Digital marketing is as an umbrella term for the marketing of products or services using digital technologies and platforms, which has rapidly come into prominence over the last decade.
As digital platforms are increasingly incorporated into everyday life, digital marketing strategies / campaigns have become more prevalent and efficient thereby changing the way brands and businesses use technology for marketing.
As a result of these developments digital marketing methods such as search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, influencer marketing, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing / optimization and e-mail direct marketing have become more common in our advancing technology.
Online digital marketing is the most important segment of digital marketing. As traditional marketing channels like print, TV and radio become less valuable, online marketing continues to take up larger segments of marketing budgets, with millions of businesses marketing exclusively online.
To compete effectively in this ever evolving marketing environment, business owners need to understand the fundamentals of digital marketing.
Why digital marketing is important?
Digital marketing is important because an increasing number of consumers are online. Digital marketing gives businesses the opportunity to reach them directly and instantly.
To be an active part of this exceptionally pervasive and lucrative online market place, business owners need to incorporate digital marketing strategy into their business modules.
Benefits of Digital Marketing
- The volume of potential customers that exist online is a massive. By using digital marketing you have the opportunity to expand your customer base globally in a way that is both cost-effective and measurable.
- It also creates the unique ability to interact with prospective customers and learn exactly what their likes and dislikes are.
- It’s more cost effective than traditional marketing because you can reach more customers with a smaller budget.
- By getting to know your audience and interacting with them personally you will automatically create a sense of trust and develop brand loyalty.
- Customer feedback is instant because you are able to track responses to your marketing efforts immediately.
Why Digital Marketing is necessary
Even if you haven’t fully embraced digital marketing your customers and competitors have. There’s a good chance that potential customers are already looking for a business like yours online, but if they can’t find you easily they’re probably going to choose someone else.
It’s nothing personal – this is just how people do business today. When someone has an interest in a particular type of business or if they are curious about your brand specifically, the first thing they’re going to do is an online search to see what they can find out about you.
They expect to find your business’s digital footprint, which should include a website and strong social media presence. They may be looking for online reviews so they can learn what other people think about your product, and then use the information to decide whether it’s a good place to do business.
If a potential customer can’t find you online they may decide that your business doesn’t appear to be legitimate. As a result they might decide not to take your business seriously and will quickly go somewhere else. Once they have made their decision based on your presence, they probably won’t be back.
In Summary…
In the ever changing world of modern technology and with the dominance of digital marketing, businesses are doing all that they can to keep up by amplifying their existing marketing strategies to incorporate additional digital marketing tips.
This is because digital modes of communication and marketing are more adaptable, quicker, quantifiable and result-driven. This applies to businesses as well as customers.
Because people prefer to consume digital content, businesses that have not yet included digital marketing in their advertising and marketing strategies need to do so in order to remain relevant and to compete effectively.
For more ways to optimize your digital marketing strategy take a look at the digital marketing courses on offer at the Digital School of Marketing. These courses will give you a comprehensive framework for understanding this ever-evolving industry.
