What is Digital Marketing

Most of our clients are familiar with print advertising in our magazines, they are not as familiar with digital marketing so we wanted to give you a great comprehensive guide to digital marketing. Connection Publishing just recently launched our advertising recommendation engine that gives us access to a nationwide data pool to give recommendations to advertisers regarding what type of digital advertising is best after analyzing the marketing usage from like businesses nationwide. It uses data analysis, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to make the recommendations. It is awesome!

Digital Marketing is the use of digital channels to promote a brand, product, or service to potential customers. It encompasses various strategies and tactics that businesses use to reach their audience, build brand awareness, and drive sales. In this article, we will take a deep dive into Digital Marketing and explore the various components that make it a critical aspect of modern-day marketing. I have linked each option to our product page if you want more info or if you are interested in having Connection Publishing fulfill your digital marketing needs (We would love to help!). 

Why is Digital Marketing important?
Digital Marketing has become an essential aspect of modern-day marketing for businesses of all sizes. Here are a few reasons why:

• Reach a Wider Audience - With over 4.7 billion people using the internet worldwide, digital channels offer an amazing opportunity to reach a wider audience. Businesses can use various strategies like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC or SEM (Paid Search Advertising), Paid Social Media, and Email Marketing to target their audience with precision and increase brand awareness. The fastest growing digital marketing tool is Digital Video delivered via YouTube, Digitally Connected TV (CTV, OTT, and Pre-roll), and other internet connected devices. 
• Cost-Effective - Digital Marketing can be a cost-effective way for businesses to promote their brand and drive sales. Compared to traditional marketing methods, digital channels often have a lower cost of entry, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes. The numbers of impressions usually are much larger than those on traditional media sources. 
• Measurable - One of the significant advantages of Digital Marketing is its ability to measure the effectiveness of campaigns. Businesses can use various metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, attribution and ROI to track their campaigns' performance and optimize them for better results. Testing of several creative options is also possible with digital. 
• Personalization (Targeting) - Digital Marketing allows businesses to personalize their messaging and target their audience based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics. This level of personalization can help businesses build stronger relationships with their audience and increase customer loyalty. One of the key tools we use with our clients is to help them define their WHO. Understanding your key target customer allows you to target them specifically with digital advertising.

Digital Marketing encompasses various strategies and tactics that businesses can use to reach their audience. Here are a few of the most popular types of Digital Marketing:

1. Digital Display: These are banner type ads that are based on targeting information, displayed on popular websites like CNN, ESPN, and popular blogs. These are sold by CPM (Cost per thousand impressions). Most businesses buy 100K impressions per month. 

1. Geo-Targeting - These a version of Digital Display that are target to people who visit certain locations
2. Retargeting - This is showing ad over and over to someone who interacts with an ad, reminding them of the option to do business with them. This is special because as you probably know, sometimes you see something you are interested in but then you get distracted and lose your train of thought. These retargeting tools make sure people see the ad again for a certain period of time. 

2. Targeted Email: This method uses emails that have opted in to receive marketing in line with their interests. You can be very targeted with these campaigns and follow it up with retargeted digital display ads. Email follow up is a powerful tool that businesses can use to nurture leads and drive sales. By sending targeted emails to their audience, businesses can build relationships and promote their products or services.

3. Paid Search (SEM or PPC) - Paid Search advertising is paying to show up in search results, it uses search traffic to make sure you are found. Depending on the industry, you will pay more or less based on what your competitors are paying for the ad space. Today, SEM is the phonebook for business search. This can be a very important part of digital advertising. Don't over look being in the phonebook. With PPC advertising, businesses can target specific keywords, demographics, and behaviors to reach their audience and drive sales.
As a secondary aspect to your Paid Search efforts, Google Maps management is crucial! Particularly for local brick and mortar businesses. Our goal when we work with a local business is to help them rank near the top of the google maps listings. 60% or more of local search utilizes the maps portion of google. 

4. Paid Social Media or Social Media Marketing (SMM) - This is the use of paid ads across different social media platforms. It is not the same as placing ads or boosting your social media posts. It is a highly targeted advertising approach that can be an extremely effective approach to lead generation. SMM, bot paid and organic, involves using social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote a brand and engage with customers. By creating compelling content and engaging with their audience, businesses can build a loyal following and increase their online presence.

5. Digital Video - There are various ways that digital video ads can be delivered. We see video on our favorite social media platforms in both short and long format. We also see commercials before videos and content that we watch on mobile devices and internet connected TV. This product range is quite broad. Here is a breakdown of the various types of video. 

1. OTT - This stands for Over The Top video.  This is video content shown on any device, mobile and TV's. It allows tracking and targeting. This is a popular options for advertisers.
2. Pre-Roll Video - These ads show up on website videos. For example if you visited a website to see a comedy clip you missed last night from a late night show, you would see a pre roll video before that clip. 
3. CTV - Similar to OTT but this shows only on large screens (TVs). Not shown on mobile devices. 
4. YouTube and Social - These are shown as part of people consumption of social media content and can be targeted to your WHO (Best Customers)
5. Streaming Audio - I know, it isn't video, but it is similar. This allows you to place ads on streaming audio platforms like a radio advertisement. This can cover news, music and podcasts. Delivered through internet connected devices. 

The following are some other digital options that we don't offer at Connection Publishing: 
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)SEO is the process of optimizing a website's content and structure to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). By optimizing a website for relevant keywords, businesses can attract more organic traffic to their website and increase online visibility.

2. Content Marketing - Content Marketing involves creating and distributing valuable content that attracts and engages a target audience. By creating high-quality content, businesses can increase their online visibility, build brand awareness, and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. We use this one at Connection Publishing and if you are a content producer, we are happy to share with you how we use our content to drive traffic. We also offer a subscription video production program where we come on location to local businesses and video for one hour per month and product 4-6 videos that you can use any way you would like for $799. This will add to your content creation efforts and if you so choose, you can also use these videos with the Digital Video options I mentioned above. 

Let me know if I missed anything. Hopefully this help you pick your best sources for advertising your business. Each type of business is different and you must find a way to get the word out. Sometimes it is overwhelming, which is why we had our custom recommendation engine built so that by analyzing the data from across the nation, we can recommend to you the best advertising tools you should be using. If you would like us to enter your business into the program, please let us know. It is FREE and there is no obligation. Book an appointment here.