INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing is often confused with online marketing. Digital marketing is

the process of promoting a brand , service or product on the internet. It is an
incredibly versatile and powerful tool that can be used in technologies to deliver
promotional messages, such as mobile phones, computers, and other digital media
and platforms. Digital marketing offers unique advantages such as greater reach,
improved targeting, personalized messaging, and better ROI (Return On Investment).
It also allows businesses to stay up-to-date with marketing trends and
technologies.It is an incredibly versatile and powerful tool that can be used in
various ways to reach people worldwide. Digital marketing utilizes multiple digital
technologies to deliver promotional messages, such as mobile phones , computers,
and other digital media and platforms.

Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the internet and
online- based digital technologies such as desktop computers , mobile phones, and
other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Its
development during the 1990s and 2000s changed the brands and businesses use
technology for marketing. Any marketing that uses electronic devices and can be
used by marketing specialists to convey promotional messages and measure its
impact through your customer journey. It can take many forms, including online
video, display ads, search engine marketing, paid social ads and social media posts.

DEFINITION OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital Marketing is basically applying all marketing techniques to digital channels.
Different sources cam be used to promote services and products like SMS, search
engines, email, websites, social media and mobile devices. The digital nature of this
marketing method makes it a cost-efficient means of promoting one’s business.
The use of digital marketing depends on the organisation’s marketing objective. It
could be that the organization wants to generate more leads, build their brands,
increase sales or improve brand engagement. Digital marketing means more than just
having a website. The website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate,
and also need to have quality content to reflect the nature of business.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important factor as well.. Search engines
need to read and index the website properly. There are content and SEO specialists
who can help organisations to design websites which are responsive and accessed
through all devices. Digital marketing also involves managing the organisation’s
social media presence and interacting with fans as well as marketing the business
across major social media channels.

HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing first appeared as a term in the 1990s but as mentioned above, it
was very different world then; web 1.0 was primarily static content with very little
interaction and no real communities. The first banner advertising started in 1993 and
the first web crawler (called Web Crawler) was created in 1994 - this was the
beginning of search engine optimization (SEO) as we know it ( Kingsnorth, 2016 ).

Once Google started to grow at pace and Blogger was launched in 1999 the modern
internet age began Blackberry ,a brand not connected with innovation any more,
launched mobile e-mail and MySpace appeared. MySpace was the true beginning of
social media as we defined it today, but it was not as successful as it could have been
from a user experience perspective and ultimately that is what led to its downfall.

Google’s introduction of Adwords was their real platform for growth and remains a
key revenue stream for them to this day. Their innovation, simple interface and
accurate algorithms continue to remain. Cookies have been a key development in
delivering relevant comments and therefore personalising user experience.

The first search engine started in 1991 with a network protocol called Gopher for
query and search. Products marketed digitally are now available to customers at all
times. Statistics collected by the marketingtechblog for 2014 show that posting on
social media is the top online activity in the US. The average American spends 37
minutes a day on social media. 99% of digital marketers use Facebook to market, 97%
use Twitter, 70% use Google +, 69% use Pinterest and 59% use Instagram. 70% of
B2C marketers have acquired customers through Facebook. 67% of Twitter users are
far more likely to buy from brands that they follow on Twitter. 83.8% of luxury
brands have a presence on Pinterest. The top three social networking sites used by
marketers are LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

BENEFITS OF DIGITAL MARKETING

1. Global reach

Traditional marketing strategies like billboards, TV ads, and cold sales calls are
limited by geography. But with digital marketing, businesses can access a global
audience across locations and time zones. Instead of limiting your reach to people in
your community, you can target potential customers in your state, country, and even
globally. Digital media strategies like social media, content marketing, and email
marketing make it easy for businesses to reach potential customers around the world.

2. Cost efficiency

Most digital marketing strategies have a low startup cost. For example, search engine
optimization (SEO), social media, and content marketing are some of the most
effective ways to promote your business online, and they cost nothing but your time
and talent.

Even on the paid marketing front, digital channels don’t usually have minimum
budget requirements for social media ad buys or search engine marketing (SEM)
campaigns.

3. Measurable results

Not only is digital marketing more affordable than offline marketing tactics — it’s
also highly measurable. Traditional channels like print, TV, and radio ads can be
effective, but it’s very challenging to track who responds to your messages.

