What every CEO needs to know about Digital Marketing

Think of the last time you shared information you read from a magazine or newspaper. Now think of the last time you shared a YouTube video or a website link to your connection, or allow me to use the digital term “share”. We are living in the digital era, and your business must be a big part of it. Given that, here are a few things you need to know about digital marketing and its impact on your business.

Marketing is definitely a big portion of your company budget, but did you know, according to Search Engine Journal, digital marketing is cheaper than offline marketing and is the effective tool to increase brand awareness. Also, with the use of digital marketing you can reach your target audience through different channels, and digital marketing is utilized as a source to generate leads. Moreover, 93% of online experiences starts from a search engine. Doesn’t that tell you enough?

Same way your business needs you, your business needs a digital exposure. In the past, consumers used to go to businesses for products and services, and back then, those businesses solely relied on “pure selling and promotions”. Today all that changed, businesses need to build an online community to attract customers towards their business and eventually sell. As a business, you need to touch on an emotional factor for people to become attached to your brand. Coca cola is one company that aggressively touches on people’s emotions. For example, Coca Cola has installed phone booths inside labor camps in Dubai for blue collar laborers. They could now call their families with bottle caps; a bottle cap = 2 min.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is marketing that makes use of computers, smartphones, tablets and game consoles to engage with their consumers. Digital marketing has the following key components:

1. SEO or Search Engine Optimization:

In brief, SEO is the art of gaining top search engine ranking for relevant keyword phrases for your business through making search engines recognize that your site is more relevant than your competitors. 

2. Social Media

If you are involved with SEO, then you must know that Google released a new algorithm called Hummingbird. A big part of this algorithm update was an increase in social engagements as a ranking factor on search engines. 

Benefits of Social media are:

• Aids in brand loyalty
• Brand awareness
• More opportunities to convert customers
• Better insights for customer service

“By definition, Content marketing is the process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customers”, according to content marketing institute. When we talk about content marketing we are talking about videos and imagery not only text. Most people, by nature, are visual. They tend to be more attracted to imagery and videos. An effective online marketing strategy involves content marketing.

So do you think establishing a digital marketing strategy will leverage your business and take it to another level? Get familiar with digital marketing and know how it impacts your company. The sooner you can understand the significance and potential digital marketing can have on your business, the sooner you'll see the results.