Digital marketing is the process of using digital technologies and processes for promoting a product, service or brand by creating customer awareness through various media channels. It also includes planning content strategies, defining target audiences, measuring results, reporting on activities, etc.
Digital marketing methods include search engine optimisation, social medial advertising, email marketing, online branding, mobile advertising, display ads, web development from design to deployment, conversion tracking, analytics programs, paid search, pay per click campaigns, video marketing, re-marketing/remarketing, eCommerce technology, influencer marketing, content marketing, native advertisements, viral marketing, among others. The goal of this approach is typical to generate leads and sales.
In today’s digital space, digital marketing has become one of the most important aspects of any business strategy as it helps businesses reach out to their customers more effectively. With so many different ways available today to promote your products and services, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be doing some form of digital marketing.
This toolkit will give you an overview of what it takes to market your business in tourism. The first step towards becoming a good digital marketer is understanding your audience.
Types of digital marketing
Digital marketing includes not only email social media, and web-based advertising, but also text and multimedia messages as a marketing channel. Digital marketing spreads across a massive network that connects all types of devices such as computers, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, televisions, cars, and even refrigerators! This makes it possible to connect with consumers at every stage of the buying cycle.
The types of digital marketing are :
1) Search Engine Optimisation:
SEO involves improving website ranking on Google, Yahoo & Bing. SEO can help increase traffic to your site. SEO might be the most overused term you hear these days but it’s very relevant. If you learn the basics of SEO then you would know how to optimize your own sites. You need to have a clear idea of who your ideal visitor is before starting with SEO. Once you do that, you can start optimizing your pages accordingly.
There are several free tools like SEMrush which can help you understand where your visitors come from and what keywords they use when searching for information related to your niche.
SEO gives you an advantage with organic rankings because if people find your page organically, they tend to stay longer than those who get directed to your page via PPC. Organic listings are those returned in response to queries users enter into search engines without going via sponsored links. In general, people trust websites ranked highly in search engine rankings. Therefore, having a high domain authority score benefits your website. High quality content is the key factor here. It should include useful tips or advice along with images and videos.
Search engines like Google use algorithms to rank websites according to their relevance to keywords entered by users. SEO focuses on optimizing website copy and HTML code to help search engines find relevant pages when someone searches using specific terms. It’s often used to attract organic traffic.
Tools you can use for SEO
a. Keyword research – Keywords are words used by searchers to find things online. They are often found through keyword searches conducted using popular search engines. A list of keywords is called “keyword list”. There are various methods to create a keyword list including manual techniques and software-based ones. For example, WordStream offers a keyword suggestion feature that generates lists of suggested keywords automatically. Another method is to conduct a competitive analysis. Tools like Ahrefs allow you to see what other competitors rank for each keyword phrase.
b. Website audit – Website audits involve checking whether your current website design meets industry standards and best practices. An expert review helps identify areas requiring improvement so that you can make changes to improve user experience. Audits may reveal issues such as broken links, outdated graphics, missing meta tags, etc.
c. Content creation – Content plays a vital role in any successful campaign. The more original and unique your content is, the higher chances there are of getting noticed. However, creating great content isn’t easy. To ensure success, you must first define your audience well. Who exactly will read this piece? What problems does it solve? How much time do readers spend reading articles? These questions help determine the type of content you write.
d. Link building – Link building involves finding ways to link back to your website from others’ blogs and social media profiles. This not only improves your ranking on search results pages but also increases visibility among potential customers. Some common types of link building include guest blogging, article marketing, press release distribution, forum posting, directory submissions, blog commenting, and social bookmarking. Link building must be approached with caution though; avoid overdoing it. If done incorrectly, it could result in penalties against your site’s Google PageRank.
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs
- Google Search Console
- WordStream
- SE Ranking
2) Paid Search:
Paid search or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising allows advertisers to bid on specific keyword phrases. When someone clicks on a link within a PPC ad, he or she is taken directly to the advertiser’s landing page. Advertisers may choose whether to show their ads on both organic and non-organic searches. PPC ads can be very effective if done correctly; however, mistakes made by advertisers can result in poor performance due to negative user experiences.
Advertisers bid on keyword phrases or ad groups associated with particular topics. When advertisers win auctions, they appear at the top of SERPs. Advertisers may target people based on demographic data such as age, gender, location, income level, occupation, education, interests, etc., or even behaviour patterns around certain subjects.
