By Lauren Fenthum
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CLICK HEREToday everything is on the internet. And the number of people accessing the web is still growing daily. Not only are our behaviours changing and shifting to a more digital space, but so is the way we shop and engage with businesses. What does this mean? For one, offline marketing is not as viable as it used to be, and it is that much more important that a brand has a reputable online presence. Marketing is about connecting with your customer at the right place and at the right time. That means in today's world where everything has shifted to online, marketers need to do the same thing.
Digital marketing, therefore, is any form of content that exists online. Companies leverage digital channels such as search engines, social media, websites and email to engage with their customers. Digital marketers have a clear strategy in mind that will help them achieve their goals and is often supported by a larger campaign through that of paid and free channels. Digital marketing takes the form of a few channels and tactics. To name a few it can be found through search engine optimization, content marketing, affiliate marketing, inbound marketing and many more.
Digital marketers are in charge of creating brand awareness through an online presence. The channels that the digital marketer will use is generally the company’s website, search engine rankings, email, display advertising and the company’s own blog. The digital marketer focuses on different KPI’s and can measure the company’s performance across each channel.
Digital marketing works for all businesses, no matter what size they are. This does not mean, however, that all companies should adopt the same strategy when it comes to adopting this mindset. For example B2B companies will have a different strategy to that of B2C companies, however, the ultimate goal for both organizations is to increase lead and profit generation. Digital marketing allows companies to see the results of their efforts in real time, unlike offline marketers, you can measure the ROI and get fairly accurate results of how many people have seen or reacted to your campaign compared to that of a print ad.
Digital schemes are also relatively cost-effective, where budgets have been dramatically cut when it comes to that of marketing. Where companies just don't have the means to budget for an elaborate campaign, digital gives companies the opportunity to be able to compete effectively with others in the market space, provided that quality content is produced and that the brands digital channels conform with the consumers' expectations.
