It is easy to take writing for granted these days. From social media to email, most of us read thousands of words online every day.

But that is a pretty recent phenomenon. In fact, it wasn’t until 1994 that the first blog was invented.

For brands, writing is about creating useful content, sharing their brand stories, and building real connections with their audience.

Unfortunately, there’s a ton of content out there vying for the attention of online readers. Every day, more than 4 million blog posts are published. Your content is literally one in four million.

But you can break through the noise.

I launched my blog AdamEnfroy.com in January of 2019 and am currently getting over 150,000 readers/month to my blog.

For your brand’s content to stand out, it needs to be different. It needs to be easy to read, and it needs to encourage readers to engage more.

So, how do you do that? Assuming you’ve already built a site with a website builder or WordPress that is optimized for blogging…

I’ve distilled what I’ve learned over the years with my top five tips to design your blog posts in order to engage more readers and generate more shares.

1. Break up content into easy to read sections

It is no secret that the internet has changed the way we read. But it isn’t just online reading that causes people’s attention span to dip; it is also how we access the internet.

In 2018, more than half of all internet traffic was conducted on a mobile device, and that rate is expected to continue to increase exponentially over the next few years.

Those little mobile screens are not conducive to reading big blocks of tiny text. The iPhone X, for example, has less than 6 inches of viewable area.

Here’s an example of a blog post that is really optimized with line height and bullet points to make things easy to read from Cooltechzone about free trial vpns:

Of course, their entire blog post isn’t formatted this way. But including easy to read and skim sections with bullet points is always appreciated, especially by mobile users.

Brands that want to encourage readers to engage with their content need to break up content into easy-to-read blocks and add design elements that make content easier to consume.

This includes using features such as:

• Short, easy to read sentences
• Bullet points and numbered lists
• Compelling headings using the H2, H3, etc., tags
• Bold and italic text, when appropriate

Here’s an example, from GetVOIP in their blog post about conference bridge calls:

Notice the short paragraphs, subheadings, and imagery, which makes it easier to share more of your great content in fewer words. They also use high-quality images, which help to break up long blocks of text and make it easier to read.

2. Use a linked table of contents

We’ve already covered that people have short attention spans when it comes to reading online content. But, does that mean the content you publish should be shorter?

Actually, no.

When it comes to search engines like Google, longer content actually performs much better. A study done by serpIQ found that the average content length of the top-ranked blog posts came in around 2,000 words.

So, longer is better, but people don’t read long content.

Talk about mixed messages.

Luckily, there is an easy way to make this all work: a hyperlinked table of contents.

Alex Birkett writes long-form guides (usually ranging from 3000 to 6000 words) and always adds a linked section at the top where readers can choose which section they’d like to jump to. Here’s an example from his A/B testing guide:

This makes it easy to “choose your own adventure” on a topic that may bring audiences of very diverse experience levels.

Lendio, an online business loan platform, uses this strategy in its long-form guide on short term loans. Take a look:

The table of contents, located in the left sidebar, serves several purposes. First, it lets users quickly jump to the content they are most interested in, which is great for user experience.

For example, maybe you know what short term loans are, but want to learn more about how to apply for one. Using the table of contents, you can jump straight to that section.

The table of contents is persistent, which means it stays easily accessible as readers scroll through the content.

The hyperlinks also make it easy to share a specific portion of a guide. For example, if you want to share the section on improving your chances of getting a loan with your business partner, you can easily do so.

Table of contents also make it easier for readers to see the topics a post covers, which can help them decide if the content is useful to them. While keeping readers on your site as long as possible is a good thing, frustrating users is never a good look.

An easy way to create a table of contents without a developer is with some simple HTML code.

List out the sections of the article, and switch into HTML view. Before each section, add the following code snippet:

Section headline

Here’s how it looks in practice following the example from above:

Scroll down to each section and match up the “#unique_identifier” to the section headline. The code will look like this:

Section headline

And here’s how it looks following the same example:

This code snippet means that when you click on the link in the table of contents, it brings you right down to the corresponding section.

3. Create custom images to highlight major points

Humans are visual creatures. That is why we love art, why most people love to watch television shows, and why most blog posts contain tons of images.

As an added bonus, images are also good for SEO, with articles with images garnering 94% more views.

