Computer Science
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is any marketing initiative that benefits from online media and Internet-connected devices such as mobile phones, home computers, or the Internet of Things (IoT). Combined digital marketing initiatives revolve around the distribution of brand message through search engines, social media, applications, email and websites.
Today, digital marketing often focuses on reaching a customer with increasingly conversion-oriented messages across multiple channels as they move down the sales funnel. Ideally, marketing teams will be able to track the role each of these messages and/or channels played in reaching their ultimate goal.
Examples of Digital Marketing Assets
In short, a digital marketing asset is any tool that you use online. Here are a few of the more common examples:
- Social Media Profiles
- Website
- Images and Video Content
- Blog Posts and eBooks
- Reviews and Customer Testimonials
- Branded Logos, Images, or Icons
- Marketers, There is No Post-COVID Era
Why is Digital Marketing Important?
Digital marketing is on the rise – surpassing spend on traditional marketing for the first time ever in 2019. This is because consumers are increasingly present on online channels. With tech advancements such as AI and machine learning, marketers are better equipped with the marketing technology needed to reach consumers on digital devices at just the right moment. This is opposed to traditional marketing methods – which have to be planned and placed well in advance. Consider the following:
The world has 7.7 billion people and 4.4 billion people use the internet
Nearly 30 percent of consumers would rather interact with brands via social channels versus going to a store.
To be competitive, organizations need to be present across digital channels and devices. However, this doesn’t mean offline channels should be ignored altogether. The best way to meet consumer demands is with an omnichannel presence – which combines offline and digital elements.
What Are the Benefits of Digital Marketing?
By using digital marketing initiatives, your organization can create a more integrated, customer-oriented customer journey that meets your target audience wherever they are. This opens the door to continued engagement after the purchase, which can help marketing teams more effectively promote brand loyalty and improve customer retention. ۔
What is a Digital Marketing Platform?
Gartner notes that in the context of modern business, platforms are tools that provide multiple business or technology capabilities. While there are tools to address specific functions within one business need, such as a single tool to schedule social media updates alone, platforms support multiple functions across these needs. Platforms typically enable a more extensive set of functions with APIs, integrations, and partnerships with other applications or data sources.
Now, let’s revisit the initial question. What is a digital marketing platform? A digital marketing platform is a solution that supports a variety of functions within the realm of marketing over the internet. According to Gartner, it is important to note that to classify as a platform, the solution cannot claim to support every component of digital marketing – but will rather cover functionality like media buying, performance measurement and optimization, and brand tracking. However, it may not cover other marketing efforts like SEO, social media.