In the recent years, every remarkable brand campaign has relied on digital marketing techniques as their base. These techniques, when properly executed, allow for the integration of various platforms to produce an integrated and shareable experience.
So, what exactly is digital marketing? The definition has evolved with the progress of technology and now encompasses social media marketing, content marketing, and other platforms which we will delve into in greater detail. These advancements have resulted in more captivating experiences for end-users, who currently allocate over two hours per day on social media alone.
Given how extensively the internet has become a part of our daily routine, perhaps the more fitting inquiry would be “what aspect of marketing is excluded from the digital domain?”
This article will delve into the subject and guide marketers on the fundamental strategies and channels necessary for achieving success not only in the present but also in the future.
What is digital marketing?
Online marketing or digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses all promotional activities conducted via the Internet or other digital mediums. Campaigns usually make use of different channels, such as:
- Social media
- Websites
- Search engines
- Paid advertisements
- Text messages
- Mobile and web applications
In essence, if you are receiving a message from a brand that mandates a wifi connection, you are witnessing an instance of digital marketing.
Why digital marketing is still important in 2023
While many digital marketing strategies can no longer be considered novel, it can be alluring to neglect these essentials in favor of more thrilling undertakings, such as pursuing a metaverse plan or executing an experiential campaign. Taking risks and exploring the unknown can be rewarding, but this should not result in neglecting the basics.
There is a good reason why digital marketing strategies are reliable and effective. Let me explain why:
It is affordable.
With digital marketing, you have the ability to decide when, where, and how your budget is utilized. In the event that a particular channel is not yielding the desired outcomes, you have the flexibility to reduce spending and redirect funds towards more beneficial prospects.
In today’s uncertain market conditions, marketers are under pressure to be more resource-efficient, making this level of control highly desirable. Traditional marketing methods do not provide the same level of detail.
Its quantifiable.
Can anything be more awesome than attribution modeling?
While it may come across as excessively nerdy, digital marketers understand the importance of being able to allocate and evaluate the return on investment for particular milestones in a customer’s experience.
By utilizing digital marketing strategies, you have the ability to enhance the traceability of your in-person marketing endeavors. One possible approach involves implementing a branded hashtag into your out-of-home advertisement campaign, which can help convert brief glances into quantifiable reach statistics.
Not only do these abilities aid in achieving improved results for particular projects or campaigns, but they also provide guidance for your forthcoming choices.
to your customers wherever they are. Your brand remains connected to your customers no matter their location.
If you are not establishing customer connections on the internet, you may be left behind as internet culture has overtaken pop culture.
Remaining relevant to consumer trends is crucial for lasting brands to remain top of mind. Could the creators of Tropicana have envisioned producing a spray bottle cap for mimosa beverages during the company’s inception back in 1947?
It is unlikely, but the current team in charge is utilizing digital marketing methods such as social listening and media monitoring to connect with the audience’s preferences. By mirroring those preferences, they maintain a relevant, engaging, and enjoyable brand image.
5 Need-to-know digital marketing tips
Staying abreast of digital marketing techniques is a task that requires dedicated effort. There are publications solely focused on monitoring the latest trends and shifts in online branding.
Although it may appear daunting, there’s nothing to be worried about. Fads are transitory, whereas principles are enduring. In support of this, here are five classic digital marketing pointers that are effective irrespective of the medium.
- Understand your business goals
Attaining business objectives in an ideal scenario can be likened to participating in a relay race. The leadership team imparts success guidelines to the management level, who in turn formulate plans for their teams to implement. When all parties are coordinated, the outcome is a rapid route to expansion.
If it were so simple, every company would be experiencing success all the time. However, the reality is that it’s easier to lose alignment than to regain it. Once alignment is lost, individuals will be pursuing different objectives.
Ensuring that your digital marketing strategies are in line with the objectives of both your team and the organization through deliberate actions leads to more substantial work for you and your colleagues. Keep tabs on key performance indicators, inquire about information, and link your contributions to income to make a significant impact over time.
