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Digital marketing involves all marketing efforts that use the internet or electronic devices. It encompasses various channels such as search engines, social media, email, websites, and mobile apps to connect with current and prospective customers. The goal is to reach your target audience where they spend much of their time and engage them with valuable content and interactions.Recent research indicates that 77% of marketers have seen increased engagement through digital channels. This trend underscores the importance of developing robust digital marketing strategies to connect effectively with your audience.
A successful digital marketing strategy integrates multiple channels and tactics to create a cohesive plan that aligns with your business goals. It’s also based on recognizing that marketing is a flywheel, not the same traditional funnel you’ve grown accustomed to.
The flywheel seeks to build out value in each interaction. Together, the flywheel turns strangers into advocates and advocates into sources of referrals, making it all repeatable. Ergo, it’s scalable. In the traditional marketing funnel, people pass through and fall away. In the flywheel, even lost leads can become reinvigorated and interested in moving forward!
By understanding every component of well-rounded marketing and how they work together, you can craft a strategy that enhances your online visibility, engages your target audience, and drives conversions.
Now, there are many moving parts in digital marketing, applied uses of AI, business intelligence and much more.
Much like Alice in Wonderland, let’s start at the beginning.
What Are the Key Components of Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of individual processes and functions designed to help your brand become evident and visible to your target audience. There was indeed a period of time where a single approach to digital marketing, such as a strong focus on SEO, would work, but now, you have to be more strategic, continually looking at the full picture and all the various components to succeed.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google is critical for attracting organic traffic. Since most users do not click past the first page of search results—75% according to HubSpot—ranking high is essential. Optimizing your site involves several key areas:
Keyword Research and Optimization
Understanding the terms and phrases your potential customers use when searching online forms the foundation of SEO. By identifying relevant keywords, you can tailor your content to match user intent, increasing the likelihood that search engines will rank your pages higher. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or MOZ help identify popular search terms for your business.
High-Quality Content Creation
Creating valuable, informative, and engaging content, involving top-notch copywriting and social media posts for every piece of content you make, encourages visitors to spend more time on your site and signals to search engines that your site is authoritative. Regularly updating your site with fresh content not only keeps your audience engaged but also provides more opportunities to rank for additional keywords.
Technical SEO
The technical aspects of your website, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and secure connections (HTTPS), play a significant role in SEO. Ensuring that your site loads quickly and is easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile devices enhances user experience and can improve your search rankings.
Link Building
Earning backlinks from reputable websites boosts your site’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines. Engaging in guest blogging, creating shareable content, and building relationships with industry influencers can help you acquire quality backlinks. It’s extremely important to not get into the habit of purchasing backlinks from shady or difficult-to-track digital advertising services. Yes, there are many digital marketing solutions in the market, and plenty will push the idea of backlink building. However, if you are targeting lower-difficulty keywords, you can achieve similar results without necessarily having a huge pool of backlinks.
When done properly, backlinks come naturally. Yes, you can do a ton of outreach to get guest posts or backlinks, but most people will automatically try to ask for payment. In other cases, they’ll offer a price point for posting, and many legitimate companies and resources offer sponsored listings or links.
JCI Marketing advocates for an organic approach to demand generation. Rather than buying a list of marketing solutions online for backlinks, you can attract more attention by growing organically. By working with many partners in the industry, we can ensure that any paid sponsorship opportunities aren’t just another spammer eating away at your budget.
2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
Pay-per-click advertising allows businesses to display ads in search engine results or on other websites and pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. This method offers immediate visibility and can be highly effective when targeting specific keywords or audiences.
While Google Ads remains a popular platform, the rise of Smart Campaigns has made it easier for businesses to manage their own advertising efforts. These campaigns automate much of the ad creation and optimization process, making it accessible even for those with limited experience.