With digital marketing, you can track nearly every touchpoint users have with your
brand. Whether it’s social media views, ad clicks, email opens, or organic page views,
every aspect of digital marketing is highly trackable. It’s much easier to prove the
return on investment (ROI) of your digital marketing efforts as a result, which helps
you better understand the results you’re generating and where to keep investing.

4. Effective targeting

With traditional marketing, you have little control over who sees your content. Even if
you pay for a targeted ad in a niche magazine, you can’t guarantee that everyone
reading that magazine is your ideal customer.

However, digital marketing allows you to pinpoint the best audience for your
messages using online audience and targeting information. You can also collect data
from your digital campaigns to see which content works best for certain types of
customers. If you’re still learning about your customers’ preferences, these insights
can help you refine your campaigns over time.

5. Increased engagement

Traditional marketing methods only allow for one-way interactions. Your business
can communicate a message to your audience — but there’s no clear pathway for the
audience to respond or take action directly. This puts a barrier between your brand
and the people you’re trying to reach, which can reduce engagement.

Digital marketing presents you with the opportunity to have real conversations with
your customers. Whether through email, SMS, social media, or blog comments, you
can get feedback from your customers every step of the way. This gives you more
opportunities to delight customers, answer questions, and fine-tune your campaigns
based on their input. It doesn’t hurt that these conversations also provide you with
more customer touchpoints, which can increase conversions and sales.

6. Flexibility

Digital marketing gives you the flexibility to choose from different channels and
strategies.It’s also flexible enough that you can adjust your approach over time as you
learn more about what works for your audience and business.A flexible marketing
strategy allows for constant changes in making campaigns.
7. Improved conversion rate

When a customer converts, they take a desired action. That might be subscribing to
your email newsletter or making a purchase. Your conversion rate measures the
percentage of customers who take that desired action. Generally speaking, the higher
your conversion rates, the more successful your marketing efforts.

However, digital marketing has a 9.9% lead-to-close rate, which is nearly six times
higher than traditional marketing. If you want to convert more prospects into
customers, digital marketing is the way to go.

8. Social currency

Social currency is what happens when content passes from user to user, eventually
becoming viral and making a name for your brand. In the past, social currency
happened largely through word-of-mouth recommendations. Today, thanks to the
power of digital strategies like social media marketing, your business can build social
currency by creating content that’s highly relevant, entertaining, and timely. Social
currency keeps the conversation going long after your brand’s posts go live and can
keep your business top of mind with consumers.

9. Greater ROI

Digital marketing gives businesses more value for their investment — and it’s easier
to prove ROI(Return On Investment) because you can easily attribute sales and
conversions to specific campaigns and touch points. In an age where marketers
increasingly need to do more with fewer resources, digital channels empower
businesses to market themselves in the most cost-effective ways.

TYPES OF DIGITAL MARKETING

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing utilizes the ever-growing popularity of industry experts and social
media influencers. In collaboration, influencers will engage their audience with posts,
blogs or videos to bring in more business for your organization and create new
leads.Within the last few years, affiliate or influencer marketing has grown
immensely with new media like TikTok, Instagram, Youtube and blogs being a
mainstream form of entertainment and news. Affiliate marketing has become one of
the more popular forms of digital marketing. According to Influencer Marketing Hub,
the affiliate marketing industry was estimated to be a $21 Billion industry in 2022.

2. Content Marketing

Content marketing uses story telling and information sharing to increase brand
awareness. Ultimately, the goal is to have readers take action toward becoming a
customer, such as requesting more information, signing up for an email list or making
a purchase. “Content” can refer to blog posts, resources like white papers and e-books,
digital videos, podcasts and much more.

In general, it should first and foremost provide value to the consumer — not just
advertise the brand or try to make a sale. Content marketing is about building a
sustainable, trusting relationship with your customers that can potentially lead to
many sales over time, not just a single transaction.

3. Email Marketing

Even with the emergence of social media, mobile applications and other channels,
email is still one of the most effective marketing techniques. It can be part of a
content marketing strategy, providing value to consumers and, over time, converting
an audience into customers.

Email marketing pros not only know how to create compelling campaigns, but they
also understand optimal audience outreach and are skilled at analyzing customer
interactions and data, and making strategic decisions based on that data, according to
the American Marketing Association (AMA).

