marketing which is part of Internet Marketing.

Content marketing is the creation of articles, blog posts, graphics, usage of photos, and infographics. The process also involves the use of videos and gated content. Write-ups may include gated content like reviews, testimonials, annual reports, and performance reports.  Gated content is used during the last phase of the marketing to convert, encourage to take action or whatever may be the reason.

Organic Digital Marketing is Essential  

If you wish to advertise on the Internet in social media then organic online marketing is a must. This is the best exercise for brand promotion, promoting professional services or products. This form of marketing is free and involves experience, expertise, and skills. You can learn it yourself by joining classes or from online tutorials. But the job is best entrusted to a professional company that has been involved in campaigns for a considerable time.

A lot of experience is a must for online marketing that comes with time. This type of work stretches for a long time and effectively attracts the target audience, and engages them considerably hence your brand or product is highlighted creating trust and affinity. This is necessary for reputation building for professional services and selling the products.

Ungated content should be used to attract and engage the target audience. The social media platforms are to be used with care and expertise making sure of the target audience. Some of the popular social media sites with high visibility are:

• ·         LinkedIn
• ·         Facebook
• ·         Pinterest
• ·         Instagram
• ·         Twitter
• ·         YouTube

Blogs and articles should be created for content distribution on social media. Email message campaigns should be extensively used. I stress again please hire a top level marketing agency for online marketing. They can deliver the best results. Please negotiated before hiring.  

  

            

SEO & Digital Marketing The Chicken & Egg Story

 Search Engine Optimization - The Beginning 

If I remember well SEO started some time way back in the late 90s after the advent of the Internet. It was hard getting connected to the Net those days when I had built my first site on Yahoo GeoCities. The free site built using Yahoo GeoCities tools and space was titled "The Tiger Heavens of India".  

The site was responsible for my entry into the murky world of SEO or search engine optimization and content writing. At that time-on-page factors meant a lot, psssssst they still do. But then a simple insertion of the right terms in profusion in the content and meta worked wonders. The search engines had not yet woken up about spam since the Net was small as compared to the explosion taking place now. 

The Search Market

Before we proceed further let us take a peek at the search market. Google alone commands an impressive share of 87 % in the USA. The other players are insignificant with a share of:

• Bing 6.6%
• Yahoo 3.24%
• Duckduck Go 2.49%    

This comparison should explain the focus on Google of all those in the online marketing business.

End of Black Hat SEO Tactics

Content writing (mine were perfectly written) with the inclusion of semantics,  keywords, and grammar simply meant following the rules without losing the focus on the search terms and reader engagement. It was after the filters like Panda that sudden expediency in proper content writing as science came into the picture. All the spam blogs proliferating WWW became an overnight failure and lost ranking on the SERPs. This was a sensational beginning of the end of spam online. No more keyword or content spam!

Next to follow was link building which brought about an end to factories churning out backlinks helter-skelter. Yes, that was what the SEO agencies were doing and were successful. That too came to an end with Penguin. The black hat link building still exists today but is drastically reduced now. 

Links though remain important have become contextual, naturalized, and effective in smaller numbers. Thus, authoritative link building came into existence as the algorithms evolved. External and internal links still matter but should be built wisely in association with relevant and engaging content on-page and off-page.

Then it was the turn of SEO Directory submission that became irrelevant somewhat as they struck the dead end. Instead content wrapped links on diverse platforms including some authoritative article sites with editorial scrutiny gained ascendency and contributed to higher ranking and authority on the SERPs. 

Well to cut the story short, the search engine algorithms have begun to fight spam with greater efficiency as they evolve. With each and every update the indexing and ranking criteria are changing fast and the indolent webmasters are finding it difficult to keep pace. 

Contemporary SEO and Digital Marketing 

While SEO has become a mix of science, technology, and art, digital marketing encompasses all but is specific platform-dependent.  SEO is considered a larger subset of digital or online marketing. 

SEO is an important subset and contributes to more than 55  % of audience reach on the Internet. It is a gateway to free visibility and audience reach. For the eCommerce industry SEO delivers 65% of web traffic and is a vital component. If conducted properly the optimization campaign yield substantial traffic for portals and blogs on SERPs. This traffic is free, and whence the campaign includes paid Ads, and content strategies on Digital Platforms like Email, Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook to name a few, the whole exercise becomes explosive and leads to potential results.     

