Successfully running a company in the modern business era means becoming adept at building and maintaining a strong online presence. You hear about digital marketing all the time. But what is it?

Obviously, you can deduce that it means advertising online through technology. However, that barely scratches the surface. To gain a better understanding of digital marketing and how you can apply it toward the success of your business, let’s take a look at the seven most common areas of digital marketing.

1. Website

Your website is essentially the face of your business. People will use it as a primary means of discerning the credibility of your business. Ask yourself the following questions about your website:

• Does it load quickly?
• Is it user-friendly?
• Is it intuitive and easy to navigate?
• Is it visually appealing?
• Does it provide valuable content to users?

Roughly 88% of consumers research products and services online by looking at websites and reviews. Will your website push them in the right direction?

2. SEO

Search engine optimization is one of the most important areas of digital marketing. SEO determines how quickly search engines like Google find your website based on keyword searches.

Search engine crawlers look for SEO coding such as:

• Keywords
• Internal and external links
• Backlinks
• Titles and headers embedded with metadata
• Multimedia embedded with metadata
• Localized SEO (address, location, contact info)

The better your SEO rating, the easier it will be for people to find you organically through search engines.

3. Social Media

Social media is perhaps one of the most popular areas of digital marketing. This includes platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and more.

You can market organically by gaining more followers and sharing tons of content. However, you can also extend your reach by using paid ads to target specific demographics of people.

4. Emails

One of the most effective examples of digital marketing is email marketing. You start by building an email list by encouraging clients, customers, social media users, and website users to subscribe. Then, design an email campaign that keeps you on their mind by offering valuable content and exclusive deals.

5. Paid Advertisements

Paid advertisements are types of digital marketing that small business owners are hesitant to invest in. After all, it all comes down to your bottom line. However, paid advertisements such as PPC marketing can be incredibly valuable.

They expand your audience base outside of your normal ring of influence, which can lead to more followers on social media, more website traffic, and more sales.

6. Content

Another one of the most common areas of digital marketing revolves around content. Content can include anything you publish, such as:

• Social media posts
• Blog articles
• Emails
• Landing page ads
• And more

The goal behind content marketing is to take a less aggressive approach to generate leads. Instead of a “buy-this-now” approach, content marketing seeks to educate and inspire audiences to push them toward sales conversions.

7. Reputation

Finally, one of the most important types of online marketing is reputation management. What people think of you as a business is very important. They need to trust you, your products, and your services.

Improve your reputation by increasing your credibility with relevant and informative articles on your blog. You should also make it a habit to respond to people on your site and social media as quickly as possible. And remember, the customer is always right (even when they’re wrong).

Need More Insight Into the Areas of Digital Marketing?

Perfecting the various areas of digital marketing takes time. Don’t feel bad if you’re overwhelmed, confused, or distinctly in over your head. We can help.

We understand that most business owners have enough to do without having to worry about their online presence. Contact us today to learn more bout what we can do to help.