Digital Marketing To Connect, Engage And Serve Customers - Part I

By Mohammad Anas Wahaj; MBA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000, USA; BS in Mechanical Engineering, Aligarh Muslim University, 1993, India
Dated: 20 December 2021

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL MARKETING

Marketing focuses on fulfilling customer needs and the process initiates leads and attracts customers. Marketing involves making a connect with prospective customers wherever they are available. According to Chartered Institute of Marketing, 'Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.' Prof. Philip Kotler and Prof. Kevin Lane Keller in their 2007 book 'Marketing Management' define marketing as 'the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.' Businesses not only try to serve what customers need but they can also create needs and assist them in understanding and accepting the value of that need. This is one of the most important challenge of marketing.

Traditional marketing with outbound methodology involves various channels like newspapers, magazines, television, radio, billboards etc to reach out to prospective customers. It is static and is mainly a one-sided push communication, where these media show to the public what the brands want them to see, without any direct engagement with them. Traditional marketing has higher costs, difficulty in measurement of the campaign results, no interaction with audience, hard to make a change when the campaign is out, reaching out specific customers is difficult and it mostly targets segments of the market.

The rise of internet and consumer technologies, with large section of the public connected through computing devices, led marketing processes to evolve. The internet started to grow during the online boom years in 2000s and online businesses mushroomed leading to the sizeable increase in online consumers. These consumers were searching for products, getting information and also buying them. During late 2000s firms started using marketing automation as they were ready to streamline their digital marketing processes.

Digital marketing is an evolution of traditional marketing and many foundational concepts are same. Digital marketing with inbound methodology creates brand awareness and promotes business through utilizing digital channels and internet that would include blogs, podcasts, videos, enewsletters, ebooks etc. According to Brian Halligan, CEO and Co-founder of HubSpot, 'Inbound marketing means marketing activities that bring visitors in, earning the attention of consumers, making the business easy to be found, and also drawing customers to the website by generating stimulating content.'

Digital marketing process is dynamic with two-way communication and reaches out to customers where ever they are available in the digital media and serve them at different stages of their interaction and purchasing journey. Often 'online marketing', 'internet marketing' or 'web marketing' are used interchangably along with 'digital marketing' but digital marketing expands beyond internet and would also include channels like mobile devices, mobile applications, video games and other form of digital channels to reach consumers. Digital marketing is transforming the way marketing is pursued by organizations. Digital marketers are using internet and online digital technologies to engage and serve their customers and enhance their ability to reach prospective customers.

Dr. Mark Hobson, Senior associate dean of business programs at Southern New Hampshire University, says, 'Although digital marketing seems like a new world, in fact it is based in many of the principles familiar to traditional marketers and requires both foundational marketing knowledge and technical know-how.' Dr. Jessica Rogers, associate dean of marketing programs at Southern New Hampshire University, says, 'The two disciplines serve to connect with distinct groups of consumers...Traditional media is a great way to reach a broad consumer base, whereas digital media has the ability to reach very specific audiences. A key point is that depending on the target audience, some channels are more effective than others.'

Knowing customer behavior, understanding their needs gives companies competitive advantage. To avail this competitive advantage digital tools and processes are to be utilized. Connecting and engaging with customers is not difficult in digital. What is important is how to achieve and maximize value through this engagement to better serve the customer requirements. Companies have large amount of consumer data that they can make use of and know about their consumers. According to Maria Teresa Pinheiro Melo Borges Tiago and José Manuel Cristóvão Veríssimo of University of the Azores (Portugal), 'Rapid growth of Web-based platforms that facilitate online social behaviour has significantly modified the nature of human activities, habitats, and interactions. Marketers have to understand these behaviors to better engage and serve these tech-savvy consumers.'

Consumer behavior is continuously evolving based on many factors including shifts in consumer technologies, products and services innovations, lifestyle changes etc. Customers in the digital age are more empowered and in control of what and how they share content and communicate. They have many platforms to choose from to do so. Customers are more critical, smart, well informed and proactive. Online social behavior is becoming a norm with proliferation of online social networks. Real relationships are now transformed into virtual. Rise of online communities have led to borderless interactions where people can share and engage with similar minds from across the globe. Culture exchange is happening giving rise to blended cultural norms. Trust parameters are changing. People have started trusting each other more than the messages from brands and their promotion strategies.

A study conducted in 2015 by ZenitOptimedia shows that in the last five years the use of internet has grown a lot and on the other hand the use of other media has decreased or just slightly grew - Internet (+105%), Outdoor (+3%), Television (-8%), Cinema (-11%), Radio (-15%), Magazines (-23), Newspapers (-31%). As the use of once popular and viable marketing media like print, tv, radio, billboards etc continue to decline the power started to shift from one-way push marketing towards two-way interactive pull marketing. This brought power of influence into the hands of consumers who more proactively engage with brands and among each other giving rise to new power dynamics that have effect on brands and businesses. This multiplied the challenges of marketers to connect and serve these customers who have huge content and information available to them. To be heard and deliver from among this sea of content, brands have to find modern ways to seek attention of this modern consumer. Moreover, consumers have many choices and short attention span to decide with which business to get connected and purchase from, making switching from one brand or website to another easier.