- Identify your target audience
Digital marketing campaigns that are effective are purposeful. It is easy to recognize when a company comprehends its target audience and is capable of communicating in a way that resonates with them.
Understanding your target audience is not an innate ability. It requires continuous effort to learn and comprehend. You need to consistently stay updated on consumer preferences to adapt your messaging accordingly.
Eliminate uncertainty by regularly analyzing the data to determine what is connecting with your intended audience. Scrutinize your own metrics, explore the competition, and experiment with alternative platforms and styles.
- Incorporate paid and organic channels
Paid and organic channels in digital marketing are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they work together to enhance each other’s effectiveness. Each can benefit the other, and they are complementary.
Imagine you have dedicated much effort to an upcoming product launch and noticed a decline in your email marketing performance. By implementing a well-targeted paid social campaign that offers incentives for email sign-ups, you can revive your distribution lists and improve performance. This is merely one example of how you can utilize one discipline to encourage and enhance the other.
In order to achieve long-lasting outcomes, a superior digital marketing tactic ought to depend on an optimal combination of paid, owned, and earned media. Although it requires balance, once it’s mastered, the approach proves successful.
- Focus on high-quality content
It is possible to overlook the fact that We’re Not Really Strangers is promoting a card game when examining their marketing materials.
With a commitment to bolstering connections with others, they utilize a range of digital platforms such as their website, social accounts, and email marketing campaigns to perpetuate their brand’s mission. This staunch devotion to producing top-notch content has resulted in a massive fan base, including Maritza Cardenas, Mint Mobile’s Senior Social Media Manager.
According to Cardenas, a community has been established around the theme of openness, which has been comforting to not only Cardenas but also numerous other supporters. Their content is relatable, prompting Cardenas to acquire nearly all editions.
Rather than presenting themselves as a party game or a way to break the ice, We’re Not Really Strangers utilizes their digital marketing platforms to promote a unifying message that centers on cultivating a brand community, placing less emphasis on sales.
- Be agile and adjust as you go
It’s important to keep in mind that strategies are not permanent. The key distinguishing factor between a competent digital marketer and an exceptional digital marketer is their readiness to make changes.
Utilize data to gain comprehension of the consequences of a project and have no fear of implementing adjustments in real-time. You have the option to carry out this process systematically per channel or opt for a more comprehensive overview of a multi-channel campaign through a social listening instrument.
Using social listening, companies can expand their focus and monitor the broader social discussions surrounding their marketing campaigns. This data can be used to enhance marketing performance reports, providing a comprehensive view of how their message is impacting the market and driving revenue.
Mistakes ecommerce brands make on social media
- “Prioritizing” every social media platform
The goal for your brand is to gain numerous customers and generate plenty of sales, but that does not imply that you must have a presence on every social media platform. Rather, direct your efforts on the appropriate channels that align with your brand and goals.
Select the social media channels that are commonly utilized by your desired audience and that can assist you in meeting your business objectives. These platforms must be where you can contend for the audience’s interest, where you can obtain the most significant return on investment, where you take pleasure in using, and where you can handle efficiently.
Although Twitter is a veteran in the social media field, it may not be an ideal platform to market and sell your products. Consequently, it is advisable not to commit your time, money, and resources to it if you can’t guarantee any significant returns. Avoid spreading yourself too thin and acknowledge that it is acceptable not to establish a presence on every single platform.
If you attempt to prioritize every single thing, you’ll eventually find yourself prioritizing nothing at all. For your brand, exclusively focusing on the most crucial platforms will enable you to optimize your investments and interact with your audience using exceptional content.
- Posting only about your products
It’s crucial to comprehend your audience’s interests and engage with them to build relationships, as customers prefer brands that they can connect with and not just those that constantly market their products. To demonstrate this understanding, it’s necessary to strike the proper balance in the content mix. Additionally, it’s advisable to be involved in the community and participate in ongoing conversations.
