We take a look at why digital marketing has become an inseparable part of modern advertising strategies.

To put it simply, digital marketing is all about using online avenues to promote different products and services. By using these online avenues, you can boost the web presence of your business or brand, which ultimately helps it to grow. With digital marketing, you can also monitor your promotion campaign in real time and course correct if required.

Digital marketing is an umbrella term used to describe a group of methods that are all used to promote your brand or business on the web. These include,

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Almost every internet user these days is well-versed with search engines. While earlier people used them exclusively to search for information, today search engines are used to search for products, services, brands and even local businesses. SEO helps increase the visibility of your business and gets a higher search engine ranking for your website by using techniques like on-page and off-page optimization. On-page SEO includes optimizing your site’s code, structure, and content. Off-page SEO includes building organic links and researching keywords appropriate for your niche.

  • SMM (Social Media Marketing)

Social media is one of the most dominant digital marketing channels and is on course to become the most important as it integrates with people’s lives on a deeper level. As a business owner, you can use the reach of social media to create brand awareness and promote your products and services. Social media also allows digital marketers to target a particular audience that is likely to be interested in what you’re offering. This channel also offers you an opportunity to engage with your customers directly, which helps build customer loyalty. Social media networks that are actively used for digital marketing include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest.

  • PPC (Pay Per Click) Advertising

PPC refers to ad campaigns where you pay the search engine only when an internet user clicks on your ad. The advantages of PPC advertising are twofold. First, it has the capability of delivering targeted traffic to your website. Second, it does this in a short period of time. How much traffic arrives on your website depends upon your maximum bid (the ad spots are auctioned by search engines), total bid budget and placement of ads. The effectiveness of PPC is also directly related to the keywords you’ve chosen to target potential customers and how well-written your ads are.

  • Email Marketing

Email marketing is all about promoting your business and what it does to people through the medium of email. A list of existing and potential customers is built and with their permission, you send them information and updates about your business. The email could focus on conversion, brand building or even be a routine newsletter. Cheap and effective, email marketing is a proven digital marketing channel that offers attractive ROI (Returns on Investment).

  • Content Marketing

Good content is at the heart of all digital marketing campaigns. Content here refers to anything ranging from articles and blogs to videos, audios, graphics, animations, music etc. While digital marketing in itself is a dynamic field, quality content remains its one constant. If you create and promote relevant content, your website is guaranteed a large amount of target audience traffic. In fact, there are numerous businesses that managed to increase their customer base by getting more subscribers on YouTube and building a steady readership for their blogs.

Now that we know what constitutes digital marketing, it’s time to look at why it’s important for businesses today.

  • Your Customers are Online

Various studies show that more than 50% of internet users are active online shoppers. E-commerce has been a boon for small and medium-sized businesses as it leveled the playing field irreversibly. So even if you are a small-time trader operating out of your apartment, you can still compete with a full-fledged business. The number of people shopping online is only to set grow further in the future, which means that businesses that fail to invest in their web presence stand to lose a major chunk of future sales opportunities. Furthermore, targeting your ideal audience is also a lot easier with digital marketing.

  • Excellent Growth & Brand Management

A business whose sales are static is considered to be a failure. The only way for a business to succeed is to keep growing. With digital marketing, this task becomes a whole lot easier. It allows you to expand your customer base, create brand loyalty and build a platform where you can keep in touch with your customers and get first-hand feedback. Building a brand image takes a long time, especially if you are using traditional marketing methods. With digital marketing, you can achieve more by spending less time and money. It’s truly a win-win.

  • Refining Strategy Through Analytics

Having a finger on the pulse of your customers and targeted audience is a great way to ensure the future growth of your business. In the online world, analytics is your window into customer behavior. Tools like Google Analytics help you to monitor the actions and preferences of your customers and offer data that can be used to decide the direction of your marketing campaigns. Moreover, insights gleaned from this analytics also enable you to adapt your products and services as per your customer’s needs. This not only props up your brand image but also ensures a steady stream of returning customers.

  • Ease of Customer Engagement

Using social media, your business can reach the target audience and engage with customers one-on-one even without a large advertising budget. When done in the right manner, social media brings in traffic by the truckloads while also enhancing the customer’s faith in your credibility. Many businesses also offer extensive support services to customers through social media. The versatility of social media is without peer.

  • Cost Effective

Reaching the masses and promoting your product or service among them is an expensive proposition. For small and medium-sized businesses where working capital is usually stressed, digital marketing comes across as a breath of fresh air. Not only does internet marketing enable you to reach thousands of prospective customers at a low cost but allows you to target your audience for the maximum impact. In terms of cost-effectiveness, there is no simple alternative to online marketing.

Digital marketing can transform businesses for the better. Quite a few companies realized its power early on and made the switch to full-fledged online marketing strategies. The growth of e-commerce and rise in online shopping has further compelled businesses to divert their resources for online promotion and sales.

If you are a small business and looking to grow your sales, digital marketing will help achieve your goals. If you are an already well-established business, online is where your future growth will come from. If you are a large enterprise, know that most of your customers use the internet regularly; in other words, you have to be where your customers are. Digital marketing, as such, is an inseparable part of your marketing campaign.

Know more about how digital marketing has changed the world of advertising for good and how we, at eLuminous Technologies, are right at the forefront of this change. Among the leading digital marketing solution providers in India, eLuminous offers end-to-end online marketing products that are further customized as per your business niche. Get in touch with us today to know how we plan to take your business to the next level.