What is Digital Marketing? A Comprehensive Digital Marketing Overview and Reasons to Get Started

Digital marketing refers to the use of digital channels, such as search engines, social media platforms, email, and websites, to promote products and services. Here at Reviewly, we like to make sure it encompasses several key strategies and digital marketing channels. Which businesses employ to reach their local target audience and drive sales conversions.

Again, what is digital marketing? Let me explain further by discussing the many digital strategies you may have encountered yourself in your day-to-day digital experiences. One of the most common digital marketing strategies is search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engine marketing is where you optimise your website's content and structure to improve organic rankings in search engine results pages. We like to take this even further and get our business partners ranking in the top 3 of their local SERPs (Google’s Search Engine Results Page).

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is another popular strategy. With PPC, you place digital ads on search engine results pages and only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Take for instance local services ads. While these aren't in Australia at the time of writing this article, Google will be releasing them in the coming months. They are experted to decrease ad costs as you only pay when you get a client, not a click.

Social media marketing allows you to promote your products and services and engage with both existing and potential customers on social media platforms. We love using a Google Business profile in this manner. By posting regularly we send signals to Google which helps us rank a client's profile.

Email marketing is an effective strategy to build relationships with your customers through targeted email campaigns. Many businesses tend to overlook the power of email marketing automation, but the truth is, it remains one of the most effective methods for driving sales conversions. Some businesses think this can be very time-consuming but if you have a template and include your monthly blog or posts, it can be really simple and easy.

Content marketing focuses on creating, designing and distributing valuable content across your online presence. This helps to inform, attract and retain your ideal clients and sometimes entertain your audience. 

Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of channels and strategies, all aimed at connecting with your customers in our digital world. At Reviewly, our goal is to help our clients expand their digital presence by utilising the right digital platforms. Assisting in implementing the key strategies and finding where your ideal clients are hiding. 

So let’s discuss this further in this blog.

“Moreover, Reviewly's dedication to staying up-to-date with the ever-changing landscape of SEO is truly remarkable.” Rich Haby Owner of Cams Cords

Benefits of Digital Marketing: Reasons Why You Should Get Started 

Businesses of all sizes and industries now use digital marketing or internet marketing as it offers a multitude of benefits and channels to promote your products and services. By leveraging digital channels and strategies, organisations like yours can unlock new opportunities and drive growth in today's interconnected world. 

Some key benefits of digital marketing include:

1. Targeted Reach: Local SEO allows you to focus your efforts on reaching a specific local audience interested in your products or services. By optimising your website and online presence via your Google Business Profile for local search terms, you can attract highly relevant traffic from people in your immediate vicinity. These folks are actively looking for what you offer. We make sure your targeted approach helps you maximise your marketing budget by avoiding irrelevant clicks or impressions. 

2. Reduced Competition: When you target a specific geographic area, the competition for keywords and rankings tends to be lower compared to broader national or international markets. With less competition, it becomes relatively easier and more cost-effective to achieve higher rankings in local search results. This means you can gain visibility and attract local customers without having to invest as much in highly competitive and expensive advertising channels. Every digital marketer's goal is to make sure you widen your digital footprint toward the right audience and that you maintain your relevance over an extended period.

3. Cost-Effective Strategies: Local SEO strategies often involve a combination of optimising your website, creating and optimising Google My Business profile, managing online reviews, and leveraging local directories and citations. While there may be some initial investment required to set up and optimise these elements. The long-term maintenance and optimisation costs are relatively lower compared to ongoing advertising campaigns or paid search marketing. Relying solely on marketing platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter is not enough. Understand the importance of expanding your online online footprint is critical for trust. That's why we offer comprehensive solutions, including assistance with setting up your Google My Business Profile. We ensure that your business ranks prominently in local searches and maximises its visibility.

4. Higher Conversion Rates: Local searches often indicate higher purchase intent as people are actively seeking local businesses to meet their immediate needs. When your business ranks well in local search results, it increases the chances of attracting ready-to-buy customers who are more likely to convert into actual sales or leads. This higher conversion rate means you can achieve a better return on investment (ROI) from your local SEO efforts.

5. Repeat Business and Word-of-Mouth: Local SEO not only helps you attract new customers but also fosters repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. When customers have a positive experience with your business, they are more likely to become repeat customers. And recommend your business to their friends, family, and colleagues. This organic growth through customer loyalty and referrals can further reduce your marketing costs while driving sustainable business growth.

6. Measurable Results: Unlike traditional marketing, effective digital marketing provides comprehensive analytics and data insights. You can track and measure the performance of your campaigns in real-time, gaining valuable insights into customer behaviour, engagement, conversion rates, and more. This data-driven marketing approach enables you to make informed decisions and optimise your marketing strategies for better results. Amongst the different forms of marketing, digital marketing requires analytics to make sure you are on the right track.

By focusing on local SEO strategies, optimising your online presence for local searches, and leveraging the power of local targeting, you can effectively reach your local audience, increase your visibility, and generate cost-effective results for your business.

Now that you know the key benefits of online marketing, let us take a look at how digital marketing works. 

How does digital marketing work?

Let me break it down for you further. Digital marketing involves a wide array of strategies and tactics that work together to achieve marketing goals. So, here's the scoop on how these various digital marketing tactics actually work:

1. Understanding the Audience: The first step in any digital marketing plan is to identify and understand your target audience. This involves conducting market research, analysing your demographics, interests, and behaviours of your potential customers to create buyer personas.

2. Setting Goals: Clear objectives should be established to make effective digital marketing techniques for your business. Your goals may include increasing website traffic, generating leads, boosting sales, enhancing brand awareness, or improving customer engagement. Whatever your goals are, they should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bounded). If you are unsure, we can help you identify your goals during our discovery process.

