Digital Marketing Fundamentals Everyone Should Know

Digital marketing fundamentals are becoming important whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, a non-profit manager, or a member of a larger organization. You need to know what’s available to you and your organization, how digital marketing is different than traditional marketing, and what skill sets you might need to learn vs. which ones you might want to outsource.

It’s important to inform yourself on how you can reach new customers, donors, or clients using today’s emerging digital tools.

What Are Digital Marketing Fundamentals?

Digital marketing fundamentals are very different than traditional marketing fundamentals. What works in media like tv, radio, and print won’t always work online and vice versa. To be effective at digital marketing, you need to leverage the technologies that fuel online media like websites, clickable ads, and social media profiles.

These include:

• Search engines
• Content management systems like WordPress, Joomla!, and Magento
• Online ad platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads
• Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Interested in learning more about the differences between traditional marketing and digital marketing? Check out our previous article on this topic:

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing: 3 Things to Consider

Below we go through the main skill sets you need to master to be effective at the digital marketing fundamentals that matter the most.

SEO

The first thing you need to consider when doing digital marketing is search engine optimization or SEO. Essentially: all the content you publish online should be optimized so that search engines will index your content and serve it to the most people possible. The key to SEO is researching effective keywords for the type of people you’re trying to attract and then developing content focused on those keywords.

Interested in learning more about the SEO? Check out our previous article on this topic:

Being the Top Search Result on Google: Local Vs National SEO

Content Marketing

Once you develop great, SEO-friendly content, it’s time to market it online. Content marketing refers to a strategic approach to targeting specific audiences of people online with consistent, relevant, and engaging content. There are lots of different kinds of media available online you can use to market your organization, from blogs to e-mail newsletters to website landing pages. The goal is to be strategic and to target a specific group of people you’re trying to attract.

Interested in learning more about the content marketing? Check out our previous article on this topic:

The Complete Guide to Content Marketing for Small Business

Content Strategy

Content strategy refers to your overall plan for developing, curating, and publishing content. It’s different from content marketing in that it involves planning for all the content in your organization, not just the marketing content. You may have content from your organization such as customer testimonials, product descriptions, and even strategic plans about business growth that are sitting somewhere, collecting dust. Developing an effective content strategy means managing all of your content so that when you do your marketing, you have the most assets available.

Interested in learning more about the content strategy? Check out our previous article on this topic:

What Should Go Into Your Business’s Content Strategy Template

Paid Online Advertising

Next, there’s a paid side to digital marketing that you should at least be aware of. Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads allow you to reach large groups of people very quickly for very competitive rates, especially when compared to traditional advertising. It’s important to assess whether a paid strategy might benefit your overall marketing goals.

Interested in learning more about paid online advertising? Check out our previous article on this topic:

The 2 Paid Online Advertising Options You Should Consider Using

Social Media

Last, but certainly not least, social media is fast becoming the best venue for fueling online “word-of-mouth” awareness about your brand. Millions and millions of people use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn every day to discuss their favorite products, services, causes, and preferred local vendors. If you want to build brand awareness, social media can be a great venue for cultivating, monitoring, and participating in conversations among the types of people you’re trying to reach.

Interested in learning more about social media marketing? Check out our previous article on this topic:

How To Supercharge Your Social Media Strategies Without Spending a Fortune

Are You a Small Business or Non-Profit That Needs Help With Digital Marketing?