INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital Marketing

The term digital marketing refers to the use of websites, apps, mobile devices, social media,
search engines, and other digital means to promote and sell products and services. Digital
marketing started to become popular with the widespread adoption of the internet in the 1990s.

Digital marketing involves many of the same principles as traditional marketing and is often
considered an additional way for companies to approach consumers and understand their
behaviour. Companies often combine traditional and digital marketing techniques in their
strategies. But digital marketing also comes with its own set of challenges.

Meaning of digital marketing

Digital Marketing is the component of marketing that utilizes internet and online based digital
technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms
to promote products and services.

Definition of Digital Marketing

According to Kotler and Armstrong, “Digital marketing is a form of direct marketing which
links consumers with sellers electronically using interactive technologies like emails,
websites, online forums and newsgroup, interactive television, mobile communications etc”

History of Digital marketing

Digital marketing first appeared as a term in the 1990s but, as mentioned above, it was a very
different world then. Web 1.0 was primarily static content with very little interaction and no
real communities. The first banner advertising started in 1993 and the first web crawler (called
Web crawler) was created in 1994 - this was the beginning of search engine optimization
(SEO) as we know it. This may not seem a deep and distant past but when we consider that
this was four years before Google launched, over 10 years before YouTube, and that social
media was not even a dream at this point, it shows just how far we have come in a short time.
Once Google started to grow at pace and Blogger was launched in 1999 the modern internet
age began. Blackberry, a brand not connected with innovation any more, launched mobile e-
mail and Myspace appeared. Father of Digital marketing is Phillip Kotler.

Myspace was the true beginning of social media as we define it today, but it was not as
successful as it could have been from a user experience perspective and ultimately that is what
led to its downfall.
A Timeline of the Evolution of Digital Marketing

• 1981- IBM introduces the world with its first personal computer.
• 1989- Computer memory reaches 100 MB.
• 1995- Internet user-base reaches 16 million.
• 1996- Americans use the internet for 30 mins on average.
• 2002- Internet users worldwide increase to 558 million.
• 2004- Google becomes public, Facebook, Yelp, Gmail launches. People start
comparing prices online for the first time.
• 2005- YouTube Launches
• 2006- Twitter Launches
• 2007- The first iPhone is released. Smartphones give customers the power and tool to
make any decision anywhere. This is the game-changing moment when the digital
marketing boom began.
• 2010- Within this time companies and people have made software for mobile,
analytics, search and social.
• After 2010 – people have moved on from technology being a novelty to technology
being a necessity.
• In 2021- over 3.6 billion individuals utilized social media globally, with that figure
expected to rise to about 4.41 billion by 2025

What Are the 5 Ds of Digital Marketing?

The five D's of digital marketing are as follows:

1. Digital Devices:

Digital devices are those that people use almost every day. For example, these can get
used to marketing to a specific audience—computers and mobile phones.

2. Digital Content Platforms

These are the platforms with which users interact regularly. You can use them for
advertising. As an example, consider social media.

3. Digital Media

Paid or owned digital media channels can be used to reach your target audience. They
include things like online advertising and social media marketing.

4. Digital Data

Data about your target audience used to achieve a marketing goal is called digital data.
You can generally collect data about your target audience through surveys, apps, and
other means.
 5. Digital Technology

Digital technology is all about using technology to achieve a marketing goal. Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) are a few
examples.

Importance and benefits of Digital Marketing.

1. Digital marketing is cost-effective

One of the biggest benefits of online marketing is that it is cost-effective. Digital marketing
helps you save money and obtain more leads. With traditional marketing methods, it's difficult
for small-to-mid-size businesses to compete with larger companies.

Big businesses have the money to allocate for TV ads, radio spots, and more. This makes it
hard for small businesses to compete with these larger companies. Digital marketing, however,
puts businesses on the same playing field. It is an affordable way to market your business to
interested consumers. Many digital marketing and advertising methods are budget-friendly.

This is just one example of a strategy that works with your budget. When you partner with an
experienced digital marketing agency, many companies will work with your budget to help
you get the web marketing services you need.

