As of today, I am going to explain the most important digital marketing channels for every eCommerce Business online. Bearing in mind, one of the best ways of growing an eCommerce business is to invest in digital marketing. And if you want more customers, you will need to get your name out there. Especially, in order to drive more traffic to your online store and generate sales.
In reality, by using the best digital marketing channels out there, you can help your eCommerce business grow at a supersonic speed. Not forgetting, to keep up with the current trends, that’s why you need a strong foundation. With the judgment to think critically, act independently, and be relentlessly creative.
With this in mind, let’s get started by agreeing that we’re all a little bit Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the likes of YouTube mad! Whereby, social media platforms dominate our personal life to some extent.
In fact, Digital Marketing – the beautiful stuff we proactively do so well here at jmexclusives, has followed suit. And it’s fast becoming one of the most effective ways to reach out to (both new and existing) overall online audiences. Almost instantaneously!
What Are Digital Marketing Channels?
Simply put, digital marketing channels are anything that gets your brand, business, product or service at the forefront of your preferred audience. Particularly, online where there are billions of people accessing online services on a daily basis.
Also, businessdictionary.com describes digital marketing channels just like so:
The promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media. For example, advertising mediums that might be used as part of the digital marketing strategy of a business could include promotional efforts made via the internet, social media, mobile phones and electronic billboards.
But, the question is: which digital marketing channels should you focus on to get more website traffic?
So, that’s why in this post, I want to share with you the 8 most important digital marketing channels. Like organic search, email, paid search, content sharing, social media, affiliates, referrals, direct, etc.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Ah, Google’s best friend right! The beloved ‘Piglet’ to Google Search Console’s ‘Winnie the Pooh.’ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means creating and organizing all of the content across your website. In addition to social media platforms, your blogs, images, hyperlinks, and everything in between.
Not forgetting, to include certain words and phrases that get you found at the top of Google. And with a reported 3.5 billion searches happening through Google every day, that’s a phenomenon you certainly want to be on top of!
In short, SEO is a marketing discipline focused on growing organic visibility (non-paid) search engine results. Read and learn more about Search Engine Optimization.
2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
In general Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the process of gaining website traffic by purchasing ads on reputable search engines. Such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and even Yandex search engines.
“Search Engine Marketing” was once was used as an umbrella term to encompass both SEO (search engine optimization) and paid search activities.
Over time, the industry has adopted the SEM acronym to refer solely to paid search. The goal of SEM is to drive qualified traffic to your website for specific keywords that relate to what you sell.
Read and learn how to start with Search Engine Marketing.
3. Email Marketing
When it comes to the question of what are digital marketing channels, this one is probably the most straight forward and easy to understand. But also, it’s one of the hardest to get right.
Email marketing does what it says on the tin. It’s a way of selling products and services to your existing customers. And sometimes to completely cold audiences, through emails. An effective sales strategy when using data by the thousands. Especially when that data is already engaged with you.
However– it comes with many complications. First, having to collect individuals’ email addresses. And secondly, coming up with something interesting and exciting enough. Allowing them to open your email over the other 50 they would have received that day!
Read and learn more about Email Marketing.
4. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
To simply put, Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the use of computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information. Especially, through the building of virtual networks and communities.
Social media is a powerful way for businesses of all sizes to reach prospects and customers. Your customers are already interacting with brands through social media. And if you’re not speaking directly to your audience through social platforms, its time you do. With general utilization of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Great marketing on social media can bring remarkable success to your business, creating devoted brand advocates and even driving leads and sales. Examining the social media investments of competitors can also help companies evaluate where they should be allocating resources.
Read and learn more about Social Media Marketing.
5. Display Advertising
Banners! Graphical adverts that appear next to or underneath content on websites, apps, search engines, etc. Taking the form of GIFs, pictures, infographics, and videos, display advertising is great for catching the eye of any unsuspecting readers.
In that case, create something truly shocking or outlandish and you might just see some interesting results. But, certainly not for the faint-hearted!
As part of this process, the team identifies target customers in the digital space. For example, their likes, and dislikes, their perceptions of the company’s brand and its major competitors. As well as, their digital needs related to the brand, and how the brand may fulfill these needs.
All of this information, along with an understanding of current trends in the digital marketing space, should be recorded for future reference. Read and learn more about Display Advertising.
6. Affiliate Marketing
This is your Pay Per Click, Pay Per Lead, and Pay Per Sale technique. In simple terms, advertising on websites that share a percentage of your profits upon lead generation or sale. A really popular way of getting businesses into the public domain. Not to mention, Pay Per Click is cost-effective and simple to set up, once your know-how.
Affiliate Marketing centers around a business relationship between a brand and an affiliate. In this type of performance-based marketing, the affiliate is paid to promote the brand. These publishers are compensated for each visitor or customer earned through their own marketing efforts.
If you’re having a hard time reaching clients, you could hire an affiliate. And in the end, who might be part of a larger affiliate network to approach consumers through their own tactics. These businesses act as agents, sending qualified traffic to your website. When one of these visitors converts, you pay the affiliate a commission.
Read and learn more about Affiliate Marketing.