Some technical aspects of SEO that call for larger employment of skill sets or a team are becoming as important as gaining an authoritative position. For example site speed is the number one metric that requires technical adjustment along with other features that make the website competitive and fit for the mobile world. Other issues that fall under the scope of technical SEO are crawling issues, canonical or duplicate content issues, language-based targeting, and website coding.

We must understand that all algorithmic processes, Internet-based platforms that enable content writing along with attributes like video, image, and infographics become intertwined as they evolve in cyberspace.  Thus digital marketing is becoming more and more complex with each platform being unique, and involvement has become a much-in-demand skill set.  Paid ads using dynamic and smart technologies have increased the complexities faced during the SEM Campaigns and require an understanding of the interplay of various Ad options that search engines are bringing forth to gain accuracy and increase the subscribers' return on investment - the much-touted buzzword ROI.  

Data Analysis & Trends     

Complexities are not limited to SEO or SEM, the whole digital marketing exercise is becoming embroiled in a tangible result-oriented campaign stressed by the employing digital enterprises to beat the cutthroat competition online. In the contemporary era, webmasters, and content writers are living in a stressed environment. They have to beat the heat with tangible success online.

Data analysis provided by analytical tools and search engine consoles, online reports, and statistics is becoming more and more important with the passing of time. Data and understanding of the latest technologies and trends help in shaping productive content strategies and digital campaigns that lead to the goal conversion.   

SERPs & Complex Features

It is no more the 10 site links anymore the search engines result pages are inundated with Ads, free product listings from eCommerce sites by Google, knowledge panel, people ask, carousal, site links, snippets, videos, and images to name a few.  The SERPs can show nearly 2000 feature elements based on search intent but thankfully not at once. 

Though there are been a negative outlook related to inundating the SERP with these features the company assures higher traffic due to their inclusion. The negative reviews the features receive arise from visitors ignoring the ranking sites as answers are available without any clicks. The inclusion of free product listings and this Google Shopping is a free source of web traffic for many companies and so are the presence on local listings (GMB) and Maps. 

Please note to qualify for free product listing the company should be on the Google Merchant Center and follow the prescribed guidelines. 

Constant Updates & SEO 

With the induction of RankBrain (2015), Google has successfully integrated AI with its indexing and ranking process making search optimization more difficult. Will these changes lead to the end of SEO? Well, most unlikely but increased importance to monetization is certainly having an impact that has to be skillfully maneuvered. The stress should be on accurate information on board provided by the search engine specialists. You should aim to be found out on targeted terms by the visitors and with the right optimization, AI will certainly come to your help! 

Artificial intelligence together with the inclusion of machine learning methodology casts greater challenges on webmasters. Now it has become difficult to grasp what actually the search company derives from the search query or the content with the inclusion of these technologies.  

By the year Google made 5000 changes to search with the help of over 800,000 experiments in order to refine the search results and thus keep its market share intact as a leader. 

Additionally, visitors have an option for localized or personalized results. Though this does not complicate things, there is greater stress on search engine optimization specialists and writers. The content creation should take care of the right user (semantic) intent that has to be fulfilled. SEOs should anticipate queries that would be generated by the target audience and gauge the site metrics' ability to solve or provide solutions. This is imperative for loyal followings and to attract new user traffic.  This is in order to reach the right target audience.   

The SEO best practices include:

• Keyword Research
• Unique Relevant Content 
• Natural Backlink Acquisition 
• Constant Analysis 
• Authoritative External Link Building
• Internal Linking

These practices remain relevant after all that has evolved in the case of algorithms that track, index, and rank a website. The search engine optimization service providers should also keep in mind the way content and site attributes are structured. 

With the increasing popularity of structured data, a technical SEO element search engines now offer schema for a variety of topics. This should be made use of to be included in rich results for higher traffic. Please note structured data will not enhance ranking but will certainly increase CTR due to being included in the dynamic rich results. 

Digital Marketing  

Much has been written about this popular mechanism. A comprehensive understanding of the main platforms including some fantastic eBook sites is necessary if you wish to conduct campaigns online. How FB, Linked, or Instagram work?   How you can create an online reputation and brand awareness? How you can increase your popularity as a subscriber? How you can benefit from intense relevant blogging? 

These are the questions you must answer before framing a content marketing strategy on social media and networking sites. Email marketing is yet another marketing tool that you should be familiar with. In case your employers choose paid advertisements on social media you should be able to adapt if not already familiar.  

Digital marketing is a fast-growing and constantly evolving field though SEO came first both are now included in marketing strategies be prepared.

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Uday provides a search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website content and content for authoritative links. He also works as SEO Content Writer for digital companies on a remote WFH basis.

