If you’re a small or medium-sized business, growing your online presence can seem like a minefield – particularly if you don’t have the resources for a dedicated digital team within your organization. Whether we’re talking Facebook and Twitter, email marketing, mobile web, or YouTube and the latest industry apps – there’s a lot to keep up with, and it can feel overwhelming.

But the truth is, if you use digital media and employ digital marketing techniques, the rewards are endless. And if you don’t have a business that exists in the digital arena, you don’t really have a sustainable business at all.

So let’s go back to basics. What exactly is digital media? And what do you need to do to make your business stand out in the digital arena?

What Is Digital Media?

Whether you’re using a weather app on your smartphone, playing an Xbox game, or streaming a video on YouTube, all of these things are digital media. In fact, digital media products can be found in all of the following, and more: e-commerce, gaming (console, online and mobile), websites and apps, animation, social media, video, augmented reality, virtual reality, location-based services like Google Maps and so...

All digital media products have one thing in common: they’re engaging. Brands that employ digital media have something worth saying, something that consumers can participate in, watch or listen. It’s all about connecting with people and sharing good stuff. Digital media is entertaining, easy to use and delivers results – so why wouldn’t you get involved?

How Easy Is Digital Media To Implement?

Although the word ‘digital’ immediately conjures up ideas of highly-skilled technological experts, creativity and content is also key. Larger companies rely on teams of people with diverse skills, from copywriting and graphic design, through to web page building and analytics - but that shouldn’t stop you getting in on the act. Social media, blogging and email marketing is a great place to start and because client retention is key to business growth, setting up a digital media strategy is a good place to start.

Why not use retargeting to offer existing customers a discount off selected products (and help make sure they leave positive reviews on your website!). You can guest blog on forums and related websites to guide customers to your site - even when they’re not shopping - and encourage them to share your news and updates with others on social media. The exciting options and opportunities to utilize digital media to grow your business are nearly limitless.

Digital Media Is All About User Experience

Recent statistics show that over 80% of prospective buyers will research products online before making a purchase; so if you’re not in on the act, you’re not giving your brand and your business the chance it needs to succeed. And mobile Internet use accounts for 51.2% of overall Internet use - mobile ad spend is set to dominate digital ad spend over the next few years to 72.2% in 2019 - so you need to be sure that you’re catering for mobile.

Digital media is all about delivering experiences which in turn creates brand awareness, consumer enjoyment and ultimately brand loyalty. The average Internet user spends over 16 minutes watching online video ads every month, so even industries that aren’t associated with the digital world (such as government and education) are using digital media products, like video ads, to be seen and heard in a competitive marketplace.

With digital media you can hone your marketing and target the right people at the right time. The power of cookies and online tracking tools mean that you can understand your customer’s wants and needs and get them positively engaging with your brand. And it’s easy to calculate your ROI, because you can measure success by calculating the percentage of website traffic that gets converted into leads, subscriptions or enquires.

Put simply, digital media will boost your marketing campaign. It’s cost-effective, reputation-building and entices people to take action. Lets get started!