Emphasizing LinkedIn Ads Is in Our Blood
For businesses targeting professional audiences, LinkedIn Ads offer unique advantages. LinkedIn allows for precise targeting based on job title, industry, company size, and any other specific data that will help you define your ideal customer profile (ICP). Great precision in your target audience, based on your ICP and buyer personas, enables you to reach decision-makers and professionals directly.
Engaging with professionals on LinkedIn provides access to a network of millions worldwide. Tailoring your ads to specific industries or job functions increases the relevance of your campaigns, potentially leading to higher-quality leads.
In fact, a closely guarded secret of JCI Marketing revolves follower ads…but what is it exactly that makes them so special? Well, we can’t give that away in a blog, but we’ll happily tell you in person.
Balancing Overall Digital Marketing Services With Google Ads Can Be a Good Idea, Too
While LinkedIn Ads are valuable for B2B marketing, Google Ads still play a crucial role. Google’s introduction of Smart Campaigns earlier this year means that many businesses can manage Google Ads independently. Gone are the days of reoptimizing and updating ads on the fly or relying solely on an agency to handle things. These Smart automated campaigns optimize ad placement and targeting, allowing you to reach a broader audience without extensive management.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms are integral to digital marketing due to their widespread use and high engagement levels. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok offer unique opportunities to connect with audiences, build brand awareness, and foster community. However, not every platform is going to be relevant to your audience. B2B brands will be better suited to LinkedIn, but they shouldn’t automatically discount the potential value impact from other social media platforms.
This particular instance is where you could end up at odds where it feels like you’re publishing content to the wrong audience. However, more is indeed more, and it’s better to have excess distribution than not enough. Even if you decide not to pursue social media platforms usually reserved for B2C, such as Facebook, you can still augment the social media presence on LinkedIn through different content and media.
Create Relevant Profiles and Pages for Your Business on Relevant Platforms.
It all begins with creating profiles and pages on each platform. Creating profiles on platforms where your target audience is active allows you to engage with them directly. Sharing valuable content that resonates with your audience encourages interaction and builds loyalty.
Start Thinking About Developing a Content Strategy and Where Social Media Fits In
A successful social media strategy involves thoughtful planning and engagement. Consistency in posting, variety in content types, and active engagement with your followers contribute to a strong social media presence. And you’ll also want to consider the application of data analytics to continuously improve your presence.
Monitoring your social media performance through analytics tools helps you understand what content resonates with your audience. Metrics such as engagement rates, follower growth, and click-through rates provide insights to inform your strategy moving forward. You can also use Google Developer Tools to better understand the number of referrals coming from specific social media, such as referrals associated with a newsletter in one month compared to another month.
4. Content Marketing Via Blogs
Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The aim is to provide value to your audience, establish your brand as an authority, and drive profitable customer actions.
Creating Valuable Content Is King
High-quality content addresses the needs and interests of your audience. This could include how-to guides, industry insights, case studies, and thought leadership pieces. Offering solutions to common problems in B2B content or answering pressing questions positions your business as a trusted resource.
According to HubSpot, companies that publish 16 or more blog posts per month receive nearly 3.5 times more traffic than those that publish four or fewer posts.
Content Distribution Channels Are Varied But Key to Growth
Sharing your content across various channels amplifies its reach. This includes your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and guest posts on other websites. Tailoring your content for each channel ensures it resonates with the specific audience on that platform.
Measuring Content Performance Helps You Scale
Analyzing metrics such as page views, time on page, social shares, and conversion rates helps you understand which content is most effective. This data informs future content creation and helps you focus on topics that resonate with your audience.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for nurturing leads, building relationships with customers, and promoting your products or services. With a significant return on investment—for every dollar spent, email marketing generates an average of $42 in return—it’s a cost-effective strategy that can deliver substantial results.
Building an Email List Takes Time
Growing a quality email list involves offering value in exchange for contact information. This could be through gated content like e-books, exclusive discounts, or newsletter subscriptions. Providing compelling reasons for visitors to subscribe increases the likelihood that they will join your list.
