Building a brand doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of work to forge strong relationships with people—and much of that work is done through marketing. Unless you have a powerhouse internal team to help you tell your story, it’s likely you’ll need a little support in crafting and executing your marketing strategy. But searching for someone to help you do that can be confusing. There are all sorts of agencies out there, so how do you know whether you should hire a creative agency, a digital agency, or an ad agency?

Here, we’ll break down everything you need to know about creative agencies, helping you understand what they are, why they’re different, and how to find one.

So, What Is a Creative Agency?

A creative agency is a term for an agency that offers a variety of services that fall under the umbrella of marketing and advertising. Basically, if you need any type of creative strategy, work, or promotion, they can help you get it done.

While some creative agencies specialize in one thing more than another, they usually provide:

Strategy Services

• Advertising strategy
• Brand Strategy
• Content Strategy
• Marketing Strategy
• Social Media Strategy

Measurement and Analysis

Content Creation (AKA “Creative”)

• Annual Reports
• Case Studies
• Blogs & Articles
• Branding
• Copywriting
• Copyediting
• Content Planning & Publishing
• Data visualization
• Ebooks
• Explainer Videos
• Graphic Design
• Infographics
• Interactives
• Animated Video
• Motion Graphics
• Presentations
• White Papers
• Video
• Motion Graphics (or Animated Video)
• Microcontent
• Photography
• Web Design & Development

Communications Services

• Media Buys
• Paid Placement
• Sponsored Content
• Influencer Marketing
• PR

In short, a creative agency is a creative partner that will help your brand tell its story.

What Does a Creative Team Look Like?

A creative agency is comprised of a variety of experts who can support your brand’s strategy. In general, that includes a mix of the following:

• Art Director
• Creative Director
• Brand and Content Strategists
• Account Directors/Managers
• Producers
• Writers & Editors
• Videographers
• Web Designers & Developers
• Graphic Designers
• Content Distribution Specialists

Depending on its structure, some creative agencies also work with expert partners, such as a video production house.

What’s the Difference Between a Creative Agency and Other Agencies?

This is a common question. While some agencies may provide services that overlap with a creative agency, many agencies focus on one particular service or category, such as:

• Design agency: An agency that offers design services for a variety of visual mediums, including print and digital.
• Digital agency: The moniker typically reserved for an agency focused on digital marketing strategy, often focused on SEO and lead generation.
• Advertising agency: An agency focused specifically on advertising (digital, TV, radio, print, etc.). It may or may not provide marketing services.
• PR agency: An agency that offers promotional and content distribution services to maximize brand awareness.
• SEO agency: An agency focused on various on-site and search marketing strategies and tactics to increase traffic and lead gen.
• Social media agency: Specializes in social strategies and, oftentimes, the management of social media accounts.

A creative agency usually encompasses one or more of these services.

How Can a Creative Agency Help You?

There are many services a creative agency provides. Whether you need them to fill in the gaps in your marketing team or take the reigns entirely, a creative agency can help…

• Craft strategy. If you don’t know what you’re doing, not sure if you’re doing the right thing, or not sure where to start, a creative agency can provide the guidance you need to achieve your marketing goals.
• Support your existing strategy. If you know what you want to do but need help executing your strategy, a creative agency can provide that support, whether it’s content creation, media placement, editorial planning, or social media advertising.
• Provide expert knowledge and resources. A good creative agency has experience and insight to help improve your results. They know what works, what doesn’t, where trends are moving, etc. They also have a larger network of content creators who can help you (even if they themselves don’t provide the services you’re looking for).

You can also find full-service creative agencies that specialize in your particular industry or offering, such as B2B tech or entertainment.

How Do You Know If You Need One?

