Introduction to Digital Marketing Section 3

Digital Marketing Channels and Platforms or Types of Digital Marketing     (Section 1 Section 2 Section 4)

Digital marketing channels, also known as digital advertising channels, are various online platforms and methods businesses use to promote products, services, or brands to consumers. Digital marketing channel examples include websites, social media, email, SEO, PPC, and content marketing.

Communication is bidirectional in Digital Marketing as businesses can communicate with customers and customers can ask queries or make suggestions to businesses as well. Medium of communication is more powerful and involves social media websites, chats, apps and Email. Digital marketing campaigns can be developed quite rapidly and with digital tools, channelizing Digital Marketing campaigns is easier. It is very effective for reaching global audiences.

Website Marketing: A website is the centrepiece of all digital marketing activities. It is a very powerful channel on its own, but it’s also the medium needed to execute a variety of online marketing campaigns. A website should represent a brand, product, and service in a clear and memorable way. It should be fast, mobile friendly, and easy to use.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

When a customer makes a search engine inquiry online, the closer your company’s page or site is to the first page of search results, the more likely a customer can be to click on your page. You can boost your company's SEO rating and ranking through factors that influence the algorithms that generate search results. By researching keyword data, comparing A/B testing (A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a method used to compare multiple versions of a single variable to determine which one is more effective) and analyzing traffic reports, you can gain more website traffic and earn higher ranking results in online searches to help advertise to potential customers.

One way to general local SEO is to market your business to your community and surrounding areas by listing your company name, location and phone number across your website and other platforms. The contact information acts like keywords and can help consumers find your business or prompt your page to show in search engine results pages.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Advertising Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising enables marketers to reach Internet users on a number of digital platforms through paid ads. Marketers can set up PPC campaigns on Google, Bing, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook and show their ads to people searching for terms related to the products or services.

PPC campaigns can segment users based on their demographic characteristics (such as by age or gender), or even target their particular interests or location. The most popular PPC platforms are Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

Content Marketing: The goal of content marketing is to reach potential customers (Potential customers are individuals who have the capability and willingness to purchase your product or service, but have not yet made a purchasing decision) through the use of content. Content is usually published on a website and then promoted through social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, or even PPC campaigns. The tools of content marketing include blogs, eBooks, online courses, info graphics, podcasts, and webinars.

Email Marketing: Email marketing is still one of the most effective digital marketing channels. Many people confuse email marketing with spam email messages, but that’s not what email marketing is all about. This type of marketing allows companies to get in touch with potential customers and anyone interested in their brands. Many digital marketers use all other digital marketing channels to add leads to their email lists and then, through email marketing, they create customer acquisition funnels to turn those leads into customers.

Social Media Marketing: The primary goal of a social media marketing campaign is brand awareness and establishing social trust. As you go deeper into social media marketing, you can use it to get leads or even as a direct sales channel. Promoted posts and tweets are two examples of social media marketing.

Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing, and the internet has brought new life to this old standby. With affiliate marketing, influencers promote other people’s products and get a commission every time a sale is made or a lead is introduced. Many well-known companies like Amazon have affiliate programs that pay out millions of dollars per month to websites that sell their products.

Video Marketing: YouTube is one of the most popular search engines in the world. A lot of users are turning to YouTube before making a buying decision. There are several video marketing platforms, including Facebook Videos, Instagram, and even TikTok to use to run a video marketing campaign. Companies find the most success with video by integrating it with SEO, content marketing, and broader social media marketing campaigns.

SMS Messaging: Companies and nonprofit organizations also use SMS or text messages to send information about their latest promotions or give opportunities to willing customers. Political candidates running for office also use SMS message campaigns to spread positive information about their own platforms. As technology has advanced, many text-to-give campaigns also allow customers to directly pay or give via a simple text message.

Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing is when a business collaborates (to work together) with influencers to promote their brand across social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. It's a form of social media marketing and may be a piece of a business's broad digital marketing plan.

Influencer marketing can be an effective way to reach your target audience. To their followers, influencers are generally seen as knowledgeable and trustworthy figures, so they are likely to trust their brand judgment and product recommendations. Working with influencers can enable you to benefit from the goodwill they've built with their followers.

Digital Marketing Strategy and Why It Is Needed?

Increased internet use has forced established businesses to shift their focus from traditional marketing to digital marketing. Additionally, companies are adopting digital marketing strategies to withstand the complexity and uncertainties of the market, use advanced and modern CRM tools to build brand reputation, and exploit dynamic online mediums to reach their target audience, among others. (CRM stands for customer relationship management, which is a system for managing all of your company's interactions with current and potential customers. The goal is simple: improve relationships to grow your business.)

Digital Marketing Strategy

Experts define digital marketing strategy as using online resources to reach the target customer. Identifying where, why, and how a company makes a profit is one of the building blocks of a digital marketing strategy. It helps formulate a marketing plan that aligns with the business goals and customer requirements.

A brand has to evaluate owned, paid, and earned media while formulating a digital marketing strategy. While owned media consists of the organization’s communication channels, earned media and paid media are external communication channels.

What is the digital marketing strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a plan for using online channels to establish an internet presence and achieve specific marketing objectives. These channels can include organic search, social media, paid ads, and other web-based mediums such as your website.

Why Digital Marketing Strategy is needed?

A digital marketing strategy is important for businesses because it helps them:

Attract customers

A digital marketing strategy helps potential customers find a business online by using search terms or location. 

Drive sales

Digital marketing can help businesses increase revenue and drive sales by reaching their target audience. 

Build brand awareness

Brand awareness is a key component of a successful digital marketing campaign. Happy customers are likely to tell others about their good experiences, which can help a business, grow. 

Improve customer engagement

Customer engagement is important for building strong relationships with customers. Engaging with customers helps businesses understand their needs and preferences. 

Make data-driven decisions

Digital marketing can help businesses understand if their strategies are working, if they are targeting the right audience, and more. 

Increase conversion rates

Higher engagement can lead to higher conversion rates, which can increase revenue per visitor. 

Provide direction

A digital marketing strategy can help a business avoid missing out on business opportunities and provide direction for success.

Digital Marketing Strategy Vs Digital Marketing Tactics and campaign

Digital marketing strategy is the process of identifying a company’s goals, and a digital marketing campaign is the process of actualizing (make a reality of) these goals. The success of a company’s marketing plan relies heavily on the proper implementation and completion of digital marketing tactics.

Tactics are not the same as a campaign, but they are both part of a marketing plan and are connected to a larger strategy:

Tactics

The actions taken to achieve a goal, often centered on a single platform. Tactics are the "bringing to life" of a strategy and vision. For example, a marketing tactic could be using Google Display Ads.

Campaign

A collection of tactics that are used to achieve a goal over time. A campaign can include many different types of actions, such as rallies, door-to-door campaigning, or sign waving. A traditional media campaign might include television, radio, print, and out-of-home ads

(Section 1 Section 2 Section 4)