When it comes to raising revenues, your website can be one of your most powerful tools. Visits can be converted from interested bystanders to verifiable action and sales with the correct structure, content, and navigational flow. That isn't to say it should be classified as marketing. Many furniture companies don't know the distinction between digital marketing and web design expenses and wind up lumping them together.
It's critical to plan your budget and set aside enough funds to fund successful digital marketing efforts. By not separating the two sets of expenses, you may be missing out on some valuable opportunities. We'll go through what each column entails, as well as the benefits of keeping the prices distinct.
COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF DIGITAL MARKETING EXPENSES
You can use digital marketing to reach out to people who are interested in what you have to offer. If your furniture store specializes in mid-priced items, you may wish to target young people who are living on their own for the first time and place a high emphasis on practicality. Stores that specialize in higher-end collections can appeal to those who are older and have more disposable income.
This is where the cost of digital marketing vs. the cost of site design comes into play. You'll need to make sure your efforts are well-funded in order to achieve measurable outcomes. Let's take a look at some key aspects of digital marketing that can aid in promotional efforts.
Search engine optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) aids in the improvement of your content's search engine ranks. If someone is looking for a new leather armchair from a local furniture store, you'll want your business to appear at or near the top of their Google, Bing, or other search engine results page (SERP).
Costs to consider:
Search engine optimization can take numerous forms, some of which are free and others which are paid. Fee-based costs will have an influence on your budget in the following ways:
SEMrush, for example, charges a monthly fee for keyword and backlink research and competitor analysis. You must pay to obtain the most valuable keywords, phrases, and advertising analytics.
Advertising on a pay-per-click basis
Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising (for example, Google Adwords) allows businesses and marketers to generate tailored adverts that display when users search for specific terms. The finest advertising meet the user's particular wants and send them to a page that provides them with what they desire. Although less successful than organic results achieved through SEO strategies, when your advertising are written by a good copywriter, they can still provide you an advantage over your local competitors.
Costs to consider:
PPC advertising is one of the more common forms of digital marketing, so there isn't much to say about how the pricing is determined. However, here's a quick breakdown of the numbers:
This is sponsored advertising that appears on the pages of search results. Your budget is determined by the keywords you want to bid on (see cost of utilizing SEMrush for this study above) and the amount of impressions you want to achieve. Popular keywords/phrases that are relevant to your sector or location may have a far larger search volume than less popular terms. These words will require a "bid."
For instance, the keyword "Insurance" is one of the most expensive, costing marketers more than 54.00€per click, although less common searches can cost as low as a few euros.
Content marketing and branding
Your company's branding is the image it leaves behind as a result of your digital marketing activities. When people hear your company's name, what do they think of? When it comes to furnishings, your company should be the first port of call for them.
This concept entails more than just creating a catchy logo, though it undoubtedly helps. When it comes to branding, here's what you should be concentrating on.
Creating a clear picture of your company
Having a consistent message about your business throughout all of your digital marketing activities
Providing incentives for people to buy from you
Building trust between you and your audience
Increasing customer retention
Costs to consider:
Great content isn't free, just like great data isn't. You must deliver quality and relevant information to your audience in order to draw them in and keep them intrigued. What will it take to do this? Investigate:
The degree and competence of the writer determine the quality of professionally written blogs, social posts, and email campaigns. Aim for a 4 or 5-star writer who can create materials that clearly express your marketing goals while also optimizing for the keywords you spent so much time researching. Because most authors charge per word, expect blogs to be the most expensive, ranging from 80€-120€, with emails being slightly less expensive and social media postings being the least expensive.
Optimization of the conversion rate
The goal of any marketing campaign is to keep your target audience engaged. You want to leave clients feeling motivated enough to contact you again. It could be as simple as going to your website or subscribing to your email list. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) techniques assist you in determining what consumers want from your website and how to ensure that they receive it.
It's critical to maintain track of which efforts result in the most conversions and where your marketing initiatives fall short. It takes time and effort to guarantee that data from various user interactions is appropriately captured.
Costs to consider:
Conversion Rate Optimization isn't something you can write down as a separate line item on your budget sheet. All of the paid tools, adverts, research services, and content you buy to better your digital marketing efforts are categorized as CRO.
Social media
Any marketing campaign you create should include social media. It's another reason why it's crucial to distinguish between digital marketing and web design costs. Facebook and Instagram, for example, allow you to employ SEO and PPC advertising on their platforms. If you don't separate your efforts in these areas from your website operations, how can you successfully budget for them?
Costs to consider:
Facebook, like Google Adwords (the most well-known PPC program), allows businesses to produce targeted online ads through its social platform.
The cost of Facebook's pay-per-click advertising services is calculated based on an estimated number of impressions, which varies greatly depending on the target population you choose. That makes determining your cost-per-conversion in a meaningful sense a little more challenging. At the same time, when measured in terms of reach, Facebook advertising expenses are far lower.
