Are you keeping up with the times? Advertising sure is! Ads, the effective ones, are going digital. Digital marketing is now every business’s solution to reaching a wider demographic. Learn how to create an online marketing campaign that will get your brand seen, heard, and trusted. Here are some digital marketing tips!

From the good ole’ fashioned yellow pages to the bright digital screen, advertising has come a long way since its inception. For small and large businesses alike, digital marketing plays a big role in reaching the modern Internet-browsing market. With everyone’s eyes frequently glued to their screens, your brand has more chances to be seen. But you need to position yourself in the right places and the proper form, of course.

If you’re a startup owner looking to up your advertising game, then we’ve got some helpful digital marketing tips from the pros. We’ve compiled advice from veteran entrepreneurs who’ve played the game, made their mistakes, learned, and succeeded.

First off, let’s get a better understanding of what digital marketing really is.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing is defined as the use of the Internet to reach a target audience. Depending on a company’s goal, they can make use of any platform to connect to customers, sell and promote products, or simply make their brand visible online.

It is often used as an umbrella term for all kinds of marketing strategies done over the Interweb. This type of advertising concept is commonly associated with social media, search engines, and all types of online media promotion.

“Digital marketing can mean so many different things these days,” says Matt Watson, Full Scale founder, “It’s a wide mix of online advertising, retargeting, email marketing, webinars, SEO, and content marketing.”

Digital marketing campaigns, however they’re executed, sends out a message. And that message is communicated through digital ads. Hence, you must invest in the materials you plan to use. Don’t rush into things, rather, investigate what strategies would best work for you.

Digital Marketing Tips

1. Be Visible

The first and most basic step—go digital. You need your brand visible on the platforms people frequent. And no matter what type of industry you’re in, your customers are likely interacting online. And they’ll appreciate knowing they can count on you to be there too.

Erik Perkins, CEO of the Perkins Builder Brothers, aptly put it, “People don’t believe it’s a real company unless you actually have a website.” If you want to appear credible and relevant, you need all the fundamentals such as a business website, social media accounts, and your online contact info.

2. Create a Tagline

Your catchphrases have to be creative, catchy, and concise. It should be easy to remember, fun to say, and uniquely captures the message of your brand.

The Startup Hustle podcast, hosted by Matt DeCoursey, has used the tagline “A Podcast for Entrepreneurs” for over 5 million ad impressions. “If you are into podcasts or entrepreneurship; both of those words caught your eye and kept your attention in a very effective way,” says DeCoursey. Today, the Startup Hustle podcast gets an average of 75,000 downloads every month.

3. Leave a lasting impression

People only remember 20% of an ad’s message, so make it impressive and memorable. Whether you’re running a video ad or sharing a photo; it has to stir a strong reaction from viewers.

Andrew Morgan, founder of the marketing company Marknology, explains it:

“Let’s say you were watching a Bruce Willis movie, and you see an awesome car that he was driving in a high-speed chase. And you think about that. You see a video and a product and think it’s cool, and you want to buy it. That’s digital marketing.”

4. Use great visuals

A digital ad is most effective when it looks good. People are wired to notice, remember, and respond more emotionally to appealing visuals.

Use high-quality images and incorporate unique and creative visual elements into each ad. Also, make sure that you churn out a cohesive design. This is why hiring a graphic designer is crucial when you’re building your brand. An expert will ensure your campaign materials are meeting industry standards and will help you avoid issues like copyright.

Here are more tips on designing your digital ad:

• Don’t cram too much text or information
• Avoid using tiny fonts
• Only add the necessary visual elements
• Be consistent in the color scheme

What Makes a Great Ad?

“A digital ad is no good when it’s boring,” says Matt DeCoursey.

A digital ad stands out when it gets your attention. That can be different from person to person. A digital ad has to do something to make you keep looking, make you stop scrolling, grab your eyeballs and keep them on whatever it is it’s trying to show or tell you.

When it comes to creating marketing materials, practice is key.

“There isn’t really a bad ad if it takes people closer to the sale. Test what works and what doesn’t work,” says Hernan Sias of Business Bros, “Look at what you’re already buying and that gives you a huge clue into the process. And take notes, what was it that made you buy that ad? What did they offer you and what did you get in return? Keep going through that path and write down your notes. Because there’s a blueprint there. It’s for you to use if you’re willing to use it.”

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Want to get more digital marketing tips? Get more lessons and advice from entrepreneurs on Startup Hustle TV. The program showcases the industry’s top startup owners as they share their expertise on how to run a business and deal with all the challenges that come with it.