Traditional marketing is giving way to cost-effective online channels at a rapid rate. Billboard, television, and email campaigns have already transformed into social media ads, blogs, YouTube videos, and other engaging content—all with the use of the Internet.
Customer acquisition can now be automated through digital marketing, using proven systems that generate new leads and convert leads to customers every day of the week.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing utilizes digital technologies to effectively market products and services. It makes businesses known to target customers through the use of electronic devices and the Internet. You can check out our full digital marketing guide here.
Why Consider Digital Marketing for Your Business?
Like any form of marketing, the ultimate goal of digital marketing is to promote and sell a product or service as well as to connect businesses with its target customers through many digital channels. 66% of small business owners say that finding new customers is a top concern (McLeod, 2018). We help you do that using today’s most effective tool, which is the Internet!
Almost all people in the world are now connected to the Internet. According to We Are Social and Hootsuite’s latest collection of Global Digital Reports 2019, the total population of the world has now reached almost 7.7 billion and 4.4 billion or 57% of people on earth are active Internet users.
In a recent report by We Are Social, the Philippines has topped the world, once again, in terms of the number of active Internet users, having an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes of screen time every day. That comprises 41% of Filipinos who are active Internet users according to a report by Social Weather Station (SWS) conducted last September 2018. With the e-commerce market consistently growing in the Philippines, no wonder this South-East Asian country is named the Rising Tiger of Asia and the 10th world’s fastest growing economy according to World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects.
With all the statistics mentioned and with the Philippines’ population being very tech-savvy, clearly, it is the best place to do business using digital marketing channels. This record provides an excellent opportunity for companies like yours to market your products or services online.
It is not even a guarantee that your business will attract customers by just existing online and even if it does, you may not be able to attract as many customers as you need to make your business earn a profit. You need to seek help from people like us to assist you with putting your business online and eventually helping your business maximize your money and get the best ROI.
What are the most popular Digital Marketing Channels?
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social media is one of the most amazing things that ever happened in the digital world, allowing businesses and digital marketers to create awareness in one of the most effective ways possible. Social media has made it very easy for businesses to connect with their target customers while reducing marketing costs.
According to Dave Chaffey’s Global Social Media Research Summary 2019, the number of active social media users in the world has now reached to 3.196 billion, up by 13% since 2017. In the Philippines, social media is one of the top online activities of active Internet users. It is estimated that there will be around 47.33 million social media users in the Philippines by 2022, up from 39.87 million in 2017. 86.55% of Filipinos are active on Facebook, 4.02% on Twitter, and 3.53% on YouTube (statcounter, 2019).
If you want to reach with millions of people around the world and make your products, services or brand known to them for free or at low costs, then social media marketing is the channel for you.
Content Marketing
Content is one of the most critical elements of digital marketing. According to the 2018 State of Attention Report by Prezi, 55% of business professionals say that a great story captures their focus and keeps them engaged in the content. The primary goal of content marketing is to compose an engaging and valuable written or visual content to attract and convert targeted audiences into potential customers.
Content is what makes readers think that an offer by a company or business is credible. 88% of B2B marketers say that creating content makes their audience view their organization as a reliable and trusted resource while 81% of B2C marketers show concern over the creation of content that builds loyalty with existing customers.
As noted from the Content Marketing Institute, 57% of B2C marketers expect their content marketing budget to increase in 2019 as compared with 2018 while 55% of B2B marketers say that there is a projected change in 2019 content marketing budget compared with 2018.
When creating content, you need to consider your target audiences, the problem your content is going to solve, content marketing formats that you can use, and channels to publish and share your content.
The following are some of the top content marketing strategies you can create to support your digital marketing campaign goals.
Blogs
Whenever one hears about content marketing, they always think of blogs first. Blogs are usually short articles with a number of words that range from 500 to 800. According to HubSpot, marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI. On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without (DemandMetric).