4. Marketing Analytics

One of the major advantages of digital marketing is that it is highly trackable and
measurable. Once, the only trackable marketing pieces were coupons and similar
direct mail offers.
There are many tools available for measuring the success of digital marketing
campaigns, and many marketers will use some combination of these tools, depending
on their needs and their audience.

5. Mobile Marketing

This digital marketing type is focused on reaching your target audience on their
smartphone or tablet. Mobile marketing reaches people through text messages, social
media, websites, email and mobile applications. Marketers can tailor offers or special
content to a geographic location or time, such as when a customer walks into a store
or enters an event.

Marketers know that you need to take your message to where your customers are, and
it is very clear: Your potential customers are on their phones.

6. Pay-per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click refers to paid advertisements and promoted search engine results. This
is a short-term form of digital marketing, meaning that once you are no longer paying,
the ad no longer exists. Like SEO, PPC is a way to increase search traffic to a
business online.

Pay-per-click can refer to the advertisements you see at the top and sides of a search
results page, browsing the web, watching YouTube videos and using mobile apps.One
of the other things that differentiate pay-per-click from SEO is that you only pay for
the results.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The goal of SEO is to get a business to rank higher in Google search results,
ultimately increasing search engine traffic to the business’s website.

To accomplish this, SEO marketers research words and phrases consumers are using
to search for information online and use those terms in their own content. According
to leading SEO software company Moz’s "Beginners Guide to SEO," SEO
encompasses many elements, from the words on your web pages to the way other
sites link to you on the web to how your website is structured.
8. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is about everyone is familiar with social media, but
marketers must approach social with an integrated and strategic approach. Social
media marketing goes far beyond simply creating posts for social channels and
responding to comments..

Social marketers need to work with the company’s wider marketing team to
coordinate their message across all platforms, online and off, so that every part of the
brand is telling the same story. It’s important to measure how well your current social
media posts are performing before continuing to implement your new strategy.

Some Facts On Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing has become a popular way of reaching out to potential customers,
as it is efficient, cost-effective and provides more control over the targeting of
advertisements.

Some key facts on digital marketing includes the following :

 Most customers do not like pop-up ads.

 The use of product videos can increase product sales.
 Compared to other forms of social media, YouTube has higher engagement and a
lower bounce rate.
 The majority of online experiences begin with a search engine.
 Videos are the most shared content on social media.
 65% of businesses have accelerated their digital marketing due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
 72% of the marketing budget will be spent on digital activities.
 43% of businesses don’t have an app.
 Over 77% of digital marketers invested in data to improve their digital marketing
in 2021.
 Interactions on weekend posts are higher than those on weekday posts.
 If your PPC ads lead your visitors to your website, they are more likely to buy
your products.
Why Do Companies Use Digital Marketing?

As the scope of Digital marketing technologies evolves, companies are staying current
by adding online components to their brick-and-mortar stores or combining various
Digital Marketing strategies to create an internet presence.

Because most consumers use smartphones and research products online before
buying, digital marketing strategies are crucial to businesses But companies across the
globe also employ digital marketing to more easily target their audiences online and
via mobile devices - and many are seeing a significant return on investment(ROI)
because of these efforts.

 Ease of Audience Targeting

With Digital Marketing, businesses can use data to target audiences based on
factors like gender, age, location, interests, and education. Companies can also
retarget potential customers who are already familiar with their brand using different
methods and messages for each audience. There are advanced online marketing
certifications that can help digital marketers learn how to best target audiences.

 Low Investment, High ROI

The cost per lead with digital, or inbound, marketing, is 61 percent less expensive
than traditional marketing. Businesses that advertise on social media, use paid search
and employ other digital strategies spend considerably less on their campaigns. This is
because many companies use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) strategies to keep costs down and
target specific audiences. Generally speaking, digital marketing campaigns offer both
a greater and faster ROI.

 Reaching Mobile Users

There are more than 14 billion mobile devices Worldwide, and that number is
projected to grow to almost 18 billion by 2024. Because almost all smartphones have
internet access, it is easier than ever for businesses to reach potential customers.
Careers In Digital Marketing
Digital marketers should follow the latest developments and incorporate them into
their strategies. As more companies turn to online advertising to reach a wider
audience, digital marketing jobs continue to grow.
Digital marketing managers in the United States earn average annual salaries of
more than $75000. Other high paying digital marketing roles include social media
marketing specialists, PPC experts, digital marketing consultants, digital analytics
experts, and search engine optimization(SEO) managers. Bloggers and You Tubers
also have opportunities to write and video blogs professionally for digital marketing
purposes. There are many digital marketing careers available, but you’ll need a solid
understanding of all techniques in the scope of digital marketing to succeed in 2024,
especially considering the new challenges the pandemic has created.