To keep your audience engaged, mix up your posts with a variety of themes including product-focused, time-sensitive promotions, brand background and values, social activism, motivational, and content generated by your followers. Ensure your captions are pertinent to your target market for maximum connection and engagement. By doing so, you’ll not only draw in fresh clientele but also maintain loyalty among your current ones.
Inviting people to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions is a great way to learn more about your target audience and gain valuable feedback and insight. This information can be used to improve your products, branding, and social media strategy, making it an efficient approach that people enjoy.
It’s important to remember that constantly pushing sales 24/7 is not effective. Social networking is centered around building relationships. Invest time in cultivating connections with individuals who may be interested in what your brand has to offer.
- Having poor customer service
In today’s digital era, customers anticipate immediate assistance from your brand and desire to perceive that their concerns, care, and loyalty are valued and acknowledged.
It is crucial for eCommerce brands to prioritize excellent customer service as failure to do so may result in negative sentiments being shared on social media, lost sales, and potential customers feeling neglected due to unanswered queries.
These are some methods you can use to accomplish that.
- Respond promptly to feedback and complaints.
- Show appreciation for positive reviews, shares, and high praise.
- Use appropriate language and tone in your replies.
- Avoid impersonal and insincere-sounding canned responses.
- Address negative situations by moving the conversation in private.
- Not incorporating influencer marketing
A lot of eCommerce companies fail to broaden their reach and target audience since they are not employing influencers. Influencer marketing is a powerful method of boosting brand recognition and elevating customer confidence by leveraging their substantial social media following.
Establish credibility and reliability before reaching out to potential influencers for content collaboration that highlights their use or affinity towards your products. Keep in mind that influencers prefer to work with trusted brands. It is also important to partner with those who share similar audience and brand values, and have great engagement rates.
Bear in mind that it is important for the pages of your influencers to align with the values and aesthetics of your brand. Don’t collaborate with an influencer solely based on their large following as it’s not sufficient. The partnership must be practical and the content of the influencer should blend in smoothly with your own feed.
- Failing to implement email marketing
Failing to maintain contact and fulfill commitments with clients is a common error committed by numerous eCommerce companies. Therefore, if you have yet to gather email addresses and nurture these virtual connections through automated emails, it is advisable to commence the process at present.
Maximizing email marketing can be an effective strategy to keep in touch with your customers. It not only enhances customer service, but also fosters the growth of a dedicated audience. To optimize email marketing, consider the following techniques:
- Send discount codes during special occasions.
- Let them know of upcoming launches, new arrivals, and re-stocks.
- Check in on customers with abandoned carts or incomplete purchases.
- Cross-sell related products to repeat buyers.
- Ask them about their shopping experience and gently ask for online reviews.
It is important to conduct A/B testing, also referred to as split testing, in order to determine the most effective strategies for your target audience. One way you can do this is by split-testing different subject lines for your emails.
Begin gradually if you are inexperienced in this aspect. Target a weekly email summarizing the latest updates, or a monthly newsletter. Expand your email campaigns gradually.
If email marketing is not an integral part of your digital marketing strategy, you are missing out on significant revenue as it offers the highest return on investment compared to any other marketing approach.
- Hard-Selling
When advertising their products, brands should avoid coming off as forceful or overbearing as it tends to irritate customers. Instead, the product descriptions should strive to encourage potential buyers and persuade them to make a purchase without being too obvious about it.
When writing product descriptions, focus on the advantages and pleasant encounters that customers will enjoy. Emphasize the value of the product by highlighting its versatility and revealing the cost savings. Additionally, ensure that your descriptions are written using simple language that is easy to understand.
Remember, persuasive product descriptions persuade potential buyers by highlighting the advantages rather than aggressively pushing them to make a purchase.
