One of the most basic understandings of running a business is to make sure it is present where consumers are, and today, many consumers are in the digital world. Digital media plays a prominent role in how people make purchases today because it gives consumers access to a vast amount of knowledge at a fast pace.

To define digital media in simple terms, it is sharing information with people via technology, like the internet, smartphones, and iPad's. Consumers can find information about your business and decide right then and there whether they want to make a purchase or not. If they can't find your business with digital media, then your business won't even be considered. This means that if your small business doesn't have a digital presence, then it won't be able to survive! It won't able to compete with businesses that have digital marketing, a key to maintaining a successful and growing business.

In simple terms, digital marketing is making sure that your business has a strong digital presence. 

How can digital marketing help?

This blog lists a few digital marketing essentials and some tips on how to develop them for your small business.

Brand

One essential aspect of a smart digital marketing strategy is a business brand. It's a unique persona or identity of your business, and it's what people think of when they hear your business name. For example, when people hear Nike they think of shoes, but also of athletes, the "Just do it" mentality, and most importantly, it makes consumers feel something, and that something is empowerment. One can say that the Nike brand is an empowering brand and it appeals to its consumers. The benefit of having a well-developed business brand is that it makes the business stand out among competitors. This is important to have in a digital world because the competition is more than just local, it can be national, or even international. Another benefit to a good brand is that it will resonate with consumers, building customer loyalty and satisfaction. Consider the following tips when developing a brand: 

• Know what your business stands for. What values should your business embody and what do you want your consumers to feel when they use your product or service? 
• Pick official colors and typography that will represent your brand. Make sure they reflect the value and feel you want your brand to embody.
• Be consistent! Stick to your brand in every content you share to establish it, otherwise your business will just look like it has an identity crisis.

Website

If your business is going to be present in the digital world, then it needs a digital space to live in so people can find it. The best space it can have is a website, a unique and official internet address that is accessible to consumers. A site is also a marketing tool that can share content with consumers, and it's often the place where people can find everything they need from your business, such as news, product information, contact information, and more. The benefit of having a website, if done correctly, is that it makes finding your business easy for people because one of the first things consumers do, when making a purchasing decision, is to do an online search. Consider the following tips on when building a website:

• The website design should reflect your brand!
• Make sure your website is user-friendly. Are the links easy to click or is the font size big enough to read on a smart phone? A website that's hard to use is a useless one.  
• Your website should have Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In other words, it needs to allow consumers to easily find your site through search engines, like Google. 

Check out some websites we've done for our clients and find out how it helped them improve their business! 

Social Media

Social media is a big deal in the digital world. It's how people stay connected with each other as well as staying updated on news, events, and trends. The benefit of having social media for your business is expanding your digital presence. You can be present not only on your website but where consumers are too, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. A website is where consumers can come to you, but with social media, you can go to them and engage with consumers. This helps you build your brand exposure, which helps attract new consumers to your website. Consider these tips when building social media presence: 

• Make sure that the content you share on social media is consistently reflecting your brand. That's how important consistency is!
• Share relevant content that your consumers care about. They might prefer videos over images or like puns more than inspiring quotes. Do you know what they like?
• Engage with consumers by liking, sharing, commenting, and responding to their questions and comments. This shows you value them as people and it helps build customer relationships!

Brand, website, and social media are three digital marketing essentials that every small business needs to grow. However, developing those things require expertise, but the value it brings is worth it. With the proper expertise, any small business can successfully create an effective digital marketing strategy that enables it to thrive.

Do these three essentials sound like something your business can use? We can help! 

Chat with us today to find out how you can start building your digital presence.