Strategies Of Digital Marketing

1. Inbound marketing

Inbound Marketing refers to the whole ecosystem of strategies, tools, and tactics
that a marketer uses to convert a website visitor into a paying customer. Inbound
marketing is an overall approach to attracting, qualifying, nurturing, and delighting
customers and prospects. It is not a one-off or something that is deployed quickly or
temporarily; rather, it is focused on a long-term relationship with customers.

2. Content marketing

Content marketing is focused on answering people’s questions and truly helping

them through content rather than interrupting them with unsolicited promotions. It
includes content such as blog posts, landing pages, videos, podcasts, info graphics,
white papers, Ebooks, case studies, and more.

3. Account Based Marketing(ABM)

Account based marketing (ABM) is a powerful B2B marketing strategy that targets
specific accounts you select. It’s intended to help sales and marketing teams move
prospects through the sales funnel quickly. With ABM, you target the accounts that
are most important to you.

4. SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and
your content in order to achieve higher rankings in search engines and increase the
amount of organic traffic to your site. It involves a variety of tactics, like:

5. Social media marketing

Social media marketing uses social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, and Instagram to:

 Promote your content, products or services

 Build brand awareness and visibility
 Gain fans or followers
 Engage current and prospective customers
 Drive traffic to your website.

6. Email marketing

Email Marketing is the practice of sending promotional and informational emails to

build relationships with your audience, convert prospects into buyers, and turn one-
time buyers into loyal fans of your brand.

These emails may discuss exclusive deals, promote website content, upcoming sales,
or general messages on the behalf of your business.

7. PPC advertising

Pay-per-click advertising or PPC is a strategy in which you (the advertiser) pay

every time a user clicks on one of your online ads. It’s often done through Google
Ads, Bing Ads, or other search engines, and it can be an effective way to reach people
who are searching for terms related to your business.
However, costs can range from relatively inexpensive, to thousands of dollars per
month, depending on the size and scope of your campaign. And, when a campaign is
discontinued, the traffic generated by that campaign is also discontinued.

8. Video marketing

Video used to promote your products, services, and brand may include product
demos, interviews with thought leaders in your industry, customer testimonials, or
how-to videos.You can add videos to your website, PPC landing pages, or social
media outlets to encourage more conversions and sales.

9. Online events

There’s nothing like an event to create buzz around a product. Of course, trade
shows have always been a thing, most notably the International CES tech show.It’s
unlikely you’ll reach such engagement levels, but there are nevertheless lessons to
learn, whether you’re using an event to launch a product, service, or new business.

10. Chatbot and live chat marketing

Chatbots and messaging apps have become more common in the past decade and
are now seen as a valuable marketing, as well as customer service, tool. Some 1.4
billion people who use messaging apps are happy to speak with chatbots.. Brands use
chatbots to:

 Deal with customer complaints

 Answer questions about products
 Promote live event

11. Earned media

Put simply, earned media is coverage of your business, products or events written
by a third party and which you have not paid for. In digital marketing, it’s best
described as PR which you outreach to the media. When the content is picked-up by a
publication and written up for their own site, that’s earned media.
7 P’s Of Digital Marketing

1. Product

Product refers to the ‘thing’ you offer that your target audience wants. This can be a
physical, tangible item, or an intangible service. From clothing or water bottles to
home insurance or a digital marketing agency, a product is the item or service the user
seeks to fill a need.

If it helps, think of the product in terms of supply and demand. All consumers have
wants and needs. You are in business because you offer something that is wanted or
needed by a consumer. Your product supplies that consumer’s demand.

2. Price

Price is what the consumer is willing to pay for your product. While it’s a generally
easy concept to understand, it can be tricky for many businesses to apply — prices
that are too high push users to search elsewhere; prices that are too low cut into your
profit margins.

