If you’re new to our blog, you may have missed the other posts in our “blogging 101” series. They covered popular topics like how to start a blog, what blogging entails, writing quality content, creating a blog schedule, Google Analytics and SEO. The series is designed to help our customers learn more about blogging in the 21^st century.

What is Digital Marketing?

Marketing is about connecting with your target audience in the right way. At the most basic level, digital marketing is any form of marketing that exists online. Digital marketing takes advantage of a variety of channels including email, social media, blogs and websites to connect with current and potential customers.

What is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing involves the creation, distribution and promotion of content to improve brand awareness, increase web traffic and generate leads. Blog posts can help you engage customers online by demonstrating your expert knowledge on a particular topic.

What are KPIs?

KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are metrics that help you track the progress of your blog projects and confirm whether or not your efforts are paying off. Popular blog KPIs include page views, time on site, bounce rate, exit rate, social shares, email subscribers and conversion rates.

Digital Marketing Strategy

Now that you have a feel for what digital and content marketing involves it’s time to talk strategy. If you want your blog, website or business to meet its goals, you’ll need to develop a sound long-term plan.

• What are your digital or content marketing goals?
• What do you hope to accomplish with your blog content?
• What KPIs should you focus on?
• Would you like to generate leads that convert to sales?
• Do you want to increase the number of subscribers?

By determining what you hope to accomplish with your blog content and selecting easy to track metrics it will be much easier to gauge your blog’s overall performance.

Now it’s time to learn more about the concepts presented in this short blog post. Below you’ll find a variety of resources specifically designed to help our customers learn more about digital and content marketing.

Learn More About Digital and Content Marketing

Use Lynda.com to expand your knowledge or expertise

With Lynda.com you’ll find short videos, courses and learning paths designed to help users become an expert in their field of choice. Use your Library card to start learning today.

Recommended Lynda.com courses:

• Content Marketing Foundations with Brian Honigman
• Online Marketing Foundations with Brad Batesole
• Marketing Analytics: Setting and Measuring KPIs with Michael Taylor

Additional Online Resources:

• The Who, What, Why and How of Digital Marketing
• 7 Digital Marketing Strategies that Actually Work
• How to Create a Brand-Building Blogging Strategy
• 8 Data KPIs Every Blogger Should Be Using to Grow Their Blog
• 15 Blog KPIs You Should Already Be Tracking
• Digital Strategy Guide

Books and Audiobooks:

Today it is incredibly important to understand the basics of digital marketing. This book includes a lot of helpful information for people interested in learning more about the modern marketing practices.

In this book, you’ll learn the basics of: social media marketing, marketing to millennials, influencer marketing, content marketing strategies, using targeted measurable marketing strategies, brand awareness, measuring what your online traffic is worth and developing a solid digital marketing plan.

The Digital Marketing Handbook by Robert Bly This handbook is geared towards small business owners and entrepreneurs who are interested in turning their websites into money makers. In this book, you’ll learn how to: generate a steady stream of traffic to your website, increase conversions, leads, opt-ins and sales, create and integrate a digital marketing plan, maximize open and click-through rates, avoid common internet marketing mistakes, master Google AdWords, improve brand awareness and drive quality leads to your site.

The Content Marketing Handbook by Robert Bly This title is available through hoopla in eBook and Audiobook. It’s geared towards entrepreneurs, marketers and small business owners. The content covers the basics of content marketing in the 21st century. With this book, you’ll learn how to: create content that gets noticed, read and eliminates content pollution, use content that builds, enhances reputations and stands out from the competition and plan, execute and measure content marketing in a multichannel environment.