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Digital marketing is the use of the internet and connected devices to offer value to customers through products or services. Through digital marketing, brands use online channels including content marketing and sponsored content to get their messages across.
The phenomenon is no longer new. It began as soon as we started using the internet, and boomed as we spent more time online. Internet is catching up on TV as the medium of choice globally. In 2019, time spent online is seen to be just 7 minutes behind time spent watching TV.
Businesses are of course responding. In 2017, digital advertising sales have overtaken TV for the first time. Digital media expenditure is also expected to overtake the total spending for all non-digital media channels this year.
Digital budgets go to a wide range of assets distributed across various channels. These include paid media such as banner ads, paid social media posts, or paid search ads; owned media like business websites, social media accounts, and downloadable content; and earned media through public relations, social media feedback, or search engine optimization.
The goal in digital marketing is to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time. To do that, it’s important to properly choose the content you want to publish and the channels through which they are distributed. Below are some of the most common digital tactics used by marketers we work with at GetCRAFT.
With bulk of internet users also active on social media, marketers see the channel as an opportunity to distribute content, drive traffic to their own websites, and engage with consumers. Most businesses that are online have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.
Besides posting content to engage their followers, businesses take advantage of native ad units on social media platforms to reach specific target segments. Paid social media posts allow marketers to identify to whom content will be distributed.
Content marketing focuses on the creation and distribution of content that is valuable, relevant, and consistent to attract and retain a targeted audience; and to drive profitable actions from customer. This includes paid, earned, and owned media.
Display advertising is the placement of images, graphics, or interactive modules on websites and other channels, in the hope that users will click on the ad and be taken to a landing page. One criticism of display ads, also known as banner ads, is that they interrupt user experience.
Another way that businesses engage with their audiences and try to stay top of mind is email marketing. This are usually in the form of newsletter subscriptions, which also often drive traffic to a website or content portal. Other emails may include event invitations or shareable content.
Amid the cluttered digital space, brands continue to look for ways for their message to stand out. Many are turn to influencer marketing, which involves working with individuals who help create high-impact conversations around their brands. There’s an influencer for every objective, and one for every audience segment.
Businesses also co-create content with publishers to generate awareness and interest around their products or services. Branded content allows them to ride on the credibility of publishers among their audiences and also benefit from a publisher’s voice.
Search engine optimization or SEO involves the use of content, distribution strategies, and backend practices to rank highly on results generated by search engines such as Google. It is one way for businesses to drive traffic organically to their websites.
The other option for brands targeting users who search for specific keywords is paid search marketing. This makes use of native ad units on Google, Yahoo, Bing or other search engines and are often done on a pay-per-click basis.
Webinars and podcasts are also good ways for businesses to educate consumers and at the same time capture leads through registration forms. Apart from capturing contact details, webinars and podcasts provide an opportunity to easily create personal customer relationships.
A good digital marketing strategy pieces together all these tactics to achieve business objectives and take consumers through the marketing funnel--from awareness to purchase. What assets, channels, or tactics do you use for you digital campaigns?
