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What are the important parts of digital marketing that you wouldn’t want to miss?Digital marketing can be simple to complex, depending on how the company designs it. The company can determine whether they need to add or remove some strategies should the need arises. However, there are part of digital marketing that are not and should not be easily discarded. These are the most basic but also most important parts of digital marketing.For many businesses nowadays, having an effective digital marketing is a major plus but can also be very challenging. If a business is not able to determine well on which part of its digital marketing is really not working, then issues may arise. Here are the most important parts of digital marketing that you should think twice before making any changes.
Engaging and Sharable Content Marketing

Content marketing may seem easy for new businessmen, but it is not. A content is not just producing articles or news about your business; it is also be about being informative, engaging and sharable. It should also have keywords that will be easier to find through search engines and will appear on organic searches.According to a study made by business2community.com, less than 10% of their respondents say that content marketing is not helping their businesses grow. On the same study, 73% claims of having improved brand awareness and 64% on increased traffic due to their content marketing efforts. This goes to show that engaging and sharable content marketing creates better opportunities for companies.
Organized Email Marketing

Emails can become a bother to a consumer, especially when it is not sent in an orderly manner and the contents have no significance with the business. Have a schedule on the emails you will send to your consumers and remind them of how great your business is without exaggerating. Make sure that you send information that is relative to your business, products or services and will also be useful on their end.
Well-Built and Functional Website Design

Your website is the front of your business and an important component of your digital marketing strategy. Your web design should have a great and lasting impression for your clients and potential clients. Each button and link should direct your clients to where they intend to be and have the information they want to know. If any parts of your website is not working, it may cause your clients to doubt your site.Your website should also be neat; the less clutter, the better. Remove buttons that are not necessary or place them under tabs. Place information on your homepage that are concise but still informative. Make sure you feature more of your business than other ads. Ads are great since you also get to promote other businesses, but having too many can make your site look annoying. Consumers will also feel frustrated if they accidentally click on an ad instead of a button or tab in your site.
Organic SEO

It is very gratifying to see your business on the first pages of search engine result pages. Organic SEO means your content marketing efforts paid off without any need of Pay-Per-Click ads. Organic SEO also helps you gauge the traffic to your site and the return of investment for your digital marketing efforts.To be part of organic search category means your content is unique and your choice of keywords are mostly searched by consumers. Being included on the first pages of search results will allow your business to have more exposure to your customers and potential customers. This means bigger and better traffic and the potential of making more sales.
Mobile Marketing Ready

Making your website mobile ready allows your client or potential client to access your site even when using their smartphones or mobile phones. The use of mobile phones today is no longer just for calling or sending text messages. As technology progresses, mobile phones try to keep up by having the capability of accessing the internet and social media sites with the use of the internet.
Active Social Media

Social media has become a part of many company’s digital marketing strategy. It helps them connect to a vast number of consumers in a matter of seconds. The feedback of consumers can be assessed through their posts in social media such as Twitter and Facebook.Sharing content and answering your consumers’ concerns through your social media accounts indicate how proactive you are in reaching for your consumers. In a study made by IDG or International Data Group in December 2012, 95% of consumers are using social media, with 44% indicating their purchase is affected by the product’s exposure in social media. This shows how significant social media exposure is for businesses, big or small.
Efficient Analytics

Marketing analytics is a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy. This will determine your company standing, how well your digital marketing efforts are affecting your business’ sales and what can be lacking on your digital marketing. An efficient analytics can help your business have a solid solution in the issues you encounter and what step you’ll take next.Having all these elements working harmoniously for your digital marketing will definitely lead your company to a better future. Start on these elements and work your way up. Invest on your digital marketing needs wisely. Getting help from professionals in digital marketing will be a better move if you need any help with your next move in your digital marketing strategy.

There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.

In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.

But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.

Different Types of Financing

One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.

Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.

But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.

Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.

Alternative Financing Solutions

But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:

1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.

2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.

3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.

In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:

It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.

A Precious Commodity

Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).

Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.

Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?