Personalization and Segmentation Increases Open Rates
Personalizing emails based on subscriber data enhances engagement. Segmenting your list allows you to send targeted messages to specific groups, increasing relevance and effectiveness. For instance, you might segment your list based on demographics, purchase history, or engagement levels.
Crafting Effective Emails Requires Creativity and Care
Creating compelling subject lines, clear calls-to-action, and valuable content encourages recipients to open and engage with your emails. Mobile-friendly design is crucial, as many people check emails on their smartphones. Regularly testing different elements, such as subject lines or send times, can optimize performance over time.
6. Analytics Tools in Digital Marketing
Nothing in today’s world escapes analysis, and in digital marketing, there are a host of tools for using big data to improve how people interact with your brand. Let’s dig in everything around analytics in our industry.
Google Analytics and Search Console Your Friend
The first tool to know is unsurprising: Google Analytics. You can explore how people engage with your website, track referral traffic, and improve your user experience. If Analytics are your friend, then Google Search Console is your bestie.
Why?
It has to do with how you track SEO ranking. Instead of relying on third-party tools, Search Console lets you request Indexing and track current position, CTR, and marketing data on Google alone. This is immensely valuable in understanding where to focus your efforts to improve click-through rates (CTR).
JCI Marketing BI Reporting Cuts Through the Noise
Obviously, the ways to use Analytics and Search Console are vast, but JCI Marketing is simplifying things for our clients. We have built customized reports that enable actionable insights and meaningful use of data from these two resources. Together, JCI Marketing is making the lives of your demand and lead gen teams easier.
7. Building Successful Customer Experiences
Conversion Rate Optimization focuses on improving the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as purchasing or signing up for a newsletter. Optimizing your site for conversions ensures you’re making the most of your traffic.
Enhancing User Experience Improves Web Marketing Solutions
A positive user experience encourages visitors to stay on your site longer and increases the likelihood of conversion. Simplifying your site’s layout, using clear headings, and ensuring that important information is easily accessible can reduce friction and improve engagement.
Clear Calls-to-Action Are Vital in All Digital Solutions
Effective calls-to-action (CTA) guide visitors toward the next step you want them to take and are the point at which your experience will either make or break a lead. They should be prominently displayed, use action-oriented language, and align with the user’s intent. Testing different variations helps determine what resonates best with your audience. And if you aren’t sure about your CTA, go paste it into ChatGPT and ask for its opinion. Working with AI is one of the biggest secrets in the world of content marketing agencies.
For example, this very page contains several calls to action, one of which is shown below:
There’s an inherent perception that using AI means you pay less. That’s not true. AI content can take even longer than writing content manually, depending on your typing speed. However, the value of AI lies in reducing repetition, so agencies have gone one of two routes. They’re either claiming to avoid it entirely, or those who are using it are running full speed toward the AI future.
JCI Marketing uses AI every day to help create content, refine materials, and plan strategies. It’s our trusted partner and ally in marketing, and yes, there are a ton of times when the responses cause an audible eyeroll. However, it’s better than sitting here talking to ourselves. Plus, everyone is using AI; you should be, too! At the very least, you may find a few other options for A/B testing.
A/B Testing Is the Science of Digital Marketing Solutions
Speaking of A/B testing, every decision can go one of two ways in marketing. But, it’s only through the isolation of individual variables and the specific value sought that you can distill your actions down into meaningful improvements in your marketing strategy.
Testing different versions of web pages or elements allows you to identify what works best. By measuring the performance of each variation, you can make data-driven decisions to enhance your site’s effectiveness.
There are also different resources for A/B testing, such as HubSpot’s Email Marketing tools that can send out different variations of your email, but at the end of the day, it’s all about costs. You can easily make an A/B test from your email automation software (regardless of whether the platform supports it) by creating two emails of similar nature, making the change in one, and calling that version A. Send them both as planned, to different groups, and see which one has the better response. That’s the winner.
