What happens when you want to find a business, buy a product, or need a question answered?
If you’re living in the modern era, you’ll take out your phone, head over to Google, and search for the service or product you need.
It could be a new pair of sneakers, a new shirt, or brand-new headphones.
Any business that wants to succeed will try to get found easily online. And to get found on Google or any other search engine they will require a website to rank among the search results.
For instance, here are some businesses in the UAE that appear in the results when you search for “Buy a new pair of sneakers.”
If you didn’t have a lot of time to spend on your research, you’ll visit the first websites that you see in the result.
In our example, we would probably click on the result for SnkrBubble.com.
Screenshot of Snkr Bubble website
Now on this site, you can browse through their catalog to see the different kinds of shoes, and pick the one that appeals to you. The store offers online purchases and shipping. That means getting the shoes without leaving the house.
This process of getting found online is what digital marketing entails.
It’s becoming highly competitive as more businesses discover the power of the internet. For instance, there are hundreds or even thousands of shoe stores in Dubai. But only a few can make it to the top of the search results.
Do you want to get found online?
You can’t sit back, create a website, fail to optimize it, and expect to compete. It takes effort to succeed in the digital world.
Today’s article offers an introduction to the world of digital marketing. We’ll not talk about in-depth strategies. You’ll learn more about them in future articles. Today is about getting an overview of the digital marketing landscape and understanding why it’s important.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the process of using digital technologies to promote products or services. While it is often referred to as internet or online marketing, it can comprise of using other digital technologies such as digital billboards.
Conventional marketing strategies such as running ads for your business in the newspaper are not dead. However, digital marketing can reach many potential customers with minimal effort and may be cheaper.
You can even optimize your budget by reaching a specific target market. For instance, while everyone will see your billboard on the freeway, you can target customers by their age, location, or interests with a Facebook ad.
Tracking the effectiveness of your strategies is possible with internet marketing as it takes place through electronic means. For instance, you can know the number of people that visited your website or clicked on your advertisement.
Now, the different categories in internet marketing include:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
- Web design
- Email marketing
- Online advertising.
Who Needs Digital Marketing?
While some businesses may feel that they can get by without investing in digital marketing, the reality is that this would be a mistake.
In today’s digital age, consumers turn to the internet to research just about anything. If a business is not visible online, it could miss out on many potential customers.
There are several statistics that point to the need for digital marketing:
- The average person spends over two hours daily on social media and this keeps increasing. (OBRELO).
- 60% of people say they’ve discovered a new product or service through social media marketing. (Liberty)
- Email marketing has an ROI of 3800%. (Campaign Monitor).
- 81% of consumers research online before buying anything. (Fundera)
- 75% of Instagram users say they have been inspired to take action after seeing a post on the platform. (Meta)
What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?
You have just created a website and social media pages.
But how come are you not getting more business? Well, congratulations on creating your digital channels such as your website. But these are only tools.
It’s akin to trying to open a taxi business, and the car is the first thing you need. But without a strategy of where you’ll pick up customers or how much to charge, you won’t make money.
In digital marketing, you’ll need a strategy or plan of action for how you’ll utilize your channels to reach customers.
For instance, if you have a social media page, you can decide to increase awareness that your business exists by running a paid social media campaign. This will be a timed marketing activity that will have unique activities that you’ll undertake to promote your brand.
As part of the strategy, you can decide to create a video series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at how you manufacture your products. The video may be promoted to people within your country or internationally if you’re targeting global customers.
How Digital Marketing Can Help Your Brand
1) Increased reach
You can reach a bigger audience in your city, country, or internationally. For instance, once you create a website, you can even promote it to audiences in the US on Google.
2) Improved brand awareness
Digital marketing can make your business known to more people. You can improve your visibility and establish a solid online presence by being active. It’s even possible to re-engage with customers who may have previously interacted with you offline.
3) Better customer relationships
By creating a website and social media channels, you increase the number of touchpoints with potential customers. You can interact much better with dynamic content such as videos, images, or audio.
The brand can become a knowledgeable source of information by creating helpful guides that address customer needs and concerns.
Using feedback collection mechanisms, you can better understand your customers’ needs and preferences to offer enhanced products and services.
4) Increased sales
You can drive more online and offline sales with digital marketing. Customers who come across your website can visit your store in person.
Online shoppers can order their items and have them delivered to their location.
Did you know that you can even create mini-shops on social media platforms?
Screenshot of David’s Outwear shop on Facebook.
