Marketing has always been an essential part of any business. It deals with the promotion of the business’ products or services through various means. Owners usually try to come up with plans to urge potential customers to buy their products or services. Some even hire marketing experts to create a strategy to effectively move the offers from the business to customers or other businesses.
In the past, marketing campaigns are composed of newspaper columns, signage postings, billboards, mails and information dissemination through flyers and brochures. While these traditional tools remain relevant today, a new breed of marketing experts are emerging and they are focusing on technology as tools. These high-tech advertising specialists are taking the lead in terms of advertising, promotions and even branding campaigns.
What exactly is digital marketing?
This is a type that seeks to achieve similar results as traditional modes but with the use of the technology available today. Historically speaking, the earliest form of this practice is through radio advertisements. It is basically the use of digital channels to implement marketing strategies. In short, it is the use of electronics for marketing.
With the technology of today, this practice has evolved from the more conventional mediums such as radio and television to a much more expansive means such as the internet, computers and mobile devices. Today, such advanced strategies involve websites, emails, blogs and social media, well as web and mobile applications.
A common misconception about this area of marketing is that it can only be considered “digital” when it is done through online means. However, it is important to keep in mind that any digital avenues, even if they are offline, is considered a channel for such type of marketing.
Which industries can benefit from this practice?
The thing about marketing is that it is practiced by all businesses and organizations in some way or another. In need of promotion for events? Perhaps you want to introduce new products and services offered by your company. Marketing can help you with that. By extension, digital marketing can assist you in achieving your goals, too.
This is why it is safe to say that all industries can benefit from this practice. After all, companies in all sectors are bound to have new products to introduce, existing products to advertise and events to promote. Here are just some of the industries that can take advantage of this practice:
- Advertising and public relations
- Business and investment
- Construction
- Finance including accounting, tax-related services and lending
- Healthcare and wellness such as medical facilities, therapy clinics and med spas
- Home Services such as roofers, remodelers and plumbers
- Law
- Real Estate
- Tourism including tour companies, accommodations and flight packages
- and many other industries
What an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy Entails
Now, it is clear that this practice can be beneficial to all business industries as long as they use the right tactics to promote and advertise their products or services. If you are wondering what a company with effective plans looks like, here’s what it entails:
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Improved Sales and Revenues
The most important effect of a carefully crafted and well-implemented strategy is improved sales and revenues. Just look at the travel and tourism industry from 2018 to 2019. During this period, companies in this industry have funneled millions, even billions of dollars into digital marketing.
In fact, travel advertising in the United States had reached a whopping $7.6 billion in 2018 while European travel advertising had reached $4.6 billion in the same year. According to reports, the amount spent on ads rose alongside revenue growth. This means that these companies are spending more on these ads because it is helping them earn more.
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Introduction of Your Brand
When it comes to marketing, one of the first things you should establish is your brand. You might think that your brand is merely composed of your logo, business name and slogan. This could have been the accepted notion of branding in the past, but today, your brand means so much more.
Think of your business’ brand as its marketing persona. More than the name, logo and slogan, your brand now encompasses your message, direction and connection with your prospective customers. It is an effective way to establish your reputation, motivate customers to transact with you and even encourage loyalty.
How does this relate to the topic at hand, you may ask? The answer is simple. Once you choose what you want your business to be known for, which means that you have decided on a brand, this decision will dictate your marketing strategy. At the same time, your campaign will work to introduce your brand to your target market.
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Wider Reach
Think of the tools used in traditional and digital advertise, and try to imagine how many people you can reach with traditional and digital tools. Traditional tools include print, direct mail, and outdoor materials. Some even consider broadcast media such as radio and television as traditional modes to market businesses. Telemarketing is also regarded as traditional. When you think about it, these materials offer an effective reach if your target market is composed of local communities.
Now, let’s look at digital avenues including social media platforms and websites. These are accessible by users nationwide, extending your local strategies from your immediate area to a wider one. Moreover, these are also accessible by potential customers worldwide, thus, expanding your reach considerably.
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Accessibility to Customers
Speaking of accessibility, digital avenues not only lets prospective clients across the globe check out your marketing materials but also allows them to get in touch with you for any comments and questions. This is advantageous for any business as customer feedback is a primary source of information that companies use to improve their products and services.
Aspects of Digital Marketing to Focus on
Knowing what this practice can offer to your business, it is time to make the shift and create a strategy that will work with your brand. Not sure where to start? Here are some of the most important aspects that you should focus on:
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Web Design
As mentioned, a website is one of the most primary avenues for this type of marketing. After all, it serves as your business’ online home. It is where your prospective customers can go to browse your offerings, discover more about your products and services, as well as know more about your business. Because of this, you want to make sure that your website is well-designed.
When talking about web design, we have to go back to the topic of branding. We established that your company’s brand is composed of your name, logo, slogan, message and goals, which will ultimately dictate the direction of your operations, as well as your advertising plans. The same principle applies to your website, especially as it is a digital marketing tool.
You want to make sure that your website conveys what you are as a company, from the quality of your services to your corporate social responsibility. In doing so, you want to choose a style, color, layout and messaging that helps visitors understand that with just a glance.
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Search Engine Optimization
Your website also helps you establish authority over your area of specialization. Say, you run a financial services company with focus on accounting, bookkeeping and taxation. You must show how much of an expert you are to convince your prospective clients. Blogs can let you do that.
Aside from establishing authority, blogs can also help put your business on the map through search engine optimization (SEO). This is basically the practice of creating informative and useful content with the right keywords. Once you publish such content, you are letting Google’s algorithm find your pages. The higher quality of your blogs is, the better your chances are in being shown on the first page of search engine results.
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Paid Ads
Before you achieve organic results that can come from SEO, you might want to start with paid ads first. Look back on the times when you used a search engine for something and you get results labeled with the word “Ad.” This means that the company paid Google to show their pages right at the top of the search results. Paid ads are a great way to get your name out there, while also increasing the chances of potential customers visiting your page and browsing your website.
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Reputation Management
Creating an online presence means that you are putting your brand out there. This means that you can garner various types of feedback from customers, whether negative or positive. These can definitely affect your reputation by boosting your brand or staining it. Because of this, you need a plan your reputation management through these tools.
The Bottom Line
Digital marketing offers a whole world of advantages when done right. So, if you own a business in tourism, finance or any other industry, you should see to it that you have an effective strategy in place. This way, you can see your company grow and get the success it deserves.