What You Need To Know About Digital Marketing

It's been said that digital marketing gets 72% of all marketing budgets.

While social media is now the most popular marketing tool.

However, have you ever asked yourself, "What exactly is digital marketing?"

Also, "What role does it play in most businesses today?"

Well, the point of this guide is to discuss just that.

All while giving you answers to the following questions:

• What is digital marketing?
• How did digital marketing begin?
• Why is digital marketing popular?
• What are the benefits of digital marketing for a business?
• Will digital marketing replace traditional marketing?
• Can digital marketing be done without a website?
• Where can I learn about digital marketing?
• What does digital marketing involve?
• Can digital marketing be automated?
• Can I do digital marketing for free?

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the use of digital technologies to get people interested in products, services, or brands.

It can also be used with more traditional ways of marketing, like billboards, TV, and radio ads.

Additionally, digital marketing can also use the likes of the internet and social media to reach an audience.

So, digital tools that can be used in this process include websites, blogs, social media accounts, videos, and infographics.

How did digital marketing begin?

Digital marketing started in the early 1990s, when web browsers came out and could be used to search the internet.

Furthermore, the very first digital marketing campaign was run by IBM in 1994.

This included a website, email, banner ads, and a toll-free number that people could call if they had any questions about their products.

However, digital marketing has come a long way since then.

With new ways for you to reach your target audience, such as through social media, forums, and podcasts.

Why is digital marketing popular?

Digital marketing is popular because it has become an effective way to reach people all over the world.

Since it gives us access to new audiences who would be hard to reach through traditional methods.

Additionally, it can also provide us with more ways to make money.

All while saving time and money by not having to invest in traditional forms of marketing, such as direct mail, television or print media.

What are the benefits of digital marketing for a business?

There are many benefits to digital marketing for businesses.

This includes the following:

-It's affordable

This is because it doesn't require any physical materials like printing costs or billboard ads.

This also means that you can get started with very little money and grow as your budget allows.

-Easy to measure

This is because online tools (e.g. Hootsuite) let you keep track of how well your campaign is doing.

They also tell you how many people have seen or clicked on content, among other things.

-Allows for a personal connection

This is because it can help you with staying in touch with your audience, getting feedback, nurturing relationships, and keeping them around for a long time.

Will digital marketing replace traditional marketing?

Digital marketing will not replace traditional marketing.

Instead, it will only complement it.

Since digital marketing is more about making things personal and getting people involved.

While traditional marketing is more about adding credibility and authenticity to a business.

With some people still wanting to see this.

Can digital marketing be done without a website?

Digital marketing is about creating content that engages and informs the audience.

Therefore, it is no longer necessary to have a website for digital marketing.

However, a website can be used as a promotional tool for digital marketing, along with social media, email, and other platforms.

Lastly, a great alternative to a website is Linktree.

Since this will allow you to organize, manage, and display your content in a more efficient way.

Where can I learn about digital marketing?

There are a lot of resources out there that can help you learn more about digital marketing, such as online courses, books, and videos.

Additionally, there are also podcasts and blogs that are dedicated to teaching people about digital marketing.

However, aside from this blog, I would also recommend either of the following:

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing - Google Digital Garage

Digital Marketing Certification Course - HubSpot Academy

Digital Marketing Foundations - LinkedIn Learning

What does digital marketing involve?

If your marketing budget is non-existent, as it is for many people these days, you can expect to engage in the following types of digital marketing:

Content Marketing

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is the process of creating useful, relevant and consistent content, to attract and keep a clearly defined target audience.

All before sharing it through various online platforms.

Where content is concerned, this can take the form of videos, images, text, infographics, and much more.

While the goal of content marketing is to encourage profitable audience participation.

Why is content marketing important?

This is because successful content marketing helps to build trust with a relevant audience.

Since it provides them with useful information.

It has also been shown to work for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses.

Since it helps to build relationships with an audience, keeps them around for longer, and brings in new opportunities.

Social Media Marketing

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms to get people interested in products, services, or brands.

While the goal of social media marketing is to get an audience to know about a business and trust it.

Why is social media marketing important?

This is because social media marketing has become an important part of doing business today.

Since it is not just about getting more followers or likes.

Instead, it's about building relationships with your audience and understanding what they want.

So that you can give them the best possible outcome.

Email Marketing

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is the use of email platforms to get people interested in products, services, or brands.

While the goal of email marketing is to get more people to know about your business and to keep it at the forefront of their minds.

Why is email marketing important?

This is because email marketing is another important part of any business's marketing strategy.

Since it's one of the least expensive ways to reach customers, make sales, and build relationships.

It also gives you a greater level of control over your network.

Unlike building networks on various social media platforms.

Lastly, email marketing also lets businesses send emails that are customized, sent at the right time, and meet the needs of their audience.

Affiliate Marketing

What is affiliate marketing?

Firstly, affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing.

Since it allows businesses to reward affiliates (i.e. individuals or organizations that are associated with a larger body) for every visitor or customer brought in by their own marketing efforts.

It is also meant to help businesses make more money, by letting them reach and learn about new audiences.

Since it started, it has grown quickly and is now a multi-billion-dollar industry that employs thousands of people around the world.

Why is affiliate marketing important?

Affiliate marketing is important because it is a flexible way to promote a business and get new leads.

It also helps the affiliate, which may also be a business in some cases.

Since it lets them get paid in different ways.

Can digital marketing be automated?

Yes.

The process of digital marketing can be done automatically.

Also, there are several ways that this process can be achieved.

With some common examples of these tools being the following:

• Google Analytics
• Hootsuite
• Buffer
• Hubspot CRM
• Mailchimp

Lastly, businesses that use automation tools make it less likely for mistakes to be made.

Therefore, this allows for a much better experience across all of their digital marketing channels.

Can I do digital marketing for free?

The answer is yes and no.

So, while digital marketing for free does exist, it might not be the best option for your business.

Therefore, if you are looking to sell your product or service, there are plenty of ways to do this without spending any money.

However, if you want more people to buy from you, going down the free route might not be the best option.

Digital Marketing Services

When you don't have the time or skills to do your own digital marketing, outsourcing can be a great option.

There are also many benefits to outsourcing your work.

Since it lets you focus on what you do best and not worry about other things that might not be where your strengths lie.

This will also help you work better, along with saving you time and money.

So, if you want to give your digital marketing work to someone else, an agency can help.

Although, this might prove costly for some.

So, in that case, you might want to think about hiring a freelance digital marketer to do your work.

Since they can be more flexible about price, working hours, and where they work.

Lastly, as digital marketing continues to evolve, it's getting easier for businesses to find freelance marketers who are skilled in this area.

Whether this be through social media or online marketplaces like Fiverr.

So, you may also want to give this a try.

Conclusion

So there you have it.

Digital marketing is the use of digital technologies to get people interested in products, services, or brands.

It's also very popular now because it's grown into a powerful way to connect with people all over the world.

So, when you are thinking about how to incorporate this into your own business, with a zero marketing budget, you should also think about the following types of marketing:

• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing

Lastly, if you want to hire someone to do digital marketing work for you, then you might want to try working with an agency.

Additionally, you could also consider hiring a freelance digital marketer.

So, what are you waiting for?

Don't delay.

Get started with digital marketing for your small business today.

Finally, do contact me, if you require additional support.

Since I am an experienced Marketer, with over 10 years of experience, and I am willing to lend a helping hand.

Alternatively, feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.