Digital Marketing encompasses a vast array of channels and methods. For businesses with limited resources, it's advisable to start digital marketing with a channel that will have the most significant positive impact on the company's sales. But how can these channels be identified? In choosing the right channels, it's beneficial to utilize marketing theory. In this article, we'll reveal Nostamo's template for implementing marketing.
First, let's consider digital marketing in general. What exactly has changed in marketing?
The Internet has revolutionized marketing and sales
Digitalization has been particularly influenced by the amount of available information - the customer has taken many steps closer to the seller, as information can be sought via the Internet, regardless of time and place. This means that product features, reviews, and ratings from other customers are just a few clicks or taps away.
The main task of a seller is no longer simply listing the features of a product, but applying their knowledge and acting as an expert advisor to the customer.
At the same time, marketing channels have changed. Marketers can choose from numerous different channels, each with its own target audience. Some examples of digital marketing channels include:
Company's own website
Search Engine Advertising (Google Ads)
Display Advertising
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Social Media Advertising (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn)
Email Marketing
Content Marketing
However, it's worth noting that the buying decision process remains the same. Understanding this process is crucial for effective digital marketing. This process includes the following stages:
Recognition of Need: The individual realizes they need a specific product or service. This need may arise spontaneously or be triggered by an advertisement or a friend's comment.
Information Gathering: The person who has identified the need for a purchase begins searching for information on the topic. Information gathering often starts with a Google search.
Comparison of Options: The individual has found a few top options and compares them. This comparison also often happens on Google.
Making the Purchase Decision: The individual has made their decision and purchases the product they perceive as the best.
Understanding this process is crucial for knowing which marketing methods to use in the right places.
By understanding the buying decision process, effective steps can be taken to start digital marketing.
Nostamo's Steps for Digital Marketing
Now, let's go through the steps for starting digital marketing. Often, marketing activities are started simultaneously in multiple channels. But what would be the steps if digital marketing were to be started one channel at a time?
1. Get Your Website in Shape
Many may not immediately think of the company's own website when considering digital marketing methods. Nevertheless, they are the cornerstone of digital marketing.
The reason for this is as follows: The purpose of other digital marketing methods is to drive visitors to the company's website, but the website itself determines the final conversion (conversion refers to the goal set by the company, which for service companies is often a contact, and for e-commerce is a sale). Visually impressive and functionally polished websites are, therefore, an important first step for a company starting with digital marketing. Why would you drive traffic to your website if the visitors are not convinced of your expertise? Trust is the most important fundamental requirement for commerce, and it cannot be built on a site that appears to be of low quality in terms of content and functionality.
After laying the foundation, the next step is to increase visibility.
2. Start with Google Advertising
It's advisable to get traffic to your website first through Google advertising.
But why specifically Google advertising? To understand this, we need to go back to the aforementioned buying decision process. The further along the buying decision process a potential customer is, the easier it is to convert them into a paying customer. A person who is browsing their Facebook feed without any inkling of a purchase need is very far from becoming a paying customer. On the other hand, a person searching on Google with a keyword like "landscape design price" already has their credit card in hand, ready to seize an offer when the right company comes along. This perfect target audience can be reached through Google advertising. No other channel offers a similar target audience.
This is the reason for the effectiveness of Google advertising and why someone starting with digital marketing should invest in it first.
How does advertising work exactly?
In Google, you can advertise in either the search network or the display network.
Search network ads are the traditional text ads that appear when you search for information on Google using specific keywords. You can recognize them by the "Ad" label next to them.
Display advertising, on the other hand, includes banner ads that can be displayed on about two million different websites in Google's display network (including YouTube, various news sites, blogs, and other media). A banner ad looks like this:
Google's display network offers excellent targeting options: banner ads can be targeted, for example, at an audience that is actively seeking information on Google about a specific topic (and is thus in the information gathering or comparison phase of the buying decision process).
What kind of service does Nostamo offer in Google advertising?
Nostamo is a digital marketing agency specializing exclusively in Google advertising. Our office is located in Tampere. The most distinctive feature of our company is results-orientedness: we always aim to increase factors affecting revenue, either through inquiries (for service-based companies) or purchase transactions (for online stores). All other metrics are entirely secondary to us.
You can explore our services in more detail here.
Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with the results achieved through our advertising services through this link.
3. Expand to Other Digital Marketing Channels
When digital marketing is in good shape in terms of website and Google advertising, it's time to expand to other channels.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is a technique where, among other things, by changing the structure and content of a website, it is possible to get the site to rise to the first page of search results. There are no separate fees paid to Google for Search Engine Optimization.
Some of the same traffic is targeted with Search Engine Optimization as with Google advertising. However, it is particularly well-suited for informational searches in the second stage of the buying decision process. Google advertising may not always be cost-effective for advertising with these keywords, so this audience can be reached through Search Engine Optimization.
The best situation is when a company has both an organic search result (achieved through Search Engine Optimization) and a paid result (achieved through Google advertising) on the first page of the search engine.
Social Media
For many, social media is an obvious digital marketing channel - and rightly so.
When choosing social media channels, it's important to pay attention to the target audience - not all social media channels are suitable for all companies. The demographic characteristics of users (e.g., age and gender) need to be considered when choosing a channel.
Social media is particularly good for arousing interest and post-purchase action (i.e., engaging existing customers). Paid advertising should also be used in social media! For example, Facebook advertising is particularly well-suited for advertising various campaigns.
Other Channels
Digital marketing offers a wide variety of ways to gain visibility. For example, you can:
Write a blog
Publish your own podcast
Do video advertising on YouTube
Collect email addresses on your website and engage in email marketing
Do native advertising on a major media website.
When choosing digital marketing methods, just remember to plan out your strategy: consider at what stage of the buying decision process the target audience reached through a particular method is and how you can guide them forward in the process.
To sum it up
In conclusion, this article has presented steps for starting digital marketing. In the complex digital world, nothing is quite as black and white as this, as digital marketing efforts often begin simultaneously in several channels. However, make sure that the initial steps are in good shape, even if you are already a veteran in digital marketing. Google advertising offers the easiest wins, and websites are the most important factor affecting conversions.
