So, what is this “Digital Marketing” everyone talks about these days?
Digital Marketing is the fastest-growing and most powerful way to connect with consumers everywhere. Digital marketing campaigns are designed to be fast, scalable, measurable and agile. Digital Marketing refers to the marketing strategy that uses the internet and other digital technologies to deliver marketing messages to current and prospective customers. It has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach their potential customers. It allows marketers to focus on their prospective customers’ needs by using data analysis techniques to determine what they want or need.
Why Digital Marketing? Is it even required?
Well, yes, a business loses a significant chunk in revenue by not being present online.
Digital marketing campaigns can be inexpensive if you use your existing assets or take advantage of offers from various digital channels. In addition, Digital Marketing offers a wide variety of digital tools for advertising, web design, video production and much more.
Digital Marketing Strategy is about building an interactive relationship between your business and its audience. It often revolves around engaging people in meaningful ways that will boost advocacy for your brand or cause — shareable content (content marketing) that inspires conversations has become increasingly valuable in attracting new followers on social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Another aspect of Digital Marketing Strategy is understanding how different social behaviours affect consumer purchases. Organizations use digital strategy to support their Digital Marketing efforts. It’s about building an interactive relationship between your business and its audience and often focuses on the quality of content that your audience is engaging with and delivering value to them. Content marketing strategy is an essential part of digital marketing.
For example, Digital Marketing gives the power to:
- Measure, analyze and optimize Digital Marketing campaigns
- Reach your target customers beyond the geographical boundaries
- Communicate with your potential customers instantly by using Social Media Marketing (SMM) or Email Marketing which boosts brand awareness.
Almost everything is trackable.
Digital Marketing Analytics allow marketers to track and analyze their customers’ behaviour — what they click on, how long they stay on a website, which device type they use (desktop or mobile), which helps to improvise the marketing tactics and the digital marketing strategies as they go.
Digital Marketing Analytics also allows marketers to track and compare their sales conversions (i.e., how many people bought a product) and costs (i.e., how much money was spent on Digital Marketing). As a result, Digital Marketing can help businesses make data-driven decisions to identify ways to improve the customer experience online.
And what are the mediums/tools involved?
Some of the most common Digital Marketing channels include:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Digital Display Marketing (DDM)
- Digital Video Marketing (DVM)
- Email Marketing
- Webinars/Virtual Events and expos, and the list is practically endless and ever-evolving.
What to consider before taking a deep dive into the sea of Digital Marketing?
Like any traditional marketing strategy, of course, you need to be mindful of your prospective customers, their behaviour patterns, where they are primarily present, the kind of marketing costs you can spare etc. Then, it’s time to identify which Digital Marketing channels you want to use. While an effective digital marketing strategy will typically incorporate a combination of Digital Marketing channels, some online Marketing channels work better together than others. Generally speaking, Digital Marketing channels work best together when they can fulfil two requirements:
- The Digital Marketing channels complement each other and provide a consistent user experience.
- The Digital Marketing channels increase conversions and traffic for the Digital Marketing campaign.
For example, Digital Video Marketing works well with Digital Display Marketing because Digital Display Ads can direct people to Digital Video Marketing content, increasing traffic for Digital Video Marketing. Additionally, Digital Display Marketing can help build the brand image for Digital Video Marketing, create brand awareness, and increase Digital Video Marketing conversions. It also works well with search marketing. So, an integrated approach on various channels is the best way to go.
And a thing to remember is…
Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and the best practices for Digital Marketing can change from year to year. However, some things remain constant, such as the importance of creating high-quality content and using effective keywords. Additionally, social media platforms are constantly changing, so it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and changes to make the most of your digital marketing campaigns. By following the latest trends and using best practices, you can create a successful Digital Marketing strategy that will reach your target audience and help your business grow.
Digital Marketing lies at the intersection of technology and marketing, so Digital marketers have technical knowledge along with Digital Marketing skills and know-how on marketing strategies. Digital Marketers are good marketers as well as good technologists. So, buckle up, keep your screens on and delve into the new era of marketing.
Although being a digital marketer is easy and complex, while the learning curve never ends because technology keeps on evolving and shifting, it is interesting to finally be able to track almost each of your penny, which traditional marketing, i.e. print or radio, could never do. As technology advances with time, traditional marketing methods and traditional advertising will start becoming redundant. There is already a major shift in the way businesses allocate their marketing budget today. However, traditional or offline marketing will never be completely phased out, but eventually, it will become digital technology-driven.
Digital Marketing is Vast…
Digital Marketing branches out to a variety of streams, and there is a constant overlap and integration with almost all the branches. While digital advertising (digital ads) will include paid ads such as google ads (Adwords and search engines display banners) and social media ads, there are other ways of upping the digital marketing tactics through influencer marketing, content marketing, and video marketing and more. Especially with the increasing number of mobile devices, the number of internet users has gone up, carving out new horizons of internet marketing called mobile marketing.
Marketing automation is also catching up with businesses, and usage of various marketing automation tools is on the rise, which is supposedly the future of digital marketing. And with NFTs, Metaverse, Virtual Goods, gaming platforms digital marketing landscape will constantly be evolving.
To Conclude
Digital Marketing lies at the intersection of technology and marketing, so Digital marketers have technical knowledge along with Digital Marketing skills and know-how on marketing strategies. Digital Marketers are good marketers as well as good technologists. So, buckle up, keep your screens on and delve into the new era of marketing.
This article was written by a Digital Marketing Expert who helps various traditional businesses get started online. With years of hands-on experience in the Indian and South Asia market, digital content creation, content planning, devising content strategies, writing blog posts, and website content creation are activities she excels at.
Follow her for content writing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, traditional marketing, marketing automation, mobile marketing, influencer marketing, digital ads etc.
The author can be found on the internet using the following links.
Instagram here
Facebook page
LinkedIn here
Quora Space here
