Introduction to Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is the promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media. 

Digital marketing differs from traditional marketing in that it involves the use of channels and methods that enable an organization to analyze marketing campaigns and understand what is working and what isn’t – typically in real time. 

Digital marketers monitor things like what is being viewed, how often and for how long, sales conversions, what content works and doesn’t work, etc. While the Internet is, perhaps, the channel most closely associated with digital marketing, others include wireless text messaging, mobile instant messaging, mobile apps, podcasts, electronic billboards, digital television and radio channels, etc. 

Why Digital Marketing Is Important? 

Digital media is so pervasive that consumers have access to information any time and any place they want it. Gone are the days when the messages people got about your products or services came from you and consisted of only what you wanted them to know. Digital media is an evergrowing source of entertainment, news, shopping and social interaction, and consumers are now exposed not just to what your company says about your brand, but what the media, friends, relatives, peers, etc., are saying as well. And they are more likely to believe them than you. People want brands they can trust, companies that know them, communications that are personalized and relevant, and offers tailored to their needs and preferences. 

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Content Marketing

Tools of Digital Marketing

Content Marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. 

What Should You Learn?

# Know Your Audience:

For brands, knowing and understanding your audience will allow you to build the foundation of your content marketing strategy. To get that knowledge, here are a few tactics to use:

•   Perform keyword research: Keyword research not only uncovers the search volume behind your most important keywords, but it can also offer insights into keyword opportunities and search intent. In addition, perform your own searches for various keywords and look through the results to see who’s ranking at the top.

•   Conduct a competitive analysis. Research your top three to five competitors through their website, social media pages, news articles and search results. How does your brand stack up?

•       Dig into data and analytics: Get familiar with your website’s analytics to gain insights about the users you’ve already managed to attract to your site. Look at the most popular pages, the pages with the highest bounce rate, and the pages with the best and worst conversion rates. 

# Strive to Be the Best Answer:

For brands, being the best answer means providing relevant, quality content wherever and whenever their audience is searching for it. Use the research you’ve done to identify where those content opportunities lie. In addition, don’t be afraid to engage your existing audience. Use social media to pose questions or send out a current customer survey to get feedback and insight. The more you know, the better you’ll be at providing the right information.

#Write for the Reader

Content is organized to help readers easily flow through the article and photos are often used to add a visual element to the story. Long-form pieces are often broken down into sections with headers, which is more pleasing to the eye and helps with scan-ability. In addition, content is written in a way that tells a story—not in a way to please search engines.

For brands, the bottom line here is to create content that’s a good experience for your audience to read. SEO is important, but usability and user experience is more important.

#Mind the “5Ws and H”

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How—the 5 Ws and the H. These are the foundation of every article a journalist will ever write. And they can certainly be applied to your content marketing strategy.

As you map out your strategy, ask the following questions for each piece you plan to create:

•       Who is my audience?

•       What does my audience want to know?

•       Where am I going to publish and disseminate?

•       When am I going to publish and disseminate?

•       Why am I writing this? (Drive traffic? Increase brand awareness?) 

.    How will I measure results? 

#Follow the Story

Brands should use their audience knowledge, keyword research, and their website data to hone in on their content strengths and opportunities. Choose a handful of topical areas to get started with—and create as much content around that topic as possible. This will allow you to begin showcasing yourself as an expert in specific areas and eventually you’ll be able to expand that to new areas.

#Add Perspective 

The best news articles have a face and provide perspective. Journalists use people close to the story and expert sources to give their articles credibility and depth. Brands can do the same with their content by working with influences. Influences not only lend expertise and authority to content, but they can also help that content reach a larger audience.

Don’t just reach out to your influences in times of need. Engage with them on their social platforms. Share their content. Shoot them an email to check in. Just as a journalist works hard to build a network of credible sources, brands should remember that building a relationship with influences is an ongoing journey and there needs to be value for everyone.

