, The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing
00
CHAPTER
The perfect resource for beginner to advanced digital marketers
looking to learn new skills or hone existing ones.
The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing is full of insights and strategy for
business owners, marketing professionals, students, and anyone else looking to
hone their current skills and get up to speed on the latest in digital marketing.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the act of promoting and selling products and services
by leveraging online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search
marketing, and email marketing.
If you’re new to digital marketing, it may feel overwhelming.
We get that…
But in many ways, digital marketing is no different than traditional marketing. In
both, smart organizations seek to develop mutually beneficial relationships with
prospects, leads, and customers.
Now, think about the last important purchase you made. Perhaps you
purchased a home, hired someone to fix your roof, or changed paper suppliers
at your office.
Regardless of what it was, you probably began by searching the Internet to
learn more and find your best options. Your ultimate buying decision was then
based on the reviews you read, the friends and family you consulted with, and
the solutions, features, and pricing you researched.
Today, most purchasing decisions begin online.
That being the case, an online presence is absolutely necessary—regardless of
what you sell.
2
, The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing
And having a strong digital presence will help you in multiple ways:
• It will make it easier to create awareness and engagement both before and
after the sale.
• You can convert new buyers into rabid fans who buy more (and more
often).
• You’ll enjoy all the benefits of word-of-mouth and social sharing.
Be aware, though, the digital marketing scene is ever changing. Gurus,
podcasts, and bloggers declare a tool or tactic hot one week and dead the
next.
The truth is, today, digital marketing is less about “digital” and more
about “marketing,” largely because digital marketing has come of age. Its
fundamentals have already been established.
At DigitalMarketer, our objective is to clear the confusion about the tactics
that work and how to use them to grow your business. We stand against those
so-called gurus who promote the next “shiny object” that will reportedly kill
email marketing, digital advertising, or search engine optimization.
Here, we’re all about the fundamentals.
As you’ll see in this guide, these core disciplines of digital marketing will be
critical to your business growth today, tomorrow, and for years to come. Each
of these disciplines will be covered in a chapter of this Ultimate Guide to
Digital Marketing as shown below.
What You’ll Learn
Chapter 1: Your Digital Marketing Strategy Template
The Customer Value Journey is the strategic foundation of everything we do
here at DigitalMarketer. It’s the master template upon which every other digital
marketing discipline and tactic is built. Learn all 8 stages and how you’ll use
them to create a winning strategy for your business.
3
, The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing
Chapter 2: Developing a Content Marketing Strategy
Done right, your content marketing will not only attract prospects, but also
move them through a marketing funnel to drive more sales and grow your
business. Learn how to plan your content marketing strategy and how to
create “perfect” content.
Chapter 3: Crafting a Digital Advertising Plan
The secret to powerful digital marketing is traffic. If you can master traffic
acquisition, you can easily drive traffic, sales, and ultimately, growth. Here,
you’ll learn the secrets to crafting a digital advertising plan that actually works.
Chapter 4: Understanding Social Media Marketing
“Going social” isn’t simply about being active on Facebook and Twitter. Learn
the Social Success Cycle and how you can use it to attract your fans and
followers, engage them, and even sell to them.
Chapter 5: Following Email Marketing Best Practices
Forget any rumors to the contrary. Email is alive and well—and if you know
how to use it, it will help you exponentially grow your business. Learn the
role of email in a growing business and how you can use it to quickly move
prospects and customers through the Customer Value Journey.
Chapter 6: Designing Your Search Marketing Strategy
Search marketing has radically changed in the last few years. But we see that
as good news! Today, it can boost your website’s traffic and visitors’ trust while
supporting your other digital marketing disciplines as well. Learn the right way
to do search engine optimization here.
Chapter 7: Applying Website Analytics to Your Digital Marketing
If numbers aren’t your thing, we’ve got you covered. Website analytics are a
powerful tool for helping you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and what
to do next. Learn the process we use here at DigitalMarketer—an easy-to-
understand approach anyone can use.