7. Referral Marketing
Referral Marketing is focused on rewarding current customers to invite their friends to try your product/service. Just like Affiliate Marketing, it focuses on third-party brand advocates to send customers to your business for a flat fee.
Additionally, Referral Marketing revolves around the shared relationship between your customers, their friends or associates, and your brand. Current customers personally promote your brand to new users to earn rewards, ideally for both themselves and their friends.
Successful referral campaigns motivate customers to share your brand with their family, friends, and associates in a straightforward, natural fashion. Encouraging happy customers to become active brand ambassadors is simple, so referral marketing sets your company up for conversions while rewarding users for their participation.
Read and learn more about Referral Marketing.
8. Pay Per Click
Well, through online advertising programs, such as Google AdWords, marketers specify how much they are willing to Pay Per Click. Especially, for a user who clicks through to their website landing page. As it is an auction-based system, the advertiser who bids more for a certain keyword gets the most exposure.
In reality, PPC has always been one of the highly used models for driving traffic to Websites. It’s no brainer that – a highly effective Cost Per Click (CPC) campaign not only needs a good budget but also needs a proper strategy. But, you also need to be an expert or hire a PPC expert to create and optimize your campaign.
PPC advertising programs like Adwords offer easy ways to create your first ad and monitor its effectiveness. But, I’m sure you might not like to use the trial and error method. And especially when a big chunk of money is on the line.
So, read and learn how Pay Per Click is used.
9. Link Building
As the name suggests, your Site Backlinks are the backbone of your online digital marketing channels. And in general, Google and other major search engines consider backlinks “votes” for a specific page. Pages with a high number of backlinks tend to have high organic search engine rankings.
Backlinks are links that are directed towards your website. Also known as Inbound links (IBL’s). The number of backlinks is an indication of the popularity or importance of that website.
Backlinks are also important Feature elements for SEO (for website ranking on page one). Simply, because some top search engines, especially Google, will give more credit to websites that have a good number of quality backlinks. And even consider those websites more relevant than others in their results pages for a search query.
One way to raise your Backlinks bar is through Guest Posting and Market Targeting.
Read and learn more about the Benefits of Backlinks.
10. Website Analytics
Last but not least, a web analytics platform is used to evaluate and better understand the available digital channels. Using web analytics (like Google Analytics) involves the collection, measurement, analysis, and reporting of web data. For the purposes of understanding and optimizing your general site usage.
Analyzing such data helps a company to assess and improve the effectiveness of its website. This information also helps the digital marketing team better understand consumer behavior. While at the same time, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s current online offerings.
This may include understanding;
- how many people are visiting a website,
- which pages are most popular,
- the most popular site paths,
- where people are coming from and dropping off,
- how long they stay, and other similar factors.
Read and learn more about Google Analytics | 5 Features Every Webmaster Needs.
What Is A Digital Marketing Plan?
A digital marketing plan is a document sharing the details for all the planning for your digital marketing campaigns or actions.
Generally speaking, putting any digital marketing channels into motion without a previously-devised plan or strategy could lead to failure. Especially, for not considering all the aspects that could impact their development.
When developing a digital marketing plan, you have to include several components. For instance, by determining your target audience (buyer persona), business objectives, and an adequate value proposition.
Among other things, a digital marketing plan details:
- Short, medium and long term business goals.
- The strategies to achieve the goals at the digital level.
- The channels to use.
- Action and development plans.
- Investment and budget.
- The timing and roadmap.
Considered one of the fathers of modern marketing, a traditional marketing plan serves on documenting how organization strategic objectives are achieved. Through specific marketing strategies and tactics. Often, with the customer as the starting point.
It is also linked to the plans of other departments within the organization. And with this in mind, does your company need a digital marketing plan?
According to Puromarketing and in my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes: 100% yes!
For one thing, you need it in order to:
- Attract, convince, convert, and make your customers fall in love with your product or service.
- Plan all the strategies and actions to reach your target customer.
- Segment your marketing campaigns to provide value in every stage.
Before developing the steps that define a digital marketing plan’s structure, you need to feel comfortable in your corporation’s online domain. As well as, your target, the channels where you should be present, and who your competition is and what they do.
Next, you need to Structure a digital marketing plan step-by-step.
Takeaway,
Over the years, digital marketing has exploded into a vast arena, consisting of diverse techniques and strategies. There are numerous online marketing activities you can undertake to rein in more business, but it can also get a tad overwhelming.
I’ve seen it over and over again. Clients know they need to include digital marketing in their business plan, but they have no clue where to start and no clear idea of what the process entails.
Let me be honest. Not all online marketing activities might profit your business. If you want to start digital marketing for your business, it’s essential that you know the different channels that are available and how each will benefit the business.
Read and learn how to select the marketing channels for your business.
Resources;
Finally, now that you know what are digital marketing channels, you can start using them! But, it is important to realize that each one has a series of pros and cons. Eventually, which vary depending on your business, your communications strategy, and what you want to achieve.
After all, every business is different and therefore so is your digital marketing plans! And if you really want to know which digital marketing channels are best suited to your business, why not Contact Us today?
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