Just like the shift in behaviors of the new digital customers, digital marketers have to get skilled to pursue their marketing goals and engage and serve them. As internet is changing the brand, pricing, distribution and promotion strategy, marketing managers have to understand its importance in modern marketing strategy. Marketers are no more in control to drive the discussion and throw towards consumers what and how they want it. Consumers have now become partners in this two-way interaction and engagement. Consumers are receiving content in large volumes and marketers have to make sure that the content they create gets the required consumer attention. Consumers are sharing their experiences much more easily and that has capability to influence others. With mushrooming of digital channels the work of marketers have multiplied. To manage the engagement in this digital environment marketing automation has picked up steam. Marketers have to make effective use of this to squeeze all digital strategies in their limited time.

Success of digital in marketing depends on how well marketers can understand the consumer behavior through technology-enabled interactions and analytics tools and how well they manage those interactions to fulfil consumer needs. As part of their marketing strategy, organizations are using digital marketing for brand recognition and recall more than before. 2019 Content Marketing Institute study found that 81% of digital marketers have worked on enhancing brand recognition over the past year. Another Content Marketing Institute survey revealed 89% of B2B marketers now believe improving brand awareness to be more important than efforts directed at increasing sales.

Building great customer relationship is the goal of every business. Digital technology has the capability to fulfil this requirement of marketing. Companies have all the technological tools available to them to get close to their customers and build value relationships with them. Technology has provided companies with capabilities to consider customers as an individual and try to customize their offering that fits the need of that individual customer. With the use of large available data about consumers businesses can club individuals into a set that has similar needs. Marketing automation helps in achieving these goals.

According to Madhu Bala of DAV College for Girls (India) and Deepak Verma of ISGEC Heavy Engineering Limited (India), 'Marketing managers who fail to utilize the importance of the Internet in their business marketing strategy will be at a disadvantage because the Internet is changing the brand, pricing, distribution and promotion strategy.'

Marketing creates demand and digital marketing provides processes where these demands can be created faster by reaching out to digital consumers who are just a click away. Building customer loyalty in digital is challenging. Many competing options give consumers choices they never had before. To get a place in their mind and have them make a commitment is no easy task for marketing. Satisfying online consumers require a well planned strategy then just a better product. Digital marketing is measurable and this make it more powerful to understand consumers more and provide them what they need.

Adapting to the new reality of digital is the key for companies to succeed. We are in the age of blending. No one solution is complete. Traditional marketing has to blend with modern digital marketing for better results. The communication media has to be utilized. Different businesses approach digital marketing in different ways and utilize channels that suit their marketing goals. New technologies create new opportunities for businesses and marketers. Increasing traffic to website and building brands through technology and internet. Ease of measuring ROI of online advertising and marketing, and cost effectiveness are advantages of digital marketing.

Digital marketing can leverage inter-connectedness that internet and digital technologies provide to individuals and businesses to implement a modern marketing plan. Digital marketing channels, powered by internet, create, accelerate, and transmit product and services information and value to consumers, through digital networks. These channels include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Marketing (SMM), E-mail Marketing, Content Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Online Public Relations, Display Advertising, In-game Advertisng, Native Advertising, Video Advertising, SMS Marketing etc. Increased use of social media is a game changer in the digital marketing domain.

Social media platforms with large user base are becoming the places where consumers talk, discuss, interact, engage not only with each other but with organizations. Word of mouth has become word of tweets and posts where things spread like wild-fires engulfing not only those who are part of the medium but other audiences as well, as it becomes a news that is highlighted in traditional media also like newspapers, tv etc. So the word is 'caution' when handling campaigns, engaging with customers, and doing anything in public domain of the internet. Marketing managers that stay in the past and pursue traditional ways of marketing are left behind in the new digital race.

According to Nina Koiso-Kanttila in her research 'Digital Content Marketing: A Literature Synthesis' (Journal of Marketing Management, February 2004), 'In order for digital marketing to deliver result for businesses, digital content such as accessibility, navigation and speed are defined as the key characteristics for marketing.'

Digital marketing happens in real time and response time from customers is fast. This provides business and marketers to measure the results of their campaigns quickly and tweak the process if there is need. This gives businesses flexibility to change tactics on the go. Digital marketing gives small players power to compete with established businesses due to low cost of digital. It has expanded the reach of small and medium businesses. The local can go global with the help of a smart digital campaign. A great website can put a small business in the big business game. Digital helps in stimulating and engaging customers as they can give feedback of their experiences with business. Brand awareness and development is easier and better through digital marketing. Interconnectedness of internet leads to integration of branding, website, social media and other digital marketing channels with ease. Marketing automation softwares can do this in no time.

