Digital marketing opportunities seem endless these days. You can visit a thousand other digital marketing blogs and find articles packed with technical jargon that will make your eyes hurt. We wanted to ask a simpler question: is digital marketing legit? At HatchMark Studio, our clients lean on us for digital marketing support across several mediums. We know it’s legit, but we understand a healthy dose of skepticism. In this article, we will talk about what digital marketing is and how you can make it work for you.
What Is Digital Marketing?
It’s hard to talk about anything without a solid definition. In its most simple form, digital marketing is any marketing that takes place online. This includes Google ads, social media, email, search engine marketing, and more. In traditional marketing, it was notoriously difficult to track the success of a campaign. The billboard company told you about the millions of impressions you got, but how many of those converted? With digital marketing, it is easier for marketers to track ROI on a single campaign. You know how many people clicked on your email, where they clicked, and whether or not they made a conversion on your website. If it’s that easy, why isn’t everyone doing it?
The Digital Marketing Problem
We’re strong believers in the effectiveness of digital marketing, but we know there are drawbacks to anything worth doing. One of the key downsides to digital marketing is the oversaturation of ads online. A recent study reported that the average person sees 10,000 ads per day. Companies are battling for every inch of space online and trying to hit a target with an attention span that is shrinking year over year. Even worse, ad fatigue is a real thing, meaning that ads that may have otherwise worked are falling flat because people are just over it. If this is starting to sound bleak, don’t fret. There are still plenty of ways to dominate the digital marketing game.
Be Digitally Diverse
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. The old rules of marketing still apply today. On average, a person needs to see an ad seven times before taking an action. This used to mean that someone had to watch your TV commercial that many times. Now, you have more options than ever to land in front of potential customers. Turn your latest social campaign into an email blast. Use the latest blog post on your website to make a series of informative reels on Instagram. As a business owner, your tool box for advertising is growing every year. If you tried a paid social campaign once and never tried anything else, go back to the drawing board and try something new.
Always Track Your Campaigns
One glaring issue that we often see is lackluster tracking and data for digital marketing. The problem with data is that it is often misleading. If you are running a paid campaign, you are able to tell me how many people clicked on it. A lot of times, people stop there. Some agencies bank on this metric or one similar to it alone. “Hey, you’re getting a ton of clicks! It’s working!” That’s not always the case. Keep investigating. Once people clicked, did they make a conversion or did they just bounce off the page? Are you sending people to the homepage of your website or have you made a content-rich landing page for this campaign? Do you have a unique form associated with the campaign? The more you can refine your sales funnel, the better you can track your return on investment.
Keep Your Digital Marketing Strategy Flexible
We’re not telling you to abandon ship as soon as you think something isn’t working. However, you should maintain a certain level of flexibility and willingness to change during a campaign. Sometimes a campaign can just fall flat. Whether the ad copy isn’t resonating or the offer isn’t as enticing as you thought it would be, not every campaign works. The good news is that, in the digital marketing game, you can make changes on the fly. Use new creative, new messaging, or make changes to your offer to see how your new ads are received compared to your first set. Additionally, make tweaks to your demographics or target audience if you are running a paid promotion. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least two weeks before making any significant changes to a campaign. Changing or ending a campaign too soon doesn’t allow your audience enough time to interact with your advertisements.
Final Thoughts on Digital Marketing
To tie everything back to the original question in this article, digital marketing is 100% legit and here to stay. That doesn’t mean that you will find instant success with digital marketing, and that’s probably why a lot of business owners revert back to what is most comfortable after a few false starts. Like most things, marketing your product online takes an investment of your time, patience, and resources. Those who stick it out and have fun with it see the most success.
Partnering with an Agency Makes Digital Marketing Easier
Are you unsure of where to start? That’s normal! Even after reading an article, it can be daunting to get the ball rolling in such an overwhelming digital space. Partnering with an agency helps take the pressure off of your team so that you can focus on running the business. (Thinking about hiring a digital marketing employee instead? Read our article on whether an agency or an employee is the best fit for your business.) If an agency is the best fit for you, get in touch with us today to learn more about how a partnership with HatchMark Studio can help you achieve your marketing goals this year.