Not everyone needs a creative agency, particularly if you have a solid operation or an in-house team that is capable of executing your marketing strategy. However, you might consider using a creative agency if you…

• Don’t have the resources. Some brands find it difficult to execute their strategy due to limited means, accessibility, or availability. A creative agency can help support your strategy with the infrastructure you need.
• Don’t have the knowledge. A creative agency is staffed by expert creators who have the skills and expertise to create all types of content—and, most importantly, adhere to best practices.
• Don’t have the bandwidth. Your team may be bogged down with other projects, meaning your marketing projects are delayed or backburnered indefinitely. A creative agency can help you create consistent, quality content at scale.
• Are struggling to get results. If your current strategy isn’t delivering the results you want, a creative agency can advise you on how to tweak, improve, or revise your strategy.

If you’re still not sure if an agency can help you, here’s how to figure out if you need one.

How Do You Find One?

Not all creative agencies are right for your needs. We recommend interviewing several to ensure they’re the right fit for your brand. To help you narrow it down, check out these 12 things to look for in a creative agency.

How Do You Get the Best Work From an Agency?

A good creative agency is focused on building a long-term relationship with your brand, functioning as a true creative partner and not just a gun for hire. To get the most from your agency, follow these tips to build a strong relationship with your agency, try these tactics to work together more effectively, and determine how you’ll split the workload up front.

Written by Katy French for Business2Community and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

The marketing game has shifted a ton over the last century—and it’s undergone yet another dramatic revolution in just the last decade. With the rise of online platforms, shifting consumer values, and an increasingly cluttered media landscape, traditional methods of promotion have become less effective.

Most companies that want to make a name for themselves are shifting their approach, pursuing content marketing and engagement marketing to build relationships with people, yet some successful brands have forsaken these forms of marketing altogether.

This isn’t something most of us can get away with, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be learned from these bold brands.

From cars to condiments, these impressive brands have created such a strong brand identity that fans naturally flock to them. No matter your industry, they may inspire you to rethink how you put your brand front and center.

1) Supreme

Fashion brand Supreme has firmly anchored itself as the ultimate tastemaker in the industry, cultivating an air of cool that has celebs and collectors lusting after their products. While the skatewear brand once advertised in its early days, it has evolved into a powerhouse that deals exclusively in street cred.

Their creative collaborations with high-profile brands (including Nike and Louis Vuitton) have made headlines, as have their novelties (including a Supreme-branded brick that now resells for $1,000). But it’s their restraint and exclusivity that has made them so popular. Everything from their products to their website is an expression of minimalism (FYI, their site doesn’t even have a metadescription), so it’s no surprise their marketing is practically non-existent, save for art film-esque clips and short announcements.

One of the “random” videos on their site, this short film shows the production of a Supreme-branded edition of the New York Post_._

Why They Succeed: Supreme thrives on buzz and an established relationship with their rabid fanbase. Their exclusivity and effortlessness is the hallmark of the brand, making people feel that any bit of new information or sneak peek of a collection is a huge gift.

2) Trader Joe’s

In marketing land, Trader Joe’s seems like a total anomaly. Their only marketing is their Fearless Flyer a simple, low-budget newsletter produced eight times a year, and they don’t have a social media presence.

What they do have is a strong brand experience, consistent throughout the store. Sampling is their largest “marketing” expense, the artwork and signage in their stores is handmade by artists, and their team members are friendly, cheerful, and personable. They don’t need to market who they are because they show you the minute you step into the store.

The February 2019 Fearless Flyer features product roundups and more.

Why They Succeed: They know exactly who their people are: well-educated shoppers who are intentional about their purchases and less likely to be swayed by traditional advertising. Thus, they focus on delivering on their brand promise: high-quality goods at affordable prices. As marketing costs money, it’s counterintuitive to jack up their prices to cover the costs.

3) Common Projects

Similar to Supreme, shoe brand Common Projects has built a cult following and major caché by approaching marketing the way they approach product creation: adopting a minimalist philosophy.

The brand was launched to serve a sneaker need: shoes that bridge the gap between athletic sneakers and dress shoes. Thus, they focus on clean lines, high quality, and a minimal aesthetic, which translates to their marketing as well. Their social presence is rarely updated, their business boasts just 5 employees, and they have no official HQ.