In the two-way communication process of digital, Dave Chaffey of Smart Insights, define 5D's as the opportunities for consumers to interact with brands and for businesses to reach, understand and learn from them - (1) Digital Devices: Connected devices that include smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, TVs, gaming devices etc. (2) Digital Platforms: Social media platforms and online communities that include Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube etc. (3) Digital Media: Paid, owned and earned communications channels that include online advertising, email and messaging, search engines, social networks etc. (4) Digital Data: Data that businesses collect, customer analytics, consumer insights etc. (5) Digital Technology: Marketing technologies that businesses use that include websites, mobile apps, in-store kiosks, email campaigns etc.

McKinsey consultants Sarah Armstrong, Dianne Esber, Jason Heller, Björn Timelin consider 'Modern Marketing' as 'The ability to harness the full capabilities of the business to provide the best experience for the customer and thereby drive growth. In a recent McKinsey survey, 83% of global CEOs said they look to marketing to be a major driver for most or all of a company’s growth agenda. Delivering on this promise requires a whole new way of operating. Marketing departments need to be rewired for speed, collaboration, and customer focus. It's less about changing what marketing does and more about transforming how the work is done. Based on successful cases we've seen, we estimate that making this change can unlock 5 to 15% of additional growth and trim 10 to 30% of marketing costs.' According to them modern marketers should have - (1) Unifier Mindset: Work collaboratively. (2) Customer-centric Mindset: Relentlessly pursue customer needs, get data and create insights. (3) Return on Investment Mindset: Monitor and measure investments and be accountable. Moreover, they consider four key operational enablers to modernize marketing - (1) Organizational design and culture: Turning mindsets into behavior. (2) Agile marketing at scale: Getting serious about moving beyond pilots; (3) Talent and agency management: A constant balancing act. (4) Data and technology: An obsession for looking ahead.

According to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted from Jan 25 to Feb 08, 2021, overall 85% of Americans say they go online on a daily basis and as use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices have become more widespread, 31% of U.S. adults now report that they go online 'almost constantly,' up from 21% in 2015. 44% of 18- to 49-year-olds say they go online almost constantly. Other demographic groups that report almost always going online include college-educated adults, adults who live in higher-income households and urban residents. As more and more people use internet and spend time there, the value of internet as a medium to connect and engage with customers will increase and organizations will continue to utilize online digital technologies to market brands, products and services.

Dr. Jay N. Giedd of National Institute of Mental Health says that the use of internet and social media will continue to grow and this will be crucial for every organization and there is a continuous trend of children, adolescents, and teenagers using digital and social media more and more excessively. As COVID-19 exacerbated the use of digital technologies with education-at-home, work-from-home etc, the volume of people online and time they spend online exponentially increased and the trend is continuing.

Marketers of today and future have to keep pace with technological advancements, stay informed and skilled, and be innovative and creative, to connect, understand, engage, and serve the digitalized modern customer. Digital marketing will continue to evolve, but a balanced and mix approach to traditional and digital marketing would provide better results. Mobile Marketing, Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics, Big Data, 3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Consumer Neuroscience/Neuro Marketing are some of the most interesting and challenging domains where the future marketers are expected to deliver.

DIGITAL MARKETING DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS

American Marketing Associations (AMA)

Digital marketing refers to any marketing methods conducted through electronic devices which utilize some form of a computer. This includes online marketing efforts conducted on the internet. In the process of conducting digital marketing, a business might leverage websites, search engines, blogs, social media, video, email and similar channels to reach customers. Unlike traditional marketing - which is static and often referred to as 'one-way' communication - digital marketing is an ever-changing, dynamic process. Digital marketing provides an avenue for two-way communication between a business and its actual or prospective customers. Digital marketing takes advantage of the high screen time of users as they are more involved with electronic devices.

Investopedia

Digital marketing is the use of the internet, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other channels to reach consumers. Digital marketing targets a specific segment of the customer base and is interactive...it incorporates marketing with customer feedback or a two-way interaction between the company and customer. In the parlance of digital marketing, advertisers are commonly referred to as sources, while members of the targeted ads are commonly called receivers. Sources frequently target highly specific, well-defined receivers.

SAS Corporation

Simply put, digital marketing is the promotion of products or brands using electronic devices or the internet. It also includes text messaging, instant messaging, video, apps, podcasts, electronic billboards, digital television and radio channels, etc. Digital marketing uses multiple channels and technologies that allow an organization to analyze campaigns, content and strategy to understand what's working and what isn't - typically in real time.

Dave Chaffey, Smart Insights

Digital marketing is achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies and media. I expand on this definition to include managing different forms of online company presence and presences such as company websites, mobile apps, and social media company pages. This is in conjunction with online communications techniques including the likes of search engine marketing, social media marketing, online advertising, e-mail marketing, and partnership arrangements with other websites. These techniques are used to support the objectives of acquiring new customers and providing services to existing customers that help develop the customer relationship through E-CRM and marketing automation. However, for digital to be successful, there is still a necessity for integration of digital techniques with traditional media such as print, TV, and direct mail as part of multichannel marketing communications.

Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya and Iwan Setiawan, 'Marketing 4.0. Moving from Traditional to Digital', 2017

Given the importance of early and rapid transaction development, digital marketing as a concept highlights a set of profile processes that embrace all the digital channels available to promote a product or service, or to build a digital brand.

