If you were to ask someone on the street how they would describe to you what digital marketing is, what would you expect them to respond? More than likely they would provide you with a straightforward definition such as; 'digital marketing is the application of digital media, data, and technology integrated with traditional communications to achieve marketing objectives' (Chaffey et al., 2017).
This definition is a very general description of the concept of digital marketing, and it can be found in most literature or even through a simple google search. Let's take a look and see what can be recognised here; digital media is prevalent is most consumers everyday life. As a marketer, this is a factor you should never ignore. The consumer is more self-aware than ever before that it is your objective to reach, impact and influence their purchasing behaviour. Hence, it is essential to go deeper than a simple definition and have a more extensive understanding of the concept of digital marketing to be successful.
Watch the following video to get an understanding of the history and the development of the concepts of digital marketing.
Every organisation must have some form of a digital presence, particularly in the age of social media that we now find ourselves. A digital marketing strategy is valuable because it maximises the capabilities and strategic initiatives to support the organisations marketing and business objectives (Chaffey et al., 2017). By using devices and platforms, digital media, data and marketing techniques are used to increase multichannel engagement with a target audience. Once a strategy has been devised, the appropriate media and communication channels need to be chosen to relay the message.
Digital Media Channels
For customer communications and product distribution to reach and influence potential customer online, there are three main channels that digital marketing strategists need to consider, these are paid, owned and earned media (How to Define and Measure Paid, Owned and Earned Media, 2020). After selecting the most appropriate media channel, either or multiple communication methods, will be adopted. Some examples of these methods include; digital media channels such as social media, display ads, pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimisation (SEO), affiliate marketing, email marketing, landing page or rich media (Chaffey et al., 2017). To successfully implement a strategy, many digital marketers follow a simple four-step framework known as the acronym RACE (Reach-Act-Convert-Engage). The steps in the framework are designed to build awareness of the organisation's products and services, engage the audience through multiple digital media's, convert engagement into the generation of sales and lastly to continue to build customer relationships throughout the process.
Benefits of Digital Marketing
One of the most significant advantages of implementing digital marketing strategies is that once the targeted audience is reached, organisation instantly has access to direct consumer behaviour analytics. There are over 3.96 billion active social media users within a total of 4.7 billion online users; every single individual within that number is being exposed to some form of digital marketing (Statista 2020). Other advantages to digital marketing strategies and digital marketing communications are known as the six 'I's'; interactivity, intelligence, individualisation, integration, industry restructuring and independence of location. These factors are crucial because interactivity allows for visitors to engage with online platforms, become more exposed to other marketing efforts by the organisation in on their owned media. Digital marketing is an intelligent method of marketing since it is at a low cost. Based on data analytics, the customer's behaviour can be monitored and responded to with individualised marketing, which can be integrated through multiple media channels and can go with the customer between locations. Finally, industry restructuring reminds us that the marketing arena is continuously evolving to suit the times, causing waves in the industry as more marketing tasks will dissolve with the development of new technologies (Medium 2020).
Let's be realistic; you will probably never go up to a stranger on the street and ask them to give you a definition of digital marketing. However, when you're browsing the web or visiting your favourite social media page next, think back to this blog when you come across a form of digital marketing. See if you can recognise what techniques are being utilised, think to yourself, 'has this been customised to me personally' and keep an eye out for it, to see if it is being directed at you. Become self-aware of what you are consuming subconsciously before to decide to do so actively.
References:
Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., Isaac, H., Mercanti-Guérin, M. and Volle, P., 2017. Marketing Digital. Montreuil: Pearson.
Brandwatch. 2020. How To Define And Measure Paid, Owned And Earned Media. [online] Available at: <https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/define-measure-paid-owned-earned-media/>.
Medium. 2020. 6 I’S Of Internet Marketing That Every Marketer Should Know. [online] Available at: <https://medium.com/@sho0by/6-is-of-internet-marketing-that-every-marketer-should-know-5d8ba9675836>.
nibusinessinfo.co.uk. 2020. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Digital Marketing. [online] Available at: <https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-digital-marketing>.
Siu, E., Hou, Z., Teague, L., Hrach, A. and Griffiths, J., 2020. 11 Companies That Are Killing It With Their Digital Marketing Campaigns. [online] Content Marketing Consulting and Social Media Strategy. Available at: <https://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/killing-it-with-digital-marketing-campaigns/>.
Statista. 2020. Digital Users Worldwide 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/>.
What Is Digital Marketing. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7sUDQni0LI>.
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