The Common Projects website is pure minimalism.

Why They Succeed: They apply their philosophy to every aspect of their brand. Minimalism is not just their aesthetic; it’s a way of life. This understated, reserved approach to branding is one way they demonstrate their brand values, which highly resonates with their buyers—people with a penchant for style, quality, and efficiency.

4) Tesla

Most automobile companies are huge players in the ad game, but Tesla has taken a comparatively reserved approach. (In 2014 they spent $48.9 million on marketing, whereas General Motors spent $5.2 billion.)

For example, when they released a kids’ version of the electric Model S, they garnered buzz simply by retweeting customers’ home videos.

#MondayMotivation Idris Lay, a patient on our Rose Ward, has been taking a spin around the Royal Brompton Hospital after @TeslaOwnersUK surprised our paediatrics ward with a mini Tesla model. Read more Idris’ speedy ride around here https://t.co/fnPlyq28XG pic.twitter.com/Cbm1ymJefk

— RB&H Charity (@RBHCharity) February 11, 2019

Word of mouth and the ongoing antics of founder Elon Musk have created a brand full of intrigue and interest, leaving fans waiting to see what they’ll come up with next.

Why They Succeed: Tesla is largely focused on disrupting through innovation. Thus, they’re simply focused on creating the best product out there. Musk has said he’d rather put ad money into building a better product, and it shows, as their products speak for themselves.

5) Sriracha

How did this popular brand become one of the most popular condiments without ever spending on advertising? With a great recipe. Founder David Tran started off selling his homemade recipe in recycled baby bottle jars, networking with local markets and restaurants to get his product into the world.

Some 30 years later, the sauce has become a staple in the U.S. and around the world, thanks to word of mouth. Sriracha has never advertised and still has no social presence.

Why They Succeed: The brand has always let the product speak for itself. Even when Sriracha was sued by the city of Irwindale in 2013 after residents complained about the factory’s chili odors, Tran decided to invite the community into the factory to let them see the manufacturing process themselves.

After creating a filtration system for the odors, Sriracha began public tours, attracting 3,000 people a weekend. Most importantly, each person leaves with a small sample—always keeping the product in people’s hands.

Watch Master Sushi Chef Hiroyuki Terada’s tour of the factory.

How to Build Your Brand Through Marketing (Because You Have To)

We can’t all ditch our marketing efforts, but there are plenty of ways to build a strong community and connect with people to build a lasting brand—even using some of the tactics of these anomaly brands.

1. Craft your brand strategy. Knowing who you are, what you’re trying to achieve, and how you’re going to do it is crucial to your brand success, whether or not your pursue traditional marketing channels. If you’ve never done one before, use our guide to craft a brand strategy.
2. Know your voice. Whether it’s your website copy or Twitter feed, learn how to find and hone your brand voice in all communication.
3. Share your brand story. Whether you’re telling the story of how your company was founded or offering a glimpse into your manufacturing process, there are plenty of ways to bring people into your brand story.
4. Uncover the stories in your data. Proprietary data is one of the best sources of original content.
5. Turn your culture into compelling content. Culture marketing is a fantastic way to peel back the curtain and showcase the people behind your brand.
6. Lead with your beliefs. People want to support brands that share their same values.
7. Build a strong brand identity. Your visual presence tells your brand story as much as your words do.

Written by Katy French for Business2Community and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

Using social media for marketing purposes is a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, year after year, global social ad spending is increasing: From 2014 to 2016, spending for social media marketing nearly doubled: from $16 billion in 2014 to $31 billion in 2016.

70% of people in North America use social media daily, and they are using social media more time each day than they spend watching television. This all means that using social media to market your company really is a worthwhile investment.

