What Is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is any form of marketing that makes use of digital tools and channels. These tools and channels include social media, mobile and web applications, search engines, websites and email. These tools and channels are used to analyze campaigns, content and strategies to better understand what is working or not working in real time.

Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience at the right time and in the right place. In the world today, marketers need to meet their audiences where they are already spending most of their time and money, the internet.

Digital marketing allows people to engage with each other, as well as with the brands they are doing business with. Consumers are no longer passive participants in a one-sided marketing conversation; they are now more empowered than ever before. Consumers are the drivers of discussions, they are the style makers and the trendsetters.

What are the benefits to digital marketing?

• Digital marketing allows you to focus your time and money where your audiences are spending all of their time and money.
• It makes it easier to create awareness and engagement both before and after a sale.
• Digital marketing is much more targeted than traditional marketing and can be hyper-personalized to target a specific audience.
• It shortens the buyer’s journey as they are presented with the right offer at the right time.
• Digital marketing is super fast and flexible. You can increase and decrease your spending amount easily, as well as use or remove content as you please.

Here are a few things you need to think about before tackling digital marketing:

Why do you want to use digital marketing?
Before setting off on your digital marketing journey, you need to understand why you want to use digital marketing. You need to understand your brand’s goals, vision and objectives. You need to also establish what role digital marketing is going to play in your business.

Who are you targeting?
Before getting into digital marketing you need to know who you want to direct your marketing towards. You need to understand them, their needs, their wants, the problems they’re facing and where they spend most of their time. Knowing these things will help you to create content that is relevant and meaningful to your audience. It will also help you decide which channels are the best to use and will put your content in front of the right people.

What content will you create?
Create and share content that will attract your audience to your brand, will add value to their lives and will build trust between your customers and your brand. Your content should get your brand’s message across to your audience, as well as convince them that your product or service offers the best solution to their problem.

Where to distribute your content
Once you’ve figured out what type of content you are going to create, you need to decide where to publish it. You need to choose the right channel based on your objective, the type of content you created and most importantly, where your audience is spending their time.

Digital marketing allows your marketing efforts to be more targeted, personalized and interactive. It helps your brand attract new audiences and turn potential customers into loyal ones.

Looking to improve your brand’s digital marketing? Contact PURE on accounts@purecreative.co.za or call on +27 (21) 424 6918 to set up a complimentary 20 minute consultation. Let’s create something great together!