5) Improved ROI
Digital marketing is a cost-effective marketing technique that can help brands get a better investment return.
Techniques such as search engine optimization can provide long-lasting results, where the website can rank organically for keywords on Google without paying for ads.
Should I Do Digital Marketing on My Own, Hire an Internal Team, or Hire a Company?
You may be unsure about whether to handle digital marketing by yourself, hire employees, or outsource to an agency. There are pros and cons to each option.
Doing digital marketing by yourself can be more cost-effective. But it requires a significant investment of your time and resources. It can become a full-time job.
Hiring internal employees can provide greater control over the process and the results. However, finding someone with the specific skill set you are looking for may be expensive. You may also need multiple team members to cover all aspects of digital marketing, which can also be costly.
Outsourcing to an agency can be more affordable and stress-free as you’ll delegate the work, freeing up your time to focus on growing your business.
Choosing a proven company gives you access to a proven playbook of strategies that they can start using to get your website and social media pages to the top. Not all companies are built equally. It’s essential to choose a trusted provider with success in other projects.
More Reasons to Work With a Digital Agency
1) The agency can achieve better results as they can use best practices that brought success for other projects.
2) A digital agency will have experts who can start working on the project from day one.
3) You can pay for the services when you need them and opt for a cheaper package once you start hitting your goals.
4) A digital agency may be more accountable and more careful in tracking the result. This promotes continuous improvement and reduces waste.
5) You can get assistance reaching a global audience with multilingual websites and marketing materials.
6) You’ll get access to the best tools that the agency utilizes for keyword research, tracking website metrics, or managing campaigns. The tools may be expensive to acquire on your own.
Types of Digital Marketing Services
Here are four main online marketing services that you may need, and what they entail:
1) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of raising a website’s position in search results. This allows more people to find it. There are two main ways to boost SEO, undertaking on-page activities like creating quality content, and off-page activities like increasing the number of websites linking back to you and interacting with people on social media. This sends social signals to search engines.
Your website can gain traffic organically and for free, or it can pay for search ads.
2) Paid Per Click (PPC)
PPC advertising is an online advertising method where your business will display ads on third-party websites, You’ll pay when users click on one of the ads. This type of advertising is a popular way for businesses to attract new customers, generate leads, and create awareness.
3) Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing services can entail getting help with creating organic posts for your followers. It can involve receiving assistance in running paid campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
4) Email Marketing
You can get help with email marketing. And this basically entails communicating with customers by sending them emails. The company can assist with building an email list and creating email campaigns, or newsletters.
Digital Marketing in the GCC Region – What You Need to Succeed
What does it take to succeed with digital marketing in the GCC region? Well, the right company should understand a few things:
First, it is crucial to understand the cultural differences in the region and tailor the content appropriately. What works in one country may not work in another, so a company must be aware of these differences.
The GCC region is stratified, with many different income levels. This means that marketing efforts need segmentation to be effective.
The region is competitive, and companies need an edge to stand out.
Assuming that a company has a good understanding of the region and its cultural nuances, the following are a few key areas to focus on for digital marketing in the GCC region:
1) Search engine optimization (SEO): With high internet and mobile penetration, ranking high on search engines is crucial. To achieve this, optimize website content for relevant keywords, and build links from high-quality websites.
2) Social media marketing: Social media is prevalent in the GCC region, so companies must have a strong presence on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This involves creating engaging content, as well as running ads.
3) Email marketing: Many people have an email address, so focusing on email marketing is necessary for any business even physical shops. Companies should send newsletters to educate and keep people engaged. Occasionally, they can send promotional offers such as discounts or coupons.
By focusing on these critical areas, companies can be successful with their digital marketing efforts in the GCC region.
Why Choose PixoPros? A Partner You Can Trust
PixoPros is a full-service Oman digital marketing agency. We can help with everything from developing a social media strategy to helping your website grow with the right content.
Why choose us to grow your business in the UAE and other GCC countries? We are experts in online marketing and can help you reach your target audience with a multi-channel approach.
We also understand how the online landscape is changing and can help you stay ahead of the curve. Besides, we commit to providing outstanding customer service. We will work with you to understand your specific needs and objectives and develop a customized plan to help you achieve your goals.
Contact us today if you are looking for a digital marketing agency that can provide you with the comprehensive services you need to succeed online.
We look forward to helping you grow your business.
CONTACT
+968 7170 6726
sales@pixopros.com
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