When done correctly, using various social media accounts can help you develop deeper personal relationships with your customers. It also can quickly spread the word about promotions, values, and deals, create a stronger brand persona, and increase brand engagement. But what does it mean to do social media “correctly?”

Using social media to promote your business is different than using your personal Facebook account to share pictures of your kids on the first day of school. It requires finesse, and a thorough understanding of what your customers are looking for. There are countless ways to use social media to connect with your audience; some better than others. Let’s explore some of the best (and worst) social media practices.

Do Remember the Best Times to Post

Just the timing of your posting can be an art in itself. Think about the people who you follow, or the people on your friends list who post everything they do, all day long.

Not always great, right? You want to be selective about what, when, and how frequently you post, so you aren’t inundating your followers with too many posts. Also, be sure you are posting when the most people will actually see your content.

There are varying recommendations on when is the best time to post to your company’s social media pages. Hootsuite says that between 9:00 and 12:00 AM early in the week is a great time to post. Hubspot suggests posting around 9:00 AM for Facebook and Twitter, and around 5:00 PM for Instagram. There’s lots of data out there suggesting when is the most effective time to post.

Do your research and then see what times work best for you. When do you get the best results from a post?

You don’t have to stick hard and fast to this rule. If you have breaking news, you should share it right away. And you can certainly post during a time of day that isn’t considered a “peak” time. Eventually, you’ll start to learn the best time to interact with your audience and have a better sense of when you have better results.

Don’t Ignore One (or Any) of Your Accounts

Have you started multiple accounts on multiple social media platforms to “keep up with the times?” If all you’ve done is start an account, but you haven’t done much of anything else with it, not only is it not serving your brand, it could actually harm your reputation.

For example, if a potential client attempts to contact your company with a question via an ignored social media account, you could leave them feeling abandoned and without an answer. Or, a visitor to your abandoned Instagram account may feel like you’re not approachable or not current.

If cyber tumbleweeds are rolling through the main street of your account, it’s doing nothing to positively represent your brand and may give your brand the appearance of inaction, inattention, or neglect. Not good.

Instead:

Only sign up for as many accounts as you can reliably handle, and when you post on one account, post something on all your accounts. Automation apps and software can help you do this.

Too busy for Twitter, or not interested in regularly posting videos or updates to Snapchat? That’s absolutely okay. If you have a good grasp on just one or two social media platforms, that’s great! Take on whatever it is you can manage well, and your followers and clients will see your social media accounts as an additional way to consistently interact with and learn about your brand.

Do Use Various Kinds of Media

Just like the way you don’t publish text-only blog posts (because that would be boring), you also want to vary the kinds of ways you are delivering information to your audience. With just a smartphone, a video editing app, and a YouTube account, you can create videos to share on your various social media platforms.

There are tools available all over the internet to create your own shareable infographics and even more information out there on how to make a great one. You can also share photos and short videos on Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, or even “go live” to make an announcement, share information about a sale or promotion. In fact, 82% of people prefer a live stream from a brand to social posts, and 80% of people prefer a live video to a blog post.

Also, 62% of audiences are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. You can’t ignore the fact that video, especially live streaming, is highly effective.

Think of it like creating a really delicious tossed salad: The more quality ingredients you include, the more interesting and delicious your salad can be. The more varied your posts, the more captivating they will be for your customers.

Don’t Ignore Comments or Questions

Social media is supposed to be just that: Social. Your followers and customers are going to want to use social media to engage with you. You will notice an influx of questions and comments in the hours, and even days, following a post, and you have to know how to handle them.

If you receive an overwhelming response from the community on one particular post, that can be stressful. Do you have to respond to every single comment? The answer is “no.” Replying to every comment is not only time consuming, but unnecessary. But there are times you should definitely respond.

Sometimes, followers will use your accounts to ask questions. And sometimes you may end up with a negative review. These questions and reviews are opportunities, and you can’t ignore them. Responding to a negative review or comment is a great way to engage with a dissatisfied customer and turn around their impression of your brand.