Besides, it’s easy, right? Head to a site like Pixabay or Unsplash, snag a free image, and smash that publish button.

You could do that. Or, you could create unique images that aren’t being used by every other blog in your industry. For example, take a look at these custom images from Adventure For Less on a post about visiting Hawaii:

Using custom graphics with their own photography, they create unique images for each article, something that most blogs can’t replicate with generic stock content.

To really stand out, work with a designer directly to have a professional bring your idea to life. If you’re on a budget, try the DIY route. Drop that image into Photoshop, where you can quickly edit, make touch ups and then export for any format within minutes.

If you are looking for a more beginner-friendly platform, consider Picmonkey or Snappa. While these platforms offer more limited features, they also provide templates so you can create professional images without much digital design background.

Need some ideas on what to create using one of these photo tools? Check out these custom graphics from VPN Review in their CyberGhost vpn review post:

Graphics like these add a touch of personalization and do a great job at engaging your audience.

There are several other benefits of using custom images. By creating your own images, you won’t have to worry about copyright issues or other companies using the same boring stock photos.

Take a look at these two images from a post about mic technique using Buzzsprout. The first image highlights a quote, while the second includes added art elements (and branding) to illustrate a point better.

These types of images also do well on social media, and might even encourage links if other companies cite your quotes in their own content.

4. Summarize key points in the beginning

At any given point, your mind may be focusing on a half dozen things. You may be considering what response to send to a work email, musing over what to make for dinner, or worrying about whether your kids need help with a homework project.

This is why so much writing training focuses on the ‘hook’ used to reel readers in. To be successful, writing needs to attract readers’ attention and help them focus on the content provided.

Most writers include a summary at the end of a post. The issue is most readers skim, which means they quickly browse a piece of content instead of reading every sentence.

Instead, flip the script and put a short summary of key points at the start of your article, like this post from Codeless. The article starts with a snappy intro that outlines the problem and gives stats to support why the topic matters.

Then, the writer provides a short summary of what the post covers and what features they look at.

Codeless also includes hyperlinks as a short-form table of contents so readers can choose to skip straight to the content writing service they are most curious about. Those user-friendly choices make it easier for people to easily consume the post.

5. Take the lead from landing page structure

Landing pages are designed to promote conversions, in whatever form that might be for a particular post. For example, you might build a landing page to encourage users to download an ebook, sign up for a free trial, or make a purchase.

The main goal of landing pages is to encourage the reader to take action, and they are very effective.

Common features of a landing page include:

• Clean and concise content
• Engaging visual elements
• Distinct headlines to break up content
• Use of bullet lists for main points
• A clear CTA to drive action

You can check out this helpful guide on creating landing pages that convert for more ideas.

For example, to generate more leads on my blog, I add custom email an opt-in form as a sticky sidebar and to the bottom of each post:

Here’s another example of a plumbing service landing page that reads more like a blog post by showcasing these design elements in action:

As you can see, they use visual elements to outline specific points, a strong featured image, and an easy-to-locate CTA button.

Also notice the generous use of white space, which helps draw the eye down the page, which is much more pleasant and engaging to read than huge blocks of text.

While a blog will likely have far more content than a landing page, the design elements landing pages use can still be effective in blog posts, especially the CTA.

Nutshell, an online CRM software, uses the bottom of their blog posts as a landing page by prompting readers to sign up for a live demo and by allowing readers to sign up for their newsletter:

Don’t be afraid to get more bold with your call-to-action and do something similar to Lyfe Accounting below:

This call to action can be highly effective as it encourages those warm and hot leads to take action right now by picking up the phone, or filling out a short application to pre-qualify them for your offer.

Other call to action examples include downloading an ebook or checklist, purchasing a related product, signing up for a webinar, or sharing the post to social media.

Don’t forget to include call-to-actions in your relevant social media posts as well.

For example, posting valuable content on Instagram with a call-to-action leading users back to your blog or lead magnet is a great strategy to grow your Instagram organically.

Not to mention, it also helps increase your web traffic at the same time.

The goal is to give the reader a next step that helps them stay engaged with your brand, in whatever format works best.