Long-Form Articles
From the title itself, long-form articles are similar to blogs but with more extended contents. This type of material contains around 1,200 words or longer.
As cited by Codeless, the average word count of top-ranked content in Google is between 1,140 to 1,285 words. Longer, in-depth content generates 9x more leads than short ones.
Videos
Videos are proven to be a very engaging content online. Most people watch videos, and they are everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Linkedin all promotes video content.
Video Marketing Statistics 2017 shows that 82% of businesses feel that video is an integral part of their marketing strategy while 83% of businesses believe that videos give them good ROI.
Infographics
Infographic is a form of content you shouldn’t ignore. Many people consider content with visuals to be more engaging and convincing.
Researchers from Wharton School of Business showed two presentations to an audience, one with visuals and the other purely verbal content. They found out that 67% of the audience found the presentation with visuals to be more convincing compared with 50% for the purely verbal presentation.
Furthermore, 84% of businesses that use Infographics in their marketing consider it a useful medium according to Infographic World as reported by Forbes.
E-newsletters
E-newsletters are reports that are usually created and distributed by businesses, organizations, clubs, and religious bodies.
Statista estimated that in 2022, global email users would grow to 4.3 billion. As noted in Emarsys, 81% of SMBs still rely on email marketing as their primary customer acquisition channel, and 80% for retention.
With the widespread popularity of emails, many businesses believe this will help them grow and succeed.
Case Studies
Clariant Creative gives one of the most straightforward definitions of a case study. Accordingly, a case study is an interview with a happy client.
Most business case studies work like testimonials that are based on a particular customer’s success, which is why it is sometimes called a customer success story.
Businesses can use case studies to showcase specific features and benefits of their product or service.
White Papers
White papers may not be the newest platform of information distribution, but they are one of the most effective content marketing tools for powerful lead generation.
According to Forbes, 79% of B2B buyers share white papers with their colleagues. Indeed, it is an excellent opportunity for you to be known to many businesses.
Webinars
Web-based seminars usually consist of presentations, workshops and Q&A sessions that are transmitted over the web using video conferencing software.
According to ReadyTalk, 20% to 40% of their webinar attendees become qualified leads. It indicates the sound effects of getting customers from the conduct of webinars.
The Branded Solopreneur states that anything can be sold through webinars. It includes digital and real products, services, memberships, and more.
Podcasts
One of the great content formats to attract potential customers is through a podcast. A podcast is a downloadable content that users can obtain to watch or listen at their convenience.
Edison Research notes that podcasting continues to rise, with monthly listeners growing from 21% to 24% every year. These listeners can be converted into potential customers.
Records show that, indeed, content marketing is the core of any digital marketing strategy. When combined with other digital marketing strategies such as SEO and social media, content marketing can truly drive your business to the next level of success.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest digital marketing channels yet still beneficial and effective for advertising. According to this report, 86% of marketers are maintaining or increasing their email-marketing budget. It shows how businesses are willing to invest in email marketing.
Email marketing is the sending of a commercial message to a group of people whether potential or existing customers through email. This digital marketing strategy aims to convert prospects into customers and turn one-time buyers into loyal customers.
A study says that 77% of consumers want to get marketing messages through email over other online channels. It is an indication that email campaigns are still one of the most trusted digital marketing tools.
A well-executed email campaign can lead to increased sales, client loyalty and leads. This digital marketing strategy can also help businesses reduce their marketing costs.
Influencer Marketing
We have heard of many people becoming viral online particularly on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram. These people became famous because of their videos or blogs. They are like instant celebrities, and it is through them that influencer or influence marketing started.
Influencers are powerful instruments that can guide your target audience. The main focus of this digital marketing strategy is placed on influential people. Marketers pay them so they can promote products or services on various media outlets. It is like taking the idea of celebrity endorsement but unlike these celebrities, influencers can be anyone and can be found anywhere.
Influencer marketing allows brands to locate and advertise directly to their target audience. A vlogger who loves to workout at the gym may be paid by businesses to market their fitness products.