And answering questions engages with audience members who are looking for assistance, and lets them know that your company cares about helping their clients.

Instead:

Take a second to cool down before you respond to a negative comment – you can’t fight fire with fire. Search for the true intent or real frustration behind the words in their post, and thoughtfully, authentically respond to try and help right the situation.

You can even invite a dissatisfied client to contact you directly. This is a great opportunity to mend your working relationship, and model your outstanding customer service to any other followers who have noticed the negative comment.

Do Offer Solutions

One of the best ways to engage with your audience is to help them solve an existing problem. If you’ve done your research about your buyer persona, you probably already have a decent idea of the problems many of your customers are hoping to solve. So how can you solve them?

Your social media posts can be a great opportunity to present easy, clickable solutions to solve your audience’s problems.

Don’t Forget to Include Links

You must include links to a landing page, a blog page, a page to shop, a contact us page – or anything specific that will get your followers over to your website. Your goal on social media is to connect with your followers, but it’s also to convert followers to customers!

The best way to help them do that? Include links in your posts to your website so they know where to go, and so it’s easy to get there.

If a customer has to loop back to your bio or search for a link, you’ll lose them. One great way to make a link easy?

Try the “swipe up” feature on your Instagram story. Hubspot claims that Instagram stories have accounted for an increase of 10 additional minutes that people spend on the app. But this doesn’t mean anything if they can’t get to your website! If you have 10,000 or more followers already, adding a “swipe up” should be easy to do.

Don’t have quite that many followers yet? Here are a few ways to link via Instagram if they haven’t given you the magical “swipe up” feature just yet.

Do Make It (Somewhat) Personal

Your social media accounts are a great way for your followers and customers to get to know your company better. With this being said, you should consider your online tone of voice, and how it matches your brand’s mission.

Sparknotes is a great example of this. Because they cater to students, their social media posts involve a lot of fun and funny memes to increase engagement. Their posting style and sense of humor match that of their audience.

But why does this humor-based marketing work for them? Because it matches their “buyer persona,” and it’s authentic to Sparknotes and to their followers. If your company’s tone of voice doesn’t fit this style, it won’t ring true with your audience. Find what works for you: Empowering, motivational posts, humorous posts, news-based posts. Whatever it is that matches your brand, that what you should go with.

You can also use your social media accounts to introduce your audience to your team. Try an Instagram takeover from a dynamic employee during a promotion, or spotlight a team member’s exceptional work on your accounts. Let your customers in and let them get to know you.

Social media can be a fantastic tool that can further connect existing customers to your brand, and help you find new customers in the process -if you do it right. The main “Do?” Be authentic. We all spend so much time on social media that we can tell when a person or brand is trying too hard to create an online presence that isn’t authentic to who they are.

So if you use your social media accounts to show off your brand’s “true self,” and you’re smart about the kind of content you share, you can’t go wrong.

Written by Ashley Hill for Business2Community and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

Modern marketing has undergone an evolution, and you’ve most likely come across common terminologies such as “digital marketing” and “content marketing.” Businesses use both types to share news, products and stories, and to promote their brand and engage with their audience. These marketing strategies often intermingle, and it can be confusing to know what the differences are between the two.

In this article, I’ll breakdown the components of both content marketing and digital marketing.

Digital Marketing vs. Content Marketing

Websites, blogging, and social media advertising are all part of digital marketing.

What is Digital Marketing?

The introduction of the personal computer ushered us into the digital age. More than four decades later, we have a plethora of digital devices at our fingertips. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that digital marketing covers a wide range of tools and tactics designed to create brand awareness and name recognition for brands.

Digital marketing includes:

1. Websites
2. Blogging
3. Guest Blogging
4. Search Engine Optimization
5. Search Engine Marketing
6. Social Media Marketing
7. Social Media Advertising
8. Other Online Advertising
9. Email Marketing
10. Video Marketing
11. Influencer Marketing
12. Infographic Creation & Promotion
13. Podcasting
14. Webinars

Blogs can increase inbound marketing and SEO.

