What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing is a form of marketing that is executed online to create a digital presence of a company and to advertise its’ product. Businesses tend to have specific demographics of the audience that they want to convey, so digital marketing brings businesses to reach potential clients through digital means. Advertisements are made in various digital methods such as Google Search, Banner, Social Media, Marketing Emails, and more.
It is very important for businesses who want to keep up with the trend as consumers today are online as often as before due to the advancements in technologies. Digital Marketing can help them to boost their online presence to big depths.
What are the types of Digital Marketing?
Each digital marketing technique has its’ unique points to reach the marketing goal of a business. They are: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Email Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Marketing & Per-per-click Ads.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way to bring potential consumers to your website through using keywords, articles and descriptions that relate to the business. It is common now that when a person would like to purchase something that is in their mind, the first thing they would do is to enter the search engines and type it in.
Usually the top few results will catch the attention of the consumers. SEO also ensures that the consumer that visit the business is of higher quality, because these keywords is used to attract people whom the business is trying to target. This can reach the potential consumer who would be interested in the business’ intention.
Content, Email, and Social Media Marketing is a way to communicate with nurturing potential consumers. it is used to increase brand awareness, promotions, discounts, and upcoming events. However, this method is for consumers who are already interested in the business, as they have subscribed to the business’ through the website or social media.
It can help to retain the relationship between the business and the consumer by interacting with them, that maintains the company image in the mind of the consumer. These techniques are interlinked. Something simple such as thanking a potential consumer who had just subscribed to the email, or a monthly newsletter to the subscribers, a blog article, a social media post about tips & tricks that they could apply in their lives which benefits them that relates to the business that they’ve subscribed for.
Point-per-click (PPC) advertising involves paying the advertisement publisher when a potential consumer decides to click on the advertisement that was created by the business. It helps to boost your business ranking on the search engine by appearing on top. This is particularly useful because Search Engine Optimization (SEO) takes time to work, this method allows the immediate effect to the business, and allows you to get the business brand and image known to the internet as it’s listed on the first page, and people are more likely to access the website.
What are the Digital Marketing Trends nowadays?
It is a great factor to know more about the current trends in digital marketing. These are the trends: Voice Search, Email Marketing Personalization, Content Marketing, Chatbots & Online Videos.
Voice Search is becoming common nowadays due to the invention of AI Assistant – Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, Bixby, Siri, and Echo. This is an easy way for people to do a search because of the improved speech recognition, they are able to save time on typing, and also works within a distance when the phone is a little further from their side.
Email Marketing Personalization is one of the trends that keep your consumers connected. With a personalized title for the subject of the email, it can make the consumer feel connected with a human touch because it felt like that it is meant for them. This is cited in the source, stating that subject title with personalized name is 26 percent more likely to be opened.
Content Marketing is a vital trend that a business really needs. Content is everything, it can make people understand your product, understand your business, your intentions, your motivations, and everything that you want to convey to your consumers. Writing articles, blogs, a question, and an answer article that can fulfill the questions of the consumer can help to boost your company’s trust because they would trust that the business would listen to their consumers.
Chatbots acts as a human way to interact with the consumers through using artificial intelligence (AI) and assist consumers to achieve their end goal in mind – to get a product or service from the desired business. It can answer frequently asked questions without pulling on the pool of employees, and it works 24/7 without a need to pay over-time and responds almost instantly.
Lastly, Online Videos. Online Videos are a big part because pictures tell a thousand words – in this sense, a video. Consumers are visuals, they prefer to be looking at the product and services that they are getting, without a need to think or imagine. This can guide their purchasing decisions. Live Streaming is highly engaging as they allow the business to communicate directly with the consumer with questions they had in mind. With a combination of influencer marketing, this could bring a huge boost to the business.
What are the most common digital marketing mistakes?
Mistakes are bound to happen, and these are the most common digital marketing mistakes that we should do to avoid pitfalls.
Failing to set realistic goals to your business can hinder how the business is working because business needs to set a goal to have a good understanding of the strategy used – and to know if it works or not. Examples of marketing goals include finding new audiences, increasing website presence, an email pool and changing potential consumers to leads.
Being Impatient. Digital Marketing should not be rushed just because there are no sales after setting up a social media presence. Or that you have just applied a per-per-click ad towards Google Search Engine and seeing zero sales – not seeing the immediate results. These strategies all take time.
Using Blackhat techniques to gain the top spot in Google Search Engine, or to increase online presence. Penalties will be applied to your business and it is a huge mistake that will bring the business into a drawback.
Only relying on Paid Advertisement. This can produce immediate and easy methods to gain nurtured consumers, and quick sales, but this is a way where profit is not at its’ maximum. It is a very expensive method in the long run and does not provide long-term results.
Targeting the wrong audience in Social Media. It may seem like content marketing might mean more work for you, and might lead every potential consumer to leads sale, however without boosting it to the right audience, the content might all be irrelevant, because it is directed to the audience that the business is not intended to.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing brings lots of benefits to a business, however, there are pluses and shortcomings with every idea.
Affordable – A well designed and well-targeted digital marketing strategy will hit the right consumers at a considerably lower cost than conventional marketing strategies.
Report driven – Evaluating the digital marketing of the business using web analytics and other online measurement tools can help to identify the best and the effectiveness of the digital marketing campaign. Businesses can get comprehensive information about how their consumers interact and respond to the businesses’ digital marketing strategy.
Worldwide reach – A website allows consumers all over the world to discover the business, its services, and products.
Interactivity – If the consumer subscribes to the email subscription lists, businesses can convert them into prospective consumers by nurturing them, by sending regular emails of events, discounts, and offers. The more they make a purchase, the more effectively the business can refine their customer profile and market to them.
Openness – Handling social media by interacting with the consumers occasionally, increases trust and strengthens customer loyalty which in effect develops a reputation for being responsive and consumer-oriented.
Shortcomings are to be learned, but never to step on to:
Time-Consuming – Results are not immediate, heightening digital marketing campaigns requires a lot of trial and error. Measuring the end goal to analyze if there is a return-on-investment.
Strong Competitivity – There will be businesses that shares similarity, while digital marketing will allow access to the potential global consumers, the business is still up against the global competition. Having a unique point will allow the business to catch attention among the rest.
Up to Date Skills & Trend Adaptive – Ensuring staff in the business has the latest skills and is very adaptive to trends and applying them to the business, as digital marketing tools and techniques are everchanging.