What it is and why it matters?
Digital marketing, the promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media, differs from traditional marketing. It uses channels and methods that enable an organization to analyze marketing campaigns. Digital marketing provides insights about our business, what is working and what isn’t – typically in real time. Digital marketers monitor every aspect of your business which helps in generating leads.
Why is digital marketing important?
Digital media is so pervasive that consumers have access to information any time and any place they want it. Digital media is an ever-growing source of entertainment, news, shopping and social interaction, and consumers are now exposed not just to what your company says about your brand, but what the media, friends, relatives, peers, etc., are saying as well. And they are more likely to believe them than you. People want brands they can trust, companies that know them, communications that are personalized and relevant, and offers tailored to their needs and preferences.
Manage customer relationships across all channels
Digital marketing and its associated channels are important – but not to the exclusion of all else. It’s not enough to just know your customers; you must know them better than anybody else so you can communicate with them where, when and how they are most receptive to your message. To do that, you need a consolidated view of customer preferences and expectations across all channels – Web, social media, mobile, direct mail, a point of sale, etc. Marketers can use this information to create and anticipate consistent, coordinated customer experiences that will move customers along in the buying cycle. The deeper your insight into customer behavior and preferences, the more likely you are to engage them in lucrative interactions.
Challenges being faced by digital marketers
- The proliferation of digital channels, Consumers use multiple digital channels and a variety of devices that use different protocols, specifications, and interfaces.
- Intensifying competition. Digital channels are relatively affordable for business of every size. As a result, it’s becoming a lot harder to capture consumers’ attention.
- Exploding data volumes. Consumers leave behind a huge trail of data in digital channels. Huge data analysis for making the right decisions has turned out to be a herculean task.
Three keys to digital marketing success
What does it take to do digital marketing right? Here are three keys to digital marketing success:
- Manage complex customer relationships across a variety of channels – both digital and traditional.
- Respond to and initiate dynamic customer interactions.
- Extract value from big data to make better decisions faster.