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This week we have been looking at many digital marketing questions received through Q4 and importantly, how these help us as website owners inform our marketing campaigns.
We all know that many so-called marketing experts now say digital marketing is dying a death but, is that true? The following three questions explore a few interesting areas and tries to understand exactly how optimising these deliver visibility and therefore an increase in potential return on investment from your websites.
Q1 – The difference between SEO and PPC?
Google AdWords, as it was originally called, has recently been re branded by Google to Google Ads however, this is the actual name given to Googles PPC or pay per click system. Now that we understand this lets try and dig in a little deeper between these two to understand how they deliver online visibility.
Recent articles say that over 70% of online traffic is generated between these two techniques and therefore, if you are going to enter into any form of marketing to gain visibility online then these must form a significant part of your ongoing budget. Of the two then organic search or SEO as it is referred, delivers over 50% of that traffic and so on its own can mean success or failure for your online opportunities.
To try and describe the difference between the two then according to Google, SEO or search engine optimisation as it is officially titled, is the practice of including content on your site that has the potential to improve your site’s visibility within organic search engine listings – in other words, it can help your site show up more often in relevant searches based around your products and services.
SEO consists of organic improvements that aim to make your website rank highly on Google Search when users enter keywords relevant to your business or content. This is implemented by using small technical changes as well as content delivery in order to make your website’s infrastructure and layout easily understandable by Google’s search algorithm.
Google Ads is the platform that allows you to pay to make your website appear to rank highly on Google Search for any keywords you choose.
This allows website owners to run advertisements across Google’s various channels like YouTube, Gmail, as Display ads across the internet and of course on Google Search.
The latter enables ads with a small green Ad next to it at the top of Googles search listings however, you pay for this visibility by agreeing through the Google Ads system a price to pay Google per click on each ad. This is why they are often referred to as PPC or pay per click.
Essentially, SEO and Google Ads represent two sides of the same coin – organic vs. paid search ranking.
Q2 Which is the best social media platform for digital marketing?
Great question this as people tend to buy from people and they also follow trends set by their online friends and acquaintances. Therefore, delivering a dedicated social strategy will open the possibility of again increasing your online exposure.
In order to answer this question fully, you must first answer some basic questions in order to inform your future social media strategy. Although the following list is not a definitive set of questions, it does start in the correct direction;
Which platforms do my target audiences use?
Each platform has a user base that generally fits into a specific demographic, with age probably being the most important. If you are looking to reach an older demographic, Facebook or LinkedIn is likely your best bet. To reach a younger audience, Instagram or Snapchat would be a better choice.
Your final decision should also be based on what makes the most sense for your products or services. Most social media strategies utilise a combination of many platforms with slightly different goals for each.
As a point to remember here, these campaigns will always work better if they combine both your SEO and PPC campaign so they support each other rather than work against one another.
What type of content should I post?
Each social platform calls for a different kind of posting strategy based on its method of serving content to users and the platform’s inherent purpose. Posts on Instagram should aim for maximum visual appeal, while posts on Twitter should be short and concise.
When posting content to social, ensure that your images, copy and post frequency are all in line with each platform’s specific guidelines to ensure maximum engagement.
What goals do you aim to achieve?
Social media optimisation can be a great option for generating brand awareness and of course for driving traffic to your website. While lead generation and other sale-based goals are also achievable through social, one must be aware that users are unlikely to engage with a brand that only posts self-promotional material.
In addition, it is important to differentiate between organic and paid posts through your social campaign. Organic posting may already form a part of your brand visibility, while paid marketing can be a powerful tactic to improve conversion rates and reach a new audience quickly.
Q3 Should email marketing be used within my digital marketing strategy?
As with all marketing opportunities, this must really form part of an ongoing campaign that supports each other rather than works individually. I think we all understand that email has become so crowded that the best returns tend not to be delivered through this medium alone however, it can be argued that an email campaign should always be delivered to your marketing database.
If your email articles add strength and helps your intended database of users then it may well deliver a good return. Research has said that people spend about 5.6 hours on average checking their emails each day therefore there is a hi chance of engagement when executed strategically.
Don’t make your email campaign purely a sales pitch. By aiming to implement a high open rate and by detailing a clear call to action, you will provide value that means your customer base is more likely to interact.
This final point is really the takeaway from this article. By ensuring your marketing campaign works alongside all areas then you are more likely to gain a return that provides a return on investment.
