Digital Marketing Basics For Beginners

In today's article, I wanted to focus on some of the basics to digital marketing. Marketing can become extremely complicated when we start to thing about CRM systems, Auto-responders, retargeting and all of these topics that might seem very overwhelming for beginners who just want a solution to better market their products and services online. Let's break down some of the fundamentals that you need to market your business online and see the results that you desire.

Understanding the Marketing Funnel

The best and most common way to explain marketing to beginners is to use the analogy of a funnel. Marketing funnels are commonly described as the process that you take someone through from becoming someone who has no idea who you are to becoming someone who is a customer and advocates for your brand.

Creating Awareness: The Top of the Funnel

The top of the marketing funnel always starts with awareness. The first job you have when marketing your product or service online is to make people aware that your business exists. If no one knows you exist, they can't possibly invest in your products and services.

Awareness Campaigns vs. Content Marketing

Some companies decide to run awareness campaigns. This is where they will literally pay for advertising of various forms just so that people are aware that their brand exists. Sometimes these awareness campaigns don't even have any call to actions or desired next steps for the people who see the ad; it is literally just there for exposure. However, awareness campaigns can be expensive and have a low ROI for smaller brands. Content marketing, on the other hand, is a more cost-effective way to drive awareness through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or blogging.

Paid Marketing for Awareness

Paid marketing is another option to drive awareness. You can pay to get visitors back to your website using platforms such as Meta Ads, LinkedIn ads, Google ads, among others. While this can be costly initially, it can effectively increase awareness and drive sales back to your business.

Moving to the Next Stage: Capturing Interest

Once awareness is established, the next stage involves capturing the interest of potential customers. This can happen when someone clicks a link back to your website from social media or an online ad. Your job as a business is to capture their interest and gather their contact information, such as their name and email address, so that you can market to them later on.

The Power of Email Marketing

Email marketing is a crucial aspect of nurturing leads. It allows you to communicate with potential customers and provide them with valuable information and offers. Email marketing remains one of the highest-converting avenues to sell products and services online.

Converting Leads into Customers

Beyond capturing interest, the goal is to convert leads into customers. This can be achieved through various means, including offering deals or reminding them about your products or services through email marketing newsletters.

Focusing on Relevant Products and Services

It's essential to ensure that the products or services you offer are relevant to your awareness campaign. For instance, if you sell perfume, your content should revolve around different types of perfume and occasions. This relevance increases the likelihood of conversion.

Nurturing Customer Relationships

After making a sale, it's vital to continue nurturing customer relationships. Providing excellent customer service and offering relevant products or services can encourage repeat business and foster customer loyalty.

Conclusion: Holistic Approach to Digital Marketing

As a beginner in digital marketing, it's crucial to understand and implement a holistic approach to marketing. From creating awareness to nurturing leads and converting customers, each stage of the funnel plays a vital role in achieving success online.

Further Resources

Read the full article in my latest blog article where I dive deeper into Digital Marketing Basics for Beginners . For more in-depth tips and guidance on digital marketing strategies, consider downloading and reading our free guide, "The Formula ."