Targeted email marketing
Email marketing is essential for reaching out to customers in a more personal manner. If you use it correctly, you'll only provide them the information they requested, boosting the likelihood that they'll continue to interact with you. When it comes to writing good email copy, content strategy is equally important. Your copy should be informative while also motivating visitors to take action once they've finished reading.
Costs to consider:
Email marketing, as you've probably heard a million times, is one of the most cost-effective lead generation and conversion methods accessible. This is a free (or virtually free) service for many businesses.
Your CMS, or content management system, is any program you use to produce email campaigns (for example, Constant Contact or MailChimp). This solution features a fee-based pricing model that may charge you a monthly fixed cost or a fee based on the quantity of emails you send to your subscriber lists each month. Make sure you understand what you're paying for and choose the best option for your organization.
As previously stated, you should consider hiring a professional to write your email content. This additional fee may appear to be needless, yet it can save you time.
Expenses for websites: what you should know
We've covered a lot of ground when it comes to digital marketing. It's also critical to have a thorough understanding of everything that goes into running a successful website. When budgeting for these types of expenses, keep the following in mind.
The expenses of website design
A well-designed website captures consumers from any device and screen size with ease and speed. They should be able to simply navigate through the many options and locate exactly what they're looking for on the landing page. Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for having different parts of your website listed in search engines like Google. Your website should be packed with content that fulfills the promises you made to users through your digital marketing efforts.
Other things to consider when creating your website design:
Country or federal laws around how you capture and share user data
International laws like GDPR that apply to any foreign citizens visiting your site
Costs to consider:
A website should encourage users to interact with your business and products. Whether custom or templated, a design should follow current best practices and trends. It should also have the atmosphere of your store. Consider this: your online storefront is the initial point of contact for your online customers. The majority of website providers regard web design to be a one-time payment that is included in the setup.
Website development
Do you intend to develop the site yourself or hire a third-party firm? Will you go with an off-the-shelf CMS or a custom solution? How will you keep the content that feeds the site, as well as any user information? What about safety and security? When considering how much to spend on a new website or any needed improvements, keep all of this in mind.
Costs to consider:
It's priceless to have a robust design that includes all of the tools you need and that your clients anticipate. The old saying "you get what you pay for" holds true 100% of the time. Do your homework, evaluate prices, and create a monthly budget.
Many "off the shelf" platforms include robust management and administrative features. Choose a service that can supply frequent version enhancements (included in your monthly price) so you don't have to pay for additional platform updates every few months.
Website tools worth the investment
You may use tools like LiveChat to help clients with simple questions on your website. Alternatively, they can utilize interactive tools like a space planner or product visualization to virtually build their own custom furniture by selecting fabrics and wood finishes. These features enhance the user experience and boost the likelihood of a successful ecommerce (or in-store) transaction.
Costs to consider:
Provide your store with a variety of alternatives that will allow it to expand. Not quite ready for ecommerce? Look for a service that provides the tool and can activate it when you're ready.
A la carte or add-on elements will boost your monthly website cost, so keep that in mind when you're ready to add a new service. Remember that while a product like ecommerce may be expensive to use, it should pay for itself if you're making sales online.
Establishing the right budget
Now that you know the differences between digital marketing and site design, it's time to decide how much effort to devote to each. Here are some things to consider as you figure out how much you want to spend.
Will you have a digital marketing specialist on staff?
Will you hire content writers to keep your website's blog updated?
Do you intend to pay for PPC ads on sites such as Google Ads or Facebook?
Are you planning to make videos or engage in any type of live streaming?
Who will be in charge of reporting on whether or not your digital marketing initiatives helped you accomplish your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
Have you set aside time to run A/B tests on ads across many platforms?
Who will be in charge of coming up with campaign ideas for your digital marketing efforts?
When it comes to spending on your website, you'll need to do the same.
How much will a redesign of your present site cost?
Who will be in charge of any site modifications?
What tools do you want to get for your website to improve the customer experience?
What kind of technology will you be employing?
That's just a sample of things you should think about when determining a final monetary figure. Build in some flexibility for your expenditure to increase or reduce depending on the success of certain endeavors.
Get assistance with website management and marketing efforts
You may notice an opportunity to boost your online engagement and sales efforts now that we've highlighted the differences between digital marketing and web design expenditures. Consider expanding your portfolio with digital marketing strategies or changing your current website platform.
When it comes to efficiently managing and succeeding in the digital marketplace, there's a lot to keep track of. If you're new to this, the concept of managing branding, social media interaction, and product data can be intimidating.
AOo Digital will assist you in creating your ideal website.
The design of your website is critical to the success of your internet marketing effort. If you want to get the best results for your company, you should invest in a website that encourages visitors to learn more about it.
We're a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in unique website design. Our professionals will contribute their experience and knowledge to your campaign. We understand the value of web design and can assist you in creating a website that you will enjoy.
Today is the day to build your ideal website.
If you’re ready to start building your dream website, contact us online or call us today at +35226313037 to speak with a strategist.
We look forward to helping your business grow