New ParagraphThis blog will help you better understand what digital marketing entails, how it works, and why you need it!

What Is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is a digital medium, or channel, used to promote your business and establish a brand online. Along with traditional advertising platforms such as TV, radio and newspapers digital marketing includes social media, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, online video, and mobile advertising. In essence digital marketing means communicating with people using digital technologies.

What Can Digital Marketing Do for Me?
Digital marketing is a powerful thing - if used properly it can do amazing things for your business. Whether you're a small business looking to grow or an established brand hoping to reach more people, digital marketing has something for you. Even if you're running digital campaigns and aren't seeing the results you want, digital marketing can provide valuable insights that help your digital marketing strategy moving forward.

Digital marketing gives you the power to tell your story and engage with your customers, just like TV and radio. You can reach people wherever they are online using digital channels, and digital marketing is a much more affordable option than traditional advertising options. The digital world can help you find new customers and grow your business, which is why digital marketing should be a part of your business strategy today!

Who Can Benefit from Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing works for all types of businesses - big or small, online, or offline. Whether you're looking to reach a local audience or want to expand your digital presence across the globe, digital marketing can be a powerful tool in promoting your brand. Businesses that use digital channels to promote their products and services see an exponential increase in sales.

If your business is not using digital marketing to engage with customers, you are missing out! Customers use digital technology to make shopping decisions, and they will not find you if you do not have a digital presence. It's really that simple. Digital channels have become the way people interact with brands and digital marketing is a way to engage with those customers and grow your business.

Why Can't I Just Advertise on TV?
Advertising on TV can be costly, and digital marketing gives you the power of targeted ads (which means targeting your ad so that it appears when people are searching for services like yours). Digital marketing also lets you analyze data to see exactly which digital channels are performing best for you. You can also adjust your digital marketing approaches and strategies to fit your customers' digital behaviors, while TV ads cannot be tailored that way.

What are Digital Channels?
Digital channels include digital billboards, social media posts and digital videos. If you are using digital marketing correctly you should be engaging with new customers on their terms, meaning that your digital channel would match the behaviors they use when shopping online or browsing the web. For example, if they shop online via mobile digital channels should be optimized for mobile.

What Digital Channels Do I Need for My Business?
Digital marketing can be overwhelming because it seems like there are so many digital channels to choose from! The best digital marketing strategy is to review your customer's digital behavior and then choose digital channels that would lead them back to your site or increase their engagement with you. For example, if your customers are typically on the go, targeting digital billboards for a restaurant would be an excellent digital channel choice.

Social media is one of the most popular digital channels because it lets you target a very specific audience. The digital channels that work best for your business depend entirely on what digital channels your customers are using when shopping online.

What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization Chico, refers to the process of optimizing digital content and digital channels so that search engines like Google and Bing will display your website on top of search results when someone searches for keywords related to your business. For example, a digital marketing agency would want to be on the first page of Google for search terms like "Seattle digital marketing" and "Portland digital marketing."

What is Email Marketing?
Email Marketing refers to digital channels used to communicate with existing customers or leads. Email is one of the most effective digital channels because it can directly target your customer base depending on their digital behaviors and preferences. Digital marketing email campaigns can include everything from re-engagement emails to transactional emails like order confirmations or digital coupons.

How Can I Get Started with Digital Marketing?
Getting started with digital marketing may seem overwhelming. It's a digital world out there and digital marketing channels are constantly evolving - how do you keep up? Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Don't try to be everywhere all at once – digital marketing is an ongoing process that takes time, focus and consistency. You don't need to be on every digital channel out there, and it's okay if you're not familiar with digital marketing. Keep at it and over time you will see positive results.
• Create high quality content - digital marketing is all about building your brand online so make sure you are consistent in creating digital content that reflects your companies’ values and personality.
• Find digital marketing partners you can lean on - digital marketing is a powerful and evolving digital world, which means you need help staying up to date and relevant. Partner with digital agencies that have experience working with brands just like yours so they can help keep your brand at the top of mind for potential customers.

What's Next for Digital Marketing?
As digital marketing evolves, digital marketers need to evolve with it. As digital channels change and as digital strategies continue to be innovated (and become a necessity for businesses), the digital marketer of today will have to re-tool their tactics if they want their business to succeed. Businesses who do not keep up with digital marketing trends and digital channels will see their digital marketing campaigns evolve without them. What digital marketing agencies can learn from successful TV advertisers is that it's not easy to be relevant in today's digital world, but if you put digital first and invest time into digital marketing, your business will have a better chance at being competitive in tomorrow's marketplace.

You can't afford to let your digital marketing strategy fall behind. If you're not using it, now is the time start! Digital marketing has become a necessity for any business that wants to stay relevant in today's marketplace. It is vital for all businesses, regardless of size or industry, to invest time and money into digital marketing because it can make the difference between success and failure. Call Peterson SEO today at (530) 296-6900 and let’s talk about how we can help you create an effective SEO/marketing plan that will drive sales by understanding what people are searching for online right now.