Raluca Dania Todor, Transilvania University of Brasov, 2016

Digital marketing is a blanket term for the targeted, measurable, and interactive marketing of goods or services using digital technologies in order to reach and convert leads into customers and preserve them. The main objective is to promote brands, shape preference and boost sales. Alternative terms for digital marketing are often: 'online marketing', 'internet marketing' or 'web marketing'. The fundamental concept in digital marketing is based on the inbound marketing approach or generally it's called customer centric approach.

'Digital Minds: 12 Things Every Business Needs to Know about Digital', WSI, 2013

The practice of promoting products and services in an innovative way, using primarily database-driven distribution channels to reach consumers and customers in a timely, relevant personal and cost-effective manner is known in the theory and practice as digital marketing.

K. Kalyanam and S. McIntyre, 'The e-marketing mix: A contribution of the e-tailing wars', 2002

From the economic practice, digital marketing originally developed around web sites to later show robustness by redirecting traffic to the advertising industry, bidding sites (eBay, for example) etc. According to Mark Sceats, digital marketing is feasible through the Internet as a working and display environment.

Melody Y. Kiang, Raghu Santanam, Kevin Huei Min Shang, 'Marketing on the Internet - who can benefit from an online marketing approach?', 2000

Digital marketing has created and will lead to key changes not only in business, but also in customer behavior. In order to be operational, this type of marketing provides a unique platform for companies to identify and understand customer requirements and create opportunities for them based on time and place. It also reduces costs by eliminating unnecessary transactions. Over the last decade, digital marketing has evolved continuously and rapidly. This is evidenced by the intensive use of the internet by many companies in the world, mainly for advertising or corporate promotion. Other companies have fully utilized and fully accessed in their functional system all the possible facilities of the Internet, considered a modern means absolutely necessary in the design and development of business specific to the digital age.

A.J. Parsons, M. Zeisser, R. Waitman, 'Organizing for digital marketing', McKinsey Quarterly, 1996

In the developed world, companies have realized the importance of digital marketing. In order for businesses to be successful they will have to merge online with traditional methods for meeting the needs of customers more precisely.

DIGITAL MARKETING CHANNELS OR TYPES

Digital marketing includes online technologies and processes to build brand awareness, to interact and engage with customers and and finally to serve them. The channels digital marketing utilizes are mostly tools and systems that facilitates an exchange between businesses and customers throughout their online journey and buying experience. These channels would include the following:

Website

Website is the core and most important component of digital marketing. It works in cooperation and collaboration with other digital activities that point to it. It is both the starting point and destination for businesses or individuals. Having a well designed and usability efficient website is a must part of digital strategy. Visitors to the website should feel at ease during their browsing journey and should be able get as much information as possible. The website should be interactive and engaging and encourage audience to visit again.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) works with the website to enhance its visibility on search engines by improving its ranking when online users initiate keyword search. The process requires understanding of the business and industry and providing content that relates to it. Websites that are optimized and have quality content can increase organic traffic from search engines to the site due to higher ranking on search result pages. It is one of the most cost-effective technique to bring traffic to the main website. Even though search algorithms are difficult to master but enhancing the value of the content available on the website, blogs etc helps get better placement on searches. Some considerations would include - content indexing, good link structure, keywords and keyword targeting. SEO types are - (1) On-page SEO: Content that exists on website pages. (2) Off-page SEO: Inbound links or backlinks that exist on other websites. (3) Technical SEO: It focuses on backend programming and coding such as image compression, structured data, CSS file optimization for faster webpage loading speed.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Online Advertising, Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) involves purchasing advertising in visible positions in search engine result pages (SERPs). These paid ads come up when users search for targeted keywords. Getting prominent ad space on SERPs provide brand recognition, awareness and finally leads to conversions. SEM is also termed as paid search advertising and also includes Display Advertising, Search Retargeting & Site Remarketing, Mobile Marketing and Paid Social Advertising. Popular SEM platforms include Google Adwords, and Bing Ads.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is an online advertising process in which businesses only pay when a user click on the ad. PPC advertising utilizes number of digital platform including social media platforms, high traffic content websites etc.

Banner advertising and digital display advertising are subsets of SEM. Paid banner ads are available on various websites and digital platforms. Banners and digital display formats can be text, animations, images, videos etc.

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves reaching online audience through the use of content such as blogs, articles, podcasts, ebooks, whitepapers, online courses, infographics, webinars, videos etc. Content marketing creates brand awareness, increases website traffic and would finally generate customer leads. Research finds that 56% of marketers believe personalized content - brand-centered blogs, articles, social updates, videos, landing pages - improves brand recall and engagement. According to Mentionlytics, an active and consistent content strategy that incorporates elements of interactive content creation, social posting, and guest blogging can improve brand awareness and loyalty by 88%. Content marketing has to work in tandem with other digital marketing channels like SEO, E-mail marketing, Social Media Marketing etc to be effective and give better returns. There is no substitute for quality content and marketers should make sure they utilize content writing expertise to achieve it. Search engines also focus on quality content and having it would ensure better placement in SERPs, leading to focused organic traffic. Content approaches differ from website to website and platforms to platforms. Maketers should ensure customization in this regards. Content marketing is now a firmly established digital marketing channel. Research finds that 59% of marketers have stand-alone budgets for it. This figure is in some ways lower than expected, as HubSpot reports that 70% of their respondents use content marketing.

