
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more accessible for small businesses,…
Digital marketing. You hear the phrase used all the time. You know it’s important. But… what is digital marketing, exactly? We’ll investigate here the digital marketing industry and the importance of digital marketing for your business.
The meaning of digital marketing is so simple, it sounds silly: it’s marketing that you do digitally, using modern technology and online media.
But the digital marketing industry is a broad church, so that definition actually covers thousands of different tools, strategies and approaches to marketing. In this article, we’ve grouped all those elements into four basic points.
In the broadest possible terms, here’s what online digital marketing means:
In the next few sections, we’ll look at those four points in more detail… and explain why digital marketing is for everyone.
One reason for the importance of digital marketing is that it’s flexible. Instead of being restricted to a single format, digital marketing includes an enormous range of platforms and styles
Here are just a few of the most common online digital marketing channels:
So how do digital marketers juggle all those different channels we just talked about?
Data. More specifically, big data.
The digital marketing industry is focused on learning as much about consumers as possible. You need to know what your customers want and need, how they interact with your website and social media, and what turns them on or off a sale. Knowledge is power, as they say.
So digital marketing isn’t just about presenting information and ads to potential customers. One of the most important roles of digital marketing is data collection and analysis. All that information gets fed back into your digital marketing strategy – removing ineffective content, refining your ads, and learning how to give customers exactly what they need.
Online platforms, data collection… Doesn’t digital marketing sound a bit, well, impersonal?
In fact, digital marketing is far more personal than traditional advertising and marketing strategies. All that data that digital marketers collect is used to customize and personalize marketing campaigns, as well as tell brands whether their strategy is working.
Here are some of the ways that online digital marketing gets personal:
As well as getting personal, the digital marketing industry has learned to tread softly. Instead of pushing customers to purchase immediately, online digital marketing takes the time to build a relationship – through content marketing, social media interactions, and drip-feed email campaigns.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is an essential tool for digital marketers. It allows you to track those customer relationships. From how they first found your brand, to their social media behavior, purchase history and preferred contact methods. You can empower your sales team with detailed information on each individual lead.
Multiple media channels. Strategic data. Personalization. Real relationships between customers and your brand. What does all of that add up to?
In our opinion, it shows that digital marketing is for everyone. It involves tools that are accessible to every business, such as data collection and using a diverse mix of media. And through the power of personalization and CRM, means that you can reach out to every customer on their own terms. When it’s done right, digital marketing is good for customers and good for business. What’s not to love?
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