Do you feel like you’ve been put “through the ringer” with this whole digital marketing thing? Frustration can abound, with so many things to do and choices to make. Perhaps you’ve also been burned by a not-so-honest company in the past.

If any of this resonates with you, here is just a short list of tactics you can try:

1. SEO
2. Blogging
3. PPC
4. Banner advertising
5. Content marketing
6. Video marketing
7. E-mail marketing
8. Social media marketing
9. Text/SMS marketing
10. Podcasts
11. Webinars
12. Influencer marketing
13. Press releases

If you throw in social networks like Instagram, Peach, and Periscope, how can you know which ones make sense? Which ones should you use? When? And why?

Digital marketing is here to stay. Both consumers and business stakeholders turn to the Web first and foremost to do their research before buying. Not every single one of them but certainly the overwhelming majority:

• 94% of B2B buyers do at least some form of online research, according to Brafton
• 81% of consumers research online before buying, Adweek reports

This whole “digital marketing” thing works because it arms consumers and business decision makers with the power to compare. In the past, you were forced to walk or drive all over the place to find the best product or service. That’s hard work and naturally resulted in much lower levels of competition in the ’80s and ’90s, for example. Now, it’s possible to examine 5-8 companies and services in less than 30 minutes online.

Which Digital Marketing Mix Makes the Most Sense for Your Company?

The answer to this question changes over time, which is precisely why you hire an agency or maintain an in-house digital marketing team. After all, the process is seemingly overwhelming and evolves too quickly for any one person to deal with.

For most companies—especially those that sell commodity products and services—organic SEO makes a lot of sense (think of this as “ranking higher in Google”). More and more, it also makes sense for niche products and services because even those buyers head online to do research.

After that, you have all kinds of questions and options to consider. There isn’t necessarily a “right” or “perfect” answer: only “your” mix. If you offer a unique product or service, a video on your homepage can do wonders to add interest by showing the same in action. Likewise, your “About” page can feature a video introducing you and your team in person: building relationships much more powerfully than words and images ever could.

If you need revenue fast, PPC makes sense: allowing you to quickly get ads up and running and score new contacts within a month’s time. However, as this strategy is expensive long-term, you might also throw in offline referral marketing to keep customers coming in.

No matter which type of business you have, e-mail marketing often makes sense as a complete no-brainer. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association reports this strategy ultimately results in sky-high ROI. However, corresponding returns take time (usually months) to compound because you need build these relationships more gradually.

Will You Make Mistakes?

Absolutely. Every company tries things that don’t work. But, as long as you remember there is a successful digital marketing mix out there perfect for you, you’ll be able to find it and do just fine.