The Four Ingredients of the Digital Marketing Pizza

In honor of National Small Business Week we are writing a week of blog posts to help the small business succeed online. Today we are going to talk about the four parts of the digital marketing mix. In order for someone to succeed online, a business should have a strategy that includes each of these components.

Digital Marketing Starts With the Web

No online presence is complete without a content-rich website. A website is your online home. It is the place where all other digital marketing efforts direct traffic. This is the one platform you own. You own the space on the server. You own the domain name. You own the content on that site. Noone can take that away from you. You also control the content so once visitors are directed to your site, you can serve them the content that you want them to see most.

Search Optimized Presence

Once your website is built, it has to be optimized for search. First, the structure of the pages must attract search engines. Titles and descriptions must be added to each page and those descriptions must contain keywords that your prospects are searching for. Next, search companies and data aggregators must know about you and your site. These tasks are all part of a comprehensive SEO strategy.

Social Media will Attract Visitors

One of the biggest roles of social media is to bring your message to the masses and attract them to your website. No matter what platforms you choose to accomplish this with, social media is an effective tool to bring new people to your website. Once they are at your site, it is the job of a well-built website to sell your product/service.

Creative Digital Advertising Works

The role of digital advertising is to bring potential buyers and visitors to your website. Digital advertising is so much more than just buying keywords with Google AdWords. Digital advertising requires a strategy. You must define your target and then develop specific strategies to reach them with frequency. Digital advertising is very powerful if done well.

Digital marketing is about balance. In Chicago, we are all about pizza. Like digital marketing, a good pizza comes from the perfect harmony of ingredients – the sauce, the crust, the toppings and the cheese. Success in digital means looking at all of the pieces and putting them together in a manner that produces results.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:
This week, in honor of National Small Business Week, we will be giving away a digital marketing makeover valued at $5,000. To nominate a deserving small business, check out our Facebook page at www.digitalbusinessgiveaway.com.