Final thoughts on designing engaging blog posts
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Creating online content requires more than just writing a great story. Blog posts need to be designed in a way that is easy to read (especially on mobile devices) and grabs readers’ attention in the first few seconds. Include interesting elements like images and don’t forget to add a CTA.

But, no matter how engaging your content design is, there is one more step to keep in mind. Once you have included the design elements above, take the time to build a content promotion schedule so more people see your content and, hopefully, engage with it.

About the author

Adam Enfroy writes about how to scale your blog like a startup to 150,000 monthly readers at www.adamenfroy.com. He launched his blog in 2019 and started generating over $30,000/month in revenue within 9 months. He wants to teach new bloggers how to do the same.

You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and his world travels on Instagram.

Having a well-designed education website is an ideal way to show who you are as an establishment, whether you’re an existing institution or building your education brand from the ground up.

Remember, you’re providing both a valuable and invaluable service: knowledge. The best education website design solutions will support this knowledge through a clean layout, captivating images and engaging features.

Higher education and professional school websites
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The purpose of this type of website is to uphold the overall brand of the university or college. A higher education website contains a great deal of important information for students, faculty and staff. Additionally, it’s a way of representing the campus culture for prospective students.

What works well?

When it comes to higher education website design, the competition is fierce. The landing page needs to be simultaneously simple and striking in order to hold the attention of the visitor, especially if they happen to be a prospective student.

Look for a hero image that encompasses what makes your university unique. In the case of the University of Montana, the hero image celebrates homecoming season by highlighting their marching band. It’s timely, it’s engaging, and it gives the visitor an in-depth look at what makes campus life so great. This is your time to really show off.

While a great hero image will encourage the visitor to stick around and explore, a clean design will help them make the most of the website experience. Think about simple, easy-to-comprehend categories which your user needs to see. Make everything clear and clickable. Create an intuitive, functional layout and remember to factor in a way for the navigation to work on a mobile device. Universities are going to have a lot of portals for students and faculty, so your navigation menus will need to be particularly well organized. Start with the three As of higher education website navigation: academics, admission, athletics. Then, branch off from there.

Elementary and high school website designs
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While the overall goals of elementary and high school websites are similar to that of a higher education website, the audience is completely different. These websites are most likely to be visited by parents and employees, rather than the students themselves. But still, they’re a great resource for important information, so it’s important to display everything clearly.

What works well?

Think about what a parent wants to see when they visit the website for their child’s school: they want engagement.

Try showing a variety of interactive photos, like students at play or students with teachers in a classroom.

Focus on all the little things that make your school great, and most importantly, show how happy the students are when they’re at school. Be authentic with this approach. Avoid stock photos, and instead, invest in a photographer who can capture your student body in its natural environment.

For the navigation, think about things that parents care most about. For example, the best education website design solutions will have an easily accessible calendar feature. It sounds obvious, but actually, the calendar is often overlooked. Plain and simple: it’s truly one of the most important features for parents who need to know about breaks, holidays, exams and school-wide events.

Online education and e-learning website designs
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Get schooled without leaving the house? Score. Online education is a growing field, and the backbone to any online education platform is a thoughtfully designed website. If the entire educational experience takes place in one digital environment, it can’t be anything short of excellent. And an online education doesn’t have to mean homeschooling or online college—it can also be something quicker and simpler, like a course on Lynda or Skillshare or even a mobile app that lets students learn a new language.

What works well?

True story: clean, minimalist design works well in nearly any digital space. Online education websites are no exception. It’s as easy as ABC: a digital learning space should allow the student to have a very easy time getting where they need to go. Don’t make it too complicated. Opt for easy-to-read fonts on bold buttons with simple calls to action, like “learn more about our courses” or “start your free trial now.”

The difference between this type of education website and others is the student will essentially live within the digital environment. This means particular attention must be paid to the profile and the course browsing pages. Make sure the student can easily find courses, understand their contents and can see how long each one will take—right down to the minutes—all at a moment’s glance. The student profile should be simple to use and act as a main hub where they can organize notes and create their own lesson plans. Even the most eager students can find self-motivation challenging, so make it easy on them by designing eye-catching measures and badges that demonstrate progress.

How to earn top marks with your education website design
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Appeal to a diverse faculty and student body

When deciding on the visual aspects of an education website, there are many important factors to consider. Be strategic. This website could be the decision-maker for those who are interested in gaining knowledge from your institution or becoming employees who share their knowledge with others.

