Before business owners and managers, webmasters and IT professionals worried about Google algorithms, social media activity, and customer analytics, they saw email as a powerful ally in their digital marketing efforts. To some degree, text messaging (SMS) and multimedia messaging (MMS, which can include sound, images, or video) also figured into their programs.

Emails containing digital brochures, posters, and other information designed to capture attention were sent to customers and prospects as a form of reinforcement to more traditional means of reaching consumers, and sometimes to give people a link to the business’s website. Today, such email marketing techniques still exist, but their popularity has given way to more technical and radically more effective means to market digitally.

In the Philippines, more than 30% of the population use the Web every day.

Digital marketing services these days are not limited to email campaign management, for all the power email lends marketing practitioners. Now, more people consume gigabytes of information in a day without even opening their mailboxes.

In the Philippines, more than 30% of the population use the Web every day. Every week, an internet user averages 21.5 hours online. This means that, although most Filipinos who use the Web use it to send and receive email, the status quo has changed. People are using more of the Web, for a longer time and for more needs. This is an exciting time to be using the internet to grow your marketing prospects.

Keyword revolution

While it’s easy to find a digital marketing services list in this day and age, there used to be a time when people thought everything relied on keywords. Email marketing, social media, websites, blog posts and even news were stuffed with keywords that linked to landing pages designed to capture the audience. It wasn’t unexpected to see Justin Bieber’s name tied to a product that was not only irrelevant to him and whatever he represented, but was also done without his permission.

Now, people know better—it’s not just about keywords. As a matter of fact, a good digital marketing agency would advise against such practices because the people behind it know that the norm has shifted to organic searches, mobile marketing, and social media leveraging.

Are you doing it right?

You can sign up for online digital marketing courses to get you started on a smooth and savvy marketing program for your brand; it may not cost pennies but it will pay for itself many times over in how much you learn and apply to your efforts. But before going that route, find out whether your current digital activities are putting you on the map.

Here are some questions you should answer first.

Do you have direction? When you’re in marketing, the most important part of your activities should involve direction. Without it, you are wasting valuable ad spend. This is why your digital marketing services PPT presentations should include where you’re aiming a specific marketing activity, particularly online. This is the playing field where geo-targeting is easier, more diversified, and more powerful.
Do you have a customer value proposition? This is how your customers find out what’s in it for them. Without it, you cannot expect customers to keep coming back. Their loyalty depends on how you answer their needs. If you can’t, someone else will.
Is your digital marketing included in your overall marketing plan? Some business owners think they should devote only the smallest portion of their budget to digital marketing because it is less important. This is not how you should look at it. That may have been true before, but today digital is your strongest and fastest customer-getter. Treat it as an after-thought and your competitors will pass and make you irrelevant.
Are you creating enough original content? Original content is valuable in making people see you as an authority in your field, as a power player they should join. One blog entry every two months is not enough. Do this regularly to give your customers something to look forward to. Never duplicate content, whether yours or someone else’s. This is a waste of time and money and will only pull your campaign down.
Is your content optimized? All that content won’t matter if it’s not optimized. This is where you need a digital marketing company that knows how to keep you on top of searches. Optimization is an active and dynamic part of your marketing efforts and it must never stop.
Are you focusing on e-Commerce? A growing percentage of people are using the web to purchase what they need. e-Commerce is booming, and it should be one of your best tools for selling.

These six questions and your answers to each one will give you an idea whether your online marketing efforts are headed in the right direction. As a business owner, you should care about how your efforts are converting or not converting. Otherwise, you are wasting money and time and falling behind on searches, when what your online presence should be doing is helping you do the opposite. There’s something to be said about trying to do everything yourself, but when it comes to digital marketing, do not hesitate to get a professional’s help.