Digital marketing is one such industry that makes you realize that there is simplicity in complexity and vice versa. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out and everything will be a breeze from that point onwards, things start to fall out of place. And the reason why this is so all boils down to one simple truth: digital marketing never stops evolving.
Digital marketing has been around for as long as businesses have been around in the online space. It’s a very useful tool that companies can effectively leverage in order to hasten growth and widen the reach of their business.
Through its many forms, from search engine advertising, email campaigns, social media ads and the like, digital marketing has changed the game for many entrepreneurs and startup businesses out there who lack the capital or funding to build and grow physical locations.
In fact, many startups have gone on to become 7-figure businesses. Many entrepreneurs are now earning over 6 figures. More and more “regular” people from normal backgrounds, without any financial backing of any sorts, are sharing success stories of hitting their first million and providing employment to hundreds of people in the process.
Online marketing, or the internet in general, has introduced possibilities to the market that were not as accessible to common people before. It has paved the way for e-commerce to become a rapidly rising industry (check this out). However, with its rise also comes more competition which is primarily why the digital marketing industry is also ever evolving. As an entrepreneur or business owner, it is your job to keep up with the times, especially if you want to come out on top.
Fortunately, even if methods and techniques change and innovate, the core intent behind each and every one of these methods are similar or the same. All marketing, advertising, product placement, and whatnot is all geared towards one thing: establishing brand authority.
What Is Brand Authority?
When you think of tech, you think of brands like Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft, right? In the same way, when you think of luxury brands, names like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel first come to mind. These are prime examples of brands that have established authority in their respective industries. They’re the benchmark, the household names, the standard – they’re the brands to beat.
Every industry would have brand authorities. It’s either they came first (original idea) or they did best (copied idea, better execution). And to be quite completely honest, the opportunity to create something completely new is hard to come by these days, and even if you can create a unique product or service that’s never been done before, there’s also the question of “Will the market see the value of it the way you do?”
Much research goes into the creation of new products or services. So instead of creating something distinct, most startups would challenge a more practical approach which is redefining current product and service offers and perfecting their execution.
It is more than possible to establish your business as a brand authority even if you came late to the party. It all comes down to two things:
- Looking for gaps in the current product or offer and coming up with a better (if not the best) version of them;
- Launching a kickass digital marketing campaign focused on building your brand’s authority.
We’ve seen this done before which is why there is absolutely no reason why you won’t be able to. One prime example is Scrub Daddy, made famous by the Shark Tank franchise. Dish sponges aren’t a new invention. In fact, Scotch Brite, a famous industry leader, launched their first cleaning pad way back in 1958 to replace more abrasive cleaning tools like bronze wool.
Just like how Scotch Brite found a problem with the bronze/steel wool and created a product that will clean better and scratch less, Scrub Daddy found yet another gap that would lead to the development of their current product: a sponge that becomes softer in warm water and tougher in cold water.
Therefore, creating two functions and diversifying the usage of a single product. This is why even if they officially launched their brand 54 years after the pioneer, they managed to overrun a huge chunk of the market and if you look up lists of top brands in this industry, it’s Scotch Brite and Scrub Daddy competing for the #1 spot (with the latter winning the polls most of the time).
This success story isn’t one that was achieved by coincidence. In fact, there’s a good probability that no success story that’s ever been told is a byproduct of coincidence, even if some founders make their journey sound so simple.
Scrub Daddy knew what they were doing in terms of marketing. Even the whole Shark Tank stint was likely a well-calculated marketing tactic. All this along with a high-quality product or service that solves a new problem most consumers don’t even know they had is what gives birth to new household names. Read more about Scrub Daddy’s rise to fame here: https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/innovation-technology/scrub-daddy-the-story-behind-shark-tank-uss-biggest-success/.
If you think that you’ve got an offer that is completely unique or solves a new problem for consumers, then the next step is to create a foolproof marketing plan with the purpose of building your brand’s authority. While most of us aren’t fortunate enough to get on the Shark Tank stage and get a little bit of that spotlight, we do have the next best thing: the Internet.
Building Your Brand’s Authority Online
One of the best mediums for marketing that you can readily take advantage of is the online space. For one, it’s not going to cost you as much compared to running TV ads or putting up commercial billboards. Two, it’s not as physically taxing to run campaigns online as most of the work can be done on a computer that you already have at home. And three, there is no bigger market and no wider potential reach than the world wide web. Going international is no longer a matter of “if” but a matter of “when,” when you market your brand online.
Now, you’re probably thinking “But I’m so new to all of this that I don’t even know where to start.” Allow us to walk you through some baby steps that you can take to start building your brand’s authority online.
Create A Website + Social Pages
To market your brand online, you first need to have a presence. Your brand needs to be traceable so that when people do come across your name, they can find your business with one Google search. Buy a domain, create a website, and set up social media pages for your brand. The first step to building authority is leaving traces that you exist.
Submit Guest Posts To Boost Your Brand’s Visibility
Guest posting is one of the most practical methods of online marketing. They won’t cost you as much; they can even be completely free if you choose to personally tackle this project yourself. Guest posting is basically providing value to users of your product or service in the form of written blog posts or editorial content and contributing these to news outlets, magazines, and other reputable information sites online.
Now, what does this do for you? It allows you to feature your brand or business within the article and link back to your own website or social media pages. This encourages more traffic to your website and consequently, gives your brand more visibility.
Apart from this, you also teach search engine algorithms like Google that your website is providing value to a certain market and should be seen by more people who seek similar information. This can boost your web rankings so that when people do search for a product or service that is similar to what you offer, your name comes up on the top searches.
Now if you don’t know the first thing about writing guest posts or you don’t have the time of day to do them, providers like qgp can swoop in to help. See what we did here? Do guest posts. Now.
Regularly Post Updates On Social Media
Last but certainly not least, stay active on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It’s not enough that you exist in the online space, you also need to have regular activity online so that people know that you are an up-and-running company.
If you put yourself in your consumers’ shoes, you wouldn’t want to give your money to a company that hardly shows signs of life, right? What if something happens and you need help? An active company is an indication of a responsive company so make sure that you update your market with the latest and greatest information about your brand.
