A Guide to Digital Marketing 

Digital marketing has become quite literally the most effective strategy for growth in the wake of the internet, and more specifically, social media and digital advertising. With nearly 4 billion social media users globally, and more businesses transitioning to an online presence by the day, the importance of having an effective digital marketing strategy is becoming more and more clear. 

To be specific, online advertising has become the new television commercial; the new main street billboard. The best part? Results come at a fraction of the cost, yet return multiples of what traditional marketing advertisements would convert.

The value of boasting a moderate online presence as a brand or business is imperative in today's ecosystem. It’s so necessary, in fact, that those without one will inevitably grow irrelevant in the face of competition.

Digital marketing is essential for businesses to grow in today's digital landscape. A competent digital marketing consultant in New Jersey can help create a comprehensive strategy that focuses on all the right channels and maximizes ROI. Without such a strategy, you're simply running blind. With that said, in what follows, we’ll define digital marketing and discuss its function and importance. 

What is Digital Marketing? 

In short, digital marketing is an industry, a department, a skill, and a strategy. As a whole, digital marketing is what encompasses the promotion of all products and services through the utilization of all technological & digital tools and platforms. 

The execution of a digital marketing strategy takes place on social media, websites, search engines, and blogs, among other digital spaces. The genre of digital marketing isn’t all that different from traditional marketing efforts. The distinction lies in the environment in which it’s performed. 

The ultimate goal of any digital marketing effort is to grow the business in some form or fashion, however, growth looks different for different businesses. Some strategies may aim to grow one’s social following, while others may aim to promote products and make sales. In contrast, other digital strategies simply focus on improving conversion rates and website traffic.

Whatever the goal, digital marketing requires planning, measuring, analyzing, strategizing, and executing. 

For those that come from the traditional marketing side of things, you may be curious as to how digital marketing and its associated skills are any more valuable. Moreover, you may question the overall integrity of digital efforts, uncertain as to how the online space can generate the results it so apparently provides. 

Is Digital Marketing Effective?

So, is digital marketing effective? Evidently, this isn’t the correct question to ask… Instead, ask yourself how you can create an effective digital marketing strategy because, well, it’s imperative to your success. 

When you pause and consider the population of active users online on a day-to-day basis, that alone should be convincing enough. As mentioned in the preface of this article, there are nearly 4 billion users of social media alone. Add to the fact that the majority of social media users also surf the web through search engines, websites, and blogs, and the number just continues to grow.

Finally, 92% of businesses in the US now have an active social presence. If that’s not a telltale sign of what direction business is going, I don’t know what is! 

Digital marketing is unequivocally the most effective strategy when it comes to growing a business, no matter how you define growth. Not only is it the most effective overall, but it also happens to be the most cost-effective. 

As we’ve discussed throughout, digital marketing is important, valuable, and imperative to a business's success. Not only does it allow a business to gain traffic, earn trust in the market, and build brand awareness, but it also ensures a greater ROI, rapid growth, and ultimately a shift in the bottom line.

Without an effective digital marketing strategy and skillful marketing professionals at the helm, a business, new or old, online or not, is likely set up for failure. 

Let’s face it…The internet isn’t going anywhere. It’s a huge part of our lives, and it’s largely the primary marketplace of today’s modern business. So, don’t be the business that falls irrelevant. Good luck!