8. Listings and Online Reputation Management
A business’s online reputation significantly impacts customer trust and purchasing decisions. Managing your reputation involves monitoring and influencing how your business is perceived online across all available platforms.
Are you having trouble with your Google My Business listing, or is it missing entirely?
Monitoring Reviews and Mentions Means You Have Strong Digital Marketing Support
Keeping track of reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and industry-specific sites helps you understand customer sentiment. Social listening tools can alert you to mentions of your brand on social media and forums, and the easiest social listening function is to set up a Google Alert for your brand names and leaders.
Responding to Feedback Is Part of Effective Third-Party Site Marketing Solutions
Engaging with both positive and negative feedback demonstrates that you value your customers. Promptly addressing concerns can turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one. Constructive responses to criticism show professionalism and a commitment to improvement.
Building a Positive Online Presence and Integrating With Internet Marketing Solutions Is Essential
Creating and sharing content highlighting your expertise, values, and successes contributes to a strong online presence. This includes case studies, testimonials, community involvement, and thought leadership articles.
8. Web Design and Development
Your website serves as your business’s digital storefront. Now, that sounds fantastic in B2C conversations, but in B2B, think of your website as a boardroom. It brings people together to find solutions to their problems. An effective website should first focus on the problems and explain the solutions through actionable, accessible information. A well-designed, user-friendly site is essential for making a strong first impression and facilitating customer engagement.
Of course, web design and development cover much more than just building a website. Your website needs a clear linking strategy behind every piece of content. It needs to be interactive and gather data for use in Google Analytics, HubSpot, or any other software within your marketing tech stack.
Are you wondering what digital marketing tools are best for you? JCI Marketing is always happy to discuss the merits of each. In fact, we recently had a similar conversation in one business interaction that resulted in immediate savings.
Responsive Design Must Be…Just Be
Ensuring your site is accessible and functions well on all screen sizes is critical. Responsive design adapts the layout to provide an optimal experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Navigation and Usability Determine Customer Behaviors
Intuitive navigation helps visitors find what they’re looking for quickly. Organizing content logically, using clear labels, and providing search functionality enhance usability. A prominent menu bar with straightforward categories allows users to navigate your site with ease.
Visual Appeal Attracts and Converts Visitors
A visually appealing site captures attention and reflects your brand identity. Using consistent colors, fonts, and imagery creates a cohesive look. High-quality images and engaging graphics enhance the user experience, but it’s important to balance visual elements with site performance to maintain fast load times.
Accessibility Helps SEO and Improves the Value of Your Content
Designing your site to be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, expands your audience and demonstrates inclusivity. This involves appropriate color contrasts, alt text for images, and ensuring the site is navigable via keyboard.
An Effective Digital Marketing Company Will Offer Outbound Marketing Options and Help
Part of an effective marketing strategy comes from your ability to create inbound and outbound relationships. You don’t want an all-outbound strategy, but with the rise of generative AI in search, you need to consider all options. Plus, there is some inherent overlap in where inbound and outbound coexist.
Email Outreach and Marketing Services Are Always Necessary
The first thing to realize is that inbound marketing doesn’t mean instant sales. Yes, people will convert on their own terms, but that conversion doesn’t mean what you think it means. It’s simply that a contact wishes to stay in touch. They may be interested in receiving your email newsletter, and it’s only when they respond asking for a meeting or booking a meeting (if you have a connected calendar in place), that they become a true lead, a marketing-qualified lead (MQL).
Email outreach campaigns, which most people view as spam, can and do work. However, you must be very strategic when deciding whether to reach out. Don’t blindly loop people into your sequences. If someone from their company visited your website based on an associated IP address, a cold email campaign may be useful.
That doesn’t mean your messaging will be all about all the wonderful things your company offers. Instead, try to build that common group first.
LinkedIn Outreach Is Possible…If You Have the Time
LinkedIn outreach options is another way you can get more leads or push people over the hump into wanting to connect and have a meeting. However, LinkedIn is a time-consuming marketing piece of the puzzle, and often, outreach on LinkedIn falls to the responsibility of individual sales representatives.
