Subramaniam holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and Computer Science from Mumbai University and a couple of Master’s Degrees – one in International Business & Strategy from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Delhi and the second in Marketing Management from L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool). His background is in Marketing, Branding, Business Development with a keen interest in Technology and Automation has allowed him to build multimillion-dollar businesses. He also teaches postgraduate and undergraduate courses in three colleges in Mumbai.
“Relevance” is a term tossed around a lot in the marketing realm. Some people associate it with (or are confused for) “Targeting,” though the two aren’t identical. In marketing, relevance is used as an antithesis for what is perceived as outdated marketing practices associated with “broadcast,” or “blast,” “static, one-message-fits-all” marketing. The pandemic, since last year, has only aggravated the pertinence of this term. What seems like a simple equation – more people consuming more time online is representing a significant shift, and it’s just a small sample of how people have embraced the online realm. As businesses look ahead to begin planning for ‘AC’ (after Corona), it is widely accepted that we will be returning to a changed world.
Hence, when a business is shaping its marketing plan, it must integrate a concrete digital strategy. The digital marketing strategy drives leads, customer acquisition, brand awareness, and impactful revenue-generating possibilities.
Businesses want to set themselves apart in the market by using creative methods to digitally connect with the target audience in the right place and delivering a compelling message that assists them to decide if a product (or service) meets their needs.
A digital marketing plan outlines what you (as a business) desire to achieve within a given duration so you can meet a set of business objectives. When designing a digital marketing plan, the plan should communicate the benefits of your product/service in a way that resonates with prospective customers and engages them in an immersive experience. One of the benefits of digital marketing is that you can test different approaches and quickly adjust the plan centred on what is working and what is not.
The primary components of a digital marketing campaign can be classified into Five. The correct ratio of these elements combined makes up a cohesive and successful digital marketing strategy.
The Website, Nurturing the Visitors and Email Marketing
The website is an Owned Digital Asset. The primary benefit of having a website is that it is accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Prospective customers can access your website and avail of your services or get the information they need even during non-business hours.
If the website looks like it’s straight out of the 70s or takes forever to load, it is highly probable to send the visitors searching for the back or exit button. To keep visitors interested and engaged on the website, you must implement a custom design that reflects your brand and makes it easy for prospective customers to find the information they need.
Statistics say that only 1-3% of website visitors make a buying decision the first time they come to a website. Engaging with the balance of 97% visitors determines the success of your digital marketing campaigns. Email Marketing campaigns are the best approach to engage with this group of prospective customers. Statistics say that over 65% of website visitors who didn’t purchase the first time are inclined to purchase in association with a well-planned email campaign.
Respect the Handheld Device
We exist in a multi-screen society. Hence, it’s critical for your content to be viewable across as many devices as possible since you can never predict what device the prospective customer will be using to view your content. Moreover, Google looks at mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor in its search engine algorithms. User experience and convenience are key elements for customer acquisition. Hence, you should make your content mobile-friendly to execute a successful digital marketing campaign.
Search Optimisation: Organic and Inorganic
The ranking factor in search is the key to success in digital marketing where search optimisation increases the publicity of your business to prospective customers on search engines. When your target audience is searching for specific products or services online through Google or other search engines, you must ensure that your business is listed in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for your prospective customer to find you. If you’re on page 30 of the SERPs, then a prospective customer likely won’t be able to find your business and click through to your website.
Search results are classified as the paid search results (inorganic) and organic search results. The goal of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is to rank your website in the organic search results. You can also get your website in the paid area of the search results via Pay Per Click (PPC). Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is when you utilise both SEO and PPC to get traffic from search engines.
Implementing a solid search strategy with the correct ratio of organic and inorganic methods will increase your website’s visibility within the search engines. In summary, improved search rankings deliver more leads that can potentially convert to revenue for your company.
Content Marketing
The significance of content marketing in digital marketing relates to its ability to increase the volume of quality traffic to your website. Content is king in generating awareness and creating qualified leads which support healthy revenue growth. Strategic Content, when correctly implemented across channels has the influence to pull your target audience to your business’s website, which is ultimately the place where they will convert into leads, and then customers.
The most efficient method to drive relevant traffic to your website is through the content that you develop for your various channels – blog, for search optimisation, for your social media marketing, for your email marketing etc. The quality of your content is directly proportional to the time prospective customers invest in engaging with your business, develop trust in your brand and become a customer.
Social Media Marketing
User data from social media contributes to ramping up email marketing activities. Businesses can simply get to know the interests and updates made by their target audience at a pre-defined frequency to plan marketing strategies accordingly. Social Media is a two-way communication channel that lets you speak and listen to your target audience for an improved customer experience. It assists in building business visibility and brand awareness. A strong social media presence positively impacts search optimisation as most of the prospective customers search over the web and social media sites before making final buying decisions.
Social Media Marketing campaigns combining organic efforts with sponsored content and paid advertising promotions on key platforms reach a larger target audience and increase brand lift.
The Five Components are topped up with the final element – Analytics.
You must measure the results and know the trends from your website, blog, email campaigns, search engine ranking, and social media. Capturing and analysing the data is imperative to the success of digital marketing since it gives companies insights into customer behaviour and their preferences in the digital world.
The reality of life is that we are in a technology-dependent world where we depend on the Internet for all our queries or desires.
One of the vital reasons why Digital Marketing is imperative is because the Internet has enabled businesses to interact with targeted audiences in real-time. Customers have grown accustomed to participating and interacting with one’s brand or business.
Another equally vital reason is Affordability. Digital marketing is substantially more affordable when compared to traditional marketing channels. An email or social media campaign can send your message to a wider and relevant target audience for a fraction of the price of a print advertisement.
Whether your business is thriving or growing, you will be missing out on myriad opportunities, and revenue if you’re not accurately employing digital marketing campaigns. And yes, it can really be made Successful if you’re willing to apply!