Websites, Blogging and SEO

Websites are one of the most popular ways to showcase products or services and create brand awareness for your target audience. For the consumer, a website is a vital source of information and helps them make decisions about purchasing your products and services; it also provides pertinent information or reviews.

A blog is a collection of written articles about products, services and other helpful and interesting information that’s related to your business; it is part of many websites. Blog articles are usually conversational in style, informative, and can describe a service, experience, or share tips, tricks and other insights. Both B2C and B2B marketing use blogging, and in Hubspot’s Marketing Statistics for 2018, research showed that 55% of marketers defined blogging as their most important inbound marketing channel.

Blogging can help a brand establish a successful digital marketing campaign in several ways. One of the long-term benefits is that it creates more written materials to support a brand, product or service. In return, this creates more indexed pages on a company’s website. Together, they boost visibility for search engine optimization, also known as SEO.

SEO driven websites provide more data for search engines.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, use an algorithm to sort through all the information on the web. SEO helps them find and show the most relevant information on the searched topic. Websites that are SEO driven contain blogs or pages with researched keywords, titles with

keywords, links to relevant websites with high domain authorities, optimized pages for quick loading, and social sharing buttons.

Another tremendous benefit to blogging regularly is that it will help establish the principal(s) in your company as a thought leader. By sharing your expertise, you and your business can become the go-to resources for people seeking information in the subject areas you specialize in.

Guest blogging is another digital marketing method and benefits the owner of the blog as well as the guest blogger. As an example, a business might have the goal to increase their website traffic through blogging. Featuring an article by a guest blogger with expertise in a relevant area related to your organization gives the company’s target audience another resource to read, adding value and assisting the customer’s decision-making process. On the flip side, the guest blogger whose article appears on your company blog has a platform to share their skills or knowledge, and attract new followers.

Many companies will approach other blogs that write about industry-related topics and see if they can author an original post on that website. It’s another excellent way to gain visibility and also provides a backlink to your company website, which is great for your business’ search engine optimization.

Search Engine Marketing uses targeted keywords on search engines like Google and Bing.

Search Engine Marketing

In addition to providing organic search results, search engines offer paid advertising called search engine marketing, or SEM. This advertising uses targeted keywords, and when a user inputs a search term into Google, Yahoo or Bing they will be usually be shown a relevant ad at the top of the results. Most online ads work on a pay-per-click basis, which means the advertiser is charged every time someone clicks on their advertisement.

Social Media Marketing

Wordstream states that social media marketing “Involves creating and sharing content on social media networks in order to achieve your marketing and branding goals.”

This type of digital marketing encompasses all the ways you can create social media campaigns with organic posts, images and videos on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The keys to success when it comes to organic (free) social media marketing include:

• Posting a wide variety of content (graphics, videos, articles, memes, quotes, etc.) designed to appeal to your target audience
• Following the 80/20 Rule (only posting 20% self-promotional content; the other 80%, designed to arouse interest, can be related to your company’s industry)
• Posting consistently at optimal times of day
• Posting frequently as appropriate per platform
• Using hashtags strategically and as per best practices for each platform

When advertising on social media, choose a platform based on your target audience.

Social Media Advertising

Besides organic posting options which are free, all the social media platforms have pay-per-click advertising options to fit a wide range of budgets, along with opportunities to boost content to further your company’s reach. They’re an incredibly valuable tactic to include in your digital marketing strategy.

Social media advertising specifically refers to paid ads posted on social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. The platform chosen is based on the advertiser’s target audience.

Regardless of the chosen platform, the elements of a successful campaign include a strategy with a specific goal or mission, a researched target audience and appealing content. Once a campaign kicks off, reviewing the data and making adjustments to the ad creative and/or targeting will help keep a campaign on track.

