Our connection to technology, and specifically the Internet, has transformed the way we offer and consume products and services. We have moved from traditional channels, such as television or radio, to online media - such as websites, social networks and blogs - to search for, promote, sell or buy any type of service or product. 

This use of online media is known as digital marketing.

But apart from the media they use, there are other notable differences between digital and traditional marketing that show the advantages of digital marketing. For example, reach. Thanks to the Internet, digital marketing can increase the promotion and facilitate the distribution of a product on a national or international level.

Digital marketing also provides tools to better understand audiences and segment them more precisely, as well as to measure performance more quickly. It also makes it easier to keep track of contacts or customers, the products they buy and their interests and tastes.

Another advantage of digital marketing is that it allows direct and almost immediate interaction with customers. This ease of interaction and communication can be beneficial in creating a bond of loyalty with them.

As you can see, digital marketing is a valuable opportunity for large and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve their sales. To do this, it is essential that companies know how to adapt and take advantage of the tools and possibilities of the digital environment and that they remember that, as with traditional marketing, digital marketing requires a strategy aimed at achieving a company's objectives.

Here are some tips and advice to help you make the most of digital marketing for your company's growth.

There are many useful tools for developing digital marketing campaigns, and perhaps you have already incorporated some of them into your business. 

We've taken advantage of this list of the most outstanding strategies from the Digital Marketing course, available at ConnectAmericas Academy, to explain what each one consists of and, most importantly, how you can take advantage of them.

• Website: used to showcase and promote a product or service, detail its features and market it. It also allows you to keep in touch with customers, receive their questions and send them messages.
• Email: this is the use of email to send promotional messages, but you need to get your customers' permission to do so. A solid contact list can become a loyal audience to which you can write instant messages. It's also a great tool for launching new products.
• Social networks: visibility on social networks is good for a company's branding, it helps build public loyalty and attract new customers, and it's even possible to advertise on some of them, such as Facebook and Instagram. 
• Content marketing: consists of creating content related to your product or service. The key is to develop content that positions you as a knowledge leader in the area you write about, in order to generate trust in those who read it and motivate them to buy your product or service.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): this is about getting your website to rank highly or better on search engines such as Google. This tool is valuable if we take into account that consumers tend to search the Internet before making any purchasing decisions.
• Pay-per-click: consists of developing ads for your website and displaying them in the paid section of search results, such as Google Adwords. This method generates results in the short term, but is also the most expensive.

Did you know about any of these tools and have you implemented any of them in your company?

We have said that digital marketing campaigns must be aligned with the objectives of your business. Before starting a campaign we recommend you to make a digital marketing plan, in which you delineate not only the objectives to be met, but also the audience you want to reach and the strategies to achieve it.

It is essential that you know the characteristics of the product or service you want to promote and the needs of your customers.

Having a plan will allow you to better understand the market context, your potential customers and will help you make better decisions according to your objectives and not only obey trends.

Design a digital marketing plan that includes the following elements:

• Objective: Why am I doing this campaign, what do I want to achieve with it? 
• Target audience: What is the archetype of your ideal client? Create it considering specific socio-demographic data and information such as their personal, professional and online behavior, what are their concerns and worries and through which channels they receive information that can lead them to make a purchase decision. This archetype is known as buyer persona. If you have more than one buyer persona, differentiate as precisely as possible what distinguishes each one in order to identify the needs of each one and what motivates them to consume your product or service. 
• Message: What product or service am I going to promote? What are the needs of your target audience and how does your product or service solve that need? All the information outlined in the buyer persona will allow you to create messages with the right tone and focus and plan a better content strategy.
• Strategies: How are you going to achieve your objectives and what are the concrete actions to follow? There are some strategies derived from traditional marketing that are applicable to digital marketing: 

Positioning: focused on reinforcing, changing or generating a new concept that defines and identifies a product or company.
Differentiation: they take into account the competitive advantage and value proposition that differentiates your product from the competition.
Growth: they seek to reach new markets or achieve growth in the current market.

• Niche: focused on exploiting the needs of a specific market and increasing positioning.
• Promotion channels: Where do I want to carry out the campaign? What channels does your target audience prefer?
• Timing and budget: When do I want to start the marketing campaign and how long will it last? How much will I invest?
• Measuring results: What worked and what do I need to adjust? To measure your results it is convenient to establish performance indicators (KPI) and monitor them during the implementation of your campaign. Keep in mind that these indicators are defined by you and are not always the same as the metrics.

For more information on each of these elements, we suggest you consult this document from the Innovative Entrepreneur Toolkit, another online course available at the ConnectAmericas Academy.

Final Recommendations

We compiled some final tips for you to keep in mind every time you develop a new digital marketing campaign.

• Take advantage of what you know: Take advantage of the knowledge you already have about your customers, your product and your brand to develop your strategy.
• Be flexible: Be prepared to modify your plan as much as necessary to respond to the evaluation and feedback you receive on your campaigns.
• Watch, observe and learn: Take the time to familiarize yourself with the tools and platforms you want to participate in.
• Be relevant, interesting and entertaining: Create content that brings value to your customers and at the same time helps you achieve your goals.
• Always respond: Whether you have a large customer community or a small one, always respond to their concerns and comments. Failure to do so may suggest a lack of interest on your part and damage the image of your business. Don't ignore negative messages or delete them; respond to them in a positive way.

Keep in mind that digital marketing is constantly changing and requires businesses to be constantly adapting. So don't feel overwhelmed if at the beginning you don't get the expected results to position your online presence. Be constant in the planning of your strategies and their implementation and take advantage of the benefits of technology to find solutions and innovate.