Why Is Everyone Talking About Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the use of electronic media for the promotion of products and services. It has become essential for the success of business in today’s world. There is no denying that internet has taken the world to a whole new level.
Digital marketing is the use of electronic media for the promotion of products and services. It has become essential for the success of business in today’s world. There is no denying that internet has taken the world to a whole new level. Buyers now have more choices than before to explore and research for their desired products. Online media channels have empowered the customers which have given the organizations a real task of online marketing. To engage with the customers, companies have to involve with them on every possible digital platform.
While digital marketing is most closely associated with the internet, there are other channels too, to serve the purpose. Mobile apps, radio, IPTV, TV, radio, electronic billboards are other means of reaching to the customers digitally. These methods help companies and entrepreneurs to assess the customers’ behavior and brand value.
Importance of Digital Marketing (DM)
In the emergence of modern technologies, traditional marketing is now seemed as less effective. Digital marketing has become the virtual fate of entrepreneurs. Business models are changing to keep up with the digital marketing strategies and to increase their revenues. Preponderance of digital media is unshakable and people can get access to any information anytime. Gone are the days when companies could have manipulated the choices of their customers through their provided information. Now consumers have become multi-channel and they have multiple resources to know the value of the product or service they want. Not only from the company websites, people are actively seeking reviews on brands and products from media and their friends. Consumers want to trust the brands which can offer them personalized services and cater their preferences. That is why, digital marketing is surpassing the traditional methods of marketing and it is result oriented.
Types of Digital Marketing (DM)
We shall begin with the different ways of digital marketing which different businesses can use for their online marketing strategy. Some of the most used digital marketing campaigns are search engine optimization, social media marketing, e-commerce, mobile apps and content marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing the visibility of a website in search engine results. It, thus, in return increases the organic traffic through using keywords. With frequent appearance of websites on search engines, visitors can become the customers. SEO strategies have huge importance when it comes to digital marketing campaigns. Online visibility of the websites is the first step towards a trustworthy relation between buyer and producer.
From the keywords to the technical structure of the website, SEO is linked to create a search engine friendly website. However, marketers should adhere to the basic concepts of SEO for the maximum visibility of their content online. Keywords knowledge is most important to generate traffic and to optimize the content. Google Analytics is the best tool to know about the popular keywords from different demographics. Title of the content and meta-description help the consumers to identify their relevant information. Overuse of the keywords in meta-description can affect the search engine and it looks like a spam. The appropriate keywords in title and meta-description improve the organic traffic and SEO ranking.
Apart from that, it is necessary that the content is easily available to people on mobile devices. Mobile responsive websites help build the trust of the consumers, as mostly people use mobile devices for quick online search. Mobile optimization along with high quality content has become vital to a successful SEO strategy for web visibility.
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
One of the most powerful ways to engage with the customers is social media. Brands have irrefutable presence on social media and it is growing by leaps and bounds. Moreover, if social media websites are not your direct point of contact with customers then you are one step back. A large number of people use these websites as their primary source of information on products. A huge number of current and potential customers are targeted through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Customers can directly interact with the companies and build an online community.
These social networking sites have reached billions of people around the world. Online changing patterns of buying and sales conversion has set off the entrepreneurs to work on their marketing strategies. The “retweet” and “repost” options have helped reach more consumers, thus, generating more traffic for the product/company.
Consumers are more expressive on social networking sites about their needs and preferences. In addition, social media marketing connect these potential customers to the companies with the parallel needs. As a result, the direct contact with the entrepreneurs builds a trust in both parties which is sometimes missing in outbound marketing.
E-commerce
Buying and selling over the internet comes under the category of e-commerce. E-commerce is the component of e-business which also supports transactions for the revenue generation. It creates demand for the products and services and pop up new opportunities for online sale. One of renowned sellers in this digital era is Amazon.
E-commerce business saves you a headache of a necessary office setup and maintenance cost. It can reach out to billions of people using search engine friendly website. Your customers can be from different demography thus it almost does not limit you in a certain geographical area.
Online shopping is a blooming trend which companies acknowledge in their own interest. While using this digital marketing strategy, online stores are now open for the consumers to shop anytime. Online availability of these stores has attracted a number of audience, who may don’t have time to go for shopping.
Though easily accessible, security issues in online transactions keep the customers loyal to their old sellers. Customers don’t want to take risks with their money and security issues have emerged as a big concern for them. Tools like encryptions and passwords are used to protect the websites from destruction and hacking.
Mobile Apps
We are living in the age of android phones on which we have access 24/7. Over the period of time, this electronic gadget has geared up the business through apps. Mobile app is a great way to introduce and sell your idea and product to the world .It single handedly stands out in the modern digital marketing strategies. As a result, companies are dealing with their customers through mobile apps on multiple levels. The promotional codes, coupons and simple method of connecting buyers with the service providers are fueling the businesses definitely. Sellers don’t have to wait for their customers to reach them online. These apps are expanding the number of potential buyers and they have become essential part of our lives. Uber, for instance, has made it easy for thousands of people to travel with comfort. This app has become a “must have” for mobile users.
Digital marketing through mobile apps is massive and will surpass the computer net access in the developing region. There are GPS apps for traveling, social media apps for communication and online shopping apps like eBay. Notifications are used for reminding us constantly about new features in apps. But these notifications have to be used carefully by the producers. Excessive notifications can lead the consumer to uninstall the app; therefore, a mobile app should be user friendly.
If you have an app for your product or service, it will give them an international recognition. Moreover, it adds up to the worth of your brand and is easily available to everyone with a touch of a finger.
Content Marketing
Content marketing focuses on the creation of online material such as videos and blogs. In the promotion of the product it is not directly involve in the promotion of the product however instills an interest in the targeting audience. Companies use it for the purpose of brand recognition, increase virtual transactions and attracting attention of consumers. Content marketing helps achieving a brand loyalty and create a readiness in customers to buy the product in near future. This type of marketing does not directly involve in the sales. The main idea behind content marketing is to build rapport with the clients and to encourage them for profitable action.
Moreover, this marketing strategy anticipates to meet the customers’ need of information rather than creating a new demand. The information can be provided to the customers through videos, social media posts, podcasts, e-mail and e-books. Most of the channels use, to pass on information, are digital. The high quality of content cannot be compromise on as it differentiates it from the spam. Finally, the content should be shared frequently with the consumers to impact their behavior. Digital content marketing specifically depends on the content delivery on regular basis and its quality.