Aim for universal appeal to any audience. The Skillshare website is a great example of universal appeal. The colors are neutral, the layout is easy to comprehend and the content is diverse. In the case of a higher education website, universal appeal means that your site should be attractive to the vibrant, curious student audience as well as the professional, experienced faculty or staff audience. Make it clear that everyone is welcome at your institution, and everyone makes up an important piece of its overall success. This can be reflected through diverse imagery and a generally neutral, ageless look. Be modern without being trendy.

Additionally, use your website to show what gives you an edge over your competitors. Do you have an award-winning curriculum? Share your success. Is your campus filled with beautiful architecture? Let visitors see the perks right from the first click.

Extend your education brand with colors, shapes and imagery

Colors and shapes are brand-defining aspects of any business, including educational establishments. Branding is necessary and important regardless of the audience, whether it’s higher education, primary/secondary education or an online learning tool. Visual cues can help show who you are and what you’re all about. It’s what makes you memorable, and it’s a nice companion piece to your website design.

Consider some popular education color schemes which pair well with a signature shape, like the University of Michigan’s striking blue-and-gold letter M. These colors have become synonymous with the university as a whole, and the shape is also extremely recognizable. Throughout their website, the colors stay true to the overarching theme. This intelligent, easy-to-recognize branding supports the university as a whole. Even those who have never been to Michigan and don’t follow college sports are still likely to recognize the colors and the shape.

Some of the most successful education branding ventures are those that embrace simple, visually appealing shapes. An iconic example is the Harvard University coat of arms. The rich crimson color and bold shield shape are incredibly significant to the university as a whole, and it’s also a front-and-center element of the university’s website design.

For Denman College, the headings on the website are concise and to the point. Each is supported by a vivid color to draw the eye in, but the colors are still coordinated together. Since the colors are fairly bright, the designer made the smart choice to not focus too much on unique shapes. The layout is built entirely from rectangles, which makes it easy to digest and navigate.

Long story short: don’t go over the top. Say the words you need to say with the colors and shapes which support your overall identity, then let the brand speak for itself.

Get smart with a great education website
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Education is your area of expertise, and your website should support your overall goals. Just be smart. Making smart design choices can boost your brand and elevate your appeal, both for prospective students and employees.

A well-designed website is an essential part of any education venture, regardless of the type of knowledge offered or the desired audience that you’re trying to reach. Now that you’ve hit the books when it comes to website design, it’s time to bring in an expert to bring your vision to life. Connect with our global community of designers and start creating a website that’s honor roll-worthy.

A brand without a digital presence is like a car without tires. It’s not going to get anywhere fast. Though old-fashioned, “analog” branding hasn’t quite gone the way of horse and buggy, businesses today need a diversified array of digital branding tools to cement their real-world presence.

Kick off your own brand strategy with our essential guide to digital branding. We’ll explore everything from social media to SEO and influencers to emails so you can make sure your digital brand campaign checks all the right boxes.

Everything you need to know about digital branding

What is branding?
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Branding is the creative, strategic process of telling potential customers what your company is all about: who you are, what you care about, why they should work with you and what they can expect from you. After you’ve started a business or created your first product, building a brand identity should be your number one priority.

Branding distills everything about what you do and how you do it into a singular, memorable essence that people will remember and continuously associate with your company. Think of the McDonald’s golden arches or the multicolor rings on the Olympics insignia. Even a simple symbol or image can convey meaningful associations that resonate the world over.

We’ve just tossed three B’s in your direction: brand, branding and brand identity. They’re all related but not quite the same.

• Your brand is the way the outside world perceives your company.
• Your branding is the process of designing and building a unique, memorable brand.
• Your brand identity is the set of creative elements that feed into the branding process—like your website, social media and logo—that broadcast your message, values and purpose.

These three B’s all have to work together. You don’t have a real brand without a brand identity, and you’ll never have a brand until you start branding.

Start defining your brand by asking yourself these questions:

• Who are you as a company?
• What makes you unique from other brands?
• What is your brand’s mission statement? What gives it purpose?
• What are your values?
• Who is your ideal customer?

Knowing and defining exactly who you are is the first step in creating a meaningful brand.

