Home » How to start digital marketing
Having a strong online presence is essential for businesses of all sizes to succeed in 2025, but there’s much more to selling online than just having a fancy website. Digital marketing offers a cost-effective and data-driven way to reach and engage with your potential customers. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to establish your brand or a larger company refining your online strategy, understanding the fundamentals of digital marketing is crucial.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is the art of using online channels and platforms to promote your products or services to your target audience. Unlike traditional marketing (such as print ads, billboards, and radio ads), a digital marketing strategy leverages the wide reach of the internet to reach potential customers using websites, social media, email campaigns and search engines. Digital marketing is data-driven and cost-effective, allowing businesses to track their performance in real time and optimise campaigns as they’re running.
What is a digital marketing agency?
A digital marketing agency is a company that specialises in online marketing strategies and services. These agencies, such as Plinkfizz, help businesses develop and execute digital campaigns to improve brand visibility, generate leads and increase sales.
They often provide expertise in search engine optimisation (SEO), content creation, digital PR, paid advertising and social media management, allowing businesses to focus on selling while the experts handle their online marketing efforts.
7 tips on how to start digital marketing for your business
Set aspirational but achievable goals
Before diving into digital marketing, define clear and measurable objectives. Whether it’s increasing website traffic, generating more leads, or boosting online sales, setting goals gives your marketing efforts direction.
Use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework to ensure your goals are realistic and attainable.
Understand your target audience
Knowing your audience is crucial for crafting effective marketing campaigns. Conduct market research to identify your ideal customer demographics, preferences, pain points and online behaviours. Tools like GA4 (Google Analytics), social media analytics and customer surveys can help you gain valuable insights to tailor your strategies accordingly.
Borrow ideas from your competitors… and do them better
Analysing your competitors’ digital marketing strategies can provide inspiration and insights into what works in your industry. Look at their website, social media presence, content and ad campaigns to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Use this knowledge to refine your approach and offer something better to your audience. If your product or service offers something unique compared to your competitors’, then make sure you’re communicating this to your audience.
Optimise your website for conversions
Your website is the foundation of your business’ digital presence, so it must be designed to optimise conversions. Ensure it is mobile-friendly, loads quickly and has clear calls-to-action (CTAs) where a customer is likely to make a purchase decision.
Use engaging visuals, persuasive copy and an intuitive layout to guide visitors toward taking desired actions, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase or subscribing to a service.
If your website is confusing and difficult to navigate for a customer, it’s likely that they will look elsewhere (probably at one of your competitors) to buy what they were looking for.
Drive traffic to your website with SEO
SEO is essential for improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. The stats show that number 1 position on a Google search will receive 33% of the search traffic. In comparison, the 2nd search result receives 18%, 3rd will receive 11% and it decreases dramatically from there (with position 11 in a search query, on the 2nd page, receiving just 1% of traffic).
Optimise your content with relevant keywords, improve site speed, and build backlinks to boost your rankings. A strong SEO strategy can drive organic traffic, reducing your need to spend money on paid advertising.
Build your brand with content marketing
Content marketing helps establish your brand as an authority in your industry. Create valuable and engaging content, such as blog posts, videos, infographics and podcasts, which address your customers’ needs and interests. High-quality content will not only attract new visitors to your site and products but will also establish trust and loyalty among your current customers.
Invest in social media platforms
Social media is a powerful tool for building brand awareness and engaging with your audience. Choose platforms where your target audience is most active, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter (X), or TikTok. Post regularly, interact with followers and use paid social media advertising to expand your reach.
Don’t forget, your social media channels are an extension of your brand, so make sure your posts maintain a brand consistency with your established tone of voice and visual identity.
What services does a digital marketing agency offer?
A digital marketing agency provides a range of services depending on the client’s needs, including:
- Search engine optimisation (SEO) – Improving website rankings on search engines such as Google.
- Paid ad campaigns – Running paid ad campaigns on platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
- Content marketing – Creating blog posts, videos and other content to engage audiences.
- Social media marketing – Managing and growing social media profiles organically by creating content and posting regularly.
- Email marketing – Sending targeted email campaigns to nurture leads, drive sales and retain customers.
- Web design and development – Designing and optimising websites for user experience and conversions.
- Public relations (PR) – Communicating clearly to audiences, in an honest, ethical and transparent way to keep your brand ahead of your competition.
By leveraging digital marketing, businesses can expand their reach, build customer relationships and achieve long-term growth. Whether you manage your digital marketing yourself, or partner with an agency such as Plinkfizz, a well-planned and executed strategy can return impressive results.
If you would like to discuss your marketing needs, call our team on 01782 630777 or email info@plinkfizz.com