INTRODUCTION

'If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business.'

Bill Gates, Microsoft founder

The easiest way to describe digital marketing, is the promotion of a business, product, service, or a brand online.

Digital marketing harnesses digital technologies, such as the internet and digital channels - as well as devices such as mobile phones, digital display advertising, and other digital platforms.

This book covers eight powerful ways to market your business online which focuses on proven strategies that you need to be successful in business today.

So, if you would like to generate more leads and convert more customers, then you will 100% benefit from reading this book.

However, if you not only want to generate more leads and convert more customers, but you also want to spend less time, less effort, and money reaping those results, then this book will help you take what you learn and implement, manage, and measure successful digital marketing campaigns.

There has never ever been a more exciting time for digital marketers. Why?

Well, the opportunities are literally endless. The great news for digital marketers is that you can generate a lead in a matter of minutes. You can convert customers in a far shorter sale cycle. Results can be almost instant and so can PROFITS!

You can maximise your digital marketing profits to scale and grow your business and ultimately be the best digital marketer possible because there is no monopoly online. It doesn't matter what size, shape, or sector you are in: the opportunity exists for all, whether you are new to digital or are an experienced practitioner, because I am going to share proven strategies, tools, technologies, and tips that will revolutionise your digital marketing.

If your marketing is not a revenue generator, then your marketing is not performing.

Digital marketing is ever evolving. But instead of being phased by the fast pace of digital, I encourage you to embrace it because - honestly - when you can take advantage of a trend before your competitor it will give you a massive advantage.

Some people say marketing has changed more in the past 2 years than in the past 50 . and I agree!

Now, I think that for us digital marketers, we've got all of this lovely technology; but when people start talking about the latest trends, like Artificial Intelligence and the internet of things, this scares a lot of people.

And your competitors are probably very scared.

So, what's the biggest opportunity for you?

It is when you embrace these new technologies. My aim is to demystify digital marketing and simplify new technologies and show you easy ways that you can start implementing them in your digital campaigns.

Have you ever felt you could achieve more?.

Well if the answer is YES then I think YOU are in the right place!

Answer these questions to see if YOU are ready to take action and benefit from what you'll learn in this book.

• Are YOU an entrepreneur, marketer, business owner, or professional who wants to save time, money, or effort when trying to promote your business?
• Fancy hearing about some amazing strategies YOU can use to generate leads quickly?
• Want to be empowered with the knowledge YOU need to get a steady flow of leads every single day?
• Are YOU interested in proven strategies that are 100% guaranteed to deliver success for YOU?
• I spent thousands on learning, researching, and testing but I can SAVE you time, effort, and money. Would YOU like me to take you on a short-cut to success?
• If you want to reap the profits you deserve, reach the pinnacle of your career and become an influencer in your industry - are YOU prepared to invest some of your time with me? I promise you won't regret it.
• This book is not for people who don't want results - and big results - fast. This book is for any marketer, entrepreneur, or business professional ready to make their mark on this world. Is that YOU?
• The people who will remember me will be the people who I shared my knowledge with; the people who were burnt out, frustrated, stressed, and those who wanted to reap the results they deserved - and did; the people who accelerated their careers and landed their ideal job. These are the types of people I want to join me and meet me, to take the next step by reading this book - Is this YOU?
• What are you waiting for? Get reading . Are you ready to BECOME THE BEST YOU?
• I think you ARE. So, let's do this - I am going to take you on a non-nonsense journey like no other: It's going to be Digital Marketing Made Easy!

The key to digital marketing is matching content to demand at every stage of the sales cycle to nurture leads through to profitable customers.

Who I am and why you should read this book

'Momentum, motivation, and mindset are essential to be successful in the ever-evolving world of Digital Marketing.'

Dawn McGruer FRSA MCIM, Business Consort founder

I was born during a nursing strike in Glasgow and lived in Scotland until I was 7. Then, due to my Dad's job, we moved to England - and I have lived in Cheshire ever since. Our Business Consort Head Office is based there too, in Wilmslow (Figure 1).

If I am honest, I really wasn't someone who enjoyed school. The regimented approach of private school didn't sit well with me and I felt lessons and the pace of learning were painfully slow.

I never did homework or assignments on time and submitted my GCSE art project on the day of marking (but pulled off a respectable Grade A).

FIGURE 1 Dawn McGruer, multi-award-winning digital marketing speaker, author, and trainer.

I guess I didn't see the purpose of many of the projects and knew I could get by with little work outside class.

I was 'asked to leave' school after attaining 9 GCSEs: 1 A, 5 Bs, and 3 Cs, mainly (I would say), for having an opinion; but probably more likely for not achieving what I was very capable of. I had three days to find a place in college and with waiting lists of 50 plus, I began to panic. But after meeting the principal, I managed to secure a place.

College and I only lasted a year, as I took my exams a year early and only managed 32% attendance. If I thought the learning pace was slow at my previous school, this took it to another level. It wasn't that my school or college was no good, it was my own impatience that prevented me from excelling and reaching my full potential. In short, I was very bored; and although I had many friends at school, much of the politics exhausted me.

My family, friends, and colleagues never call me serious, but perhaps they would say I have always been older than my years. By the time I was in college, I already knew that I would thrive in a work environment, because since the age of 14 I'd had a paper round, worked in a sandwich shop, done breakfast shifts and banqueting at a local hotel, and worked nights in a silver service restaurant.

I loved how you could make the job your own, which you may think sounds odd when talking about a paper round, but I realised I loved control - and the harder I worked, the better the benefits.

This type of effort-based logic definitely appealed to me, because after a job as an audiology telephone appointment maker, I landed a job that was way above others of my age at Volvo.

I got promoted in my first month and continued from showroom reception to marketing coordinator. Literally a year later, I got an opportunity to work for a global multinational in the construction industry, and at the ripe old age of 18 fell into pretty much anything that crossed the realms of running a business, as it was their first UK division and an amazing learning curve.

My job role evolved into a strange mix of IT and Marketing, and after doing all my Microsoft Engineering and Developer exams, I had learned to code - and my career launched as a programmer/tech geek. I was even wiring patch panels and organising category 5 cabling.

I am still not entirely sure how that even came about, but it wasn't long until I decided that IT and programming weren't really my lifelong ambition, and so I embarked on a journey of discovery into the world of psychology and marketing.

In 1996, I took my CIM exams and learnt from an array of businesses like Marks and Spencer. who were on my course. It was a whole new world, but a world that definitely sparked a passion.

My job then took me to exhibitions around Europe and found me promoted to UK Marketing Manager. I also managed to gain a scholarship with Newcastle College and study around 12 diplomas across marketing, business performance, coaching, and NLP (neuro linguistic programming).

Then, four years later in 2000 I took a giant leap; probably clouded by my own ambition, arrogance, and eagerness, to set up my own agency - Aurora Marketing. At just 21, I am not sure this was ever going to be the easiest path, but as hard as it was, I still feel that it was worth the pain.

It was a slow slog and required getting £5000 worth of funding from the Princes Trust. I turned up for that initial interview wearing odd coloured tights (I thought they were black, but it turns out in daylight they were red .)...