The most significant cost of digital marketing is time. It can take time to implement strategies
and develop results from those strategies. The results, however, are well worth the investment
of your time.

2. Digital marketing is measurable

When you invest money into a marketing campaign, you want to track the results of the
campaign. It's important to know if a strategy is driving results that help your business grow.
One of the most significant benefits of a digital marketing strategy is the ability to measure
your results.

There is no clear way to track the origin of leads with traditional methods without asking every
person that visits your business. With digital marketing methods, you can accurately track the
results of your campaign.

Each type of campaign has a tracking system. From social media to search engine optimization
(SEO), you'll be able to track the results of your campaigns. For example, you may monitor
your SEO performance with Google Analytics.

You can track various metrics with each campaign. This includes impressions, clicks,
comments, shares, conversions, and more. It makes it easy for you to know how your
campaign is performing.
3. Digital marketing allows you to target ideal customers

To have an effective marketing campaign, you must reach the right people. You have to reach
people interested in your business and that want to hear from you. Out of all the perks, the
most significant advantage of online marketing is the ability to target people specifically.

Targeting people with traditional marketing methods is difficult. Generally, your message
goes to everyone in hopes of reaching people interested in your business. It's a challenge to
obtain enough leads to justify your marketing costs.

When you use search engine optimization advertising or other marketing strategies, you create
buyer personas. These are made-up people that mimic your ideal customer.

You use these personas to target people who are most likely to want your products or services.

Whether you create a Facebook ad or PPC ad, you'll set your target audience. You'll define
your audience by attributes such as age, gender, occupation, interests, hobbies, and more. With
platforms like Facebook, you can get extremely specific with the audience you target.

4. Digital marketing allows you to reach people at the start of the buying journey

When shoppers start looking for a product, it's crucial that you make an impact early. You
want them to get familiar with your business and choose your company over the competition.
The benefits of digital marketing include being able to help you reach people at the start of
the buying journey.

In doing this, you build brand exposure. These users find your profile and learn more about
your business. Whether it's through your social account or content, you'll expose people to
your company and brand. Even if leads don't convert right away, they will remember your
business. It will make an impact on them early in the buyer's journey. When they get closer to
the conversion stage, they will remember your company and choose your business over the
competition.

5. Digital marketing enables you to make changes as you go

One of the biggest benefits of digital marketing is that you can make changes as you go. This
is unique to digital marketing.

With traditional methods, you can't make changes once you've committed. Once your flyers
or your billboard is up, you can't alter the ad until the end of your campaign. This is hard on
your budget because you can't change your campaign when it's live to drive better results.

You can update your PPC campaigns, tweak your social media ads, optimize your SEO
campaigns, and update your content as you need. This. means you can adapt your campaign
to drive the best results.
6. Digital marketing improves your conversion rate

Perhaps one of the most notable benefits of digital marketing is the improvement of your
conversion rate. When you invest in online marketing strategies, like conversion rate
optimization (CRO), you can increase your conversion rate.

This is due to your ability to target more specific leads. When you focus on people more likely
to be interested in your business, you increase your chances of earning a conversion. Your
company earns more conversions, which helps you grow.

Digital Marketing Channels

Digital marketing channels have evolved since the 1990s and continue to do so. Here are eight
of the most common channels in use today.

Website Marketing

Companies often use their own website as the centrepiece of their digital marketing activities.
The most effective websites represent the brand and its products and services in a clear and
memorable way. A website today must be fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising enables marketers to reach audiences on news and other
websites and digital platforms through paid ads. Marketers can set up PPC
campaigns on Google, Bing, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, and Facebook and
show their ads to people searching terms related to their products or services.

These campaigns can segment users based on their demographic characteristics (such as age
or gender), or their particular interests or location. The most widely used services for PPC are
Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

Content Marketing

The goal of content marketing is to reach potential customers through the use of written,
visual, or video content that interests them. That content is usually published on a website and
then promoted through social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, or even
pay-per-click campaigns. Content marketing attempts to be more subtle than advertising, and
the product or service the sponsor is attempting to market may or may not be conspicuously
highlighted.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is still one of the most effective digital marketing channels, though many
people associate it with spam and treat such messages accordingly. Many digital marketers
use their other digital marketing channels to collect names for their email lists. Then, through
email marketing, they try to turn those leads into customers.