Career Benefits of Content Marketing

Most obviously, a marketer's career in content (or a content creator's career in marketing) can take the form of being a writer. You could establish yourself as a jack of all trades -- not a bad place to begin if you're just getting started and trying to find your super power -- but as your career progresses, you might consider specializing if you want to stay in a writing function. This specialty could take a few forms; here are some of the most popular:

•       Short-Form Content: things like blog posts, tip sheets, copy for emails, newsletters

•       Long-Form Content: things like whitepapers, e-books, or even real books (the ones you can hold in your hands ... or download on your tablet)

•       Content for an Industry or Persons: specializing in a certain audience, like the C-Suite, or analysts, or perhaps gaining expertise around a particular industry, like manufacturing, insurance, or pharma

•       Content Format Types: Carving out a niche in specific content format types, like e-books and whitepapers, research reports, or webinars

Whether you choose to be a generalist or a specialist, focus on creating the

highest quality content. While cranking out a high volume is certainly important 

- dilly dallying around doesn't cut it when a bottom line is at stake -- it doesn't

matter how much you create if the quality is poor. 

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Why Content is King

Why Content is King

Content marketing is not a new concept in the world of digital marketing, but right now, it is more important than ever before. Content is the king and it is increasingly working its way to the forefront of all digital marketing strategies, as it becomes a crucial element that reaps big rewards.

In saying that, a one-size-fits-all approach will not suffice when it comes to content marketing. Instead, a focus on creating unique, high-quality and utterly authentic content that is entertaining, useful and interesting for consumers will get you the crown. From text, video and imagery to infographics, surveys, webinars and podcasts, whatever your preferred content medium is, ensure it is shareable and relevant to your industry.

So, why is content king? 

# It’s Great For SEO

High-quality, unduplicated content on a brand’s onsite blog has a significant impact on SEO and search engine ranking for a couple of reasons. First, unique content published regularly with 300500 words, internal links to other relevant content and naturally placed keywords helps a website rank organically for relevant search terms and keywords. A higher ranking ultimately exposes the brand to more digital consumers searching for content in its industry. Second, consistently publishing great content creates authority and opens up opportunities to build a glowing backlink profile.

# Encourages Engagement 

Good content, whether it is in the form of a blog post or social media update, encourages users to engage with the brand, whether they realise it or not. If the content is genuinely good, users will pause to consume the content, understand the brand message and perhaps even comment, like or share the piece of content. If it’s not, they’ll continue scrolling past and the content will disappear into the black hole that is cyberspace. To further encourage engagement and foster a relationship with consumers through content marketing, ensure all content is pushed out through social media channels and make sharing easy.

# Generates New Leads And Sales 

Good content creates brand awareness and authority in a saturated market, which then has the potential to generate new leads and increase sales as more consumers become exposed to the brand. Good content is generally less sales than advertorial, so it gives consumers an opportunity to authentically engage with the brand without a blatant sales message disturbing the engagement. Drowning consumers in product-oriented content can have a negative effect on their relationship with the brand, whereas good editorial fosters the relationship as they move from consumer to customer to brand advocate.

# Adds Value To Your Product/Service 

Content that adds value in some way is generally received well by consumers because it solves a problem in their everyday lives or teaches them something new. The value is intangible and doesn’t have a direct monetary value, however it is invaluable to the business model and the relationship between the brand and consumers. Content that adds value to consumers by educating them on the product/service via how-to blog posts, instructional videos and webinars is ideal for adding value.

# Increases Traffic  

Not only is good-quality, original content great for SEO purposes, it’s also a brilliant way to drive traffic to a website and keep consumers on the site for longer. For example, a website with just a homepage and contact page will receive much higher bounce rates, limited page views and very little engagement, whereas a website with an onsite blog packed full of engaging content leaves an impression on the user and encourages them to interact with the site and visit multiple pages.

 

Introduce with different types of content

If you are a small or medium sized business who feels overwhelmed with the content aspect of marketing, don’t worry, you and your website are probably already doing what we recommend:

containing texts, images, testimonials or a newsletter.

These are all different types of content marketing, however if you feel that they lack the relevancy for attracting in your customers than it’s worth noting why, and taking a fresh look at your business.

By understanding your business objectives discovering your exact target market,creating person to match these, and publishing content you believe will retain and attract new customers, this is content marketing.

Not all types of content marketing are needed for your business, but some are essential. Here are the top: 

Content type #1: Infographics

An infographic is the presentation of information or data in a visual way. Its name sums it up — info + graphic.

Infographics get shared more, viewed more, and loved more than most other content types. They are a powerful way to get your information out there in an explosively visual format. One study found that infographics were liked and shared on social media up to three times more often than other content. The viral potential is there.

