Since the dawn of consumerism, marketing has always been about connecting your target audience with your brand. Now, in 2020, marketing is actually all about connecting with your customer on the *internet*. Because this is where they are spending all their time right now. 

Even more so since good ol’ Covid-19 surfaced. The term ‘digital marketing’ refers to marketing on the ‘entire’ internet. Not just one singular channel or platform. Think Google Adwords, social media marketing, social media advertising, email marketing and any website on the internet, including e-Commerce and blogging sites; this is all considered digital marketing.

There are so many digital marketing channels to consider nowadays. You can find a full glossary of terms in the FAQ section of our website, but in the meantime, here is a super quick explanation on the main digital marketing channels we focus on: 

1. SEO – Search engine optimisation helps you rank higher in search engine results. Google ranks [and loves] websites that are constantly optimised for SEO. 
   
   
2. Pay per click – This term refers to the paid ads on Google, Bing, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, etc.
   
   
3. Websites – What is a business without one? Non existent. This is how customers find you. A website is hosted under your domain name and it contains pages with your business information or products that your customers can buy. 
   
   
4. Social Media Marketing – Do you have a business? Yes. Great. Then you need to have social channels to build a relationship with customers. Social channels are your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest page [BTW you may not need *all* of these channels, it depends on your brand/service/industry/objective]
   
   
5. Content marketing – This is how you *illuminate* the pathway to your business. Content marketing refers to blogs, opinion pieces, white page booklets, webinars, podcasts and even infographics.
   
   
6. Marketing automation – Refers to [super sophisticated] software tools that allows you to automate customer communications, emails, SMS, social media content, digital marketing performance, tracking and reporting. 
   
   
7. Online PR – Do you want to be seen as the expert in your space? Then build an online reputation through earned online coverage via leading news publications, blogs, industry websites and influencer partnerships.

If you have a business, the short answer is [absolutely] hell yes. Your company does need digital marketing. Particularly if you want your business to succeed. Firstly, your business needs a website. Secondly, you need a strategy to drive customers to your website. But before all of this occurs, it’s critical that you nail your messaging, tonality and visuals. There is no use driving traffic to your website through Google Adwords or Facebook advertising if you are not solving your customer issues and communicating the solution accurately. Your customers rely on you to have a digital presence so they can decide if you are the right fit for them, they want to research and compare before they make the final purchase decision. Which might I also add, this space [digital marketing] is competitive, so you must have an edge, a point of difference that gets your business *picked*over your competitors. Having a digital marketing presence is critical for business survival [and success] in 2020 – a solid digital marketing strategy is the most critical factor, if you want your business to prosper and succeed of course. It’s a non negotiable!

Absolutely. Digital marketing does work for any industry and any business. With thanks to the accessibility of the internet every single business needs a digital presence. But the approach is going to be different for each client [based on your business, industry, customer and vertical] No two companies have the exact same goals, budget, vision, customer or competitor. That is why it is critical to have a completely tailor and customised approach towards your digital marketing.

There are two key differences between most digital marketing companies. Its their *people* and their internal *processes*. Like every service business, every agency has their ‘own style’ that defines their success. Either way, when you are looking for an agency partner do your research. Like you would for any other purchase. Investigate, which clients have they have worked with? What do their online reviews say about them? What case studies do they have that are relevant to your business? Who is going to be managing your account [like will it be a senior or junior digital marketing professional?] Go into the partnership fully informed.

The reasons why we *win* business at 3 Phase Marketing [we literally hear this from our clients directly, so we’re not making this bit up] is because of the people we employ and the outcomes we obtain for our clients. Our execution is our super power. How many times have you been sold a fairytale, only to experience sheer deflation when it comes to the execution? Sound familiar? This my friends happens waaay too often in our industry and we’ve had to *pick up the pieces* when a clients website launch failed, or they’re paying through the roof for service fees only to find little to nothing has been done with the backend of their website. Or innovation has been *on vacation* [that’s a big one we hear a lot “my existing agency doesn’t come up with any ideas or introduce us to new technology”]. Well we have *listened* to our clients challenges over the past 5 years, and we have responded, by constantly improving our processes and attracting incredible talent. We have high standards and we don’t settle for complacency or laziness. We stop at *nothing* to ensure our clients reach their business goals and dreams. Sounds simple, but it takes a lot of hard work to keep delivering on these promises.