Top 5 FAQs on digital marketing

At EMARI we like to keep marketing simple.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are a fantastic resource for people. I add to this part of the EMARI.co.uk website regularly with all of the fantastic questions our clients and prospective clients ask us so I thought I'd share the top 5 FAQs on digital marketing here as well.

If you have any marketing questions, feel free to direct message or email me.

Q: How often should I blog?

There is no magic number. However, first you need to see what your competitors are doing with blogging. Not just your typical competitors but your search competitors, those appearing in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) ahead of you or for terms that you would like to rank for. See how often they’re blogging and see how good it is. If they’re blogging once a week, you can start off at a slower pace, if they’re blogging aggressively it might be worth looking into how much time and resource you have in order to match their pace and compete effectively.

Recent HubSpot data based on 13,500+ customers is fascinating. It suggests that blogging sixteen times a month drives 3.5 times more traffic than those who blog 0-4 times a month. Interestingly, the results for both b2b and b2c businesses are the same – the more blogging activity there is, the more inbound traffic is driven to websites. Companies that make a commitment to regularly publishing blogs with quality content tend to reap the biggest rewards in terms of website, traffic and leads.

How much of my own content should I use vs. curating content from other sources?

We suggest using the 80/20 rule. 80 percent you, 20 percent me.

Other than direct distribution via newsletters, events, or your website, most content is shared on social media.

Translated crudely, the 80/20 rule applied to content and social media boils down to: “It’s not about me, it’s about you.” For social media, the rule holds that 80% of posts are not about you or your content, but about things your business and social sphere would find interesting or relevant. It has to be helpful, educational or entertaining for people in your industry. Only then do you earn the right to share your content in the remaining 20% of your online interactions. Few people want to sit in front of a branded megaphone. They want valuable information or inspiration from you.

How can a marketer or marketing team sustainably create content and with return on investment (ROI) in mind?

Don’t create content haphazardly. Have a clear content campaign plan and be strategic. Set your goals, learn what will actually attract the right buyer, and then start producing content. It’s better to produce less content and for it to be really good quality content than to be spouting out rubbish every day. Always understand how, when and where your content fits into the buyer journey from Awareness to Buying, or works as a tool for current customers to advocate for you and bring in referrals.

Social PPC or Google PPC? Which one is better?

Paid campaigns are always constrained by one thing: budget.

Are you looking to generate as many clicks to your page as possible? Are you focusing on lead generation and want to advertise at the lowest possible cost-per-lead? Do you want to build your following on social media or increase your engagement metrics? You have to identify your goals and metrics, and then you should start to see which ad platforms may be a good fit with your chosen type of campaign and/or target market.

Two suggestions:

Run a small test campaign on each of the platforms you’re thinking about first.

Take your time. If you can’t spread your budget to cover all platforms in the same month, do a test run each month for the next few months.

How often should I update my website?

For 99% of companies, their website is their top sales tool. It’s where people go for more information on your company, to learn more about your products and services, to contact your company, and to possibly make a purchase. Think about how much you invest in your top salesperson, and invest in keeping your website and content in shape to increase conversion rates.