This is a guest post by Alyssa Johnson. Want to contribute?

Not that long ago, SEO basics were quite enough to feel confident in your digital marketing efforts (and optimization was easier). A few years later, multi-channel marketing came into the picture and was an incomprehensible term for most part.

Nowadays, every business wants (and needs) somebody capable of effectively organizing advertising campaigns, analyzing the activities of competitors and helping to improve the company's image in the network. A new era of digital marketing has arrived and it can be hard to keep up if you aren’t prepared.

Digital marketing is a set of promotion tools that involve digital channels. It is not identical to internet marketing because it includes advertising channels such as television, radio and even outdoor advertising. in fact, there are over 100 marketing channels! The most important channel is the internet and devices that provide access to it (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.). As a means of obtaining information, communication and self-realization rights. As a coach, you likely rely heavily on the internet to get your coaching brand out to potential clients. However, there are so many different ways to use the world wide web.

Let's take a look at some of the most popular forms of digital channels:

1. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC), also known as cost-per-click (CPC), is an online advertising model that is used to direct traffic to a website. The advertiser (you) pays the publisher every time the ad is clicked on. There are many platforms that offer PCC advertising, such as Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft Bing. 

PPC can be a great option, but you have to be careful or else this method of advertising can end up costing you a fortune. Be sure to do your research on optimal keywords and avoid sending potential client's to the wrong page on your coaching website.

2. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more than a buzzword. This is how to get that "hot" customers, the ones who went to the search engine and typed in a query in order to find what they need and buy it. If you have exactly what they need, in the same terms, they are more likely to set up consultation and take you up on your services if they sound good. Search traffic is the most valuable for sales. The con is that it's an area of high risk, as there is a ton of competition and hiring on help to optimize your SEO can be costly at times.

3. Social media marketing (SMM)

The huge advantage of social media is that there are a ton of users on each platform and in many cases, people are already united in interest groups and the target audience has already been formed. Through SMM, companies can reach out to highly targeted potential clients through direct and person-to-person engagement.

To get the most out of SMM, you have to decide which channels your potential clients are using and create marketing plans for each, adapting content to suit each platform.

Here are a few popular social networks and a brief rundown:

• Facebook – To reach almost any kind of general consumer, you can search specific groups and pages that your ideal clients may frequent
• Twitter – If you are developing a new business and want to reach out to early adopters because this platform generates fast brand awareness.
• LinkedIn – To reach professionals, business owners and Business-to-Business (B2B) leads and targeted customers - this may be a good platform for career-centric coaches (career coaches, business coaches, entrepreneurship coaches, executive coaches)
• Google+ – To reach early adopters of new businesses as well as B2B and general social media users. 
• Pinterest – Focuses on visuals for promoting your brands and products. A majority of users on Pinterest are women so if your ideal client is a woman, this may be a good fit for your coaching business.
• Instagram - Like Pinterest, Instagram is focused on visuals and has become a popular option for many small businesses and entreprenuers as its popularity grows.

4. Digital TV

Every year, digital television is increasingly constrained by the analog and gradually integrates with internet applications. Already according to this marketing channel strategy you can use your TV to go to your Facebook page, watch a video on Vimeo or find out the latest news. 

If you are interested in making video ads for your business (and many are, as users move towards video as their main source of obtaining information), you may consider using YouTube, Vimeo or even Facebook Live and SnapChat to get your message across.

6. Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) or Social Engineering Marketing (SEM)

The best way to use word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is by starting with who you know and creating lasting impressions on them. A big plus of this promotion channel is the people we communicate with, our friends and acquaintances, in 90% of cases, belong to the same social group as us. 

7. Interactive screens, POS terminals

We often encounter them in the store, in the street, even in the subway. This is a kind of digital media that gradually replaces the standard outdoor advertising, because it allows you to interact much more closely with the consumer and hook it with a message or, like POS terminals, help you in making purchases.

8. Retargeting

An extremely effective tool is retargeting - a technological solution that allows you to show your ads only to those users who have performed any action on your site.

Here are two different ways this can be done:

• Targeted advertising - based on demographics, on the client's previous buying history or on their web behaviour

• Contextual advertising - based on what the user is viewing, either through ads placed on the page or pop-up ads. 

9. Digital art

This is any kind of art where a computer is used to create or reproduce artwork. It can be a picture, sound, animation, video, game, website, algorithm, performance or installation. Many traditional forms of art integrate digital technologies and as a result, the boundaries between traditional works of art and digital media become blurred.

Digital marketing is constantly evolving - there are new tools for interaction with the audience constantly emerging and as algorithms change, new ways of interacting with search engines and clients.

About Alyssa Johnson

Alyssa Johnson is a writer at https://edubirdie.com/ and a marketing consultant that specializes in marketing strategies for small and medium sizes businesses. She has over 15 years of online and traditional marketing experience. Marketing is not her job or career, it's her passion. Alyssa helps companies in the development of their strategy and plans, brand identity, social media strategy, public relations, digital marketing, search engine marketing and more. 

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