WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING?
When we talk about Digital Marketing, we're essentially talking about promoting your entity online using a variety of
channels. These channels include social media, search engines, video, email, and display.
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You see, today's customer lives across these channels and Digital Marketing is about finding ways to be present at the right moment to capture the customer. The internet is transforming the way that people buy products or services.
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Now, with the internet on mobile, that experience is everywhere. This puts the customer in charge of the buying process. They're armed with resources to conduct research, compare options, share what they've found, and even ask their peers for recommendations, all digitally.
The Death of
Traditional Advertising
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This often happens simultaneously. What was once the norm in marketing is now taking a backseat to its online counterpart.
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Print is dropping in readership, people are leaving cable for on demand shows served up by digital companies like Netflix.
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We're distracted by a WhatsApp message from our favorite online retailer while we walk the streets. So we'll miss those advertisements in the windows and next to the bus stops.
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Streaming music has replaced the radio and paying for services eliminates advertising from interrupting our experience. The Yellow Pages has even been replaced by Google, where the consumer can see reviews and even pictures of the business.
Does Digital Marketing
work for All Businesses?
Digital marketing can work for any business in any industry. Regardless of what your company sells, digital marketing still involves building out buyer personas to identify your audience's needs, and creating valuable online content. However, that's not to say all businesses should implement a digital marketing strategy in the same way.
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B2B Digital Marketing
If your company is business-to-business (B2B), your digital marketing efforts are likely to be centered around online lead generation, with the end goal being for someone to speak to a salesperson. For that reason, the role of your marketing strategy is to attract and convert the highest quality leads for your salespeople via your website and supporting digital channels. Beyond your website, you'll probably choose to focus your efforts on business-focused channels like google where your demographic is spending their time online.
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B2C Digital Marketing
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If your company is business-to-consumer (B2C), depending on the price point of your products, it's likely that the goal of your digital marketing efforts is to attract people to your business and have them become customers without ever needing to speak to a salesperson. For that reason, you're probably less likely to focus on ‘leads' in their traditional sense, and more likely to focus on building an accelerated buyer's journey, from the moment someone comes across your content, to the moment that they make a purchase. This will often mean your product features in your content higher up in the marketing funnel than it might for a B2B business, and you might need to use stronger calls-to-action (CTAs). For B2C companies, channels like Facebook and Instagram can often be more valuable than business-focused platforms like Google.
