5 Types of Digital Marketing for Small Businesses

You may think digital marketing only makes sense for online or international businesses, but internet marketing has a lot to offer for small, local businesses.
So, what is digital marketing, and what can it do for your small business?
According to HubSpot, “Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet.” It is “any form of marketing that exists online.”
This is obviously a wide definition with many categories, but this post will focus on five—SEO, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, content marketing, and directory management. These categories are interrelated and overlapping. This post will explain what they are and what they can do for you.

SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, it’s trying to get your website to be listed higher on search engines like Google (which will hopefully help more customers find you).
You can have the best web design, but it won’t help if customers never find your site. (Likewise, it doesn’t matter if your SEO is good if your website looks terrible.)
You may think that SEO is just for large, online companies, not local ones, but take a moment to Google “Barber.” Notice that Google only gives you results for shops near you.
According to Hubspot, “four out of five consumers use search to find local information,” so SEO can be a great way to promote local businesses.
Read some of our posts about SEO:
What SEO Can and Can’t Do for Your Company
6 SEO Tips for Bing (Yes, Really)
Optimize SEO for Voice Search With These Key Strategies
What Does SEO Cost?

Pay Per Click

When you Google something, the first couple results should say ad beside them. These are pay per click (PPC) ads, and companies pay Google a certain amount of money (cost per click or CPC) each time someone clicks on one of them. Companies get to choose which search terms their ads show up for.

You can also buy ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. One of the reasons people pay for these ads is because of how competitive keywords have become.  While SEO is a great tool, ranking for keywords can be difficult, and for certain keywords, it’s all but impossible.
According to Hubspot, “your paid advertising should complement your SEO strategy.”

Talk to Us About Our Web Design Services and Digital Marketing in Nashville TN

 
Read some of our posts about PPC:
Are You Wasting Money in Your PPC Campaign?
Are Search or Display Ads the Best Option for Your PPC Campaign?
5 Tips for Crafting Effective Text Ads
Designing the Perfect Landing Page for Getting the Most out of Your PPC Campaign
What You Need to Know for Choosing the Best PPC Platform to Optimize Your Ad Performance

Email Marketing

Email marketing may seem more “old school” than some of the other items like SEO and PPC, but email marketing is still extremely effective. In fact, marketer Neil Patel said, “Based on 2018 data, email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.”
You want to build an email list by offering people something in exchange for their emails such as a free eBook or tool. Don’t add them to your mailing list without their permission as that’s unethical and annoying. You run the risk of getting marked as spam which could kill your campaign.
A copy of your emails needs to be engaging and well-written. People get a million emails every day. Give them a reason to read yours. Create a subject line that makes them curious.
An email has an extremely high ROI, so it’s important that you do it well.
Read some of our posts about email marketing:
How to Build an Email List & Foundations of Email Marketing
Ways to Boost Your Email Marketing Click-Through Rate
A Quick Guide to Email Marketing for SMBs

Content Marketing

Content marketing is related to some of the other forms of marketing on this list. You need content for your emails after all, and content should be optimized for SEO. (This doesn’t mean stuffing your content with so many keywords that it’s hard to read, however. Such tactics may have worked in the past, but thankfully, Google’s algorithm has gotten better since then.)
There are a lot of types of content that you’ll need:

• The pages on your site (home page, about page, sales pages)
• Blog posts
• Facebook posts
• Emails
• EBooks
• And more

Don’t post short, half-baked content either. While there’s a right place for shorter pieces, longer ones work better. This doesn’t mean you should add fluff (which would just make your content boring). Instead, add valuable content that benefits your reader in some way, even if that’s just entertainment. We try to write blogs that are at least 750 words.
And content doesn’t have to be just text. You can create video content for YouTube and your website. Also, as a small business, consider writing local content.
Read some of our posts about content marketing:
5 Tips for Creating Content That’s SEO Friendly Every Time
How Promoting Thin Content Can Deliver a Devastating Blow to Your SEO
5 Powerful Strategies That Fuel Great Content Marketing

Directory Management

You may not have heard of this, but it’s an important part of digital marketing. Do you remember when people used to look in those massive phone books to find local businesses? Well, now there are dozens of such directories on the internet, and JLB will make sure your business is listed on 70+ of the most popular (all with a user base of over a million) and that the listings are up to date and accurate (without duplicates).
Read some of our posts about directory management:
The Importance of Online Directories and Proper Directory Management in 2020
Are Duplicate Directory Listings Hurting Your Online Reputation?
JLB offers web design services as well as digital marketing in Nashville TN. Let us drive traffic to your site, leading to conversions and sales.
 

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