If you’re reading this, I assume that you’re either a blogger already or that you’re interested in becoming one. If you have a niche and are passionate about what you write, the online world is your oyster (or is that desert?). All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a decent microphone to get started.

While it’s not compulsory to have a blog to do effective SEO, it certainly doesn’t hurt. If you’re looking for a niche market that is well-established and has a lot of demand, then it’s a great place to start your blog. But if you’re just looking to branch out on your own and maybe take the blogosphere by storm, then the easiest way to do that is through online marketing. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about digital marketing, including SEO, email marketing, and paid marketing, so you can begin your journey to blogging success.

Why Blogging?

Blogging is a fantastic place to build an audience and a business, whether you’re a professional blogger or a newly-minted blog owner. The world of blogging is constantly evolving, and to keep up with the trends, you need to be able to switch gears quickly between content creation and marketing. Plus, with the increasing number of people using the internet and mobile phones, the ability to attract and engage an audience is more accessible than ever.

By taking the time to learn and implement the tips and tricks discussed below, you can greatly increase your odds of succeeding as a blogger.

Key Takeaways

Before we get started, it’s important to note that digital marketing is different from traditional offline marketing. With digital marketing, you’re primarily interacting with potential customers through digital platforms like websites and social media channels. This means that the focus is on attracting and engaging that audience, rather than on getting people to physically come to your business (i.e., offline marketing).

Because of this, digital marketing strategy should be flexible and able to evolve with the times, rather than being structured and rigid.

SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of raising the visibility of a website in search results of a particular search engine, usually Google. Essentially, SEO is the method of attracting and engaging potential customers via search.

SEO is very technical and contains a lot of nuances; if you’re looking to do SEO yourself, then hiring a reputable SEO company is a good idea. However, for those of you who are looking to increase your odds of appearing organically in search results, you need to take the time to learn the techniques and the software that your SEO company uses. There are free tools like Google’s Search Console that can help you monitor and analyze your SEO performance, as well as provide you with valuable insights into what’s working and what needs to be changed.

Include keywords in the following locations:

• Title
• Headers
• Body text
• Metadata

The location, frequency, and density of your keywords will determine your SEO success. When you optimize your site, you’re looking to rank organically for as many relevant and popular keywords as possible.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the technique of getting emails to actively engage with your potential customers. With that, you’ll be able to capture the attention of those who are interested in your product or service, and you can then convert them into paying customers. If you’re looking to grow your email list naturally, without relying on expensive paid marketing campaigns, then you need to make sure that you follow the right step-by-step guidelines. Luckily for you, we’re geeks and love sharing tips and tricks, so let’s get to it.

First, you’ll need to determine what type of content your readers will value the most. If you have a business-to-consumer (B2C) website, then you’ll want to focus on enticing those who are interested in your products to sign up for your newsletter. Alternatively, if you have a business-to-business (B2B) website, then you’ll want to focus on convincing existing customers to purchase more. From there, you can determine what type of content will engage your audience, whether that’s an informative piece on your topic or a funny anecdote about the industry.

Once you have determined this content, take some time to find out what type of email marketing software your business utilizes. There are many robust email marketing tools that can help you craft engaging emails, so don’t be afraid to experiment with various platforms. Some of the most popular ones include:

• MailChimp
• AWeber
• Constant Contact
• ADP Corporate Mail
• Pardot
• HubSpot
• GoDaddy Email Marketing

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Pay per click (PPC) marketing is similar to SEO in that you’re using paid advertisements to attract potential customers to your site. However, instead of increasing your site’s organic search ranking, in PPC you’re directly paying for each click on your ads. This is usually accomplished through a search engine like Google or Bing.

Bing Ads is one of the most popular PPC advertising platforms, which you can use to gain access to millions of monthly active users. Once you have a presence on Bing Ads, you can focus on attracting customers to your site via engaging content, creating demand, and growing your email list. Once you have a sizable audience, you can integrate a payment processor like Stripe into your site, allowing your readers to make purchases directly through your digital storefront.

Paid Marketing

Paid marketing is the practice of paying for advertisements, whether that’s via search engine optimization, email marketing, or pay-per-click. Like SEO and email marketing, paid marketing is about attracting potential customers to your site via paid advertisements. The primary difference is that in paid marketing, you’re not going to get all of your target audience to click on your ads. You’re paying for impressions and clicks, so you need to make sure that the ads you’re running are relevant to your target audience and that they’re of high quality.

With that, it’s important to note that not every advertisement is created equal. You need to make sure that the ad platform you’re using is a reputable one, as choosing an unproven or inexperienced company could lead you to perform poorly in the search engines. Alternatively, if you’re looking to save money, then ad networks like Media.net or RevBrain can get you much cheaper rates compared to traditional marketing agencies.

As a digital marketer, you’re going to be in the unique position of having access to a huge audience of potential customers, all eager to hear what you have to say. That’s a lot of power, and it can be used to create wonderful things. Just make sure that you don’t get too far ahead of yourself and ignore the advice of those who know less than you.