Answers to the Top 6 Questions About Digital Marketing

Everyone knows they need digital marketing. But not everyone knows where to begin.  That’s OK!  We all need to start somewhere. 

If you’re among those that are just beginning to work on their digital marketing strategy, take a look at the top 6 questions about digital marketing.  This is a great place to start your journey to a successful digital marketing strategy!

How can digital marketing help my business?

This is the most common question about digital marketing that we receive. You should be able to create a website, and people will find you, right? That would be fantastic! However, the internet is made up of about 1.6 billion websites. That number is enormous in terms of getting your potential clients’ attention. While only about 400 million websites are active at any given time, that’s still a boatload of competition. 

So how do you stand out from the crowd? Digital marketing. An effective digital marketing strategy will help your business get more leads, better qualified leads, and help your ideal clients move through the purchasing decision process. 

Digital marketing goes beyond just having a website.  It includes all the different ways you can reach your ideal clients: social media, email, and blog posts among others.  It’s not enough in today’s marketplace to depend on your website alone to grow your business.  You need to use your online presence to attract and engage potential clients.

Just like traditional marketing, digital marketing has the goal of reaching people and increasing sales.  The really cool thing about digital marketing is that it is easy to change up your strategy if you find that something isn’t working.  And you can build on the ideas that do work!  It’s a win/win!

Why do I need to update my website?

This is one question about digital marketing that we get asked all the time. Businesses with up-to-date websites experience an increase in sales – simply because their website is working for them.  While this isn’t the only thing that you need to do, it is the first, best step towards increased sales!

Think of it like this: when a person thinks about something they need, the first thing they do is whip out their phone and search for it online.  So who gets their business?  It’s not necessarily the prettiest pictures, or the first on the list of results (though let’s face it, they’ll click on those!)  They are going to purchase from the website they trust.  Your website is the foundation of digital marketing – and building that trust with your potential clients.

You can have the best social media in the world but, unless you are an influencer, if your website is outdated or broken, no one will think you’re a leader in your industry.  Take a good look at your website.  Are there broken links? Outdated pictures? Pages that don’t load correctly?  If your potential customers see any of those, they will click away.  Your fully functioning website shows that you are trustworthy!

Earning your customer’s trust can be supported by your digital marketing strategy.  You can make sure your pages load quickly and that your website is optimized for mobile devices.  Your customers are going to search for faces – who runs this place?  Putting a face with a business lends credibility – clearly they can see you’re a real person, not just a storefront. 

They’ll also look for ways to contact you.  Will that be easy for them?  Do you share your phone number, email address, and physical address on your website?  These are all things that your client will be looking for when they check you out online.  And they are all significant to your customers when they are deciding whether they want to consider doing business with you.

What are keywords and why are they important?

To answer this question about digital marketing, you’ll need to think like your ideal client.   You know how when you want to look for something, you type words in the search bar? Those are called keywords.  So when you’re trying to decide which keywords you should be using, you want to ask yourself what would my ideal client type in to find my product or service.

So, if you sell tents for backpacking, your keywords would need to include tent or tents, for sure.  But, they would also need to include words like “lightweight”, “waterproof”, “wind-resistant”, and other terms that your ideal client would use to find specific items you carry.    Keywords are important because they will help you rank higher in search results. Ranking higher increases the chances that your website will be seen by someone searching for keywords related to your business.  So be sure to use keywords that are related to your business and are typically used by your clients to search for your product or service.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the process of creating and sharing digital materials online. While it may sound like it needs a complex answer to this question about digital marketing, it’s really something you may already be doing.  Sharing engaging content online including blogs, social media, and videos is “content marketing”. 

The purpose of content marketing is to create engaging content that stimulates interest in your product or service.  Imagine you design and make jewelry. You may not be sharing your price list or an ad for the jewelry you make, but you will be sharing things like the process that goes into making a necklace, or how you select your materials.  Things that make people stop and read your post, or watch your video.

Give your ideal clients a little insight into the process and you gain their interest.  You can build on that by posting consistently and keeping the attention of your target audience.  Engaging content will also link back to your website to let your followers know where to find you and purchase from you! 

How do I create content for blog posts?

When it comes to questions about digital marketing, “how do I create content for my blog posts” is probably the easiest to answer. And, for some, it can be difficult to achieve (but it doesn’t have to be!) Many people have no idea where to start, so let’s look at some ideas for creating content that may help you take that first step to blogging greatness!

What are the most common questions that your clients ask you – write blog posts about that!  For example, “how much does a website cost”, “how long does it take to build a website”, or “what is UX” are all topics that a digital marketing company might write about in their blog posts.  There is no need to overcomplicate blog posts.  Share your knowledge and write about the things your current clients ask you.  Chances are, there is a new client out there wondering the same things!

Know your keywords. You will need to use keywords frequently in your blog posts, so research your keywords and understand how your ideal clients use them.

Using your keywords, write some great titles. Starting with your title will give you the exact topic you’re going to write about and help keep you focused on the information you want to share.

Be consistent. Planning to add a new post once per week will help engage your readers, and it gives you something new to promote on social media.

How do I start my digital marketing journey?

This question about digital marketing is a sign that someone is feeling overwhelmed about digital marketing for their business. We understand how this can seem daunting – where do you even begin? Think of it like this: you don’t climb a mountain in one step. Your approach to digital marketing should be the same: one step at a time. 

But where to start?  There’s no need to jump in and try to do everything at once. Take a look here for some basics:

Start with your website.  Make sure your website is up-to-date and that everything works properly.

Start writing blog posts. Answer the questions that your clients have and share information so that your new clients can find you!

Repurpose information in your blog posts and social media posts.  Refreshing your existing content helps your clients find you and it doesn’t take a lot of work to check a post, make sure the links work, and update any outdated information.

Create and post videos based on the information in your blog content and share those videos on social media.

When starting on your social media journey, be sure to pick one or two channels to start.  Then, after you’ve mastered those, add in another channel until you’ve mastered them all!  You’ll be a social media whiz in no time!

Now you have some tools in your digital toolbox to help you get started. It’s time to dig in and build your digital marketing strategy! Now that you’re ready to start on your path, visit our website and download our free guide: How To Create a Killer Digital Marketing Strategy