Fundamentals of digital marketing: A beginner’s guide (2022)6 min read

Digital Marketing

I am going to assume you came in here with a blank slate knowing nothing about digital marketing and so we’re going to start from absolute scratch in this article. Hopefully by the end of it you’ll have a solid grasp on the concept of Digital Marketing.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing (also called online marketing) is the form of marketing which uses the internet or any electronic device in order to promote or market products and services. Digital marketing in general usually refers to those ads or marketing campaigns which appear on your PC, tablet or mobile phone. Digital Marketing can be in many forms such as Social Media Marketing (SMM), Email Marketing (EM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Pay-Per-Click (PPC), Mobile Marketing (MM) and so much more.

Why is Digital Marketing Important?

Digital Marketing is important as it connects customers with a business when they are using digital platforms and can be applied effectively throughout all industries alike.

To make it easier on why digital marketing is important, I’ll list them out for you-

1. MOST OF YOUR CUSTOMERS USE ONLINE MEDIA-

Ever since the advent of the internet after 1990, this form of marketing has been popular. And as of 2022, there are now 4.95 billion users of the internet, with numbers growing rapidly every single day.

So, naturally as every business needs to be known and exposed, online marketing is your best bet these days. If your business does not have any form of online presence, it is very likely that you will be losing them as a potential customer.

2. FAST AND AFFORDABLE-

Compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing is more cost-effective as well as less time consuming on the most part. If your business has a tight budget or if you are just starting out, digital marketing is the way to go.

With digital marketing, you can start the process immediately after initiation. All you have to do is some market research as well as knowing how to implement the digital marketing strategies and then you’re all set!

3. BRINGS IN BETTER ROI

Returns on Investment (ROI) is a crucial factor for deciding if a marketing campaign is working or not. Most businesses claim that on average, online marketing brings in better conversion rates and ROI. This must be due to the fact that most customers these days can be found and targeted online.

4. YOUR COMPETITORS ARE ALL DOING IT-

To stay on top of the market, you need to be able to compete with your competitors. Your competitors are all investing their time and efforts into a robust online presence and increasing their traffic and ROIs.

5. BUILD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Now it is easier than ever for a business to connect and build relationships with their customers which is difficult in traditional marketing. When you are able to build good customer relations, it can provide a huge business boost. Digital marketing allows businesses to do this by now being able to answer customer queries, solve and inspect problems, etc in order to turn them into loyal, repeat customers.

6. HIGHER ULTIMATE REVENUE

As we have discussed before, digital marketing brings in better returns on investment as well as a higher conversion rate, which generates more sales and thus, more revenue, which is the ultimate business goal.

So, we can understand how important digital marketing really is and how crucial it is for any business to stay afloat in our day and age.

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Now that we’ve got the importance and benefits of digital marketing out of the way, time to jump in to the fundamentals-

Online Advertising-

This remains one of the most effective ways for businesses to expand their customer reach, seek out new customers as well as finding diverse revenue streams.

It uses the internet to advertise and promote products and services to customers and those who use digital platforms.

Online advertising falls under the hood of digital marketing and it basically involves having a noteworthy presence of your brand or business online.

Examples of online advertising include- search engine results page, email spam, pay-per-click ads, Google ads, Facebook, Instagram, pop-ups, etc.

Content Marketing-

This is a very strategic form of marketing where the marketer’s goal is to provide and supply the prospect with relevant, valuable information in the form of consistent content to attract and gather a well-defined and loyal customer base- and of course, eventually to gain profits from their customer action.

The most common form of Content Marketing is Blogging. Blogging helps to provide helpful information to people which will attract relevant customers and it also helps to provide content for social media and fuel your SEO rankings in search

Email Marketing-

Email marketing is a popular form of digital marketing which businesses and brands use to make their customers aware of their new or existing products, sales, and other such services.

It can also help with soft-selling and helping new customers be aware of the value and services of your brand. Through email marketing, you can promote your brand and increase sales quite effectively.

And if you were wondering- yes, email marketing is still very much relevant today.

Click here to know why.

Social Media Marketing-

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the form of marketing referring to when social media or social networks are being used in the marketing or advertising of products and services.

This form of marketing allows a business to be expressive of their views, culture, mission and promote themselves while being able to reach, interact and engage with customers.

With numbers showing there are about 3.96 billion social media users worldwide, with a 4.8% increase just from last year, this form of digital marketing is really effective in bringing in sales as it has a huge reach. And your best bet here would be – you guessed it- Facebook as it still stands as the most popular social media platform in 2022.

Mobile Marketing-

This is a marketing strategy which is a multi-channeled one, that aims to reach their target customers by means of their mobile phones, tablets and other mobile devices through their websites, emails, SMS, social media, etc. This marketing may include promotions sent through SMS, in-app or in-game marketing, or through mobile websites. In recent times, people have been spending most of their time on mobile devices and hence, this proves to be an effective strategy.

Affiliate Marketing-

Affiliate/Influencer Marketing is the marketing strategy which relies on certain “influencers” or affiliates to promote a business’s products or services on social media where they have a significant customer reach- in exchange, they receive commission on sales made, clicks or lead sign-ups. As the influencer culture seems to increase by the day, this strategy proves to be quite effective.

Video Marketing-

Video Marketing is the marketing strategy that uses videos to target the audience to promote products and services, increase awareness, inform and engage customers with a new medium.

Sometimes static photos just don’t cut it, and you need something dynamic- that’s where Video Marketing comes in.

Audio Marketing-

Audio Marketing is basically what the name suggests- it is the use of audio to further advance and set forth your business goals. There are a number of ways that audio marketing can be used within your content strategy.

Examples of audio marketing include ads through podcasts, music streaming apps, audiobooks, etc.

Conclusion

So, that’s about all you need to know about digital Marketing as a beginner. I hope the guide was helpful and that you now understand its true importance in the modern world for any business.

Need help with digital marketing? Lead Gravity is a leading 360-degree digital marketing agency in Bangladesh ready to help you with anything and everything marketing related.

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