Five ways digital marketing can help grow your business

We live in interesting times, thanks to technology. Among the many effects it has had, the digital wave has seen more and more businesses shift their focus to online tools to market their brands.

Digital marketing is a strategy that uses digital tools and marketing strategy to improve brand and service delivery. And in today’s world, it’s not something you can ignore. Here are some ways you can ride on digital marketing to take on your competition.

1. Launch online

The first step to achieving an effective digital marketing performance is by having an online presence. Launch a website and social media pages on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Once this is done, populate your pages with relevant, quality content. Reply to comments and feedback promptly to boost your credibility and brand perception. Further, invest in a mobile-friendly website as a majority of your customers are likely to interact with you through their phones. 

2. Search engine optimisation

Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps with the ranking your website gets online, and relies on the content you post. To achieve the best SEO ranking, you need to make sure you provide quality content that utilises key words that are used most commonly in the industry you’re in. Always try to get internal and external links, which are links directed to your website through articles, other websites or social media platforms. Google relies heavily on external and internal links to determine rankings, so invest in this, or find a strategist or web developer to help.

3. Define your customer

Having a website and a social media presence gives you a chance to promote ads that reach the exact type of customer you want. You’re able to specify the demographics of the people you want to see your ads, meaning you can reach customers in a specific location, of a particular age group and even define their gender. This helps you target your adverts to an audience that’s most likely to lead to tangible sales.

4. Drum up business on mobile

Mobile marketing is aimed at reaching the targeted audience through their mobile phones, tablets or other mobile devices via websites, emails, SMSes or company apps. When using mobile marketing as a strategy, provide your target customers with personalised time and location-sensitive information so they can get what they want, exactly when they need it. Mobile marketing has become one of the best digital marketing strategies given the proliferation of mobile phones the world over.

5. Measure performance

When you begin using digital marketing tactics, it’s important to measure the outcomes of your efforts to determine what works and what doesn’t. Not all digital marketing strategies would work well for your business, so measuring the outcome helps you in re-strategising. Allow tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and Ad Manager to guide you on the general age, location and interests of your customers.