According to eMarketer, influencer marketing on Instagram continues to rise, with over 1.5 million posts worldwide between 2016 and 2017. This data makes Instagram a great venue for businesses to market their products or services. As noted in this article, influencer marketing will become a $10 billion industry by 2020.
When done right, influencer marketing can be a powerful digital marketing tool to reach your target audience, especially millennial consumers since they are the ones that are most active in using social media according to this report.
Display Advertising
Display advertising relies on images, audio, and video to communicate with your target audience. This digital marketing channel involves designing graphic ads and placing them next to content on websites, emails, and other digital formats.
Display ads can be in the form of banners, boxes, interactive and video ads, overlays, and other ads that are linked to a website, which helps promote new products or services, increase brand awareness and reach out to target audience effectively.
Business Wire reports that the Philippines’ online advertising market has shown tremendous growth during the last few years. One of the important classifications of online marketing in the Philippines is display advertising, which has the largest share in the Internet advertising space.
If you aim to generate awareness about your brand, product or service to a wide audience, whether locally or globally, then you need to consider display advertising for your business.
Native Advertising
Many businesses consider native advertising or native ads as the same with display advertising, but there is a difference between the two. While display advertising has been around for over 20 years, the term native advertising was only used in 2011.
As noted in Sharethrough, native ads are more visually engaging than display ads. Consumers view native ads 52% more than display ads. 32% of people say that a native ad is an ad they would share with friends or family members as compared to 19% with display ads.
According to Adweek, adding rich media to native ads can drive powerful engagement. Native ads that incorporate images or videos into its contents drive up to 60% more conversions than those without media (Small Business Trends, 2018).
Indeed, consumers appear to engage more with native ads versus standard banner or display ads (MediaPost, 2016). So if you want your business to be more engaging to your target audience, then native advertising is the channel for you.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Many people around the world use search engines such as Google or Yahoo to find answers or solutions to their problems. These answers or solutions may lead to buying a product or getting a service from a business.
SEO is one of the most powerful digital marketing channels that effectively bring potential customers to a business’ doorstep. MDG Advertising reports that 80% of consumers use search engines to find the products or services they need, and 63% will go on to visit a company’s website.
SEO, however, entails a complex process that encompasses many different aspects both technical and creative elements. It involves several activities that range from keyword research and analysis to testing and maintaining SEO rankings. Despite the former, SEO is capable of helping your business get on top of search engine results such as Google, Yahoo or Bing.
Pay-per-click Marketing (PPC)
Pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-click (CPC) is an online marketing model used to direct traffics to websites. Advertisers would pay a fee each time a user clicks their online ads.
The term PPC can apply to paid advertisements on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Another way of using PPC is through Google Ads. It displays ads at the top or right-hand side of search engines to make a campaign that impacts search engine users.
Businesses like yours should consider PPC if you want to reach out to potential customers the fastest way possible.
According to SocialMediaToday, more than 7 million advertisers invested a total of $10.1 billion in PPC ads just during 2017. It shows how effective PPC is in getting more leads.
SocialMediaToday also noted that 40% of brands want to increase their PPC budget, indicating that this digital marketing tool is indeed effective.
If you want to boost your ROI, pay-per-click advertising is the perfect tool for your business.
Which is the Best Digital Marketing Channel for Your Business?
Choosing a digital marketing channel to help your business get on top is not an easy task. It requires a lot of planning and complex decisions to pick the best digital marketing channel that will surely assist your business in achieving its ultimate success.
Before you can start in identifying the best digital marketing channel for your business, you need to know first your business. Selecting the best digital marketing channel for your business will depend on the type of business you have and the kind of customers you are targeting. Remember that not all digital marketing channels will work for your business.
Here are some of the important things that you need to consider when choosing a digital marketing channel for your business.
Identify Your Company Goals
Now that you have a basic understanding of all available digital marketing channels, it’s time for us to explore your company, knowing your business goals and priorities.
