Do you have a website for your businesses? Social media channels? Or even Google Reviews?
Most businesses have some form of digital presence in this day and age. Whether a business knows it or not, they are likely engaging in multiple digital marketing channels in an effort to stay top of mind and grow their business.
The digital marketing industry is growing year over year. The digital marketing market was estimated at $350 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach 786.2 billion by 2026. North America holds 40% of that share.
It's no surprise that digital marketing is increasing as is our addiction to the internet.
Did you know 93.8% of Canadians are now using the internet and the average Canadian spent over six hours per day on digital media in 2022?
These stats are gold for businesses who want to capture the digital marketing space in Canada and reach their clientele successfully.
But—where to start?
There’s many options for digital marketing channels and each of these channels has their benefits and drawbacks.
Which digital marketing channels will actually help your company meet its sales goals and which channels will eat up all your time and leave you empty handed?
Fortunately, as a marketer who has spent 11 years working with businesses in the digital realm, I have some insight and knowledge on this topic.
In this 2 minute read, I’ll share with you the 12 digital marketing channels that actually work in 2023 vetted by a digital marketing coordinator herself:
Content Marketing
Content marketing is well thought-out and usually is backed by a content marketing strategy. It’s a long and slow game but the content produced is valuable, positions your company as an authority in your industry, creates brand love, and compliments other digital marketing channels, such as: email, SEO, influencer, video, blog and social media marketing.
Website
From a digital marketing coordinator’s perspective, a website is a must-have for all businesses in this day and age! Websites are the central hub for a company and provide a quick and easy way for prospective customers to learn what a business is all about, along with an easy place to make transactions and contact a business directly. It's a place where the company has complete control over it and can educate prospective customers through the use of content marketing. A website compliments other digital marketing channels, such as search engine marketing, email, blog, video and social media as all of these can either be hosted on the website or be used to direct traffic to the website.
Blog
A blog is the perfect place for a business to position themselves as the authority and consistently educate their viewers on topics related to their company. Blogs are longer articles that allow a business to go into more detail on a subject which as a result holds greater value to viewers. When done properly, it can tap into search engine optimization (SEO) marketing that will help propel a company’s website (and blog) to the top of search engines, such as Google. It’s also a great way to bring prospective clients back to a website by sharing it on other digital marketing channels, such as website, content marketing, SEO marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing and social media marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing is the most challenging but most rewarding digital marketing channel. It is the process of organically ranking near the top of search engines, such as Google for search queries relevant to your business. In order to do this, a company must understand complex concepts, such as specific keywords, backlinks and algorithms and strategically place keywords throughout other digital marketing channels, such as websites and blogs.
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is a powerful digital marketing channel with an estimated $36 return on investment for every dollar spent. It is a way for your business to provide customized value to your clientele and can be used to promote events, sales, discounts and more. Keeping your audience engaged in between purchases. Not to mention, it allows you to be relational, is a great lead generator and compliments other digital marketing channels, such as: blog, website, video, content and social media marketing.
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing is the practice of building brand awareness and marketing your products and services on specific social media platforms the way your business wishes to be perceived. Social Media Marketing is also a long and slow game but the outcomes can be rewarding and it allows your company to easily connect with customers. It compliments other digital marketing channels, such as content, video, website, blog and email marketing.
Search Engine Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing
Search Engine Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing can be a quick way to get in front of a new audience in real-time. It's a form of paid advertising where you pay when people click your search result on search engines, such as Google. Allowing you to drive new leads to your website through specific search terms and provides you detailed analytics so you are able to pivot accordingly based on the results. This digital marketing channel proves valuable when trying to grow your business and extend your reach and complements other digital marketing channels such as website, blog, search engine marketing and referral marketing.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing is a relatively new digital marketing channel. In the past, influencer marketing was hiring someone famous to endorse your company’s product or service. Over time, this has evolved into everyday individuals becoming influencers on social media platforms with loyal followings that have similar interests. Making the act of influencer marketing more genuine and authentic. Leaning on an influencer who has an audience that is similar to your business’s target audience is a quick way to expand your company’s reach by a trusted source and allows your business to gain brand awareness and generate more leads and sales. It complements other digital marketing channels, such as social media marketing and referral marketing.
Video
Video can evoke emotion and be a powerful marketing tool that influences purchase decisions. As a digital marketing coordinator myself, I have watched video grow in popularity over the years as static images quickly become a thing of the past. Videos receive the most “love” on social media channels and popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have adjusted their interface and algorithms to favour short videos. YouTube still holds its place for the second most popular social media platform and TikTok isn’t far behind. Video compliments website, blog, social media marketing, search engine marketing and email marketing.
Podcast
Podcasts were the fastest growing media segment in Canada in 2022 and grew in revenue 59% from 2020 to 2021. They are a great source of entertainment and information at the same time! Which makes them a valuable digital marketing channel for businesses who want to be able to demonstrate their expertise and create brand awareness as they’re easily able to connect with their target audience. Another benefit to podcasts is being able to direct listeners to a business’s website, email marketing list and social media marketing channels.
Online Marketplace
Online shopping has evolved to host a number of online marketplaces where consumers can make a quick purchase, such as Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. Sharing your company’s products on online marketplaces is an easy way to get in front of thousands of potential buyers! Online marketplaces complement other digital marketing channels, such as website, social media marketing and email marketing.
Referral Marketing
Referral Marketing can be a great digital marketing channel to tap into your existing fan base. People intuitively trust people more than they trust advertisements when looking for recommendations for a product or service. Referral Marketing offers incentives and rewards to a company’s existing fan base for successful referrals. Referral Marketing comes in forms of Google reviews, comments and social media discussions. Psst. Did you know referral marketing converts 30% better and has a 16% higher lifetime value than other channels? Referral marketing can also branch out into other digital marketing channels, such as influencer marketing.
How many of these digital marketing channels is your company currently using? Does your company have a digital marketing strategy in place and a digital marketing coordinator to execute and consistently hit these digital channels?
These are important questions to ask as a company as consumers' online habits continue to increase. Businesses must evolve and tailor their marketing strategy to their consumers' changing behaviours.
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