What is digital branding?
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Digital branding is how you design and build your brand online through websites, apps, social media, video and more. Digital branding consists of a combination of digital marketing and internet branding to develop a brand online.

Why does a digital brand presence matter? Well, look up from that phone you’re probably on… We’re all using our devices constantly. Most of us engage with the larger world through the lens of the internet, which makes it essential for brands to reach target customers and convert one-time users into long-term loyalists.

Digital branding enables any company to make its presence known anywhere—even in the palm of your hand. After all, if my mom has an Instagram, why shouldn’t my favorite shoe brand?

Digital branding vs. digital marketing

What’s the difference between digital branding and digital marketing? While digital branding focuses on providing value and inspiring loyalty and brand recognition, digital marketing is all about finding new customers and generating sales.

Advertisements are lobbed at you constantly online, even if you don’t notice it. That’s digital marketing at its best. Ads might come in the form of an Instagram celeb touting their favorite makeup or a pop-up coupon on a website.

Unlike traditional ads, digital branding doesn’t talk at you; it seeks to engage with you. It’s more about establishing an online identity and positive feelings, rather than inspiring people to make a one-time purchase. Learn all about the different types of digital marketing here.

The benefits of digital branding

A robust digital presence makes customers feel personally involved with a company or product. Well-crafted branding fosters relationships with users and allows you to speak directly with consumers through day-to-day interactions on the platforms they’re already using.

Target your audience

Your company’s online presence is the premiere mode by which most potential customers will learn about and interact with your brand. Digital branding let’s you zero-in on your audience by targeting specific customer groups through the online platforms they use most frequently: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.

Take a company like Outdoor Voices, a workout clothing brand. In a matter of years, it’s developed its own social media hashtag, #DoingThings, which customers tag when they’re wearing its clothing and embodying its lifestyle. Currently, more than 155,000 posts are tagged with #DoingThings on Instagram alone.

#DoingThings is the difference between blind consumption of a product and feeling like you’re a part of a group or lifestyle. When you buy leggings or a sports bra from them, you’re purchasing admission into a massive digital club. That’s much more compelling to customers than simply buying any ol’ exercise clothes.

Connect with customers

Successful digital branding makes customers feel like you’re speaking directly to them, especially because you’re engaging on the same platforms they use to interact with friends and family members. Be personal and meaningful: that’s how you convert one-time customers into lifelong brand followers.

At its core, digital branding facilitates communication between a company and its customers. This can be as simple as making it easy for customers to find information about your company on your website, or helping them quickly get great customer service. Ultimately, a brand that isn’t searchable online practically doesn’t exist in the contemporary consumer’s mind.

Spread the word—fast!

There are tertiary benefits to digital branding too, like the potential to “go viral” or reach a mass audience in a short period of time at little to no cost.

Take Popeye’s now-infamous chicken sandwich. In just days of releasing the sandwich, the product received an estimated $23 million in free online advertising simply because so many people—reporters, newscasters, Twitter users—were sharing, posting, and liking it. Now the sandwich is sold-out at many restaurants, providing even more clout and advertising for the product. This is the sort of exposure money can’t buy.

The 9 components of successful digital branding
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1. Logo

A logo is the single image a customer should associate first-and-foremost with your brand. Think Disney and you see mouse ears. Think Apple and you instantly conjure an illuminated fruit.

Logos should match the personality and values of your business, industry and target audience. While you don’t want to get too flashy, your logo design should be memorable enough to leave an impression, but not so complicated that audience members won’t remember it amidst the daily barrage of images they ingest online

Start by defining your brand: Are you modern and minimalist? Retro and vintage? Fun and quirky? Do you imagine a wordmark logo with just text or something that’s more image or icon based?

Take a look at logos in your industry to see what your competitors are doing. And don’t forget about color theory: The right logo color can make you stand out and set the mood. This color scheme should be standard across your branding materials.

The logo should look good in all sizes on all your brand materials: letterheads, business cards, billboards. But remember: digital platforms require specific sizes and imaging. You should design a logo that works well on profile pictures, cover photos, email headers, app buttons and more.

A logo is your first stop on your way to a great digital brand. But don’t worry, we’ve got everything you need to start dreaming up a perfect logo in our ultimate guide to logo design.

