There are so many digital marketing channels that can help your brand, product or service stand up and stand out above everyone else; some free and some you have to pay for. So, which one, or ones, do you choose?

My simple digital marketing channel guide tells you what you need to know at a glance, and where to delve deeper.

What Is Search Engine Optimisation?

SEO helps your website zoom up Google rankings organically and appear more frequently in searches.

How do you go about it?

1. Sign up for Google Search Console. It’s a free service that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results.
2. Ensure your content is fresh, unique and contains relevant keywords without looking like a shopping list of them. Chose keywords and key phrases that your customers might use to find you e.g ‘freelance copywriter’ or ‘Where can I find a creative copywriter in London?’
3. Don’t forget to write and optimise your meta titles, meta descriptors, alt tags and H1 headers.

Learn more about Search Console.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

SEM is about paying for ads online that show up on Google and relevant websites. They’re also known as PPC ads (pay per click) because you only pay when someone clicks on your ad to visit your site or call your business.

How do you go about it?

1. Create a Google Ads account, then create a campaign and decide on your goal and budget.
2. Choose keywords (use Google’s keyword tool to help you), especially long phrases as these are more specific and targeted to your customers.
3. Make sure you understand keyword matching options and eek out any negative keywords to avoid irrelevant searches triggering your ad.

Learn more about Google ads.

What is Display Marketing?

Ads, such as banner ads on websites or videos that promote a brand, product or service and link to a website for more information. You can even be targeted by creating a campaign that uses your data segments to show ads to customers who’ve been on your website or app.

How do you go about it?

1. Create a Google Ads account, then create a campaign
2. Select ‘Display Network only’ as the campaign type.
3. Choose which types of Google Display Network targeting you want for your campaign. For example, based on interests and demographics.

Learn more about display campaigns.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing lets you attract and engage customers on socials such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,

TikTok and YouTube, and also build a following.

How do you go about it?

1. Identify your target audience based on factors such as demographics, interests and profession. For example, an accountancy firm is better off using LinkedIn, while a jewellery designer would be choose a highly visual route such as Instagram or Pinterest.
2. Plan a schedule for your posts.
3. Create engaging content through photos, videos, blogs with links to your site and hashtags where relevant.

Learn more about social media marketing.

What is Email Marketing?

Communicating with existing clients or customers (hot leads) and with new ones (cold leads) through emails or email funnels.

How do you go about it?

1. Choose your email marketing platform. For example, Mailchimp, HubSpot or a paid-for one such as Drip.
2. Create your own list of contacts or buy a list. You ned to give people the option to opt out of receiving emails.
3. Create attention-grabbing and engaging emails that people will want to open and read.

Learn more about writing emails.

What is Content Marketing?

Creating relevant and useful content such as through blogs, how-tos, videos, or posts to attract and engage customers, instead of pitching your product or service, and promote brand awareness.

How do you go about it?

1. Identify your audience based around interests, demographics, profession, etc.
2. Identify information that will be helpful or of interest: Google Trends shows what people are currently looking for, while  Google Question Hub collects unanswered questions directly from users to identify content gaps online
3. Choose the right channel on which to share relevant articles, videos, infographics or podcasts to reach and engage your audience

Learn more about content marketing.

Choosing the right digital marketing channel can depend on a number of things. Do you want to boost traffic to your website or increase online sales or build a following and loyalty or improve brand awareness and reach?

These digital marketing channels vary in some way but they have one thing in common for success … good copy.

Written by Caroline Gibson, a freelance copywriter who can help you navigate your chosen digital marketing channel (and with good copy).

First published on carolinegibson.co.uk