3. Developing a Strategy: A well-defined digital strategy is created, considering various digital media channels and tactics to achieve the set goals. This may include search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and more. Different types of digital marketing channels will be considered depending on your goals.

4. Building an Online Presence: Digital marketing helps your business establish a strong online presence through websites, social media profiles, and other relevant platforms. Websites serve as the central hub, offering information about your business, showcasing your products or services, and facilitating conversions. Your Google Business Profile also serves as an important strategy in building your online presence. It's not just a mere listing; it's a vital strategy that can significantly impact your visibility and reputation in the local digital realm.

5. Driving Traffic: Various digital tactics are employed to attract visitors to your digital assets. Two effective ways to attract visitors first is by leveraging SEO techniques to optimise your website to rank higher in search engine results. Then we have PPC advertising or online advertising which allows your business to display ads on search engines or other websites to drive targeted traffic.

6. Engaging and Nurturing Leads: Once visitors arrive, all efforts should be made to engage and convert them into leads. This can be done by creating compelling content, lead magnets, contact forms, and call-to-action buttons, to encourage your users to take your desired actions.

7. Relationship Building: Specific digital marketing focuses on building and nurturing your relationships with your potential leads and customers. My favourite type of marketing is building email marketing campaigns which aim to help maintain ongoing communication with your customers, provide value, and foster brand loyalty. Email marketing is one of the most basic marketing strategies but remains to be powerful as it's a conversion machine.

8. Analysing and Optimising: Data analytics plays a vital role in digital marketing. Digital marketing KPIs (Key performance indicators) are tracked to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns, channels, and strategies. This data-driven approach enables you to identify your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for optimisation.

9. Continuous Improvement: Digital marketing is like a puzzle that we solve little by little. We look at the data and learn new things, then we make our strategies even better. By trying digital marketing activities, like how we talk to people or what content we produce, we continuously improve our strategies. But remember, there's no magic trick or one-size-fits-all solution in digital marketing. We have to find what works best for each industry and situation. Nothing in digital marketing is magic. There is not one digital device that will work across all industries. 

"Tanya has been a magnificent help in understanding online analytics and growing our web presence." Rob and Patrick Owners of Oakleafs 20

Does digital marketing really work?

The truth is digital marketing can be very effective if done right. Digital marketers use a variety of marketing assets from email marketing to video marketing to reach your marketing objectives. Different digital marketing campaign requires marketing training, research, and the ability to stay on top of the latest trends. 

Let's look into some compelling evidence:

1. Increased Reach and Engagement: According to a report by Hootsuite and We Are Social, there are over 4.62 billion active internet users worldwide as of 2022. This vast online audience provides any business with immense potential to reach and engage its target customers. Just tapping 1% of internet users can bring in 46,200,000 leads. It's crazy how much we can reach with the internet. Source: Social Media Users Now Equivalent to 58% of Global Population (hootsuite.com)

2. Enhanced Targeting and Personalisation: Digital marketing allows for precise targeting of specific demographics, interests, and behaviours. Through data analysis and segmentation, businesses like yours can deliver personalised content and offers, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates. A study by Epsilon found that 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences. Source: New Epsilon research indicates 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalised experiences

So, yes, digital marketing really does work if you have the right tools and the right team. Yes, the right team. We will now talk about what to look for when choosing the team who will execute your digital marketing strategies. 

What to Look for in a Digital Marketing Agency: Essential Skills and More

In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, it's important to consider the skills that are essential for success when choosing a digital marketing partner.

First and foremost, a strong command of digital media platforms is crucial. Look for an agency that demonstrates proficiency in various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They should not only understand how these platforms work but also know how to effectively utilise them to reach your target audience. 

The agency you will choose will be part of your digital marketing journey. You should choose an agency that does not only implement popular marketing tricks but also implement the right one to achieve your goals. 

Analytical skills are highly valued especially when applying digital marketing strategies. An agency should have the ability to analyze and interpret data, understand consumer behaviour, and make data-driven decisions. 

This is crucial for developing effective marketing campaigns that yield measurable results. Digital marketing has always relied on analytics to gauge how effective your strategies are. 

Creativity is another key attribute you should look for in a digital marketing agency. They should possess the ability to craft compelling content that tells a story and engages your audience.

A creative approach helps to capture attention, spark interest, and build brand loyalty. Creativity can also tap into different forms of digital storytelling that have never been used before.

Strong communication skills are vital as well. A reputable agency should excel at conveying ideas and strategies clearly and effectively. They should also have experience collaborating with various marketing professionals to ensure seamless integration of marketing efforts. 

The best digital marketers possess not only strong communication skills but also a collaborative mindset.

Adaptability is imperative in the digital marketing landscape. Look for an agency that stays up-to-date with the latest technologies and industry trends. The ability to adapt quickly to changes in the digital realm will help your marketing campaigns stay relevant and effective. 

Remember, partnering with the right agency allows you to leverage specialised expertise and optimise your strategies. The dynamic nature of the industry requires honing digital marketing skills to stay ahead and achieve success.

By choosing the right agency, you'll have the support and guidance needed to navigate this exciting and ever-evolving field.

Get Started with Digital Marketing Today

Digital marketing is like a superpower that can make your business soar! It's amazing because it brings great results, helps you connect with customers in exciting ways, and opens doors to endless possibilities for growing your business. 

So, why wait? We can start your digital marketing journey today here at Reviewly. Together we unlock the incredible potential it holds for your business. 

Embrace this digital revolution, grab the opportunities it offers, and get ready to shine in the digital age!