2. Website

If your logo is the sign for your business, your website is your digital storefront location. When a customer wants to know your brick-and-mortar locations, your hours of operation, your product listings or your contact information, they won’t be digging through the phone book. They’ll Google your website, where they’ll expect to find information quickly and easily.

Effective websites are simple and easy to navigate. Streamline design and maintain brand consistency with a limited color scheme that matches or complements your logo. Make your brand name and essential details stand out with bold, legible fonts. Keep pages concise and to-the-point, and don’t bog down users with TMI. The fastest way to make a potential customer stop clicking is to bury essential info.

Your website should also have a “crawlable” link structure, meaning humans and search engines can navigate to all the information presented on the website with ease. By the same token, this content should be easily indexable by search engines (more on that later) so your content doesn’t get lost in the internet sludge pile.

Lastly, make sure your website works. Check every link, every button, every image… Errors look amateur.

Websites are vital to brand success, but we’ve got you covered with our ultimate guide to web design.

3. Brand messaging

Brand messaging is what your company says and how you say it. If I’m opening a breakfast joint with the best blueberry pancakes in town, you best be sure I’m mentioning that in my brand message. The message should reflect what your company does and believes, and speak succinctly to your customers’ immediate needs and desires.

A successful brand message should answer these questions:

• What do you do?
• What do you stand for?
• Why do you matter?

If I’m that pancake cafe, I’d want my brand message to convey that I do blueberry pancakes better than anyone, that I stand for delicious breakfast food and that I matter because there’s no cozier, friendlier place in town!

Your tone of voice should also align with your company and the services it offers. Selling lip gloss? Keep things playful and fashionable. Selling medical equipment? Tone things down and be professional. Always do your best to focus on positivity and solutions rather than pain points.

Your messaging should sound the same everywhere. The text that appears in a Google search of your company should match the brand speak on your website. Likewise, your customer service reps should talk like you do on Instagram and Twitter.

Be sure that your brand message speaks to an online audience. In a nutshell: If your brand is on the internet, it should act like the internet does. The internet has its own unique modes of communication (e.g. memes, GIFs, slang) that your company should employ on social media when appropriate.

For example, on #InternationalDogDay FedEx posted a photo of mail carriers posing with pups, a playful way to engage on the internet while subverting the trope of mailman vs. dog. Bonus point: They even used an emoji.

Your messaging should also vary by platform. Twitter is all about responding in real-time to current events, so a successful brand Twitter page would react to these as well.

When the Notre Dame Cathedral burned down in April 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded on Twitter by pledging to donate to the rebuilding cause.

It was a perfect example of online engagement with intention and meaning.

4. SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) ensures your brand and its offerings are easily found on search engines, one of the primary avenues through which customers seek out your services. Start by designing your website with SEO in mind. A great place to start is Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, which explain how Google indexes and ranks sites. Here are their top tips:

• Ensure that each webpage can be reached by a link from another findable page.
• Limit the number of links on a page to a thousand at most.
• Design pages primarily for users, not search engines.
• Consider what makes your website useful and engaging.
• Make your website stand out from the rest by providing value-add information.
• Constantly monitor your site for broken links and hacking.

Use a keyword search tool like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs or Keywordtool to find frequently searched words that you can use in your copy and to ensure your schema (website code that identifies the data on your page) and meta tags (snippets of text that describe a page’s content) is optimized for search engines.

Be sure to include a good number of active links through your content—both to your own internal pages and external ones too—so your website will appear more robust and higher up in search results. Search engines like Google take all of this into account, and a shoddy website is a surefire way to get lost in the internet ether.

5. Social media

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat: almost everyone, including your 85-year-old grandma, has some sort of social media presence. If your customers are there, your brand should be too.

Tailor every post to the platform on which it appears. Snapchat content tends to be fun, lively and targeted toward a younger crowd. Instagram posts are image-driven and designed to drive likes and comments. Twitter works in real-time and responds to current events and news. Facebook is a little bit of everything with an emphasis on behind-the-scenes content about how your brand works.

When using social media, think like an influencer would: Schedule out posts for specific times and dates, engage with commenters and respond to direct messages. And don’t forget to track your progress. A tool like Hootsuite can help you streamline all your platforms and track engagement, while Google Analytics will show you which pages are driving customer action and which ones are falling behind. If you want to sell directly on a social media platform, a tool like Shopify can link potential customers straight to your website’s shopping cart.

