With such a wide choice of digital marketing channels available for brands to utilise these days, it can be difficult to know where to start or to place your budgets.
Although digital is ever-changing, there are several main user acquisition routes that can drive great results if deployed smartly. We’ve outlined the major tried-and-tested options below.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Despite the growing range of digital tactics, there is still nothing that comes close to a well-executed SEO strategy for providing bang-for-buck.
Anyone can pay to advertise at the top of Google; but only a select few can earn their spot there.
While it is a long-term tactic rather than a quick win, successful SEO really boils down to these things:
- Technical – ensuring your site’s code is clean and easy for search engines to interpret
- Keyword research & on-page – understanding the searches your audience are making, then creating quality content to match their needs
- Expertise, authority, trust (E-A-T) – building a trusted reputation, plus gaining brand mentions and links to your site from relevant sources
Achieving top organic positions will drive free traffic, make your business more sustainable, plus free up budget from paid advertising that can be re-invested elsewhere.
Content Marketing
This involves producing content that informs, entertains or assists your audience, and goes hand-in-hand with your SEO and social media strategies.
Content comes in many different forms; from simple webpages, to richer media such as videos, interactive tools or games.
Marketers are investing heavily into audio-visual formats, as users increasingly expect to consume content such as video and live-streaming as standard.
While it can seem daunting; investing in a content strategy can supercharge your marketing, and can be much less expensive than you may think.
Pay Per Click & Display
PPC advertising is where you pay for each click driven, or sometimes per thousand impressions.
Usually associated with text-based search engine ads, it can also refer to social and image/video-led display banners.
The main benefit is that you can create campaigns and get results fast. PPC works best when balanced against a target return-on-advertising-spend (ROAS) so it remains profitable.
While it is a fantastic option for driving transactions and testing conversion, it’s wise to deploy alongside an organic SEO and content strategy to bring costs down over time.
Social Media Marketing
Social media has exploded recently and is a firmly-embedded core tactic all brands need to incorporate.
Most use it to drive awareness & engagement, deliver great customer service, and deploy powerful paid advertising to promote to hyper-targeted audiences.
The right network will depend on your target market – for instance, Instagram is mostly used by those aged 18-34, while Facebook has an older demographic.
Social’s rising star is short-form video platform TikTok, where early adopters are driving huge amounts of engagement and getting ahead of the rest.
Influencer Marketing
Working with influencers who have large followings can drive brand awareness and trust, as you benefit from their endorsement.
While it’s tempting to partner with those with the biggest following; this can be costly and sometimes doesn’t pay off.
It’s often better to find influencers with the most engaged or relevant followers, which can be more affordable and effective.
What’s The Right Digital Marketing Mix?
Every business is different so will need a bespoke mixture of the tactics above. The beauty of digital is that you can test things speedily, then make smart decisions on where to place budget.
If you aren’t afraid to test and learn, you should be able to find the optimal digital marketing mix for your brand over time.
About INK Media
This article was brought to you by INK Media, an SEO and digital marketing agency based in Stamford (UK) offering an ROI focused approach to growing online visibility. Visit inkmedia.eu to learn how INK can help with your next project.
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