E-Mail Marketing

E-mail marketing involves sending branded and promotional content to current and prospective customers by the use of email. According to American Marketing Association (AMA), email marketing is still one of the most effective form of reaching out to customers and email professionals not only know know how to create compelling campaigns, they also understand optimal audience outreach and are skilled at analyzing customer interactions and data, and making strategic decisions based on that data. E-mail markeitng includes subscription newsletters, follow-up emails to website visitors that download through site, customer welcome emails, holiday promotions to loyalty program members, knowledge and tips emails for customer nurturing etc. E-mail marketing softwares can automate the whole process based on analytical measure. Two important measures that are valuable to marketers include open rate (the percentage of recipients who opened the email) and click through rate (the number of recipients who opened the email and clicked on a link in the email). Constant Contact, a leading email marketing firm, suggests the following for successful email marketing - Create a sense of urgency in the email; Personalize your email; Let recipients set their preferences. E-mail marketing should not be confused with spam emailing. Spam is mass sending of emails to random people without their consent.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media marketing (SMM) involves sharing and promoting content by businesses and organizations about their products and services with the intent of creating awareness, develop trust, drive traffic and generate leads on various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat etc. 70% of marketers list increasing brand awareness as their number one goal for marketing on social media platforms. On social media real person engagement has to be a priority, but there are softwares and tools that can consolidate, schedule and manage posts on various platforms. Businesses and brands can utilize influencers with large following to communicate with their audience and enhance their marketing efforts on social media. SMM need to work with other forms of digital marketing like SEM, content marketing etc for effectiveness. As social media usage continues to grow among public, so would the opportunities for marketers to reach out to them. As with any online media, brands have to be cautious about what and how they share the content on social medoa as online consumers are empowered and knowledgeable. Social media networks have speed and ability to make things viral, creating more challenges for businesses. Quality of content, creativity, consistency, discipline, frequency, user engagement, analytics and measurement, are some of the crucial components of social media marketing campaigns.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a modern take on the traditional celebrity endorsement and expert recommendation. Influencers are individuals with large following on social media networks. These influencers may not be celebrities in the formal sense but because of their online reputation they have the power of influence over their audience. This power has been obtained over a period of time based on their knowledge, authority, position and relationship that they have developed online. Brands and businesses can utilize these influencers and collaborate with them to reach out to the audience to improve brand awareness, products and services promotion etc. Here are some statistics related to influencer marketing: Influencer marketing has grown to $13.8 billion in 2021; Businesses are making $5.78 ROI for every $1 spent on influencer marketing; There has been a 465% increase in searches for the phrase 'influencer marketing' on Google alone since 2016; 90% of survey respondents believe influencer marketing to be an effective form of marketing; 67% of brands use Instagram for influencer marketing; 1360 Influencer marketing focused platforms and agencies entered the market in the last 5 years alone; Influencer marketing is sufficiently mainstream that 75% of our survey respondents indicated that they would be dedicating a budget to influencer marketing in 2021. This rate is up substantially from the 37% who claimed they would allocate a budget to it in 2017 (Influencer Marketing Hub Study 2021).

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is performance-based advertising in which compensation in the form of commission is received or revenue is shared when a sale is made or a lead is introduced by a partner website. Affiliate programs promote other's products and services and bring online traffic to their partners. Start-ups and smaller businesses often join affiliate programs run by high traffic big websites or networks and gain customers through them. Some of the large sites that run affiliate programs include Amazon, eBay, LinkShare, Flipkart, YouTube etc.

Marketing Automation

In the digital age businesses utilize softwares that automate their basic marketing operations like email newsletters, social media content sharing, campaign tracking and reporting, lead nurturing workflows, customer relationship management (CRM) etc. Marketing automation helps in customer segmentation, launch multichannel marketing campaigns and provide customized information for customers. As businesses join multiple social media platforms, they need to schedule and share content multiple times at different intervals. Automation softwares manage and streamline this routine activity across platforms.

Native Advertising

Native advertising is a content-led advertising that blends with other non-paid content on the website. It is a sponsored content that one website posts on the other website. Promoted or sponsored post on social media is an example of native advertising.

Mobile Marketing

Growing use of mobile devices like smart phones, tablets etc created a need for reaching customers through this medium. According to Retail Dive 45% of all shopping always or frequently involves a mobile device in some way, whether it's used to do research, compare prices or make a purchase. Most websites are now mobile compatible and try to reach audience on their devices. Many popular websites have their app versions. This provides them with wider audience reach and anytime anywhere capability to engage with their users. SMS marketing utilizes text messaging to reach the mobile customers.

