Digital Marketing Basics

Digital Marketing Basics, Part 1 – Digital Marketing. Are you looking for a simplified guide to Online Marketing for your business?  In 2017 and beyond, Digital Marketing or Internet Marketing is poised to receive a whopping $80 billion shift in paradigm. So if you are feeling some anxiety (like a lot of other business owners), read on and get ready.

Since 2015, there is a shift by major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Chrysler, Chevy, Ford, and many more. They are shifting their advertising dollars into a digital marketing strategy that includes social media. And that’s just to name a few big businesses, it’s only just the beginning!

You don’t know what you don’t know…

Let’s face it, the average person spends a great deal of time on social media and that is where your customers are too.  If you are not marketing and advertising to your audience where they live, you will lose a huge market share to those that do.  So it goes without saying; if you haven’t lost market share already, you will if you do nothing about it.

Additionally, marketing on social media has become the default way of reaching people like never before. And it’s only getting more cost-effective.

But here is the most important point of all, learning the digital marketing basics will put you ahead of the crowd.  So much further ahead and ready to meet the changes coming in the future.  However, there is a learning curve and it takes time to master the tools and skills.

Some background information

After 15 years as a web designer and content manager, I found out that I really didn’t know much.  I thought I knew which end was up and that I could use my experience to figure out digital marketing too.  I foolishly believed that I could use traditional methods with social media.  Holy crap was I wrong!

At first, I was seeing some good results and I thought I had the Digital Marketing Basics all figured out.  But within a few weeks, I realized just the opposite, and I began to panic.  Being stubborn as a mule, I tried some variations to my tactics and the results were all the same.  Except for each time my ads performed with less and less effectiveness, costing me more and more money.

I began to panic!

Now I was truly starting to feel like someone drowning, desperate for just one more breath of fresh air.  I had gotten complacent over the years and I have gotten comfortable in my little comfort zone.  Fear gnawed at me every second of every day as I agonized over the impending demise of my business. And not being able to pay my bills.

Was this going to be it?  Was it game over for my livelihood?  Did I just suddenly wake up one day and not know what the hell I was doing?

Social Media Marketing growing pains

I had to do a serious gut-check.  Digital Marketing was pushing me out of my comfort zone and I acted reactively.  I felt like when you lean back in a chair and almost fall backward, but you catch yourself. Only I felt like that for days at a time and it was sucking more with each failure.

So then I realized that I had to do some more research and figure some things out fast.  And the more I dug into Digital Marketing Basics, the more I realized that I didn’t know enough. And the bad part about that is that you don’t know what you don’t know.

So the next section covers what I had to learn about digital marketing before I dream of any success. It is an overview of the different types of digital marketing.  And believe it, this is just scratching the surface.

So are you ready for this?  There are 12 different types of digital marketing and they can all work very well.

Learning Digital Marketing Basics

So to start with, let’s keep things fairly simple.  Basically, digital marketing is any sort of marketing and/or advertising that you do online.  For example, writing blog posts, publishing videos, sharing stuff on Facebook, and sending an email are all forms of digital marketing.  Also, there are 12 major different types of digital marketing.

So here is a list of the 12 different types of digital marketing that you may or may not be aware of.  They are in no particular order, but each one has a brief description to go with it.

12 Types of Digital Marketing:

1. Digital Marketing/Online Marketing – Generic terms for any of the other forms of digital marketing.
2. Affiliate Marketing – This form of marketing involves you selling someone else’s shit and pretty much a waste of your time.
3. Content Marketing – Marketing by driving traffic to your website or offer using content that people want to consume. Passive.
4. Email Marketing – Similar to content marketing, but in the form of an email. It requires you to build your distribution list to be effective.
5. Influencer Marketing – This can be as simple as asking a celebrity to use your products or services. But more often involves paying them.
6. Pay Per Click (PPC) – As the name implies, you are paying for traffic to your website or offer.  Quick and extremely efficient!
7. Public Relations – You can do some of it on your own and simply involves getting more exposure for you, your blog, and your business.
8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – The main goal of SEO is to attract new customers through search engines and rich content.
9. Social Media Marketing – Similar to PPC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube but also includes creating social engagement.
10. Text Message Marketing/SMS – Similar to Email Marketing, but with short and to-the-point messages.  Very effective!
11. Viral Marketing – It can be very difficult to implement, but can also reach huge audiences, quickly.  It can be extremely hard to do.
12. Voice Drops/Voice Mail Marketing – Short voice mail messages with an offer.  Almost as effective as Text/SMS Marketing!

Digital Marketing Basics: that’s not all

Yes, you read that correctly, there is more.  A lot more! In fact, there are now two additional, full-length articles about Digital Marketing Basics. Because it goes much deeper into the 12 types listed above.

Also, each article builds upon the previous one with more about the fundamentals of digital marketing. Of course, they also give you some actionable items that you can start using right away for your business.

In conclusion, if you need assistance with the Digital Marketing Basics, click on the banner below and get more customers!

Shout-out

Last but not least, I want to give a shout-out to my friend from across the pond, Amy Jordan, founder of POP Content in the U.K. for the inspiration for this article.  Here is a link to one of her articles that I had some input with, Unusual Back-Linking Techniques – Straight From Expert SEOs. Since it’s one of my personal favorites.

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Relevant resources

• Digital Marketing Basics, Part 2
• Digital Marketing Basics, Part 3
• HVAC Marketing Master Guide
• ROI Ninjas
• Digital Marketing Services

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