He also teaches digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur. He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323          

Digital Marketing for Online Business Strategy

Online Digital Marketing Experiences 

Our online experiences are constantly evolving as we discover more and more during our excursions in cyberspace.  Social Media Platforms that include Blogging Platforms provide an ideal space for the pursuance of the target audience for awareness, consideration, and eventual conversion. 

Buyer Personae Journey for Goal Conversion 

The customer journey is a complex process in which content in all forms are the ideal instruments that attract attention, lure and engage buyer personae in order to convince and lead him or her into goal conversion which could be sales, higher traffic, or creating brand awareness.    

The end goal is not easy to reach and requires constant prospective customer engagement and conviction throughout the funnel. 

Some aspects of Digital Marketing are:

• SEO
• Online Ads
• Content Marketing
• Online Sales
• Mobile Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing

It is vital to learn the online digital strategy and create a plan in a structured manner. Set your priorities as per your business plan or objectives. Digital marketing can help businesses expand, find new customers, build relationships on social networks or sell online.

Begin your efforts by listing on local directories online and GMB or Bing Places for Business. Set up social media pages on FB or LinkedIn. This is the best method to begin building an online web presence. Finally, create an App to take advantage of smartphone capabilities, line maps, messaging, and GPS; the app could send a special offer whence a potential customer is nearby and place an order. 

Power of Social Media 

Facebook 

Over 140 million businesses are using Facebook the world over indicating immense popularity. Over 60 million FB pages are used by businesses to connect with customers. This number is growing as more businesses join the social media platform. 

The FB groups offer a focused media to promote businesses, and services and build a personal reputation online. Posting groups can be used to enhance traffic and convince customers. They are excellent for promoting niche content. 

Since 2018 FB Pages can join groups literarily acting as a person in order to promote and participate in discussions, and opinions and create awareness about the product and services.

LinkedIn 

With 810 million members and 49 million members seeking work, the majority are aged between 24 to 34 thus, LinkedIn is a platform to reckon with. The members are spread globally with the largest chunk from the USA. Though FB has as of now 3 billion members and Instagram with 1.2 billion members far outshine this platform it is the focus on business that makes it more valuable to the niche subscriber. 

This global platform is more popular among entrepreneurs, businesses, professionals, owners, and top executives.  It is one of the best platforms to connect with the right people to form an extended network of professionals and business owners including those providing niche services and recreation. 

The LinkedIn page is the key source to hiring people besides promoting products and services. 

Google My Business (GMB) 

Local search benefits accrue when you have a verified listing at GMB. All websites must register at GMB to facilitate local search engine optimization. The results that precede algorithmically ranked sites are from GMB. For optimization of GMB, you should add keywords, correct address, and images. The address accords placing in Google Map.  

Despite all benefits, 56% of websites have yet to list at GMB.  This is due to pure neglect by the webmasters.  There is more than a 60 % jump in visits whence you list at GMB and it leads to a conversion of as much as 5%. 

Although ranking is determined by Google algorithms a member should submit full details asked for along with relevant keywords that would help rank the listing appropriately.  A good large number of reviews also help in ranking higher on the SERP. 

Use the power of review sites, classifieds, online directories, and of course, social networks. Use features of local advertisement services.

Base your strategy on key areas that help achieve the goals you have set using business objectives, along with identifying your USP. For example, you can set a goal to increase sales or drive more traffic to your blog or website. You can use a paid advertisement, content marketing, or SEO to achieve this. If you are new, discover search engine optimization techniques and the way search engines work. SEO is one good way to rank on SERPS and generate traffic and hence meaning full leads. Use Paid advertisement as well for an effective strategy.

Social media is one way to create and increase awareness and enhance reputation. FB and LinkedIn offer the opportunity to create business pages that can help provide location information, products and services, and the content you regularly create to highlight your business. You can share posts, videos, and images relevant to the topic of your interests or niche. You can also advertise on SM using their platforms like advertising on FB, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. You can plan all activities in a structured manner using postings highlighting events,  

Social Media Platforms are diverse but let your network communicate with people using niche groups or online communities or through your profile pages. These are good mediums to promote services, businesses, personal capabilities or specialties, and whatnot. We are all time on these platforms communicating with friends and relatives and planning a digital marketing strategy look from another or rather from a commercial angle.

Blogs are part of social media but are the best places to promote products and business; hence having a regular blog on your niche is essential for personal reputation, highlighting services, and promoting your brands and the products. Social media, forums, and blogs are ideal for content marketing and excellent to promote commercial contents that you create for business promotion and SEO. 