Online Public Relations (Online PR)

Online public relations is the process of securing earned online coverage for the brand with digital publications, blogs, content websites etc. Online PR activities would include - Reporter outreach via social media; Engaging online reviews about the company; Engage with comments on website or blog or social media; Press releases on social media or website; Participating in discussion forums; Sharing content about causes.

Marketing Analytics

Marketing analytics utilizes online tools to track user behavior and measure success of digital marketing campaigns. Web analytics helps collect, measure, understand, analyze, plan, report and predict the online activities for the business. Marketers need web analytics to maximize marketing effectivenes and improve ROI. Popular web analytics toos are Google Analytics, Spring Metrics, Woopra, Clicky, Mint, Chartbeat.

Interactive Marketing

Interactive marketing is a component of website's strategy to interact and engage with customer by providing tools like widgets and opt-in features. According to a survey by ExpoTV.com, 55% respondents preferred to have ongoing communications with the companies they buy from; and 89% felt more loyal to the companies if they were invited to provide feedback. Engage customers in a conversation and customize offers based on their preferences.

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is the process of taking up word of mouth to an exponential level. As online user base has grown and more people are joining interactive social media platforms and online communities, the great, innovative and creative content spreads and reaches out to large audience with speed. The content is shared instantly among online users. Marketers can utilize this strategy for brand promotion and advertising through designing campaign creatively that is appreciated, liked and shared by online users.

Select Digital Marketing Quotes - Part I

'Your culture is your brand.' - Tony Hsieh

'Stop selling. Start helping.' - Zig Ziglar

'Make it about them, not about you.' - Simon Sinek

'You can't shortcut relationships.' - Scott Stratten

'Blog with passion. Passion spreads.' - Scott Stratten

'Don't build links. Build relationships.' - Rand Fishkin

'Think about what the user is going to type' - Matt Cutts

'Make the customer the hero of your story.' - Ann Handley

'People ignore design that ignores people.' - Frank Chimero

'Do the right thing as marketers to build trust.' - Jon Dick

'Focus on how to be social, not how to do social.' - Jay Baer

'If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.' - Peter Drucker

'It's hard to find things that won't sell online.' - Jeff Bezos

'Think like a publisher, not a marketer.' - David Meerman Scott

'The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing.' - Tom Fishburne

'Discoverability equals sales in the digital world.' - Dev Chandan

'Content marketing is a commitment, not a campaign.' - Jon Buscall

'Each of us has some kind of powerful story. Tell it.' - Leo Babauta

' Money follows passion - not the other way around.' - David Garland

'Depending entirely on Google or SEO is dangerous.' - Danny Sullivan

'You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.' - Beth Comstock

'People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.' - Simon Sinek

'Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.' - Michael Hyatt

'Less is more. Keeping it simple takes time and effort.' - Jeff Bullas

'Great content is the best sales tool in the world.' - Marcus Sheridan

'Influence is providing attention and value to others.' - Laura Fitton

'You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.' - Jim Rohn

'Make your marketing so useful people would pay you for it.' - Jay Baer

'If you don't make mistakes, you aren't really trying.' - Coleman Hawkins

'New marketing is about the relationships, not the medium.' - Ben Grossman

'Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.' - Milton Hershey

'You have to understand that nothing appeals to everybody.' - Gene Simmons

'Messages that fail to fascinate will become irrelevant.' - Sally Hogshead

'Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.' - Jean Luc Godard

'Some of us sell to businesses, but we all market to people.' - Elle Woulfe

'Commit to a niche; try to stop being everything to everyone.' - Andrew Davis

'Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation.' - Milan Kundera

'An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.' - Edwin Land

'Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.' - Dan Zarella

'Recruiting great marketers should be your number one priority.' - Kipp Bodnar

'If you don't understand people, you don't understand business.' - Simon Sinek

'Inspiration is the most important part of our digital strategy.' - Paull Young

'Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.' - Bill Gates

'Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.' - Seth Godin

'Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points.' - Jonah Sachs

'It's not what you sell that matters as much as how you sell it!' - Brian Halligan

'Don't be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.' - Mike Volpe

'If you take a risk and it doesn't go as planned, welcome to the club.' - Fran Hauser

'Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.' - Elon Musk

'The brands that can connect with the client in a real way will win.' - Gary Vaynerchuk

'Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.' - Walter Landor

'Create a minimal viable product or website, launch it, and get feedback.' - Neil Patel

'Care about your customers more than about yourself, and you'll do well.' - Derek Sivers

'Speak to your audience in their language about what's in their heart.' - Jonathan Lister

'Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.' - Robert McKee

'Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.' - Anthony Robbins

'The best way to persuade people is with your ears - by listening to them.' - Jamie Turner

'Being able to quit things that don't work is integral to being a winner.' - Timonthy Ferris

'Don't think of pitching. Think of offering…The offer is better than a pitch.' - Sonia Simone

Don't push people to where you want to be; meet them where they are.' - Meghan Keaney Anderson

'Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.' - Brian Chesky

'Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.' - Benjamin Franklin

'It's important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.' - Douglas Warner III

'Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend.' - Mark Zuckerberg

'Disruptive innovation can hurt, if you are not the one doing the disrupting.' - Clay Christensen

'The pace of change means that relationship is more important than ever before.' - Dave McLaughlin

'You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.' - Pam Moore

'Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.' - Walt Disney

'Ignoring online marketing is like opening a business but not telling anyone.' - KB Marketing Agency

'Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.' - Seth Godin

'Marketers need to build digital relationships and reputation before closing a sale.' - Chris Brogan

'Advertising brings in the customers, but it is your job to keep them buying from you.' - Chet Holmes

'We're all learning here; the best listeners will end up the smartest.' - Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

'Authenticity, honesty, and personal voice underlie much of what's successful on the Web.' - Rick Levine

'Integrated marketing offers opportunities to break through to consumers in new markets.' - Betsy Holden

'Content, in all its forms, is the single most critical element of any marketing campaign.' - Rebecca Lieb

'Your website is your greatest asset. More people view your web pages than anything else.' - Amanda Sibley

'Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.' - Joe Chernov

'The paradox is the more info you give away, the more people will buy what you have to give.' - Brian Clark

'Customers are usually very good at identifying their problems, not so much the solutions.' - Dharmesh Shah

'You have to understand as a marketer that consumers are functioning in the age of efficiency.' - Mitch Joel

'Customers can't always tell you what they want, but they can always tell you what's wrong.' - Carly Fiorina

'Don't focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that's great for your readers.' - Brian Clark

'The modern marketer is an experimenter, a lover of data, a content creator, a justifier of ROI'. - Kim Walsh

'Don't say anything online that you wouldn't want plastered on a billboard with your face on it.' - Erin Bury

'The modern marketer is an experimenter, a lover of data, a content creator, a justifier of ROI.' - Kim Walsh

'Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.' - Jonah Sachs

'We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.' - Craig Davis

'A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is - it is what consumers tell each other it is.' - Scott Cook

'The overarching problem is that everyone sees and uses social media from a different perspective.' - Neal Schaffe

'Mediocre marketers think in terms of campaigns. Great marketers think in terms of growth frameworks.' - Neil Patel

'It's all about people. It's about networking and being nice to people and not burning any bridges.' - Mike Davidson

'Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.' - Beth Comstock

'People will ignore or skip anything they don't like. So brands have to start making things they love.' - Steve Pratt

'Modern sales feels more like a Doctor/Patient relationship than a Salesperson/Prospect relationship.' - Mark Roberge

'The Internet makes money for you when you build something that is real and when it matters to people!' - Darren Rowse

'It's much easier to double your business by doubling your conversion rate than by doubling your traffic.' - Jeff Eisenberg

'The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.' - Brandon Sanderson

'Before you create any more 'great content,' figure out how you are going to market it first.' - Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett

'The difference between Sales and Marketing is that Marketing owns the message and Sales own the relationship.' - John Jantsch

'You don't have to reinvent the wheel; you just need to share your unique perspective on why the wheel is important.' - Jon Ball

'A comedian can't stand in front of an audience and tell them he's funny. He has to tell the joke and let them decide.' - Doug Brown

'Digital marketing is not an art of selling a product. It is an art of making people buy the product that you sell.' - Hecate Strategy

'Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complicated ideas in the most digestible ways.' - Sam Balter

'Smart marketers and smart brand managers understand the importance of leveraging frame of reference to build their brands.' - Mark Shapiro

'People shop and learn in a whole new way compared to just a few years ago, so marketers need to adapt or risk extinction.' - Brian Halligan

'Take a risk and keep testing, because what works today won't work tomorrow, but what worked yesterday may work again.' - Amrita Sahasrabudhe

'Brand equity is the sum of all the hearts and minds of every single person that comes into contact with your company.' - Christopher Betzter

'Branding is about signals - the signals people use to determine what you stand for as a brand. Signals create associations.' - Allen P. Adamson

'It doesn't matter how much 'real' (objective) value you have baked into your product if your customers don't perceive that value.' - Dharmesh Shah

'On average, people should be more skeptical when they see numbers. They should be more willing to play around with the data themselves.' - Nate Silver

'Innovation needs to be part of your culture. Consumers are transforming faster than we are, and if we don't catch up, we're in trouble.' - Ian Schafer

'Instead of one-way interruption, Web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the right moment that a buyer needs it.' - David Meerman Scott

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' - Maya Angelou

'Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.' - Lou Holtz

'Instead of one-way interruption, web marketing is about delivering useful content at precisely the right moment when a buyer needs it.' - David Meeran Scott

'Going viral is not an outcome; it's a happening. Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn't. Just remember, fans are vanity and sales are sanity.' - Lori Taylor

'If your stories are all about your products and services, that's not storytelling. It's a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.' - Jay Baer

'The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.' - Steve Jobs

'If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing. If you have more brains than money, you should focus on inbound marketing.' - Guy Kawasaki

'We have technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people.' - Pierre Omidyar