Not sure where to start? We compiled some of our favorite digital marketing tools that will help jumpstart your social media game.

6. Email marketing

With all the flashy tools out there to market your brand digitally, it’s easier to forget about good ol’ fashioned email. Online mailers are an easy way to reach out to customers, especially those who don’t use social media.

Start by building robust targeted email lists plump with “leads” who are likely to be converted into web visitors and subscribers. You can get these signups from advertisements or gather them directly on your website by including a popup with a newsletter signup on the landing page.

Before you send a mass email, clearly identify what you hope to achieve with it: Boosted engagement? Nurturing existing relationships? Announcing a new product? Your goal should drive everything from the subject line to your image selection.

Target your emails to specific customer segments and write them in a lively, engaged tone that fits your brand. Include photos, videos and useful information that seeks to not only sell your products, but actively engage customers in your brand’s lifestyle.

Carefully schedule out mass emails. Sending too many back-to-back often results in a first-class ticket to the junk mail pile.

For help designing your email, check out our essential email design tips.

7. Online advertising

Online advertising uses the power of the web to market your products. It’s not so simple as a banner on a webpage anymore. Today, there are dozens of ways to advertise digitally. These are some of the most common avenues:

• Search engine ads: These ads bump up your website to the top of the page on a site like Google so customers see your product or brand first.
• Display ads: These ads are clickable banners you’ll find on webpages across the internet.
• Social media ads: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all offer a variety of ways to “sponsor” content. You can pay-to-play, meaning your post will automatically appear in potential customer’s feeds, or you can hire an influencer to post about your product for you.
• Mobile feed and desktop feed ads: These ads appear often as “suggested content” on users’ mobile and desktop feeds. They have a more natural feel, since they’re integrated directly into a feed and blend in with non-paid content.
• Retargeted ads: Have you ever searched for something only to see an ad for that very thing ten minutes later? Then you know firsthand the power of retargeted ads. These reach customers who have already expressed interest in your business or services, whether by Googling it, visiting your website or liking your Facebook page.

8. Content marketing

These days, it’s not enough to simply advertise your product. To create a loyal, returning customer base, engagement is paramount. That’s where content marketing comes in. Think of it as the human side of your brand. Where digital marketing emphasizes sales, content marketing focuses on engagement through photos, videos, Spotify playlists and blog posts (like the one you’re reading right now!).

Successful content marketing should stimulate interest in your brand and get customers excited about your products and message. It helps build trust between brand and user, and seeks to establish lasting, fruitful relationships. While digital marketing introduces a customer to your brand, successful content marketing should keep them interested, transforming one-time users into diehard fans.

9. Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that uses people with large social media followings to post about your brand. Rather than marketing directly to a group of consumers, you put your brand message in the hands of a social media star who will spread the word for you. According to one study, more than 80 percent of global marketers launched influencer campaigns in 2015.

The process is fairly straightforward: Pair up with an influencer and pay them a set fee or commission to talk about your brand to their followers. Having built their follower bases and trustworthiness over time, most influencers are trusted by their networks and can infuse a brand with relatability. It’s not rocket science. Marketing feels more organic when in the hands of a real person (even if that person is being paid to talk about the product). Influencers also typically create their own content, so sponsored posts will align with the preexisting look and feel of their pages—plus, it’s less work for your marketing team.

There are some pitfalls to avoid. The influencers you select should align with the lifestyle your brand touts. You don’t want to hire a fitness influencer to sell your brownie mix. Because influencers are human, they might share views that don’t match up with your brand ethos, which could tarnish the reputations of both parties. So choose carefully, and clearly define acceptable ways to talk about your product.

You can search for influencers directly on social media platforms, or use influencer marketing platforms (such as Upfluence, Tribe Group or Famebit) to identify social media stars best suited to your needs.

Dig into digital branding!
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Digital branding isn’t just about selling your wares, but developing a passionate, loyal customer base that not only buys your products, but believes in them. Bottom line: Keep things fresh, authentic and truthful. The possibilities for digital branding for your company online are as vast and expansive as the internet itself.