Understanding your target audience and the relationship between perceived benefits,
price, and value can help simplify the process. If perceived benefits increase or price
decreases, the perceived value should generally go up. But if perceived benefits
decrease or the price increases, the perceived value goes down.

3. Place

Place refers to where the consumer is able to purchase your product. It solves the
complicated process of getting the product from the manufacturer into the hands of
buyers.

Traditionally, place referred to strictly brick-and-mortar locations. But the internet has
added some complexities to this principle of the digital marketing mix, opening the
door for many more distribution channels to meet consumers where they are.
4. Promotion

Jim Blyth defines promotion as “the marketing communications used to make the
offer known to potential customers and persuade them to investigate it further.”
Simply put, it’s your strategy for getting people to notice your product or service.

Thanks to modern technology, businesses have more channels than ever to

communicate through. A few examples can include Google My Business listings,
sponsored ads, Instagram posts, email newsletters, and much more.

5. People

In the digital marketing mix, people refers to anyone who represents your product and
comes in contact with the consumer. Aside from your customer service team or sales
force, people can include your employees, business partners, or anyone that
consumers associate with your brand.

It’s important you’re hiring people who understand your brand’s vision and believe in
your goals. You should be able to trust that when they come in contact with customers,
they’re representing your brand in a positive light.

6. Process

Process is defined as the core tasks and operations required to deliver the product or
service to your customer. This can refer to anything from logistics and shipment and
delivery to wait times and check-out processes.

If your customers find your processes to be too complicated — for instance, the time
from placing an order to receiving it is too long — you’re likely to lose out on future
sales.

7. Physical Evidence

The final P in the digital marketing mix is physical evidence. It’s the proof that your
product or service exists and is credible. In the online universe, your brand’s digital
footprint can serve as your physical evidence.
 Personal touches like thank you notes, confirmation emails, and receipts after a
purchase can be another piece of physical evidence to keep your brand top-of-mind
for customers.

Limitations Of Digital Marketing

1. Dependence on platform algorithms and technology

keep up with tendencies and tools. Besides, platform algorithms play a crucial role in
digital marketing techniques and can alter continually, such as search engine
algorithms influencing site visibility in search outcomes. Companies must be ready to
adjust their techniques to keep relevant and preserve online visibility, Digital
marketing is limited by its dependence on technology, needing marketers to as
modifications in algorithms can have a considerable influence on reach.

2. Increased competition

In the online world, industries face high competition for engagement from their target
audience. The crowded digital marketing space makes it hard for industries to be
placed out and reach their desired viewers. Corporations must subsidize digital
marketing to keep ahead of their competitors. This includes hiring professionals,
running paid ads, and developing incredible content. In a competitive area, industries
are required to innovate and be placed out from the rest continually.

3. Privacy concerns and data security

Digital marketing depends on client data to provide personalized understandings and

targeted adverts. Nevertheless, privacy troubles and data breaches have made clients more
attentive to sharing their data. This limits the efficacy of digital marketing crusades and
makes it difficult for industries to gather appropriate client data. Stricter rules like GDPR
make it hard to utilize client data without explicit approval. Preserving belief while
navigating data security is a considerable limitation for digital marketers.
 4. Duration and resource-intensive nature of digital marketing

Digital marketing has numerous benefits however, it can be demanding and expensive.
Industries must invest time and resources in research, SEO optimization, planning, social
media management, content creation, and performance examination. Also, Financial
resources are required for specialists, paid adverts, and marketing tools. Limited funding
makes it hard for small industries to utilize digital marketing efficiently.

5. Feedback and complaints

Digital marketing facilitates industries to communicate directly with consumers

however, it also reveals them to adverse feedback that can harm their prominence.
Organizing and reacting promptly to client feedback is crucial for preserving an
optimistic brand impression, which can be challenging for industries with a powerful
online presence and numerous consumer interactions.

6. Complications in building confidence and credibility

Establishing belief and credibility online is tricky due to falsifying news and fraud.
To develop trust, industries must consistently provide high-quality services and
products, communicate transparently, and have a powerful online presence. Engaging
with the audience and delivering useful content assists in establishing companies as
industry administrators in a saturated digital terrain.

7. No brand loyalty

One disadvantage of digital marketing is the absence of brand allegiance. Clients may
not be gratified with a product if it is not from their chosen brand. Thus, it is significant for
a digital marketing technique to prioritize building client allegiance.