What is digital marketing

In recent years, digital marketing has entered and exploded onto the marketing scene and is being used by every business. Its effects are not small; it has completely changed how brands and companies promote themselves and their products. Old school companies that didn't adopt this new way of marketing have suffered in this changing world of marketing. But today, companies can't ignore this new way of how people look and buy.

In this article, we will see what digital marketing is, how does it work and why it is important for small business.

What is digital marketing

Digital marketing is the implementation of marketing strategies using electronic devices or technology to promote a business or reach specific goals of a business. In layman's terms, digital marketing is any form of marketing that occurs online; it is also called internet marketing. It can be done in various ways, from automated emails to running Facebook and Instagram ads.

Both digital marketing and traditional marketing, such as printed ads on billboards and flyers, have the same goal: promoting products and increasing sales.

Why is Digital Marketing so Important

One of the main reasons why digital marketing is important is because it is measurable. You can actually see real-time data and analytics on how the marketing campaign is performing, which helps in decision-making and quickly adapting strategies to improve the outcome. There are specific tools called digital marketing KPIs that can be used to measure how well or poorly a marketing strategy is doing, which allow you to see the results and decide how to further proceed.

Another importance of digital marketing is that it removes the constrained of geographic limitations, means it provides a platform for business to connect with potential clients worldwide. It also allows you to target specific audience or demographics, which allows you to focus on people who have most demand of your product, as a result increasing the ROI (Return on Investment).

Why Digital marketing is important for small business:

• Focusing on SEO improves online visibility and attracts potential buyers or clients, which puts these small businesses in top-ranking positions.
• It ensures that the product or service you are selling reaches a wide range of internet users who spend time online.
• As mentioned above, it removes the constraints of geographical location; you can reach out to anyone in any location.
• Helps in earning customer loyalty by understanding and communicating with your customers through social media (e.g Facebook or X).
• One of the most important aspects, in my point of view, is that it is cost-effective, meaning you can reach more people with less investment, which in turn increases the profit.

How digital marketing works:

Digital marketing uses various strategies to reach one ultimate goal, that is to increase the awareness about the brand or product. There are seven major strategies that work together to generate the traffic. Here are the core strategies of Digital marketing:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO optimization is one of the most important steps in digital marketing. If you do not optimize your website for search engines, it will be lost in the shuffle and will be poorly placed in searches. In simple terms, your website won't appear to people.

The main goal of SEO optimization is bringing your website to the first page of Google. Imagine you started a clothing brand; your goal is to attract more people who are searching to buy clothes online. It involves various steps like keyword research, website speed, and content optimization, and so on. So, if you don't want to pay to make your website appear on the first page of Google, SEO is the way to go.

Social media Marketing:

It is considered to be one of the most effective methods of digital marketing. Social media marketing is the practice of connecting with audience or potential clients in social media platforms. It involves posting great content, taking feedback from customers, engaging with followers. Posting information about your product lunch on Instagram is an great example of it.

Pay-per-Click Marketing:

It involves running paid advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram or even on Google. You would have to pay a certain amount per click; usually, this amount is a few cents. It is the easiest and quickest way to bring traffic to your website.