6 Digital Marketing Channels You should Prioritize in 2021

It’s difficult to say who the winners and losers are during this pandemic. However, specific industries have seen positive changes in their consumer habits. eCommerce has seen a significant increase in its popularity, especially within the Food & Drinks and Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, Beauty, and Personal Care segments. Many businesses have experienced rapid digital transformation. Digital Marketing Channels are not an exception. With many business conferences and in-person events being cancelled, marketers have to adapt their digital marketing strategy.

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Digital marketing is crucial for small businesses

People are more connected online than ever before. As a result, small businesses need a digital marketing strategy to stay relevant. There are more digital services and platforms than ever before, mainly when more people are online and looking for more cost-effective, customer-centric and convenient solutions.

Digital marketing should be part of your communication strategy, even if you don’t sell products online. However, it is essential to fine-tune digital channels to your business goals. While digital can be an effective and cost-effective way to reach customers, it can also prove costly if not used strategically.

Which marketing channel is most effective?

These are the top digital marketing channels you can use during and after a pandemic.

1. Organic search

Organic search is when a user enters some words into their preferred search engine to get presented with many links that lead to relevant content. It is when a user clicks on one of the links given to them. Many people are interested in learning more about different topics. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s interest has risen by 72%.

How can you make organic search work for you? You can create content, sales pages, product descriptions, and other materials around the terms your target market will search for. It’s not easy to do, but it is essential to understand your target market and provide resources, products and services that meet their needs.

You can get an idea of who ranks for the keywords you want to rank for by looking at their ranking. Look at their article titles and page structures, as well as the links to other websites they have. These features can be adapted to your eCommerce website. To quickly outsmart your competition, you should be able to answer specific questions and offer more resources.

2. Social media

In May 2020, research across 20 countries showed that 42% spent more time on social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic. You may be familiar with the top social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, YouTube. There is a good chance people will check their favourite social media pages and find a post about you, your products, or your services.

This type of traffic isn’t difficult to build in reality. However, it requires the frequent creation of engaging and relevant content. It can be hard to keep up without a dedicated employee to manage your social media channels and a regular posting schedule. However, if your company has a dedicated client base, it’s possible to crowdsource content quickly to jumpstart your social media presence.

Once you have gained some traction, the key is to stay in touch. Offer exclusive promotions, reach those most engaged, and highlight your social media channels on your site.

You might also consider running paid ads on social media channels. These are often low-cost campaigns that target a particular niche. For example, if you search ads (which we’ll discuss in a moment), your social ads may complement your message and offer additional touchpoints to potential customers.

3. Email marketing

Email traffic refers to the traffic generated by your outbound emails and your interactions with email. For example, if someone sees a link embedded within an email and clicks on it, they should be taken to your website.

Email traffic has a few advantages. It is inexpensive and can be highly effective if done right. Many people still live in their homes and are therefore more likely to open their emails. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 44% more emails were sent.

It is why you need to make sure you are using your email list as much during the pandemic. However, you should also be aware that many businesses are doing the same thing. It means that you will need to refine and test your communications. The difference between a conversion or an unread email can be made by your subject lines, introductions, and email length.

4. Referrals

Referrals are traffic that is referred to one website from another. They offer an excellent opportunity for turning one-time visitors into long-term clients. For example, if you have a loyal customer base who loves your products and services, you might offer a half-off coupon that they can share with their friends. As your most excellent sales ambassadors, making customers happy is a top priority.

You can partner with other businesses to offer sharable benefits and promotions. For example, you can cross-promote each other’s sites, create co-branded products, and run social contests among your followers. It is a great way to reach a broader audience that may be complementary but still easy to do.

5. Paid search

Paid search marketing can include things such as GeoMarketing, GeoFencing and banner ads. The significant difference between paid and organic search strategies is that you have to pay for many different things. It applies to every ad and display, every visitor, and every conversion.

GeoFencing (targeting customers in a particular geographic area of your business) should be considered a secondary option. However, it is worth considering investing some marketing money into paid advertising. To find the best cost-effective combination, start small and test different landing pages, ad copy, and targeting.

While optimizing paid ads may take some time, you can increase or decrease spending based on actual results. It is a more risky option that can become more efficient over time than traditional advertising.

6. Third-party resellers and affiliate programs || Digital Marketing Channels

Affiliate programs and third-party sellers like Amazon, Rakuten and Etsy are just a few of the other channels you have. It is an excellent way for you to promote your products and services on established platforms. It will help you gain credibility and increase sales.

These channels won’t guarantee you a 100 per cent commission on every sale. However, it is possible to attract new audiences by using these channels, which can be better than advertising upfront.

Which marketing channel is the most important?

Each of these digital marketing channels is important in its ways. Each channel has its benefits and purposes, but you have to decide which is best for your company. It would help if you also remembered that digital marketing channels could be used in conjunction.

It is good to do a market analysis to find out which platforms are most popular with your customers. Next, set goals and budgets to support your digital marketing efforts. If you are unsure, you can always refer to your overall business strategy and forecasts. Otherwise, support current initiatives. It is essential to start now, as digital marketing and communication is here to stay. While optimizing paid ads may take some time, you can increase or decrease spending based on actual results. It is a more risky option that can become more efficient over time than traditional advertising.

Disclaimer. The opinions and views expressed in this article are the authors Judge Napolitano.

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