Digital marketing is defined by Google as “the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using the internet and online forms of communication”. And to be honest, we think this sums it up pretty well! 

Digital marketing has quickly become one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to get your business out to the masses. Through clever targeting and captivating visual messaging, it’s never been easier to attract the right clients to you. 

There are a number of different types of marketing that make up the umbrella term “digital marketing”, and below we explain the main types and how they work. 

Social Media

This one is self-explanatory, as it is any marketing activity undertaken on a social platform. The main social platforms most businesses choose to use are Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, Google My Business, and TikTok. 

In today’s world, businesses should have a regular presence on at least one or two of these social platforms, and what platform they choose will depend on their type of business and their target customer. Each platform has its pros and cons and it is a clever idea to speak with a social media expert to ensure you are focusing on the correct platform for your business. 

There are then two types of social media marketing. Organic marketing and paid marketing. Organic marketing is the posting and interaction on a social platform with no paid aspect. The people that you reach are through likes, shares, and comments. 

Paid marketing includes social media ads and boosted posts where you are paying for wider exposure to a specified target audience. A good social media plan should include a mixture of both types.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is becoming increasingly popular with the rise of influencers, and it’s also a fantastic way to attract new customers to your business through referrals. 

In true affiliate marketing, publishers and influencers earn a commission by promoting a product or service, and this is often done via an affiliate link or a personalised code. Alternatively, an affiliate can be paid a certain amount in order to promote a product or service to their followers - this is most often seen in an influencer/brand relationship. 

When it comes to affiliate marketing and using influencers, choosing the right people is key. The affiliate becomes an extension of your brand, so it’s important you choose someone who has similar values and vision to your own business.  

Digital Banners

Digital banners can range from banners on the side of a website through to the pop-ups and homepage skins you see when you visit a page like Stuff or MetService. These banners are highly targeted and are generally good value for money if correctly set up. 

When you purchase digital banners, it is usually done via impressions which is the number of people who will see that banner. Your return on investment is calculated by cost per click - the amount spend divided by number of people who clicked on to the banner. 

Digital banners are a great way to maintain a regular presence, and work well for businesses looking to target various regions across NZ. We work closely with NZME and Mediaworks and have access to digital advertising on some of NZ’s most popular websites. 

SEO and Google Adwords

SEO or search engine optimisation is the process of optimising your website so that search engines such as Google find it easier. This therefore puts you up higher when someone makes a search around your business. 

There are several ways to increase your SEO and the two main ways are organic and paid. Organic SEO is the process of improving the quality of your website so that Google ranks it higher in their search. This could be done through adding in specific key words, and ensuring content is updated and consistent. 

Paid SEO strategies include Google AdWords where you bid on key words to ensure your business is ranked higher for those search terms. If you’ve ever made a Google search and seen the first few results with “sponsored” listed above them, then this is how Google AdWords look. 

SEO and AdWords are a very specialist area, so it’s best to get the right advice before you start playing around. Our SEO expert can help set you up with both organic and paid SEO to help drive the right traffic to your website. 

Email Marketing

An email marketing list is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. Here are people who have already expressed an interest in your business and handed over their details to you - they are literally customers in the making! (Or keeping, as they already may be a customer!) 

It’s important to nurture your email list through regular and useful emails. You need to provide people a reason to keep hearing from you, and you certainly don’t want to spam people. Having an email marketing strategy is one way to turn customers into repeat customers, and potential customers into paying customers. 

Content Marketing

Content is king, and whether it be video or written content, every business should have some form of content strategy. Not only does regular content show that you are up-to-date and know what you are talking about, it also feeds your other marketing strategies by giving content for social and email marketing.

Well-written content will also play into your SEO strategy, by helping to boost your SEO organically, therefore placing you higher among the organic search on Google. 

Digital marketing has quickly become a specialist area, and with the right advice it can be an easy and cost-effective way to attract and retain your ideal customer. 

If you would like to discuss digital marketing and the different things it encompasses, then contact the team at Sharpe Marketing today. We can discuss with you what forms of marketing and what platforms are right for your business and help you take things to the next level.