Digital marketing is a means of promoting products and services through digital technologies, primarily on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising and any other digital medium. Digital marketing is also referred to as ‘online marketing’, ‘internet marketing’ or ‘web marketing’.

As digital marketing continues to evolve and become increasingly complex, brands are finding it necessary to hire digital marketing consultants who can create effective strategies and implement programs for their products and services. If you lack experience or resources, consider engaging a consultant with experience in multiple facets of digital marketing.

Definitely. Though many businesses remain skeptical about digital marketing, avoiding digital marketing denies your business access to the media the majority of consumers turn to first and at all hours of the day.

While marketing’s primary goal is still to generate leads, a brand-centric, salesy approach no longer works in the age of digital media. Instead, make your marketing customer-centric to attract attention and build trust.
The second biggest mistake digital marketers make is not contributing a steady flow of content to the social media platforms they use.

Websites that go for long periods without updates and new content are unlikely to produce effective results for digital marketing objectives. Though a static website technically qualifies as a website, it’s more like a digital brochure that will not produce adequate leads.

Mobile phones are the most commonly used technology in the world, with most individuals spending much of their media time and hours using mobile devices. Mobile marketing focuses on strategies such as messaging and mobile applications, as well as websites, to reach this audience. Brands that ignore mobile marketing will find it difficult to grow their market share.

Content marketing is the distribution of information assets, such as articles or videos, for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic and sales. Content marketing generally does not explicitly promote a company or its products but allows readers to draw their own conclusions about the brand.

A content marketing strategy is a plan for how you will build an audience. You must first establish objectives and personas, then create a value proposition as well as a mission statement. Next, you need to develop buyer journey maps, which are used to identify key points in the customer’s decision-making process. Finally, you can create your assets and programs, promote them and analyze their results.

Digital marketing mixes that include email, social media, search, and other elements have become important tools for delivering useful content to customers. Video outlets like YouTube and Vimeo are also used often for this purpose; however, blogs are the most popular method of distributing marketing content because they give marketers complete control over what is posted on their channel.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, the best content for your specific business goals will be something buyers find relevant and useful. Some examples of content to consider include blog posts, articles, ebooks, infographics, microsites, videos, courses, case studies and newsletters.

When considering the frequency of publishing content, you must understand that search engines will learn to index your site as often as you publish content. However, neither your audience nor search engines value garbage content. The answer(s) to this question are (1) creating content as often as you can create great content and (2) considering your costs and return on investment.

There is much debate over whether short-form or long-form content performs best on social media. In my experience, it seems that short-form content works best when the audience is flying fast and taking in oodles of information. Longer forms tend to perform better on search and give your blog more substance, which helps establish your expertise.

Great headlines are crucial to getting people to read, watch, or listen to your content. But your reputation is also important, so you need to build and honor it. I like to say, “The goal of your content is not to get people to visit your website; it’s to get them to subscribe to it.”

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of using onsite and offsite tactics to help a website appear in search engine results. Doing it well increases the quantity and quality of traffic to a site.

Most web traffic is generated by search, and most visitors that arrive through search have a greater degree of commercial intent than those who come through other channels.

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website, blog, and other online properties to generate traffic from location-based searches. It helps businesses promote products and services to local customers when they need them.

Keywords represent the words or phrases Internet users enter into search engines when looking for information. Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals consider these keywords and the topics they suggest when optimizing content for search engines.

It is difficult to determine the exact factors that contribute to a web page’s ranking on major search engines. Experts generally agree that a high ranking is based on relevance and authority, but there are many factors in play. The best way to achieve a high search engine ranking is to create one of the most thorough web pages possible for a specific keyword or topic.

To earn mentions and links, you can pursue a variety of strategies. The three most prolific—and time-effective—are likely to be: securing guest posts on influential blogs, developing relationships with influencers in your industry and consistently creating and promoting content that is worthy of mentions and links.

PPC, or pay-per-click, is one form of internet advertising. It involves paying a fee each time an ad is clicked on by a member of the target audience. Search engine advertising is the most popular form of PPC, but there are numerous channels available for marketers who want to use PPC ads.

Native advertising is a form of paid media in which the ads are designed to blend in with the content of an editorial site. While pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and social media ads could be considered forms of native advertising, most native ads are articles or videos created by an advertiser and published on an editorial site. Native advertising has grown steadily because it is not ignored like display ads are, and because it does not get blocked by ad blockers.

Sponsored content is a form of advertising in which content is produced on behalf of an advertiser. It tends to be native in form, but the creative may be produced by the publisher or brand. Many publishers have created divisions devoted to writing and designing sponsored content—from articles to videos, infographics, and microsites.

A buyer persona is a representation of your ideal customer based on market research and data. A buyer persona should reveal insights about the buyers’ decisions including attitudes, concerns, and criteria that drive buying decisions.

