Diving into the world of digital advertising is a big endeavour, whether your business is big or small, new or old, adding social media to amplify and enhance your traditional PR and marketing is just smart business. But be sure to consider some basics about digital advertising before taking the plunge.
Digital Advertising Requires Time, Time Is Money
There is a common misconception that social media marketing is “free.” This isn’t strictly true. It requires time, forethought, planning, more time, money (if you really want to be heard on Facebook, for example) and patience. Social media is increasingly “Pay to Play” and organic reach is dropping considerably. So the job for any business is to figure out how you are going to be heard above the noise.
It’s all well and good boosting your post, but to make it worthwhile you need to have a boost worthy post to begin with. You also need to spend time targeting the post to the right audience and determining your budget. You should spend time reviewing the analytics (Insights) to gauge ad performance. Don’t waste time and money on things that don’t work. That’s the beauty of digital advertising, real time results and updates.
Social Media Requires Money
Let’s expand on the budget piece of digital advertising. As with every other department within your company, a digital marketing budget must be allocated effectively and efficiently. One way to stay in control (and increase success) is to focus on the social media platforms where your (potential) customers are hanging out. It makes more sense to spend £500 on Facebook, if that’s where your customers tend to be, than to have thin coverage on multiple platforms just to say you did. Again, don’t waste time and money on what doesn’t work. Digital marketing in social media gives you the luxury of reacting quickly, editing and republishing.
How do you know what’s working best? Use Google Analytics, and compare paid and organic incoming traffic as well as that from social media channels. How are people finding your business? Focus your budget on that.
Understanding Web Search / SEO
Before you panic at the term SEO, digital agencies like AIM Internet specialise exclusively in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Paid Search Advertising. A basic understanding of how these work will be helpful in understanding their impact on your digital marketing strategy. You don’t need to be an expert, just aware.
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Learn how to organise and write copy for your company’s website to rank for relevant search terms. Know that search engines value fresh content, so a blog (updated weekly) makes a lot of sense for many companies. Know what a backlink is — a link from another website to your business’s website — and that it is an incredibly effective way to improve your rankings.
If you would like to discuss your digital advertising strategy then please email Sarah at info@aiminternet.co.uk or call her today on 0870 062 8760.
