In today’s world, there is no corner of the digital sphere that is not touched by the powers that be of online marketing. From SEO to social media management, paid media, and website building, to email marketing, conversion optimization, and website analytics, the field of digital marketing is ever changing and evolving to keep up with the growing demand for digital marketing expertise.

With the rise of digital marketing, the tasks of running an online marketing department have become significantly easier. No longer do you need to be an expert in all areas of marketing to take on the responsibility of managing a digital marketing program. Thanks to platforms like HubSpot which provide marketing automation and coordination between different areas of functionality, creating a fully functioning, integrated marketing department is now a possibility.

1. Email Marketing

With an average of 24% of the world’s total population using email, marketers have enough ammunition to reach virtually every business and consumer out there. Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that allows businesses to communicate with prospective customers with ease, allowing for further engagement and increased conversion. In other words, sending an email is equivalent to hitting a hot-button that triggers an action, be that clicking a link, filling out a form, or making a purchase.

It is a well-established fact that the use of email marketing dramatically increases a business’s chance of receiving a purchase order or registration form.

Further to this, businesses that use email marketing generate a 7% increase in sales compared to businesses that do not use email marketing. So, whether you are looking to increase your web traffic or boost your sales, integrating an email marketing campaign is a good idea.

2. SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is, essentially, the practice of tweaking your website’s content and design to make it easier for search engines like Google to understand and, therefore, to rank your website or blog in relevant searches.

When a potential customer types in a search query into Google, your website will appear in the results – hopefully, at the top of the list.

You want to appear in the results when someone searches for your product or service, so of course you want to do whatever it takes to make your site rank highly in search engine results. As search engines optimize websites and social media for relevant and informative content, keeping up with the changing SEO tides can be a daunting task. This is where an SEO agency can help with implementing long-term SEO strategies and tactics, analyzing performance, and providing regular SEO reports and suggestions for improving performance.

SEO is a constantly evolving field, with new strategies and tactics being implemented daily to get the best possible results from web searches. As the demand for SEO expertise increases, so do the salaries that SEO experts can command. In 2020, the typical salary for an SEO fell by 2% to an average of £76,000 per year.

3. Social Media

With 83% of consumers using social media, it is fair to say that marketers have an audience to appease, engage, and retain. Thanks to platforms like Facebook which provide businesses with a free tool to create engaging content, spreading brand awareness, encouraging interaction, and growing a business’s online community is much easier than it has ever been.

Creating a Social Media plan can help businesses to understand what content will be shared across different platforms, when it will be shared, and how the content will be utilized to achieve business goals.

The popularity of social media platforms means that there is always someone, somewhere that has something worthwhile to say. If your business does not currently have a social media presence, considering creating a Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram account to engage with customers, prospective customers, and other businesses.

4. Website Building

The amount of time that people spend on the internet has increased by 300% in the last 10 years, growing from 4 hours/week in 2009 to 13 hours/week in 2019.

As the quantity of digital activity increases, so does the demand for websites. From small businesses establishing a presence on online marketplaces to multinational corporations taking advantage of the World Wide Web, entrepreneurs can quickly establish a presence on the Internet.

Website building is all about making the most out of your web presence, which can include everything from developing a compelling blog article strategy to creating an effective SEO-friendly website structure. Knowing what to include on a website, how to position it, and how to implement a web strategy is all part of the expertise that a digital marketing manager will need.

5. Converting Traffic

As the name would suggest, conversion optimization (CO) is the practice of increasing a business’s conversion rate, the amount of people who take a desired action, or behave in a desired way, after discovering your product or service.

Thanks to digital marketing analytics (DMA), businesses can accurately measure the success of an online marketing campaign, segment, or channel, as well as make necessary adjustments, accordingly. For example, if you are trying to drive traffic to a web site but are only witnessing a 15% conversion rate, you might find that the design of the web site is hampering the flow of potential customers, or that the content is not resonating with your target audience, or both.

A DMA can easily follow the entire process of a consumer discovering your product, all the way through to them taking an action, or behaving in a certain way, as a result of that discovery. For example, if you are running a store and noticed that, after discovering your brand, people are more likely to make a purchase from a competitor – a DMA would be able to tell you precisely why that is, segmenting the results by interest, age, and location, giving you the power to act and make changes to improve your bottom line. (Learn more about DMA tools here.)

With the right tools, data, and training, a digital marketing manager can take on the responsibility of growing a business’s online footprint, driving revenue, and demonstrating ROI from online marketing activities. If you are passionate about increasing your businesses’ revenue through digital marketing and have the hunger to learn, then this is the course for you.