Do you have a digital marketing strategy for your brand?
Building your brand and increasing sales might not top your list as an entrepreneur. However, this is a HUGELY missed opportunity for you to influence your target market.
Do you have these misconceptions about online marketing?
- “Getting clients through referrals and word of mouth is more efficient.”
- “Focusing on digital marketing is costly—both in time and money.”
- “Sharing knowledge for free through online marketing defeats the purpose of growth.”
You’re not alone.
Many entrepreneurs and small businesses fail to understand the benefits of digital marketing.
Like any tool, digital marketing can be as effective (or ineffective) as you want it to be.
Digital spaces are prime real estate to influence your potential clients to buy from you.
In this article, you’ll learn what a solid digital marketing strategy can help you achieve in your business. You’ll also find 5 recommendations to translate your expert knowledge into digital marketing for the online space.
Here’s Why You Need to Focus on Digital Marketing to Build Your Brand
So, why is digital marketing important?
Every company that exists today has likely implemented a digital marketing strategy as part of its product or service promotion.
Digital experiences are embedded into many aspects of their branding. If you’ve ever read a blog post, received an email, or liked an Instagram post from your favorite brand—you’ve consumed content created for digital marketing purposes.
The following are 3 benefits of digital marketing for your brand and sales growth.
1. It helps you build brand recognition and authority.
Today’s online space is competitive.
Having a consistent digital marketing strategy will allow you to build a strong brand and garner your audience’s trust.
It’s easier than ever to stay front and center in your current and future clients’ memory as an expert in your industry.
2. You’ll understand your target audience’s needs.
Engaging with your potential customers online is one of the most significant benefits of digital marketing.
As an entrepreneur or digital marketer, it will serve you to engage more with your target audience across various online channels.
With online marketing, you’ll receive insights into what your ideal client likes and needs, which will help you design products and services that appeal to them.
3. Digital marketing can be inexpensive when compared to traditional marketing campaigns
Display advertising through television and radio ads, billboard advertising, and other offline marketing is more costly than digital marketing, like social media or email marketing.
Alternatively, digital content created for online marketing campaigns is cost-effective, especially if it’s evergreen content.
Content marketing online is particularly lucrative for your brand, as marketers use this low-cost tool to rank via SEO.
You’ll save time and money by promoting your business online with display advertising, search engine optimization, and content repurposing.
Check Out These 5 Online Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Audience and Increase Your Sales
If you’re eager to increase your sales and share your knowledge through the online marketing space, consider pursuing one (or all) of these digital marketing strategies:
1. Share your expertise through YouTube.
YouTube isn’t just a platform for influencer marketing: It’s also a prominent online channel to include in your digital strategy.
Starting a YouTube channel may feel like a daunting digital marketing tactic, but it can be an effective way to share your knowledge and experience with your ideal client.
Video marketing data shows that, on average, people spent 17 hours consuming video content in 2022. It also reveals that more than 90% of those surveyed learned about a product or service through video.
The more content you deliver, the more your audience will trust you and keep you in mind when they need a product or service like yours.
2. Connect with your ideal audience via a podcast.
Online content isn’t exclusive to video or written format.
The growing popularity of podcasts over the past decade means that getting into the podcasting game is a clever online marketing move.
With a low startup cost and minimal barrier to entry, you can begin connecting with your ideal audience through audio content—especially if you’re camera shy.
Here’s what you can achieve for your brand by adding a podcast as part of your marketing strategy :
- Build authority in your field by providing unique insights and trustworthy guests.
- Develop greater brand appeal by letting your personality shine through the mic.
- Share bite-sized content that will entice your audience to want more from you.
Getting in front of your ideal client has never been easier.
3. Establish authority within your industry by writing an ebook.
If you’ve gathered enough experience and expertise, consider writing an ebook.
Forget about traditional advertising through physical books. Digital books can help elevate your image from entrepreneur to author.
This label will help you project more authority to your audience while giving them access to your knowledge in another medium.
There is no better time to write and self-publish a book online. It doesn’t have to be lengthy books, either. Shorter ebooks (less than 20–50 pages, for instance) can still deliver massive value to your audience.
4. Repurpose your content and increase sales with digital products.
Creating a digital product is a straightforward way to repurpose content from other social media channels.
A digital product can be a PDF, templates, and audio files, among other products.
Digital products can deliver instant value and solve part of your ideal client’s problem. They will give them a taste of the benefits they’ll gain through your products or services.
Examples of what a digital product can be:
- Your YouTube video content expanded into more detailed written content (PDF).
- Easy-to-use, high-value templates (i.e. email templates, contract templates, etc.).
- The audio of a chapter from your ebook.
Ways to use a digital product:
- As a lead magnet to build your email list.
- As a low-cost product for clients that can’t afford your higher-tier products or services.
- A report of your findings from research or interview’s you’ve conducted (build authority).
There’s no limit to your sharing capabilities.
5. Distill your knowledge into an online course.
Online courses have picked up steam within the online marketing space.
You don’t need to teach to build an online course on platforms like Teachable or Udemy. Any entrepreneur can venture into the online education space.
Online courses do require a significant investment in time. Nevertheless, launching a course can be a great way to stand out from the crowded digital marketing space and create a digital asset that can develop into a passive income stream.
It’s also an accessible way to meet the high demand for your services.
Quick Tips for Digital Marketing Success
Regardless of what digital marketing strategy you decide to pursue, follow these tips to ensure your digital marketing strategy succeeds.
Be Authentic:
If you follow leaders in your industry on social media platforms, it’s ok to be inspired by them, just don’t copy their exact branding and strategy.
Start small
Online marketing can be exhausting, especially alone. Start with one strategy or platform you can stick to, and create content at a reasonable pace (1-2 YouTube videos per month, for example).
Stay consistent
Brand authority is built on consistency. Create a content calendar to regularly publish video, audio, and other social media content.
Listen to your audience
Digital marketing isn’t a one-way stream. Evaluate your digital marketing stats, and capitalize on relevant, valuable comments from your audience.
Communicate your brand’s story
Stay on brand with your digital marketing. Any content you create should tie into your business.
Repurpose content
Don’t waste good content. Turn your YouTube videos into podcast episodes, or expand your blog posts into digital products with additional content.
Summary
Succeeding in digital marketing is a long-term game. Digital channels like email or Amazon allow you to reach more people than ever before.
The online marketing options are endless. You can build your audience through digital channels like YouTube or Facebook or grow your online presence through social media marketing.
For more experienced entrepreneurs, you might cement your authority in your field through an ebook or a digital course.
Remember that an effective digital marketing strategy relies on authentic and consistent digital communication between you and your target audience. It may take some time to see results.
Your digital marketing efforts, however, will pay off before you know it.
Do You Need Help With Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
Schedule a clarity call today to learn more about how we can help you with your branding, website, and more.