Brand Awareness
One of the best things you can do to promote your product or service is through brand awareness. It aims to make your business known to your target customers.
According to Content Marketing Institution, 89% of B2B marketers consider brand awareness as their most important goal, followed by sales and lead generation.
If this is the goal of your company, then you need to consider content marketing, social media marketing or display advertising as your digital marketing channel.
Lead Generation
All businesses need customers to grow. Businesses usually consider digital marketing to generate leads and connect with their potential customers.
Leads pertain to customers who are interested in your products or services.
To get more leads, these digital marketing channels can help you. These include pay-per-click (PPC), email and content marketing, search engine optimization, and display or native advertising.
Customer Education
Some businesses offer very complex products that need complex training. This is where educating potential customers come in.
According to Bill Harvey in Consumer Education Produced High ROI, customers who engage in a company’s educational marketing offerings are 29 times more likely to make a purchase than those who are informed through media ads alone.
Customer education is not advertising or marketing. Advertising aims to persuade on an emotional level, elaborating on features, advantages, and benefits of products. Customer education tries to give potential customers all relevant information regarding the product or service, especially on how to use a product to solve a problem.
If you plan to educate your potential customers about your product or service, content marketing that involves blogging, e-newsletters and webinars are some of the most effective digital marketing tools that you can use.
Traffic Generation
Many businesses use websites to sell their products, but the problem is that their website does not generate ROI. One of the causes of this is because of low web traffic.
The competition for traffic has dramatically increased because of the rise of many digital marketing strategies.
To help you generate web traffic and eventually earn money, you need to consider search engine optimization (SEO) or content marketing as your digital marketing channel.
Know Your Target Audience
When choosing your digital marketing channel, it is imperative to know who is your target audience. Knowing your potential customers will usually depend on the product or service your business is offering.
Identifying your target market requires research, reflection and time. It might be a little bit challenging but knowing your target audience will allow your business to focus on marketing efforts in the most cost-effective way possible.
It is also essential to know what platforms your target customers engage the most often, what type of content do they consume, and how do they buy and when.
Benchmark Your Competitors
Aside from knowing your target customers, competitors are also a must-check factor when selecting the right digital marketing channel for your business.
Knowing how your competitors promote their business using a specific digital marketing platform may also give you the idea of selecting your platform. It is also essential to see what results your competitors are getting from that particular platform so you can validate if it’s actually working.
Identifying what kind of offer your competitors publish as well as those things that make you different from them are also some of the important aspects that you need to consider. It will allow you to find ways to make your business stand out from all your competitors.
However, not all digital marketing channels that your competitors use will also work for your business. Remember always to do thorough research before you finalize your strategy.
Determine Your Budget
Your money will always be a concern when selecting an effective digital marketing channel for your business.
You need to define your budget allocation for your overall marketing strategy. Having an idea of the total marketing budget will help you decide how much money you can allow for each channel that you intend to use.
It is also essential to determine your expected ROI for this budget. Some digital marketing channels might cost you big bucks but will only provide you with little ROI. Careful planning is recommended here.
Identify Your Available Talent
If you are done selecting and implementing your chosen digital marketing channel, then maintenance comes next. You need to maintain your marketing campaigns to stay updated and relevant to the needs of your consumers.
Maintaining a marketing campaign requires the utilization of personnel with a certain level of skills. You need to check if there’s a need for you to establish an in-house team or you need to hire an agency to assist you.
Make the best use of the talent you have available when choosing the right digital marketing channel for your business.
When is the Best Time to Start with Digital Marketing?
If you are still thinking of postponing the use of digital marketing for your business, then you might be putting your business away from opportunities for growth and success.
Now is the time for you to let go of your fear of digital marketing channels and start making the first move.
If you are not confident enough, then we are here to help you. We, as your digital marketing experts will assist you in maximizing your business’ online presence across different online platforms.
Check out our digital marketing services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business, guaranteed!