HubSpot is responsible for coining the term “inbound marketing,” which it describes as “focused on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content and adding value at every stage in your customer’s buying journey. Potential customers find you through channels like blogs, search engines, and social media.”

Inbound marketing differs from outbound marketing in that it does not need to fight for potential customers’ attention. Instead of interrupting consumers with sales pitches, you attract qualified prospects by creating content designed to address the problems and needs of your ideal customers.

Marketing automation is a software program that automates the execution of marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels. It streamlines lead generation, segmentation, lead nurturing, lead scoring and measurement processes by identifying your audience and creating content based on their defined needs.

Data-driven marketing refers to using data from multiple sources to gain insight into customer behavior and preferences. By understanding who your customers are, what they like and dislike, where they shop, when they make purchases, and why they buy certain products, you can create a more customized experience for each of them.

Performance marketing is an approach to marketing in which you pay only for results, such as the number of clicks, leads or sales made. The goal is to achieve measurable conversions. Performance marketing campaigns are focused on digital environments and should be tracked with precise tools.

A marketing funnel is a model that represents the stages of a buyer’s journey from the first interaction with your brand to a purchase. A narrowing probability of sales can be observed at each phase of the funnel, meaning that a buyer’s interest and commitment to buying decreases as he or she progresses through each stage.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of increasing the percentage of conversions from your digital property, typically a web page, by improving elements on your site through testing. CRO typically focuses on moving prospects to the next stage in the marketing funnel—hence its name, which refers to its relative position in relation to other types of optimization.

Interactive content allows prospects to take action beyond simply reading, listening or watching. Participants receive real-time results based on their needs and interests. For example, bloggers can answer readers’ questions, guiding them to specific information that addresses their problems and challenges.

In order to reach their target audience, brands must understand the ways in which consumers use social media. They must commit resources to develop a presence on the major social networks where billions of people spend time daily. An awareness of the power of social media marketing leads to increased sales and an increase in brand loyalty.

When considering social media, consider the top social channels in terms of active users: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Research the demographics and behavioral patterns of users on each platform and decide which ones are right for your brand.

Now that your brand is out in the open, you can’t make people talk about it—but you can control what they say. That means showing genuine interest in customers and adding value to their lives whenever possible.

You do not want to cause confusion or overwhelm your audience by giving them access to too many social media accounts. However, you should consider empowering employees to participate in social media conversations by setting up an employee advocacy program that allows them to contribute their unique voices and insights to the brand.

Personal branding refers to the process of marketing yourself professionally through online and offline tactics. Digital media has allowed for a shift in focus toward personal branding for all types of hiring and purchase decisions.

Email is still the most effective means of communication. It’s more popular than any social media, more private and more personal. Most people rely on email and check their inbox multiple times each day. If you want to communicate directly with people who have granted you permission to market to them—and reach them when they’re most receptive—email marketing is essential.

If you want to purchase an email list, you should know that most email service providers do not allow the use of purchased lists. You need to grow your list organically by providing valuable content or offering something of value in exchange for people’s email addresses. A small list of real prospects is more valuable than a large list of strangers.

Lead nurturing is the process by which marketers continue to communicate with leads—usually via email—to move them further “down the funnel” and keep them involved and engaged with your brand. Consistently interacting at key points during the sales process will invariably improve conversion rates and drive sales for your company.

It is important to provide your subscribers with new content, updates on new products (or improvements), and information about events. It is not wise to expect your email list to grow quickly by offering a newsletter.

Marketers love video because online consumers love it. Online video consumption reached nearly 9 billion hours per month as of June 2013, according to Cisco Visual Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update. Video is a flexible and engaging content format that’s easy to share across multiple platforms. Smartphones and digital editing have made it far easier to create video, so the potential for a high ROI is great.

A call to action is a prompt that tells readers what to do next, usually through text and graphics. In digital marketing, CTA buttons or links are often used in advertising campaigns.

Businesses can create value for their customers by identifying and communicating a promise to them that resonates on an emotional level. Businesses should begin this process by asking themselves, “How can we improve the lives of those we serve?”

A professional copywriter is an essential part of any professional marketing campaign. In the content-driven digital media world, well-written copy builds brands, connects with the reader, and inspires action.

Google Analytics is a free website analytics platform that gives you insights into how users find and use your website. With Google Analytics, you can track ROI for your online marketing and review important metrics to make informed decisions.

Marketing metrics can be divided into two categories: those that reflect traffic generation and conversion, and those that measure marketing costs. To determine which of these metrics are most important for your brand’s growth, start by identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) and creating a dashboard to track them monthly.

As with most digital marketing strategies, results from paid digital marketing programs are often immediate. However, other types of marketing strategies such as content marketing and email list building take time to produce results. It could take six months to a year or more before you realize some of your traffic and conversion objectives.