In simple terms, digital marketing refers to any advertising that an organization delivers through a digital channel.
This includes the internet, mobile apps, search engines, and social streams.
Many small businesses are scared off from digital marketing their brands due to the notion that a return on their investment will be low, if at all existent.
Less than 20 years ago, marketers and business owners were still crafting methods to convert sales online.
Early adopters of technology were met with huge gains.
Those that ignored digital markets soon found sales slowing, leading many to close their doors permanently.
Working as a digital marketer with a concentration on social media management for a local Phoenix firm, I've found that organic methods of advertising work much better than pay-per-click methods, like Google AdWords.
Most of the current paid digital advertising platforms have been in place for over a decade.
71% of all cases, an organic result will be clicked over a paid advertisement.
Content marketing through blogs, videos, and maintaining an actively engaging social media stream has become far more valuable to companies than pay per click ad campaigns.
Creating original organic content as a means for passive advertising
Digital marketing will serve companies much longer than temporary paid ads.
Organic content has also been shown to garner more engagement from their target audiences.
Also, after the initial investment, organic digital marketing will often pay for itself many times over before companies will need to change direction.
I have been actively promoting businesses on social media since Facebook first developed Pages in 2009.
Fresh out of college, the growth of Facebook had yet to be fully realized.
Companies that established their business pages through my service still enjoy massive amounts of sales and engagement directly from social media marketing.
The digital marketing component of social media streams did not immediately become apparent.
Platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter birthed a new type of spokesperson.
The social influencer, born out of a dedicated and engaged following, has become a leading way to promote products and services.
Many business owners are finding that they too have the ability to jump in front of their audience in this role.
Rather than employing the services of an established social influencer.
The ease of technology with the amount of active users on social media makes incorporating social marketing into any promotional strategy an essential step for all organizations.
The most common limiting belief encountered when working with businesses new to social media manifests as fear of losing control of the conversation.
The fear of a horrible review, negative comments, or internet trolls has held back many organizations from expanding their reach through social media marketing.
Any negative comment or review gives us an opportunity to provide great customer service.
Being able to win back the business of the unsatisfied party has never been easier.
Conversely, internet trolls provide a means to show that your business has a sense of humor.
Providing great customer experiences in even the most uncomfortable settings will often remedy or expand public relations.
Maintaining a relevancy with the core demographics targeted by your product or service provides a unique connection that no piece of direct mail, billboard, or radio commercial ever could.
With the sophistication of free design apps, smartphones, and cloud based technologies, many have forgotten the importance of good graphic design direction.
Many tools available to the general public with little to no cost associated.
These solutions are no substitution for a talented graphic designer's touch.
As a freelance graphic design professional, the consistent branding of a business always takes top priority.
Developing an understanding for the goals of a business and those they serve helps graphic designers maintain consistent branding
Branding ideally establishes the way consumers and clients identify an organization.
Even in the age of digital marketing, the need for effective graphic design has never held such importance.
Beyond developing a logo, print collateral, and a website - graphic designers now maintain a constant art direction through social media streams.
Graphic designers work to ensure that best practices are followed.
Sizing, resolution and clarity help businesses look their best on any social media platform.
While in theory any business owner, their staff, or their kid nephew could produce graphics and social media content
Branding and social media marketing should be treated with the same regard as a television commercial.
With the billions of people within a company's client scope that can potentially find such content, the best foot must always be put forward.
Settling for unproven talent producing graphic designs or social media content may save on the initial investment.
It also may jeopardize the entire operation.
YouTube ranks as the number two search engine in the world.
The interesting role that videos play in digital marketing has led many business owners to connect with consumers as social influencers.
Videos, when used correctly, can drive new leads while engaging and empowering an existing client base.
In the advent of YouTube, many early Creators found the vast revenue streams they could harness through monetized channels.
Critics will argue that the days of getting YouTube rich have come and gone.
Direct monetization of videos only scratches the surface of the potential earnings to be made with video.
In my experiences working with Phoenix firms on video editing and SEO, our videos have shown to drive new leads and sales conversion.
The effectiveness of this platform often becomes the driving force behind a business.
Videos allow clients and consumers an inside look into the businesses they know and love.
Introducing new businesses to the vast user base that exists on these social platforms goes much smoother in videos rather than text.
Adding video to an existing digital marketing plan will expand reach and also improve user engagement if executed correctly.
There are millions on the internet, many in Arizona, who openly claim to have an expertise in SEO.
Search engine optimization, abbreviated as SEO in most cases, refers to the intended crafting of websites or social media data in order to appear for relevant keywords in search engine results.
The goal of all websites should be to rank on the first page of Google for keywords that are relevant to their products and services.
Many salespeople or IT professionals market themselves as experts in the area of search engine optimization but can barely explain what it entails.
Often business owners or even self-professed web designers will use drag and drop web builders to design websites.
These websites may look sleek and function with the intended results.
More times than not the SEO will be non-existent in these situations.
Popular web builders like Wix, SquareSpace, GoDaddy and even sometimes WordPress are easy to use but often generate flawed HTML code.
Lackluster metadata greatly reduces placement in search engine results.
These options are in most cases free of charge.
The desired results of web traffic leading to sales conversions becomes less likely due to the clunky code output by these simplified web designs.
The formula for a successful digital marketing strategy boasts a website that works in conjunction with actively engaged social media streams.
Since working as a social media marketing manager in Phoenix, the importance of these two active elements has never been more apparent.
Too many business owners try to balance multiple roles.
Over extension often leads to neglected websites and social media pages.
Losing sight can cause social media pages to be ridden with negative comments and unanswered questions.
Understanding the plight of business owners in Arizona and around the globe has driven the services offered on this web site.
Companies should feel confident in the digital marketing services they're paying for each month.
Services must align with their desired results or the relationship must cease.
Many results through internet marketing and engagement are not felt immediately.
If maintained and nurtured, can lead to undeniable gains in reach and sales.
Just because you may not use social media or the internet does not mean that your clients are not using these mediums.
As millennials, a generation that has been raised by the internet, come into maturity, how do you think they'll find the brands they develop lifelong relationships with?
Glendale Arizona
Email: grinddesignphx@gmail.com
Tel: 623-451-4315