5 Things You Only Know if You are in Digital Marketing

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that nearly business owner knows digital marketing is vital, or at least important. Ever since Google took the cosmic throne of the digital world, hardly a single mechanism of business has been untouched by the wonder that is the internet. Everyone knows you need digital marketing. But there’s a lot of confusion about what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

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If you aren’t in digital marketing, the phrase itself evokes a lot of questions. If you think about things that marketing has traditionally included, it can almost seem like a contradiction. There’s no paper involved. As much as we all fell in love with Michael Scott and his not-so-plucky band of paper salesmen, hardcopy marketing has, in many ways, given way to Google and the tech giants. On the surface, the world of digital marketing seems like a complete revolution in the way brands build themselves. But as I have studied and done marketing, I’ve found that digital marketing is just the next step in what was really the point of marketing all along – meeting the consumer where they’re at. In this article, I want to relay 5 things you only know if you’re in digital marketing – things that will radically transform the efficacy of your digital efforts.

There is nothing new under the sun

A common misconception regarding digital marketing is that it is an entirely new marketing discipline with distinct methods, objectives, and motivations. While the pure magnitude of what Google and other tech companies have done for the technique of marketing is nothing short of revolutionary, the fundamental logic of digital marketing is merely an extension of traditional forms of marketing. Consider the media used for example.

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Instead of taking out a newspaper ad, you can advertise in the side column of a blog. In both cases, you’re identifying and taking advantage of their interests to promote your products or services.

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In many cases, the media that have replaced traditional marketing function on the same principles, which are fundamentally:

• Properly identifying your target market
• Properly identifying where your target market interacts and does life
• And properly identifying what motivates your target market’s typical purchase decision maker
• Tapping into these three things
  

Think about it: if your company sells kids clothes, you may advertise on parenting blogs. If you sell sports gear, you will want to write content utilizing keywords surrounding the sports for which you sell equipment. The fundamental principles of marketing remain the same: find your buyer, understand your buyer, motivate your buyer. Meet them where they’re at and present a worthwhile value proposition.

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This means that even in the digital sphere, it’s all about people. You might be 5,000 miles from an online customer, and yet the element of human connection remains. One of my favorite brands is Gym Reapers. Gym Reapers sells workout equipment, and they specialize in the powerlifting arena. As an amateur powerlifter, I get a lot of fitness-related advertisements in my Instagram feed, and Gym Reapers found their way into my Instagram stories a few months ago. I had needed a new set of lifting straps, and they happened to have a sale going on. The reviews were great and they were remarkably inexpensive, so I ordered a pair. A few days later, I received a personal email from one of the fulfillment representatives at Gym Reapers. The email address me by my name and was signed with his. Gym Reapers gets it. They understood that it wasn’t enough that their advertising had led to a transaction. It’s about more than a single purchase. After such a great experience with the company, I ordered a few more items of lifting gear and have been incredibly happy with my purchases.

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Why do I tell that story? No matter how much changes, digital marketing is still about one fundamental element of marketing: people. There is truly nothing new under the sun. Stay tapped into the people to whom your products or services would be valuable, and you will write great content and create powerful value propositions, even as the means to do so change.

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It's about quality more than quantity

This is a smaller note but has profound practical implications.

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When it comes to content writing and search engine optimization, many individual marketers and even some marketing agencies fall into the trap of writing quantity rather than quality material. When it comes to keywords, photo captions, and articles, Google doesn’t care if you have a ton of material if that material isn’t well written, formatted, and meta tagged.

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In years past, it was possible to simply stuff articles and blog posts with a bajillion keywords, triggering Google’s algorithm and bolstering search rankings. However, as Google continues to update their AI and improve user experience, they are increasingly focused on presenting relevant, useful content to users. If you want a powerful digital presence, write quality content. Spend time on your blogs and articles. It may be annoying to have to take the time, but it will pay dividends in leads and rankings.

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Consistency is crucial

While one appeal of digital marketing is that it increases the reach and precision of marketing efforts, in no way does that mean that there are quick fixes for any marketing strategy. Tools like search engine optimization, Google ads, and email campaigns may help extend your reach, but they don’t require less effort and they aren’t one-time solutions. As with any business technique, digital marketing requires consistent investment.

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This plays out practically in the SEO world. Take reviews, for instance; while Google wants to see a significant number of reviews, their AI is more concerned with frequency. A company that got 75 reviews two years ago often won’t rank as well as a newer company that has gotten consistent reviews for the previous several months.

Reviews are supreme

Speaking of reviews (you’ve probably heard us talk about this before and you will definitely hear us talk about it more), this kind of consistency is especially necessary when it comes to reviews.

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Before I was in the digital marketing space, I thought reviews were purely for the benefit of the consumer. And while that is the case, in a sense, they’re actually about much more. Google uses reviews as a litmus test for which websites or company listings are the most relevant and beneficial for the average search engine user searching any given keyword. And this information is one of the most influential factors in search rankings. Companies that consistently get reviews rank higher. For instance, in my work as client advisor, I’ve seen as much as a 400% difference in website traffic between companies in the same industry and general geographical area that consistently get reviews and those that don’t.

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In other words, get reviews and rank well. Don’t and you likely won’t. It’s the first of Google’s ten commandments.

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Digital strategy does not work in a vacuum

It’s important to remember that digital marketing is a component of your overall marketing strategy. It neither replaces it nor functions well independent of it. Digital marketing should be a cornerstone, but even a cornerstone has no purpose without the larger structure.

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Your digital strategy should be consistent with your sales goals, your company mission, your supply chain structure, and your brand messaging. It should be something that can not only be found by searching but that can also be utilized by your sales team on the ground or referenced by in-person representatives of your company.

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Digital marketing, when used correctly, bolsters your marketing efforts overall. It doesn’t replace them.

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Conclusion

I hope this article has been helpful! If you’re new to the digital marketing world or need to level up your business’s digital presence, Tier Level is always here to help. Our team of SEO experts have devoted thousands of hours to learning, developing, and perfecting powerful methods for boosting your search rankings and creating leads from well-written and formatted content, meaningful graphics, and smart directory listing optimization. Whether those words are foreign to you or you’ve been a digital marketing geek from day one, we can help!

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