Some companies offer pay per lead, in which case the company pays a fee whenever a new potential customer becomes qualified enough to receive further contact from the company. Cost-per-lead (CPL) pricing depends on various factors including type of communication requested, the time allowed, location-targeted etc. Used correctly PPC can bring significant benefits to marketers looking to improve ROI.
3) Social Media Advertising:
Social media platforms provide another avenue for marketers to advertise their brand. These include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tumblr, Reddit, Periscope, Vine, WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Line. Marketers must remember that, unlike traditional media advertisements, social media content can produce instant results because users trust other people just as much as brands. However, this does not mean that all forms of online advertisement should be used indiscriminately. For example, while posting about an upcoming event will likely get more attention than a pre-recorded video, recorded videos tend to work better in terms of engagement. Social media advertising allows marketers to reach potential buyers directly via social networks.
Just like SEO, you must optimise your social media posts so they are relevant to what’s happening now. Social Media Optimisation (SMO) refers to optimising your business presence across different platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc. Social media optimisation includes activities like sharing relevant posts, updating status regularly, responding to comments, liking photos/videos posted by friends, replying to tweets, uploading pictures, etc.
The best way to achieve this is through monitoring conversations taking place across different channels. You need to find out where your audience spends most of its time and then use these locations as points of reference when creating future content.
4) Email Marketing:
Email marketing has been around for decades now. It’s one of the best ways to communicate with clients and prospects alike. However, not all types of businesses are created equal when it comes to email marketing. For example, an auto repair shop will probably generate more interest in sending emails regarding car maintenance compared to a law firm. It goes without saying that every industry requires unique approaches to effective email marketing.
The key here is to make sure that emails are well designed and contain useful information. They also need to be sent out regularly so that customers don’t forget about them. One thing that email campaigns lack though is personalization. That means that there isn’t any way to target individuals based on things like age, gender, interests, hobbies, job title, or anything else. But again, since email marketing doesn’t require too many resources, it’s still worth trying.
You can use free email marketing tools such as:
5) Content Marketing:
Content marketing works by creating valuable content and sharing it across different channels. This helps build relationships between businesses and consumers. Consumers then become aware of these businesses through the content shared and eventually purchase products/services offered by those businesses. Online content shares three times faster than print content, making websites a popular place among consumers to find quality content. Websites such as Buzzfeed create large amounts of content quickly using creative techniques.
Content creation involves creating original pieces of written material such as articles, press releases, white papers, eBooks, infographics, blog posts, product descriptions, sales letters, presentations, etc., either for others’ consumption or publishing yourself. This could involve writing blogs, reviews, news stories, features, guides, FAQs, webinars, etc. You might create these using third party tools but you’ll want to do some research into what works best for your business before doing so.
- Ansewer the public is a good resource to help generate high quality contents.
6) Video Marketing:
Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular, especially among businesses who want to use digital marketing strategies to improve their visibility and increase conversions. Many websites have even shifted their entire design template to focus solely on video. In fact, according to HubSpot, nearly half of B2B companies say they currently spend over 10 hours per week planning how to incorporate video into their strategy and tactics. While video may seem expensive at first, if you think about it from a long term perspective – and take advantage of today’s technology – it actually becomes far less costly down the road. As mobile usage continues to grow, people expect to watch the video anywhere, anytime, which makes this type of advertising very accessible. And because online viewers trust sites where the video is used frequently, it can help boost traffic when other forms of digital media fail to convert leads.
7) Blogging
Blogging has been around forever, but only recently did it start being seen as an effective form of internet marketing. The idea behind blogging is simple; write interesting stuff and link back to relevant sources. It takes time to get good at it, but once you’ve built up enough readership, you should see more clients coming in. There are two types of bloggers: professional writers with big platforms and amateurs with small ones. In tourism, blogging is often done by travel agents and tour operators. They share information about upcoming trips, special offers, new destinations, and general tips and advice. However, be sure that whatever method you choose doesn’t conflict with your brand image. For example, if you’re a luxury hotel chain, don’t post pictures of your staff wearing uniforms from a local fast food restaurant!
8) Podcasting
Podcasting is gaining popularity every day thanks to its ability to reach out to audiences through audio alone. If you haven’t already started one, now’s probably a great time to begin. A podcast isn’t just another way to market your products or services — it’s also a powerful tool for building relationships with potential customers. By recording interviews with experts in your industry, you not only build credibility, but you give listeners something unique to listen to while driving home. Plus, podcasts are easy to produce and distribute, making them ideal for any size company. You could launch podcasts on platforms like Spotify, iTunes, TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud, PlayerFM, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Podbean, and many others.