Digital Marketing Strategies for a New Era

Putting the digital into modern marketing

Way, way back in the dark ages (the 1980s), a certain well-known Sunday rag, in a marketing success story, referred to itself “a newspaper, not a snoozepaper”. Forward wind to 2023, and most of us don’t flirt with print news as much as we do its head-turning cousin online. And as anyone in marketing knows, traditional channels, such as the print press, broadcast TV and radio can still reach older generations, but the younger demographic are digital all the way.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise that digital highways are increasingly the routes of choice to reach buyers and drive sales for modern marketing departments.

But there’s a huge caveat attached to this – something that Rob Sellers, a retail consultant, recently discussed with The Drum. “The number one mistake modern retailers make is to act like ‘traders’, not brands.” In a nutshell, Sellers pointed out that Wilko’s biggest failure was to allow their brand to become “pointless”. The whole raison d’être of marketing is to communicate to a mass audience exactly what your brand is for. Without that magic ingredient, “all marketing is inefficient and ultimately worthless.”

So where do you go and what do you do, once your message is as sharp and shining as a freshly cut diamond?

It’s not a secret locked in a vault that these days the most popular types of marketing are digital. Why? Well, according to Datareportal, there were 66.11 million internet users in the United Kingdom at the start of 2023, when internet penetration stood at 97.8 percent. So, it’s a very big deal indeed.

And out of the online library of options, SEO, email, and content and social media marketing come out on top every time. Even better, your company doesn’t need the deep pockets necessary for a large marketing budget to get started.

Did you know that the UK was home to 57.10 million social media users in January 2023, equating to 84.4 percent of the total population?

So, naturally our first focus is on Social Media Marketing.

This is undoubtedly one of the prominent digital marketing strategies to start with. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn and a myriad of other social channels, all offer free accounts. As soon as you’re set up, you can post your valuable message immediately.

According to Forbes, worldwide social media stats are astounding. An estimated 4.9 billion people around the globe use social media in one form or another, something that’s predicted to rise to 5.9 billion by 2027.

Facebook still dominates with 2.9 billion users, closely chased by YouTube with 2.5 billion, and WhatsApp and Instagram in a tie for 3rd place with 2 billion each. You can hit these potential customers with video, music, photos, and smart straight talk as often as you like, and the more thrilling you make it, the more they’ll enjoy the ride.

Next up is our old pal Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, or what season of the year, the internet is constantly buzzing with people searching for products and services. And your company’s presence will only be revealed to these willing consumers if your business website is visible on search engine results pages (SERPs).

In other words, and to paraphrase the late great Queen Elizabeth II, you have to be seen on Google search results to be believed.

Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is the smartest move you can make, full stop. The best SEO can deliver an ROI of 700% or more. If you’re short on budget, dip your toes in the water with free SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends to do your research. Once you’re up with the basics, invest in SEO software, or hire one of the many experts.

Number three on our list is Content Marketing.

This one size fits all term covers the creation and distribution of content such as blogs, newsletters, emails, videos, and social media posts to established and potential customers. Strong content marketing will be as successful in building your follower base as running past a wasps’ nest covered in warm caramel.

Forbes recommends blogs, e-books, case studies, infographics, white papers, podcasts, checklists, how-to guides and short- and long-form videos as the most popular forms of content marketing. This can all be promoted via your website, social media, newsletters and more. The key is to offer useful content that potential customers need and are interested in.

Once you’ve smashed all that, it’s time to concentrate on Email Marketing.

Marketing strategists have begun to move away from unsustainable and expensive mail marketing that continues to land on our door mats, whilst it provides a physical manifestation of your brand, tracking the results can be problematic unless laced with digital elements such as QR codes and coupon codes.

So, it’s good to know that although email marketing’s been around for a while, it remains a potent tool in the marketer’s bag of tricks. As of 2023, more than 347 billion emails are sent and received every day. We repeat… every day. Which is a more cost effective and time effective – yes, we don’t have to print and ship this marketing, it drops into the inbox as and when completed, or scheduled for optimum performance.

To use email marketing effectively, you need the best software you can afford to create email campaigns. Make sure that the software enables simple management of contacts, and has the capability to design and send emails, and tracks performance.

Back to Forbes again for more sage advice – they found that the best marketing CRMs for small businesses include HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and Zendesk. Make your own mind up about their hot picks, but they’re bound to be worth a look.

Before we go, we just want to give a special mention to two digital marketing ideas whose stars are on the ascendent.

Podcasts aren’t just for the geeks anymore. Whether it’s acquiring ad space on popular podcasts, or producing one that’s relevant to your business area, if you make it interesting, you’ve every chance of having a hit on your hands.

The final word goes to Video Marketing. Make it funny, or unusual, or quirky, or elusive, or even all at once, you marketing genius, you! Whatever your fancy, it deserves your attention as one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience. And if you don’t believe us, all we have to say to you is “TikTok”.

So, do you have ideas for digital marketing campaigns that will blow people’s minds?

Then all of us at mustard MD are very keen indeed to speak to you. We have some amazing job opportunities for people who’ve got the talent to go far, so give us a call. The number you need is 0117 929 6060.