'A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.' - Seth Godin

'We want to know what consumers are looking for, what their values are, and how can we meet their needs. It's not just about Big Data; it's about translating that into the truth.' - Gayle Fuguitt

'Businesses get blinded by the allure of a large subscription list, but unengaged subscribers aren't just not interested in what you're sending, they're actually harming your deliverability.' - Meghan Keaney Anderson

'Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just the marketing or sales or service. To really win in the modern age, you must solve for humans.' - Dharmesh Shah

'The brands that win are the brands that tell a great story. When it comes to transmedia storytelling, the brands that win are the brands that tell many great stories and are able to connect them all together.' - Mitch Joel

'To continue winning the internet marketing game, your content has to be more than just brilliant, it has to give the people consuming that content the ability to become a better version of themselves.' - Michelle Stinson Ross

'At its very core, marketing is storytelling. The best advertising campaigns take us on an emotional journey - appealing to our wants, needs, and desires - while at the same time telling us about a product or service.' - Melinda Partin

'A lesson learned once again through 'the school of hard knocks'...never lose sight of your brand, its value, and its inherent need to be fed and nurtured and placed above all else! Saving your way there is a fool's errand.' - Chet Baker

'And do you know what is the most-often missing ingredient in a sales message? It's the sales message that doesn't tell an interesting story. Storytelling … good storytelling … is a vital component of a marketing campaign.' - Gary Halbert

'For me, pop culture is very fluid: it's music, it's movies, it's books, it's art, it's tech, it's so many things - and as marketing and brand advocates, we should be able to take products and services and match them to what's happening in pop culture.' - Bozoma Saint John

List Of References

1. What is Influencer Marketing: An in Depth Look at Marketing's Next Big Thing | Werner Geyser, Influencer Marketing Hub, 13 dec 2021
2. Twelve Digital Marketing Trends For 2022 And How To Take Advantage Of Them | Krista Neher, Forbes, 07 dec 2021
3. Digital Marketing | Wikipedia, 06 dec 2021
4. What is Digital Marketing? | American Marketing Association (AMA), 06 dec 2021
5. Digital Marketing - What it is & why it matters | SAS Insights, 06 dec 2021
6. 25 Digital Marketing Quotes | Hafiz Muhammad Ali, hafizmuhammadali.com, 06 dec 2021
7. 5 important marketing trends to watch out for in 2022 | The Drum, 02 dec 2021
8. Digital marketing 3.0 - The golden age of advertising | Cameron Bryant, AdNews.com.au, 29 nov 2021
9. Digital Marketing | Adam Barone, Margaret James, Yarilet Perez, Investopedia, 21 nov 2021
10. 2021 - 2022 digital marketing trends: 25 practical recommendations to implement | Dave Chaffey, Smart Insights, 18 nov 2021
11. Five Digital Marketing Predictions For 2022 | Indre Raviv, Forbes, 09 nov 2021
12. What is digital marketing? Tools and templates to define the scope of digital today | Dave Chaffey, Smart Insights, 12 oct 2021
13. About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are 'almost constantly' online | Andrew Perrin, Sara Atske, Pew Research Center, 26 mar 2021
14. The Who, What, Why, & How of Digital Marketing | Lucy Alexander, HubSpot Blog, 16 mar 2021
15. Modern marketing: What it is, what it isn't, and how to do it | Sarah Armstrong, Dianne Esber, Jason Heller, Björn Timelin, McKinsey, 02 mar 2020
16. Using Digital Marketing to Reach Your Customers | Daniel Hopper, Business 2 Community, 11 feb 2021
17. 60 Digital Marketing Quotes to Get You Excited About Your Next Online Campaign | Finch Grace, ActiveCampaign, 10 jan 2021
18. What are the 7 Types of Digital Marketing? | Susan Bogle, Mark Hobson, Jessica Rogers, Southern New Hampshire University Newsroom, 12 feb 2020
19. 30 Digital Marketing Quotes to Inspire You in the New Year | Beth Osborne, BIGDROP, 08 jan 2020
20. 20 of the Best Digital Marketing Quotes to Inspire the Modern Marketer | DigitalMarketer, 31 jul 2019
21. The Ultimate List of Marketing Quotes for Digital Inspiration | Kristen Baker, HubSpot Blog, 12 apr 2019
22. Approaches to the Modern Concept of Digital Marketing | Gheorghe Minculete, Polixenia Olar, ResearchGate, June 2018
23. A Critical Review of Digital Marketing | Madhu Bala, Deepak Verma, SSRN, 2018
24. 100 Inspirational Online Marketing Quotes for Marketers | Get Found Online, 02 nov 2017
25. 121 Digital Marketing Quotes Every Marketer Should Know | Granit Doshlaku, Manaferra, nov 2017
26. 20 Digital Marketing Quotes For Inspiration | synthesio, 19 October 2016
27. Blending traditional and digital marketing | Raluca Dania Todor, Transilvania University of Brasov, 2016
28. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother? | Maria Teresa Pinheiro Melo Borges Tiago, José Manuel Cristóvão Veríssimo, Science Direct, 2014

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