Digital Marketing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Business Online
Running a business seems to be really complicated and a risk to most. But to truly grow your business, you need to get in front of the right people. You need to be seen and you’ll need to put yourself out there and that’s where digital marketing comes in.
The problem is, many small business owners and entrepreneurs think digital marketing is just about posting random photos on social media or making a funny TikTok video. While these can be part of a strategy, digital marketing is much bigger than that. For us at Pickled Pear Media, It’s more about understanding your audience, planning ahead, and using the right tools to get measurable results.
Already overwhelmed?
Don’t worry!
If you’re new to all this, this guide for digital marketing for beginners will walk you through the basics and give you practical tips, including how to use AI tools, to help you grow your business online.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is any kind of marketing that happens online. Instead of just relying on word-of-mouth or physical flyers, digital marketing helps you connect with customers through websites, social media, search engines, email, and even paid ads.
The best part? It’s measurable. You can see what’s working and what’s not, so you’re definitely not just throwing money or time away.
Why Businesses Need a Digital Marketing Plan
Without a plan, marketing is just guesswork. Imagine driving without knowing your destination, you’ll waste petrol and time. A good digital marketing plan helps you:
Understand your audience, know who you’re talking to and what they care about.
Set goals like do you want more sales, leads, or brand awareness?
Choose the right tools, social media, websites, emails, ( it can include digital/print, radio or TV ads), which all need to work together.
Track results and see what’s working so you can do more of it.
Key Areas of Digital Marketing
Here are the main parts you should know about:
It’s not just about posting memes. You need to:
Pick platforms your audience actually uses (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn).
Post valuable content that educates, entertains, or inspires.
Use scheduling tools like Loomly or Sprout Social to save time.
2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO makes sure people can find you on Google and other search platforms. It’s organic so you won’t need to pay for it, although paid Google Ads can add value and speed up your presence (see below). You would just need to make time and effort, and also be patient until you see results.
Use keywords your customers are searching for.
Write blog articles (like this one) to answer questions.
Keep your website fast and mobile-friendly.
3. Email Marketing
Email Marketing is still one of the most effective tools. This is a more direct approach to your audience, you’d easily see who’s interested.
Collect emails from your customers.
Send useful updates, discounts, or tips.
Tools like Mailchimp or HubSpot make this simple.
4. Paid Advertising
If you want faster results, you can run ads on Google, Facebook, or Instagram as well as print and digital versions of newspaper ads, radio and digital TV.
Set a budget you’re comfortable with.
Set your geo location for the ads to target the right people in the right location.
Test different ads to see which ones perform best.
How AI Can Help Your Digital Marketing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just for tech experts, it’s here to make your life easier. Many business owners often wonder how can AI help with digital marketing and AI might have a bad image among some people, but it really is helpful especially when used responsibly. Here are some AI marketing tools and uses that can help:
Content creation: Tools like ChatGPT can help you brainstorm blog ideas, write captions, or draft emails.
Design: AI tools like Canva’s Magic Design or Adobe Express can create graphics in minutes.
SEO support: Platforms like SurferSEO or SEMrush suggest keywords to help your site rank.
Analytics: AI can show you what content is performing best and suggest what to do next.
By using AI wisely, you can save time and focus on building relationships with your customers.
Practical Tips to Get Started
Start small, pick one channel, like social media or email, and get comfortable before adding more.
Always think about your customer first. What do they want or need?
Set clear goals, for example 100 new followers or 50 email sign-ups.
Track results weekly so you know what’s working.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, digital marketing changes quickly.
Where to from here?!
Digital marketing doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. With the right plan and tools, any business, big or small, can reach more people online and grow faster. Remember, it’s not about doing everything at once, but about doing the right things consistently. Taking those first steps will set you apart from the businesses that are still just “posting and hoping”.
If you want expert support, consider partnering with us, a digital marketing agency in Australia to match strategy to your goals and budget. Because at Pickled Pear Media, we develop strategies to make brands last.
