Something to think about: how much time do you spend on the Internet in a day? An hour? 4 hours? 8 hours? 12 hours? Think again… You’re online 24/7. The means may vary: sometimes you are checking your mail, other times you are on Facebook or Twitter, the rest may be on Whatsapp or Instagram or maybe searching on Google. But you are always connected. These platforms cumulatively form the digital sphere. And the companies that are connected to you through these means share your opinion.
Digital marketing brings a paradigm shift in marketing. Unlike traditional marketing, it is a form of inbound marketing and its goal is for you to find the business in question. Businesses post content for people to find, and people can do an organic search online, a paid search, find your business on a social network, or read content that’s been posted online, like a blog or article. Therefore, through multiple digital touch points, organizations can improve brand image and connect with their target audience.
It cannot be denied that there is a growing demand for incorporating a digital strategy. It is known that during the last year, traditional marketing expenses fell by almost 160%, while in the same period digital marketing expenses increased more than 14%. And with the increasing penetration of mobile devices and the growing popularity of digital platforms, this number is bound to increase.
The four pillars of digital marketing
Seek
Search engines are the main pillar of a digital strategy. According to Google statistics there are more than 200 million people using the Google search engine in a month performing more than 11.94 billion searches on Google so it is imperative that organizations have a strong presence on this platform. .
Search engine optimization can be done through organic and paid strategies. For e-commerce businesses, online advertising (text and display) plays an important role in driving traffic and converting it into leads and ultimately leads.
Ad Age statistics show that in 2013, Internet ad spending surpassed newspaper ad spending for the first time. Another SocialTimes report shows that around 33% of organic search clicks go to the first result.
Therefore, implementing a strong search strategy increases a website’s visibility in search engines, drives more traffic to the website, and increases a business’s potential for a variety of positive opportunities.
Social
Today, it will be a difficult task to find one that is not present on a social platform. May it be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or any other. All are present one at least one medium. In fact, by population, Facebook has the second largest population after China with over 1.35 billion registered users. And according to an IDC survey, 70% of smartphone users visit Facebook 13.8 times per day. Today almost all phones are smartphones. It’s no wonder why organizations are increasingly sticking to these forums to interact and connect with their target audience.
Social media marketing is a great medium for businesses to build and grow their brand presence. It increases website traffic and attracts the attention of potential audience through social networking sites. With the rise of this marketing technology, businesses of all types and sizes now have an equal opportunity to compete for brand recognition.
A Social Media Today report notes that 83% of today’s B2B marketers invest in social media to increase brand exposure; 69% to increase web traffic and 65% to obtain market information. Therefore, social media channels have become critical to the success of an organization.
junk mail
Attracting the target market and turning them into a customer does not end the process. Businesses need to nurture the customer base and create a long-term relationship with customers. This is where email marketing comes into play. According to Forbes, between 1% and 3% of website visitors make purchase decisions the first time they visit a website. But of the remaining 97%, 65% make favorable buying decisions and run rigorous email campaigns.
Email marketing also allows businesses to keep current and potential customers up to date on their business. Whether it is the launch of a new product or an announcement, through this means organizations can maintain their brand presence with the customer at all times.
mobile responsiveness
With the alarming rate of BYOD policies being adopted in organizations and the increase in people using smartphone devices, businesses need to shift their focus to mobile advertising too! Whether it’s your website or an email, it needs to be mobile friendly.
So should one adopt a digital marketing strategy? Well, there’s no reason to doubt its ability to improve business performance. It is an interactive platform that allows companies to reach infinite customers. Build brand image and help companies connect with their consumers. The results are much easier to measure; and campaigns can be easily customized to cater to the right audiences.
Therefore, digital marketing is a vast field. However, we can conclude that companies that are digitally active will surely win in the minds of their customers.