The cost of search engine marketing and social media advertising varies by platform, and price models are based on the action the user takes. Common terms related to these digital marketing tactics are:

• PPC – Pay Per Click
• PPV – Pay Per View
• CPV – Cost Per View
• CPA – Cost Per Action
• PPA – Pay Per Action

While creating your digital marketing campaign review your audience demographics to refine your strategy.

Most social media platforms have specific requirements for the ad creative in regards to size of graphics, length of videos and text that can be included. When preparing to create an ad campaign, it’s important to not only keep these things in mind, but also consider where people who click on your ads will be directed. It’s strongly recommended that you create a unique, compelling landing page that includes information specifically related to your ad, as well as strong calls to action (CTAs).

Before you run your ads, it’s important to make sure your targeting is spot on. Targeting options vary from platform to platform, but they can include a wide range of demographics to choose from including age, gender, household income, geographic location, lifestyle factors, job titles and much more.

Depending on the platform you’re using, there may also be options like using a customer list to reach them with your ads, retargeting those that visited your website or focusing on users similar to those that already follow and engage with your brand.

Email, Video and Influencer Marketing

Research shows that email marketing is consistently one of the top choices for digital marketing and has a higher ROI when compared to other platforms. Why? An email list consists of subscribers who have signed up to receive news about your brand, service or product. MailChimp and Constant Contact are popular customer relationship management systems, and email marketing on those platforms is free or low-cost until a certain number of subscribers are reached, at which point the fees increase.

Video and influencer marketing can significantly drive traffic to your website.

Video marketing is another useful tool and, “One study shows that potential customers are 85% more likely to buy a product after viewing a product video.” Users are very responsive to videos on multiple social media platforms. The most popular video platform is YouTube, which has more than a billion users and is actually the second most popular search engine right behind Google. Plus, “More than 500 million hours of videos are watched” each day. One of the keys to creating a successful video marketing campaign is to stay authentic to your brand and use SEO keywords.

Influencer marketing is a collaborative digital marketing style between the business or a brand and a person who has a strong connection to their target audience, hence an influencer. Instead of paying for advertising the influencer is paid to share an honest review of a product, service or destination. Followers trust their influencer, and the information they share can drive traffic to a business’ website.

Infographics, Podcasting and Webinars

Visuals can boost post engagement ‒ producing a 650% higher engagement rate, according to Inc. An infographic takes data and statistics and conveys them in a visually digestible format. Infographics can be shared on social media as well as in blog articles or elsewhere on a company’s website.

Podcasting allows businesses or brands to share content through digital audio files. An advantage of creating a podcast is that your audience can listen at a time of their choosing, and with devices like iPods and MP3 players they can tune in on the go. There are several ways to produce podcasts including various apps like Chirp, available in the Apple app store, or on internet hosting networks.

Webinars share educational content or expertise in a live streaming video that may include slideshow presentations and guest speakers. Viewers can sign in from anywhere in the world, and during the lecture, there are opportunities to interact with the host and ask questions.

Content marketing focuses on creating content for a particular audience.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing fits under the umbrella of digital marketing, but it is different in that it refers to creating specific types of content to reach a particular target audience. The types of content you create can include blog articles, social media posts, graphics, podcasts and videos.

Before you go through the process of developing content, be sure to create a strategy using best practices. This includes defining and staying authentic to your brand’s voice, developing an editorial calendar, researching keywords and hashtags, learning to write for SEO, creating backlinks to your website and more.

Analyze Your Content & Digital Marketing Data

Whether you are using digital marketing or a more strategic content marketing tactic, it is crucial to analyze your metrics and make adjustments as needed. Without this step, you will never know what strategies are working.

Content or Digital Marketing: Which is Best For Your Business?

Determining what digital marketing and/or content marketing strategy and tactics are best for your business and your budget can be a challenge. If you need assistance, we love helping clients to build on their goals to create brand awareness through blogging, social media, emailing marketing and more!

Written by Lara Dunning for Business2Community and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.