If you’re unsure where to start with your outreach on LinkedIn, begin the process by identifying your ICP and using that information to search for potential leads. Connect with them, and try to find common ground. While doing this can help, you should also consider the possibility of launching a LinkedIn newsletter. These newsletters can be launched on either personal profiles or business pages.
Texting Is an Outbound Option When and ONLY WHEN Things Go Sideways
Texting is another outbound process where the lines between platform requirements and your abilities may spar. If a lead has previously engaged but seems to have fallen off the radar, a short text can reignite the conversation. However, you don’t want to end up in the trap of spamming people with texts.
For example, HubSpot leads with poor engagement may benefit from a text, but how do you make that text happen?
Your options are limited; you can send it manually or use a service. HubSpot solves this conundrum with integration to Twilio, letting you effectively mass text people. Again, you must ensure they are people that wish to hear from you. Otherwise, you will get a response that cannot be repeated publicly.
Developing a Comprehensive Digital Marketing Plan
Creating a successful digital marketing strategy requires careful planning and execution, considering how you’ll turn existing prospects into subscribers and down into actual leads. It’s not a clean, cut and dried process, and while JCI Marketing has established clear campaign strategies for achieving that goal, such as the flows shown below, you’ll still need to build out a complete digital marketing plan.
Follow these steps to create your digital marketing plan first, before you start planning out the logic and campaign flows. This will save time and help you achieve your goals.
1. Assess Your Current Online Presence
Begin by evaluating your existing digital channels and their performance. Analyze your website traffic, social media engagement, email marketing metrics, and any paid advertising campaigns. Identifying strengths and weaknesses helps you understand where to focus your efforts.
2. Define Clear Objectives
Establish specific, measurable goals aligned with your overall business objectives. Examples include increasing website traffic by a certain percentage, generating a specific number of new leads per month, or achieving a targeted increase in online sales. Clear goals provide direction and a basis for measuring success.
3. Understand Your Audience
Develop detailed buyer personas to understand your target audience’s demographics, behaviors, needs, and preferences. This information will guide your marketing efforts and ensure that your messaging and channels resonate with your audience.
4. Choose the Right Channels
Select digital marketing channels that align with your objectives and audience preferences. Focus on platforms where your potential customers are most active. If your audience spends significant time on Instagram and values visual content, investing in Instagram marketing makes sense.
5. Create a Content Strategy
Develop a content calendar outlining the types of content you will produce, topics to cover, and when and where it will be published. Consistency is key to maintaining engagement and repurposing content across different formats and channels to maximize reach.
6. Implement and Monitor Campaigns
Launch your marketing campaigns and monitor their performance closely. Use analytics tools to track key metrics such as traffic, engagement, conversion rates, and return on investment. Regularly reviewing data allows you to make informed decisions and adjust your strategy.
7. Adjust and Optimize
Based on your findings, refine your strategies to improve results. This might involve reallocating the budget to higher-performing channels, tweaking messaging, or experimenting with new tactics. Continuous optimization ensures that your marketing efforts remain effective and aligned with your goals.
Get on the Fast Track With JCI Marketing as Your Core Services Provider
Digital marketing offers unparalleled opportunities to reach and engage with customers. By integrating strategies like SEO, content marketing, social media, email marketing, and PPC advertising, you can build a strong online presence that drives growth.
Success in digital marketing requires a thoughtful, data-driven approach and a willingness to adapt to changing trends and consumer behaviors.
Focusing on providing value to your audience and continuously refining your strategies enhances your brand’s visibility, connects you with your target audience, and helps achieve your business objectives. JCI Marketing can help you understand exactly what will work best and enable a creative approach to succeed in all your digital marketing endeavors, and by virtue of our experience and network reach, we can provide additional guidance for the one-off issues that may arise. Connect with an expert at JCI Marketing to get started.