What are Specialist Areas?
By ‘specialist areas’, we mean key pillars that make up Digital Marketing. They form the base of Digital Marketing, and can help inform a Digital Marketing strategy.
For those new to Digital Marketing, perhaps a budding apprentice, this blog post will explore definitions of the 6 specialist areas. In addition, you will be provided with tools to explore further.
Specialist area #1 : SEM
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a blanket term used for methods to optimise website performance. This includes SEO and PPC, the second and third specialist areas.
Specialist area #2 : SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a core piece of Digital Marketing. SEO relates to a website, and it is what controls how well a website performs in the search engine results page (SERP). Good SEO will mean a website has a better chance of ranking on the first page of Google. Nobody clicks onto page 2 right?
To improve SEO, a key factor is creating content and optimising it for target keywords. This will increase relevance and rankings. Tools to support SEO include: SEMRush, UberSuggest, and WordTracker.
Specialist area #3 : PPC
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is a model of internet marketing where companies pay a fee each time one of their adds is clicked. PPC is a way of buying visits to a site, instead of visits being organic. If PPC is working correctly, the fee is often trivial.
Tools for PPC include: Google Ads Editor and Google Ads Performance Grader.
Specialist area #4 : Email Marketing
Email Marketing is an effective strategy within Digital Marketing and can often help retain customers. Email Marketing can push anything from general information like a newsletter, or have a more sales driven focus like sending out an offer or discount code.
Emails have a higher consumption rate than social media, for instance, even if people don’t open an email, they still see it. However, on social media there is an algorithm battle because content isn’t always shown to all of your followers.
Tools like MailChimp and Campaign Monitor allow you to design and send email campaigns. In addition, they show metrics such as open rate and link clicks to help you see how the email is performing.
Specialist area #5 : Web Analytics
So, specialist areas have been implemented, but, have they worked? This is where Website Analytics comes in.
The most popular tool for Web Analytics is Google Analytics (GA). GA provides a brilliant insight on what people are doing on your website including: page visits, traffic and sources, time on page, bounce rate…The list goes on.
Specialist area #6 : Mobile Apps
This specialist area means that applications on a mobile phone should be optimised for the user. Elements such as visibility, resolution, pixels, and app optimisation must be considered.
A user will have a negative experience if apps are not optimised for mobile. Ultimately this could be the difference between making a sale or not, therefore, this is an important pillar.
Conclusion
So, now you know the 6 specialist areas:
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
- Email Marketing
- Web Analytics
- Mobile Apps
Now you can hopefully understand the main pillars of Digital Marketing and you will have a head start in strategising!
Keep an eye on our blog for more handy tips!
