As a small business owner, the first step towards building a digital marketing strategy is understanding the different channels you can use to build your brand.

But sometimes you can get a bit lost in all the marketing jargon that gets thrown around in the media. That’s why we’ve created this easy-to-understand digital marketing guide for small businesses.        

Let’s start with listing 6 common online marketing tactics you can use to promote your small business: 

1. Social media marketing

According to the Yellow Social Media report 2020, 58% of Australians check social media the moment they wake up and so it’s hardly surprising that 63% per cent small to medium businesses believe their social media investment will contribute to increased sales in the next 12 months.

Read these tips to get started on your social media strategy now:

• 4 steps to create your brand personality on social media
• How to do your social media on a shoestring budget
• Social media strategy: 5 tips for using social media for small businesses

Watch now: Digital Marketing expert Nicola Moras shares her top tips to take your small business’s social media to new heights.

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2. Content marketing:

First things first, what IS content marketing? In simple terms, for a small business, content marketing can be defined as a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online with the ultimate goal of attracting customers for your business. 

So for example, if you’re a conveyancer and you start writing a blog on property giving Australians useful advice on the things they should keep in mind while buying property, you can build a relationship with an audience that’s looking to use conveyancing services in the foreseeable future. In marketing terms, this is what they call, top of funnel strategy where you’re reaching your customers early on in their purchase journey.      

Here’s a quick look at what a content marketing funnel looks like: 

Read these tips to get started on your online marketing strategy now:

• Content Marketing 101: What you need to know
• Tools and tips to improve your content marketing
• Why is content marketing so important?

3. Video marketing:

Did you know that including a video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%? Do you need another reason to understand why video marketing is so important for your business? 

Here are some more stats on the effectiveness of video over other content forms: 

• 95% of consumers say they watched a product video to learn more and 81% of them were convinced to make a purchase (source: com)
• 92% of mobile users say they share video content (source: Forbes)
• 76% of businesses with product videos say their sales have increased, while the improved educational quality of the content reduced support enquiries by 47% (source: com)
• 99% of businesses that have previously used video marketing intend to do so again this year, with 85% of them stating that video serves an important role in their marketing campaigns (source: com)

Read these tips to get started on your video media strategy now:

• Why video is the future of marketing
• Video Power: Giving social media what it wants
• How to use video to boost sales

4. SEO marketing:

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is all about understanding what your users are looking for and then organising your content by relevant topics so that search engines like Google can match your website with a user’s intent when searching. 

But with over 3.5 billion searches per day on Google alone, how do you make your content rank high on the search engine’s unpaid section? Don’t worry, we can help you find the answers.

Read these tips to get started on your social media strategy now:

• 6 simple SEO techniques to boost your search results
• Is your SEO keeping up with COVID-19’s new normal?
• From keyword to local search, good SEO leads to business success
• Stuck on SEO?  Six tips to help boost your search results ranking
• Starting a new website? Here’s our ultimate SEO guide

5. Search Engine marketing:

Are SEO and SEM two different things? Yes, they are! Very simply, Search Engine Marketing or SEM is the paid version of SEO. This is where you advertise your website to appear higher in search results.

Here’s an example of what SEO vs SEM looks like: 

For a more detailed understand, read our guide on SEO vs. SEM.

6. Email marketing:

While social media and SEO marketing have become very popular in recent times, email marketing is still ranked as one of the most effective marketing channels to reach your audience. In fact, more than 55% of marketers still observe the best ROI from email campaigns.

Fortunately, we have these great  tips to get started on your email strategy now:

• Email automation: how targeted segments can help you skyrocket sales
• 7 tips to nail your email strategy
• 5 essential tips for email marketing
• Tools to help perfect your marketing email