Marketing is how companies promote their products and/or services. It’s how they make the public (or more specifically, their target audience) aware of not only their products/services, but also of the company and the brand itself. There are different ways to market a company and what it has to offer, but digital marketing has proven to be the most effective form of marketing.
Digital Marketing Strategies
Digital marketing is just like any other form of marketing, except that it is all done digitally, or over the internet/online. The reason digital marketing is the most effective marketing strategy is because it reaches the widest audience possible, and technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) allows marketing to become more specifically targeted so that companies can see more success in their efforts. Here are some examples of digital marketing and Marketing Strategy Templates that you can use in your business.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when a company partners with another entity, typically an influencer, and pays that entity to promote their products or services on their blog, website, and/or social media channels. With YouTubers and other types of influencers having a large fan base, affiliate marketing is a great way for companies to successfully reach more people with minimal effort on their part. The way it works is that a company typically pays the influencer a set price or a commission every time a product is purchased through their affiliate link.
Social Media Marketing
Marketing through social media is probably the most popular form of digital marketing. With billions of people using social media every single day, there’s nothing but opportunity for companies to market towards potential customers and clients. Currently, Facebook is still the largest social media platform, and just about any type of business can benefit from marketing through Facebook. Other popular platforms include Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO marketing uses another popular online platform that helps companies get discovered: search engines— or more specifically, Google. Google is the world’s largest search engine, so it’s important that your company’s website ranks at a high position when people conduct searches that relate to your product or service. SEO techniques use keywords on your website and blog to help your company rank higher in Google (and other engines) searches.
Other Marketing Strategies
Just because digital marketing strategies are the most effective doesn’t mean that you have to completely give up on other strategies— just don’t put all of your efforts behind them. After all, there are still people out there who don’t use the internet, and maybe your company’s target market consists of those who prefer to stay offline and read newspapers.
Traditional Marketing Strategies
Newspaper articles, TV and radio commercials, and fliers are still effective forms of marketing, especially if you’re a local business that’s only trying to reach customers within a certain distance. There are still people out there who appreciate reading newspapers, watching local television channels, and listening to local radio stations. In fact, traditional forms of marketing may be your best bet if your target market is your local community.
However, it’s still a good idea to have a company website and a presence on social media, since there are people from all generations that use the internet. Your company website should include the following:
Information on the products you sell/services you provide.
Your physical location and hours of operation.
A contact phone number and email address.
A link to your social media page(s).
Marketing Your Brand
No matter how big or small your business is and what the scope of your target market may be, all businesses must know how to market their brand. A company’s brand is what helps people identify that company. It doesn’t consist of the company’s products or services, but rather intangible things like the company name, logo, motto/mission statement, and reason why the company is selling their products/services. When people think of a certain company and certain thoughts and feelings arise, that is the company’s brand identity at work.
One of the best ways to market your company’s brand is through your company logo itself. Your logo is one of the main ways people will identify you. One marketing trick that many companies do is to place their logos on promotional items to sell alongside their normal inventory or to give away as a gift with a purchase. These include promotional items such as T-shirts, blankets, coffee mugs, and key chains— everyday items that they know their customers carry around with them where their logo can be seen by more people.
The main goal of any type of marketing strategy is to convince consumers to buy from your company rather than a competitor. Always choose the marketing strategy that works the best for your company.