Things to keep in mind

§  Infographics can be expensive. The amount cited above a thousand dollars is pretty close to the standard price.

§  Infographics used to go viral just by virtue of being an infographic. That doesn’t work anymore. Everyone is making infographics. Today, you have to make it really good to make it shareable.

§  Make a gifographic. Gifographics use the infographic model but feature animated gifs instead of the static images of a conventional infographic. 

Content type #2: Videos

There’s a world of variety within videos. You can write a whole separate post on different types of videos. No matter what type it is, however, a good video communicates a message in a succinct and memorable way. Done well, a video can be extraordinarily persuasive.

Things to keep in mind

§  Making a good video is not cheap. You can start small, of course, but contracting a video specialist or a camera crew can cost quite a bit.

 § Videos aren’t supposed to be long. Two to three minutes is a good length. 

Content type #3: Product Reviews / Article

A product review can help establish authority and leadership in your industry. Every industry has its unique array of products, software, and services. When you engage key developers, manufacturers, or service providers, you gain recognition and respect. All you need to do is share your experience with the product and provide your recommendation. 

Things to keep in mind

If the product is a physical item, you may want to have a video component to the review. A video allows you to take a hands-on approach to the product as you review it.

Content type #4: Podcast/Audio

Podcasts had their phase of popularity, and they’re still a great form of content. Plus, they’re not hard to create. Many people listen to podcasts during their commute or exercise. You have a chance to spread your message farther and better using this format than a lot of other formats.

Things to keep in mind

As with any media publication, be sure to accompany the podcast with content. For example, announce it on your blog with a bit of a discussion. Share information about new podcast releases and provide an overview of the topic. You may even wish to publish the transcript of the podcast. This helps to add SEO value.

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How Smart Marketers Turn Data into Successful Campaigns

Connect the Dots

The next generation of marketing requires a deeper level of understanding of the consumer, something legacy tactics can’t reliably deliver on their own. That’s why you need cookies that connect data between sessions and device, revealing individual trends, behavior, and areas of opportunity. But you have to remember to connect the IDs of cookies across multiple devices that belong to a single person.  From there, you can see what the data is actually telling you about each customer as an individual and how he or she browses and shops. With those insights in hand, you can create more targeted campaigns that reach consumers across platforms – treating them like people and not simply as a series of data points collected by a cookie, which helps the marketer provide a consistent experience across all connected devices.

Geotargeting

But data-driven marketing is more than just tracking and optimizing behavior. It also involves meeting, current weather conditions, and more. For example, a smart marketer knows not to promote a Patagonia fleece to a potential customer in Florida. A smart marketer knows that potential customers in the northeast during the month of December would benefit the most from that Patagonia fleece. The same thinking can be applied to brands appealing to a global customer base. Because overseas shoppers will see a dot-com URL rather than their national extension, they may wonder: Does this company ship to my country? If so, can I expect drastic shipping fees?

Enter geotargeting. When the page loads for UK shoppers, for example, geotargeting technology recognizes their location and displays a box with clearly defined benefits just for that traffic segment, including flat-rate shipping and the ability to shop in their native currency. With 70 percent of consumers  to share their location information for the sake of receiving some sort of loyalty or benefit, location-specific content can provide customized relevancy that increases the chances of a conversion and a more reliable and engaging shopping experience.

Keep Current Customers

Marketers also can use data they have on hand to retain existing customers. This can be done by incentivizing customers with tailored offers that factor in customers’ past purchases and cross-promote products they may also enjoy. You can even give those returning customers preferential treatment, such as VIP-only shipping promotions and other perks. There’s always going to be the most important customer who deserves a meaningful experience. Pay attention to this customer. Ignore the masses for a second. Use the data you already have on this customer (demographics, income, marital status, day of the week he tends to buy, etc.) to develop a clear picture of the actual person behind this data. And then deliver an experience best suited to that individual.

Sophisticated targeting will work only if it’s synchronized across channels. Marketers should be able to determine the differences in how consumers browse and buy on social, mobile, and desktop, and respond to that behavior accordingly.

Data-driven marketing is the smart way for brands to connect with their customers and deliver relevant experiences that drive engagement and bottom-line business results. Today, customers are in the driver’s seat. They are constantly inundated with pleas for their attention from other marketers, media organizations, and more. Only the retailers who deliver a compelling customer experience will thrive in this competitive environment.

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