If you think about your favorite websites or the pages you follow on social media, you will realize they all have one thing in common: They all produce reliably great content, that matches up with your interests. Maybe you never thought about it, but websites don’t stick around for years by accident! Someone is analyzing a target demographic and producing content aimed at retaining your attention.

You can put that same concept to work for your business as you launch your digital marketing campaign. But how?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the options, learn the seven more important digital marketing strategies. More importantly, be sure to choose the strategies that match up to your goals for each piece of content.

Blogging

Blogging actually serves multiple purposes within your overall marketing strategy. Regularly producing helpful, informative blogs on your topic(s) of expertise will help you:

  • Attract visitors to your website
  • Encourage them to convert to subscribers
  • Publish relevant content on social media
  • Inspire confidence and loyalty among your customers and prospects
  • Evaluate consumer interests (via analytics which show you which blogs are most popular)

Email Marketing

Email marketing allows you to reach out to your customers personally and directly. Your messages land in their inboxes, and you can customize them to match the interests of different demographics. Use email to stay in touch with subscribers, offer them the latest industry information, share exciting news and offers, and more.

Ebooks

When visitors land on your blog, you hope that they will subscribe to your email list. But savvy consumers, knowing your motivations, need a compelling reason to offer you their contact information.

Producing one or more ebooks will allow you to offer something of value to your prospects. In exchange for a free download, many will view their email address as a fair trade. Plus, when you align ebook topics to your customers’ interests, you will establish yourself as an expert in their eyes.

Video Marketing

Considering the attention span of most internet users, it’s easy to see why video has become a powerful marketing tool. You can convey a large amount of information in a short period of time, and visual learners find video more engaging. A short, informative video can be used to capture attention; including a call to action at the end directs viewers on what to do next (subscribe to your channel, proceed to your website, and so on).

Social Media Marketing

Social media offers the opportunity to interact directly with your customer base. For optimal success, remember to follow these rules when posting:

  • Focus on sharing relevant information; avoid irrelevant posts or abundant self promotion
  • Self promotion should be limited to about one in six or seven posts
  • Use illustrations or photographs for greater visibility
  • Don’t just share links; add your own analysis or ask followers a question
  • Use trending hashtags when appropriate
  • Share content from other influencers
  • Read comments and reply personally
  • Keep it positive, and avoid political or other controversial topics in most cases

Infographics

Infographics help your followers view and understand data within an approachable format. For some topics the simple visual format is easier to follow and far more interesting than a written blog post.

When designed well, infographics are shared two to three times more often than other forms of content. When you need to share data and reach a wider audience, consider infographics.

Keep infographics simple by analyzing what you want to convey before creating them (usually one major idea per piece of content). Use data from reliable sources and make sure to cite them for easy reference.

Case Studies and Testimonials

A case study offers you the chance to show, with a real-world situation, how your products or services can solve problems. Craft your case studies so that they tell a clear story, and choose situations to which your target demographic is likely to relate. Make sure to include positive quotes from the clients themselves, including wording that specifically targets customers’ pain points.

For specific examples of each of these strategies, and to determine which of them match your marketing objectives, feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email. We can help you determine which of the above strategies – or a combination of several of them – will help you connect with your target demographic and continue to grow your online following.

BONUS:  SEO

You might find it odd that we left Search Engine Optimization out of our top 7, but here’s why…

Search engine algorithms are based around the concept of unique, well formulated content.  As a result, when you perform the 7 strategies outlined above, you will naturally and organically improve your website’s search engine optimization.  Focus on creating great content, incorporate your targeted keywords creatively (do not “stuff” keywords), and distribute it through multiple channels (email, social media, blog, videos…) and you’ll see your rankings rise.