What is Digital Marketing?Digital marketing, sometimes called digital advertising, can be defined simply as any marketing you do via digital means; through social media advertising, pay-per-click, or search engine optimisation.  Businesses all over the world in all kinds of industries utilise digital marketing. It offers opportunities to attract new customers and nurture long-standing customer relationships, giving businesses access to the digital spheres where consumers spend their time. Its benefits are obvious.  How Much Does Digital Marketing Cost?While digital marketing does offer limitless opportunities for your business to grow, it does come at a cost. Marketing businesses is one of the main ways that the big search engines and social media platforms make their money; their systems give businesses like yours access to the customers you want to engage with, and they often charge for this access. There is no definitive answer to the question, as the cost of digital marketing is essentially however much you choose to spend. There are ways of doing it cheaply, for example by only advertising a limited number of products or services on a limited number of platforms, and there is an opportunity to make digital marketing your primary focus, spending big budgets on multiple platforms.  There are also ways to use these platforms to market your business for free. Many businesses rely solely on free methods of digital marketing, and many of them can have success in doing so. However, the businesses that pay can jump the virtual queue, so that their business is the one that gets seen first. Popular Marketing PlatformsPopular digital advertising platforms include Facebook ads and Instagram ads, both of which are owned by the common parent company, Meta. They are two of the most used social media platforms in the world; each with user numbers in the billions. It's no surprise, then, that they're also very popular with businesses.  Many businesses choose to utilise these platforms to market their business. Furthermore, many of them choose to use the paid advertising options provided as a way of boosting their online presence. Both of them offer several ways to advertise your services and also ways in which to monitor your adverts.  One of the newer platforms to establish itself in a position of influence is TikTok, which has amassed a billion users since its launch. For this reason, many companies have flocked there too as its number of users ensures that target audiences are on TikTok. Like several other platforms, TikTok also offers scope for businesses to advertise to its users.  Different social media platforms will suit different businesses better, with platforms like Instagram and Pinterest being better for visually stimulating products and platforms like LinkedIn being better for more B2B-focused businesses. The best platform for your business, therefore, will depend on the nature of your business. 

What is Social Media Marketing?Social media marketing is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. It allows businesses to connect with their target audience, build relationships, and promote their products or services.  However, managing social media accounts can be time-consuming and challenging, especially for small businesses with limited resources. This is where social media tools can come in handy.The Best Social Media Tools for BusinessesSocial media tools can help businesses save time, increase efficiency, and improve their social media performance. They offer a variety of features, such as scheduling, analytics, and listening, making them an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. When choosing social media tools for your business, you need to consider your budget, social media platforms, features, and team size With this in mind, we've put together this list of five social media tools to consider for your business. How to Choose the Right Social Media Tools for Your BusinessWhen choosing social media tools for your business, there are a few things to keep in mind: Your budgetYour social media platformsYour team size Social media tools can range in price from free to hundreds of pounds per month, so you need to make sure you're choosing a tool that's affordable. You don't want to be paying for features that you don't need.  Equally, you don't want to choose a digital marketing platform that works best for a platform you don't really use, so you should carefully consider which platforms your business wants to use for its marketing and base your choice on that. The table below shows a general comparison of the four social media tools. The specific features and pricing may vary depending on the plan you choose.

What Is Digital Marketing?Digital marketing promotes your business using digital channels like social media, search engines, and even emails.  Billboards, newspapers, and the Yellow Pages were once the go-tos for marketers. Social media are today's newspapers, with a staggering 4.7 billion users all waiting to see what your business has to offer them. Search engines are just a much faster version of the Yellow Pages, with Google processing 8.5 billion searches every single day. And billboards... Well, billboards are still here, but they are now using digital technology to broadcast your business to the masses. Still not convinced? Well, here are five ways that your business can benefit from a properly utilised digital marketing strategy.