Chances are, if you’re not succeeding in business in 2018, it’s due to your marketing. Digital marketing is not only essential, it’s crucial. The reality is, in this day and age, marketing represents a vast amount of presence in the business world. The physical age is over. The truth is, if you’re not in this digital world yet, you probably don’t have much of a presence. Yes, we know the truth hurts but sometimes, it’s what we need to hear.

This digital world that I’ve been speaking of is ever-changing. In fact, 76% of people think marketing has changed more in the past two years than it did over the previous fifty (Adobe). So the good news is, if you don’t know how to market your business or brand, there are people and agencies that constantly keep up with these changes- so reach out to one.

What to Look For In a Digital Marketing Team

It’s probably important that you know some things to look out for though. Make sure that whatever agency you contact is well-equipped with experience. The number one thing you should look out for is if an agency has a solid strategy planned to really show the world what you have to offer. Without that, they probably have much success in doing so. With an effective strategy, the goal of digital marketing is to bring you a high volume of traffic, from your target audience, that will convert as clients, customers or consumers. There are some key things that should be included in this strategy. Let’s start with SEO.

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Search Engine Optimization is Key to Long-Term Growth

Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is a marketing strategy based on building visibility by increasing the amount of inbound organic traffic through major search engines. In other words, it is a way to help people who are looking for a business like you, find you. On these search engines, you want to be on that first page. Chances are, most people aren’t even looking past that first page. But in order to get there, it takes time and a ton of work. While building up your organic presence, another strategy used is paid advertising.

Pay Per Click Advertising Gets You Traffic Immediately

PPC, Paid-per-click, is a way to advertise to get your name out there immediately. Essentially, it is a way to form a presence by buying visits to your online page right away. Most PPC is used on search engines, allowing users to place an ad related to the keyword searched at the front page to bring even more traffic to their site. In order to keep these users though, you need a great landing page that captures someone almost instantly. Without that, you are going to be paying for pointless clicks. Yes, you are paying for every time that link is clicked, but if you make a sale it should be well worth your money.

Social Media: The New Way We Connect with Each Other

Social media is another way to really brand your business’s name. It allows you to have a presence where most don’t via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We don’t see many people today without these apps on their smartphones; even the older generation has caught on to the social media wave.  Social media allows us to have a presence or present a certain idea in simple ways, using images and quick text. According to Statista, 52.2 percent of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones. What is easily accessible on mobile devices? Social media apps. When putting your brand out there on a social media platform, it lets users know you have some sort of reputation and it really opens your audience to a bigger crowd.

Don’t Get Left Behind, Let Your Business Stand Out From the Rest with Quality Digital Marketing

Just how you like to look good, your business has to look good too. I shouldn’t have to stress the importance of having a web design that competes. Certain design elements allow you to stand out and be remembered. From a logo to your color scheme, you want to appeal to your audience at first glance. Your website should represent your brand and should show the time and energy that you put into your business. Just like you don’t use the same suit you had from the 80’s, your website shouldn’t be outdated and a new modern look is the way to go. But it goes even deeper than design. Making sure your website is ‘SEO friendly’ and easy to navigate for your users is so necessary. In fact, your website won’t be seen by the masses if it’s not. Just like it takes seconds to make a good first impression when meeting someone new, the same goes for your digital appearance.

The point, every business in today’s world needs digital marketing. The majority of the population is going to the Internet to figure out where to eat, what to buy, who to see for anything they do. Don’t get lost in the times that no longer exist. Don’t fail because you’re set in old ways. Don’t miss out on success that is easily attainable when you utilize what’s needed. Digital marketing is now and digital marketing is the future.