4
00
CHAPTER
The perfect resource for beginner to advanced digital marketers
looking to learn new skills or hone existing ones.
The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing is full of insights and strategy for
business owners, marketing professionals, students, and anyone else looking to
hone their current skills and get up to speed on the latest in digital marketing.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the act of promoting and selling products and services
by leveraging online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search
marketing, and email marketing.
If you’re new to digital marketing, it may feel overwhelming.
We get that…
But in many ways, digital marketing is no different than traditional marketing. In
both, smart organizations seek to develop mutually beneficial relationships with
prospects, leads, and customers.
Now, think about the last important purchase you made. Perhaps you
purchased a home, hired someone to fix your roof, or changed paper suppliers
at your office.
Regardless of what it was, you probably began by searching the Internet to
learn more and find your best options. Your ultimate buying decision was then
based on the reviews you read, the friends and family you consulted with, and
the solutions, features, and pricing you researched.
Today, most purchasing decisions begin online.
That being the case, an online presence is absolutely necessary—regardless of
what you sell.
2
, The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing
And having a strong digital presence will help you in multiple ways:
• It will make it easier to create awareness and engagement both before and
after the sale.
• You can convert new buyers into rabid fans who buy more (and more
often).
• You’ll enjoy all the benefits of word-of-mouth and social sharing.
Be aware, though, the digital marketing scene is ever changing. Gurus,
podcasts, and bloggers declare a tool or tactic hot one week and dead the
next.
The truth is, today, digital marketing is less about “digital” and more
about “marketing,” largely because digital marketing has come of age. Its
fundamentals have already been established.
At DigitalMarketer, our objective is to clear the confusion about the tactics
that work and how to use them to grow your business. We stand against those
so-called gurus who promote the next “shiny object” that will reportedly kill
email marketing, digital advertising, or search engine optimization.
Here, we’re all about the fundamentals.
As you’ll see in this guide, these core disciplines of digital marketing will be
critical to your business growth today, tomorrow, and for years to come. Each
of these disciplines will be covered in a chapter of this Ultimate Guide to
Digital Marketing as shown below.
What You’ll Learn
Chapter 1: Your Digital Marketing Strategy Template
The Customer Value Journey is the strategic foundation of everything we do
here at DigitalMarketer. It’s the master template upon which every other digital
marketing discipline and tactic is built. Learn all 8 stages and how you’ll use
them to create a winning strategy for your business.
3
, The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing
Chapter 2: Developing a Content Marketing Strategy
Done right, your content marketing will not only attract prospects, but also
move them through a marketing funnel to drive more sales and grow your
business. Learn how to plan your content marketing strategy and how to
create “perfect” content.
Chapter 3: Crafting a Digital Advertising Plan
The secret to powerful digital marketing is traffic. If you can master traffic
acquisition, you can easily drive traffic, sales, and ultimately, growth. Here,
you’ll learn the secrets to crafting a digital advertising plan that actually works.
Chapter 4: Understanding Social Media Marketing
“Going social” isn’t simply about being active on Facebook and Twitter. Learn
the Social Success Cycle and how you can use it to attract your fans and
followers, engage them, and even sell to them.
Chapter 5: Following Email Marketing Best Practices
Forget any rumors to the contrary. Email is alive and well—and if you know
how to use it, it will help you exponentially grow your business. Learn the
role of email in a growing business and how you can use it to quickly move
prospects and customers through the Customer Value Journey.
Chapter 6: Designing Your Search Marketing Strategy
Search marketing has radically changed in the last few years. But we see that
as good news! Today, it can boost your website’s traffic and visitors’ trust while
supporting your other digital marketing disciplines as well. Learn the right way
to do search engine optimization here.
Chapter 7: Applying Website Analytics to Your Digital Marketing
If numbers aren’t your thing, we’ve got you covered. Website analytics are a
powerful tool for helping you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and what
to do next. Learn the process we use here at DigitalMarketer—an easy-to-
understand approach anyone can use.
4
