Over the last 20 years, information technology and digital media have rapidly become a part of our everyday lives. They’ve dramatically affected the way people acquire information and completely transformed marketing strategies. As digital marketing continues to evolve and grow, it can be challenging to keep up with the latest digital marketing channels, tactics and best practices.
The Baer Performance Marketing team is often asked a wide variety of digital marketing questions, and over the years, we’ve discovered many of our clients have similar inquiries. This article aims to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about launching a successful digital marketing campaign.
What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
Answer: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing the design, coding and content of a website to improve its organic ranking within search engine results pages. The benefits of a well-executed SEO strategy include an increased volume and better quality of organic inbound traffic to a website.
What is search engine marketing (SEM)?
Answer: Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to the use of paid advertising (such as pay-per-click [PPC] Google Ad campaigns) to increase a website’s visibility on search engine results pages. As its name suggests, businesses only pay when potential customers click on a PPC ad.
How can my business benefit from social media marketing?
Answer: With Internet users spending an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networks, it’s increasingly important for businesses to develop a strong social media marketing strategy.
Social media marketing is often viewed as a cost-effective way to reach a large number of people quickly, but it’s important campaigns are carried out in accordance with a business’ goals and target audience.
When social media channels are leveraged properly, businesses gain:
- A boost in search engine ranking
- Increased web traffic
- Higher conversion rates
- Strengthened brand awareness and loyalty
- Improved customer relations and satisfaction
- A better understanding of a target audience
How often should my business be sending marketing emails?
Answer: With email click-through rates as low as 1-3 percent for some industries, determining how often emails should be sent is imperative to a campaign’s success. To find the frequency that’s most effective for your company, vary the quantity of emails sent out month to month, and take note of what number or distribution pattern sees the highest open and click-through rates. One email every week or two is usually enough for most businesses to stay top-of-mind without bombarding subscribers.
When is the best day/time to distribute marketing emails?
Answer: This answer can also vary. Monitoring open and click-through rates is the easiest way to find the timing that’s most effective for your company.
In most cases, you’ll want to avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, but depending on your audience and campaign goals, those times could possibly garner the most clicks. Retailers often see the best results at the beginning of the month (after payday).
How do I gain more email marketing subscribers?
Answer: The success of an email marketing campaign is directly tied to the quality of its subscriber list. A large list doesn’t equal success if it isn’t being built with the right audience. If the recipients aren’t interested in or in need of your products or services, your efforts will fall flat. Profitable email lists often include current customers, past customers, leads, referral partners, employees, and board members. To capture these contacts, give them plenty of opportunities and reminders to sign up for your eblast campaigns. Include opt-in links on your website, in your email signature and throughout other marketing initiatives such as social media.
How often should I redesign my website?
Answer: Generally speaking, a website should be redesigned every 1.5 – 2.5 years. Not only does a modernized look with refreshed messaging keep visitors engaged, it also improves a site’s online search ranking.
However, in between redesigns, a website cannot become stagnant. Consistent blogging improves SEO, and a website’s structure and content should be continuously evaluated and fine-tuned to improve conversions.
How long does it take to see results from a digital marketing campaign?
Answer: At Baer Performance Marketing, we create customized marketing strategies for every client. Timelines are based on what a company already has in place, plus what tactics are needed to achieve goals and grow. Companies with professionally-designed, SEO-friendly websites and repurposable content (video or blogs) will see results faster than clients who need to start from scratch.
Inbound marketing strategies can often take several months to ramp up results, but steady improvement is being achieved during that time. As search-engine ranking improves, the brand’s strength is solidifying. Also, results tend to grow exponentially when a strategy is maintained over time. Blog posts, for example, can generate leads years after they were originally published.
Marketing success is achieved with the mindset of a marathon, not a sprint. Best practices focus on long-term strategies rather than quick fixes.
Wrap-Up
There are no dumb questions when it comes to digital marketing. If you didn’t find the answer you were looking for in this article, send us a message.
Also, be sure to follow Baer Performance Marketing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for more digital marketing tips and tricks.