While discussing social media, we cannot neglect the power of audiovisuals like podcasts and video marketing. These are most effective for business or brand promotion, and advertisements on these networks work wonders. Use the power of YouTube channels to highlight and promote your business.

Mobile Advertisement 

In digital campaigns, we cannot neglect the power of smartphones or mobile. People on the move or even at home use mobile, and many searches and communications are made using this device. 

Although mobile is a medium device that integrates with marketing, your website should be responsive by all means. The downloading should be quick enough; it should fulfill all the required parameters for a good experience on these devices.  

Whence used for marketing, it drives more users nearby and receives messages and calls for shopping or inquiry. Call extensions of click to call Ads to work fine whence people view a relevant smartphone advertisement. Use short phrases more likely to be typed in handy devices. You can also advertise on mobile apps.  

Content Marketing

In simple words, create content and use it for the purpose. The focus is on creating the right or appealing content and share them on social media and blogs. The latter could be your blogs or those used for guest posting. Remember, relevancy should never be sacrificed to share or post. Always embed your website link in the write-ups to generate traffic and for SEO purposes.

In this form, interaction with customers is possible, unlike early popular mediums like TV or Radio. You can thus solve people's problems or queries and gain trust or encourage them to buy your product and services.

Audience Segmentation & Intent

In all forms of online marketing, the first approach is to understand people or buyer personae on that media and then target your goals. Content style, voice, and tone should change as per the audience profile and what they are seeking. For Example, Facebook members are more relatives and friends while LinkedIn members are professionals to a greater degree. Likewise, people interested in visuals would be more active on Instagram and Pinterest besides Videos. Research well both platforms are very popular among females.   

Always divide the audience based on personae and create segments thus you will differ content between ole people and teens, young girls or women, and so on. Segment them into groups and target meaningful write-ups or messages. 

Understanding intent is also crucial. For example, what is the nature of the query or groups? Are they interested in information or purchase or recreation? 

Use analytic features on social media or Google Analytics to discover facts about your audience.

Content Formats & Publishing Platforms

Writers create various types of posts like guides, stories, blog posts, articles, case studies, press releases, video clips, infographics, and eBooks. Post your creations to connect to the right kind of people using the right platforms. Know who you are communicating with for greater engagement and goal conversions. The goals could be recreational, to inspire, educate and convince, or persuasive to invite purchase. 

Always start with a good first line or heading and end with an exciting call to action. Most of the write-ups should be up to the point as a reader on the Net has a short reading span.

Content Promotion

Spend enough time promoting your posts. Gauge the audience, and the platform that you are using to promote it should be matching. You can also use paid Ads to further your readership. Earned readership is through influencers, fans, followers, review sites, and magazines, all as a result of outreach. Once you have finalized the channels, create a content calendar. Use Answer The Public Web-Based Tool for this.

Email Marketing

In a digital sound strategy, the power of electronic communication cannot be neglected. Hence email messaging is something that is an indispensable part of online campaigns. It is economical and creates customer loyalty and engagement.

For email messaging, a database centered around the topic is essential. But how do you build a list? 

• Collect Email Address Physically
• Website or Blog Subscription 
• Email communications Enquiries.
• Personal Contacts
• Reviews 
• Email Accounts

Always confirm that those on the list are willing to receive commercial emails and then confirm the mailing frequency. There must be an option for unsubscribing, remember.

Ecommerce Site

Create an eCommerce store or site to sell your products online. However, this involves investment but much less of it than a brick and mortar establishment. You have to optimize and design the store or site properly and use means to promote to get relevant traffic. The eCommerce sites are comprehensive with Wishlist, three-dimensional displays, content, reviews, and even videos besides paying online. Example Shopify is a custom store builder, and Magento is an o/s that allows you to build and customize your store and requisite designing and developing. 

Paid Advertising or SEM

It is great to promote your website of published content using paid services offered by Google, Bing, FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. In addition, you can publish Display Ads on other websites also all on an extensive network offered by Google Ads.  

Analytic

All through the way, keep analysis in the forefront using FB insights and analytics of other Social Media Platforms. Of these, the most comprehensive is Google Analytics. Analysis and research will lead to a better focus in your marketing online. It could enhance free and paid advertisement immensely.

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Uday is interested in online content writing, blog writing, SEO, and jobs relating to Digital Marketing.

Uday provides a search engine optimization service for digital marketing. In addition, he provides website content and content for authoritative links. He teaches Internet Marketing in Jabalpur.

He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323