Introduction to Digital Marketing

More than 3 billion people around the world regularly use the internet to find products, entertainment and communicate with friends/family. The sheer quantity of information available has changed the way people buy, and the way companies market their products.

So, in this fast-changing digital world, organizations need people with up-to-date skills to ensure great communication around their brand, products and services.

Digital Marketing is the promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media. 

For example, advertising mediums that might be used as part of the digital marketing strategy of a business could include promotional efforts made via the Internet, social media, mobile phones and electronic billboards, as well as via television and radio channels.

In practice, digital marketing has many forms, such as company websites and social media pages.

Digital media is so pervasive that consumers have access to information any time and any place they want it.

Digital media is an ever-growing source of entertainment, news, shopping and social interaction, and consumers are now exposed to not only what your company says about your brand, but what the media, friends and peers are saying as well. And consumers are more likely to believe their peers than your company.

People want brands they can trust, companies that know them, communications that are personalized and relevant, and offers tailored to their needs and preferences.

1) Manage complex customer relationships across a variety of channels – both digital and traditional.
2) Respond to and initiate dynamic customer interactions.
3) Extract value from big data to make better decisions faster.

Based on commonly used definitions; multichannel is considered the use of more than one channel for transaction or delivery. Often one channel is digital and the other physical (stores and an e-commerce website).

Omnichannel is defined as the use of all channels available for service, distribution and transaction within a unified experience.

Traditionally, earned media has been known as publicity generated through PR invested in targeting influencers to increase awareness of a brand.

Now earned media also includes word-of-mouth that can be stimulated through viral and social media marketing, and conversations on social networks, blogs, and other communities.

It’s useful to think of earned media as the sharing of engaging content developed through different types of partners such as publishers, bloggers and other influences including customer advocates.

Examples: mentions, shares, reposts, reviews, recommendations

Owned media is content you’re in full control of – this allows you to leverage different channels. This could be your company website, blog, YouTube channel, or even your Facebook page.

A company’s owned media offer opportunities to promote products, educate custoemrs and provide value to leads.

The more owned media you have, the higher chance you have of extending your digital presence.

Examples: website, blog, social media channels, mobile apps

Paid media serves as a method for promoting content and driving exposure.

By paying for visitors and conversions through search, display ads or affiliate marketing*, content is promoted in order to derive Earned Media and direct traffic to Owned Media.

Offline traditional media (like print/TV advertising and direct mail) remain important, accounting for the majority of paid media spend.

Examples: PPC, display ads, retargeting, paid influencers* etc.

The desktop access platform has been dominant for years and remains so for now, but the number of mobile smartphone and tablet visitor sessions now exceed desktop Internet sessions for many consumer businesses.

Combining with these hardware platforms, there are also different software platforms which marketers can use to reach and interact with their audience through content marketing or advertising, so let’s look at the range of options that are available.

– Desktop browser-based platform: traditional web access through the consumer’s browser of choice, whether Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE or Opera.

– Desktop apps: increasingly users are accessing paid and free apps from their desktop via the Apple App Store or the Microsoft equivalent like Gadgets. This gives opportunities for brands to engage via these platforms.

– Email platforms: While email isn’t traditionally considered as a platform, it does offer an opportunity separate from browser and app-based options to communicate with prospects or clients, whether through editorial or advertising, and email is still widely used for marketing.

– Feed-based and API data exchange platforms: Many users still consume data through RSS feeds, and Twitter and Facebook updates can be considered a form of feed or stream where ads can be inserted.

– Video-marketing platforms: television channel websites

– Mobile browsers

– Mobile-based apps

– Gaming Platforms: Playstation, Nintendo or Xbox offer increasing options to reach gamers through ads or placement within games. For example, in-game ads.       

– Indoor and outdoor kiosk-type apps

– Wearables

– Many platforms are now available as SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platforms, which are browser-based with end user’s data stored in the cloud, offering a subscription-based pricing.

– These platforms are useful for managing modern marketing.

Digital marketing is based on short cycles, real-time execution and one-to-one messaging. Based on the results of digital marketing campaigns, your small business will be able to gain a more in-depth look at consumers’ activity, preference, location, buying behavior and interests.