Digital marketing, what is it?
Digital marketing, also called online marketing, connects a company with its ideal customer—digitally. It encompasses any and all online marketing efforts conducted on the internet. When using digital marketing, businesses leverage things like websites, search engines, blogs, social media, video, and email to reach customers.
Why is digital marketing important?
Digital marketing gives you:
- Higher conversion rates. The real-time data that digital marketing provides is priceless. It precisely identifies the percentage of customers who get converted into leads, then subscribers, then buyers. The end result is better lead conversion. SEO, social media marketing, and email marketing provide fast and effective communication with high conversion rates.
- Cost–effective marketing. The price tag to get the same reach using traditional marketing would be enormous! With digital marketing, most aspects can be achieved with a small investment of time and resources. Even small or startup businesses can create a website, publish blogs, and manage a social media presence, all without a large financial investment.
- Optimized trust in your brand. The ability to interact with customers and prospects help to introduce who you are, what you are about, and why someone should buy your product. The social proof provided in positive online reviews can also help to build authenticity and brand trust.
- Global reach. Traditional marketing methods usually target a specific geographic area. Not so for digital marketing. The internet is available to customers across the globe, so this means your business can be as well.
Who needs digital marketing?
You!
Truly, the question should be, “Who doesn’t need digital marketing?” Nearly all businesses need digital marketing to remain relevant and competitive. We are living in a technology-dominated era, and not keeping up with it all could cost you opportunities, customers, and most importantly sales.
What are digital marketing services?
The most common digital marketing services include:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- PPC (Pay-per-click)
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Advertising
- Email Marketing
- Web design and development
Even though for the same bang for the buck, the investment in digital marketing is less than that of traditional marketing, it still is an investment.
No business owner wants to waste money and time on ineffective services that don’t get them the sales they need.
That’s where a marketing consultant comes in.
Why hire a digital marketing consultant?
Consultants in this area offer a new perspective and level of specialization that most companies don’t already have.
- Define your strategy: Without an effective strategy and an execution plan, your investment dollars could be all for naught. A strategic marketing approach will take into consideration your budget, goals, and growth to achieve an optimal outcome.
- An outside perspective: One of the main reasons to hire a consultant is to get an external point-of-view. They can see things with more clarity and objectivity.
- Specialization: A digital strategy consulting firm has specialists, such as a conversion rate optimization consultant, from all areas of the marketing space to help you with everything from UX to SEO to social media. You can optimize timeframes and resources by working with specialists in these fields.
- Costs: Digital marketing consultants have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for solving any issue quickly – saving your organization money in the process.
- ROI: When you work with a reputable consulting firm, they will ensure that your budget is well worth it and can measure the profitability of this investment through performance indicators.
How much do digital marketing services cost?
The costs for digital marketing services vary greatly and are dependent upon a number of factors. Things like your marketing budget, your targets, and the number of channels you would like to use help to determine the costs.
Digital marketing services are normally billed hourly, per project, or via monthly retainers. Most businesses will pay between $90-$250 for hourly services or $3500 to $10,000/month per project.
For small business owners, a general rule of thumb is that you should allocate between 10-20% of your revenue to marketing.
Your ideal audience is on the internet—make sure they can find you there.
With more consumers shopping and researching products online, it has become critical to have an internet presence. Tapping into the internet is the key to growing your business in brand new ways.
Digital marketing is all about being available, becoming familiar, and providing an offer your prospect cannot refuse. By creating a strategic plan to take advantage of all the marketing opportunities the internet has to offer, you open the doors to more touchpoints, more conversions, and more sales.
Need some help?
Reach out to us to learn more about how digital marketing services can help you scale your business and download my 1 Pg. Digital Marketing Plan Template.