Social Media Marketing

The primary goals of a social media marketing campaign are to build brand awareness and
establish trust. As you go deeper into social media marketing, you can use it to obtain leads
and as a direct marketing or sales channel. Promoted posts and tweets are two examples of
social media marketing.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing, and the digital world has given it
new life. In affiliate marketing, companies and individual "influencers" promote another
company's products and get a commission every time a sale is made or a fresh lead is added
to their list. Many well-known companies, including Amazon, have affiliate programs that
pay out millions of dollars to affiliates that help sell their products.

Video Marketing

A lot of internet users turn to sites like YouTube before making a buying decision, to learn
how to do something, to read a review, or just to relax. Marketers can use any of several video
marketing platforms, including Facebook Videos, Instagram, and TikTok, to run a video
marketing campaign. Companies find the most success with video by integrating it with SEO,
content marketing, and broader social media marketing campaigns.

Text Messaging

Companies also use text messages (formally known as SMS, or short message service) to send
information about their latest products and promotions. Nonprofit organizations and political
candidates also use texting to promote themselves and solicit donations. Today many
marketing campaigns make it possible for consumers to make a payment or donation via a
simple text message.

DIGITAL MARKETING PLATFORMS

A digital marketing platform is a solution that supports a variety of functions within the realm
of marketing over the internet.

The top eight digital marketing platforms for business are: social media sites, online databases,
blogging sites, search engines, and online text advertisements. Each of these should be used
to drive business.
1. Social Media Marketing Platforms

Social media is also a great way to promote products or resources organically to your
followers, and engage with consumers. Interacting with them on social media or answering
customer service-oriented questions is a great way to ensure continued engagement with the
brand and cultivate positive experiences and customer loyalty.

Todays' consumers are highly reliant on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook,
LinkedIn, and Snapchat. This is why it is essential that brands are active across accounts.

Social media platforms allow marketers to reach their prospects in a myriad of ways.

First, marketing teams can use these channels to distribute paid ads and sponsored content.
Each platform has a way for marketing teams to create paid ad campaigns and segment users
so these ads appear on the feeds of target audience members. While each platform is different,
most have capabilities that allow marketing teams to place ads based on location, job title,
interests, age, etc.

2. Influencer Marketing

Another effective way to harness digital channels to reach target audiences is with influencer
marketing. Brands can partner with. celebrities, sites or others that are considered experts in
their field, that share similar values. Brand can then reach these influencers' followers with
branded content and offers.

Here is an example of influencer marketing: GoPro partnered up with this Colorado-based

influencer, Loki, whose followers include many outdoor enthusiasts. This put their product in
front of their target audience, with a recommendation from a like-minded, trustworthy source.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing campaigns allow organizations to stay connected with prospects and
customers, sending them customized newsletters or offers based on past shopping history or
brand engagements. Email is important for all marketers and is king in certain industries like
healthcare and pharma. Tools like Mail Chimp and Constant Contact allow you to manage
your email campaign and its connection to your marketing platform. They allow you to
automate mundane email marketing tasks and also view email analytics for your email
marketing campaigns.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing allows marketing teams to be proactive in answering their users' questions.
Marketing teams create content, videos, and other assets to answer questions or provide
context to consumers throughout the three stages of the buyer's journey:
a) The awareness stage: Buyer realizes they have a need.

b) The consideration stage: Buyer determines a course of action to meet this need.

c) The decision stage: Buyer decides on a product/service to purchase to meet the need.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing

Digital marketing agencies need a strong foundation in Search Engine Optimization to help
their clients' websites rank highly on search engine results pages. Search engine optimization
often goes hand in hand with content marketing. SEO crawling tools help you research
competitors' SEO presence, discover SEO issues with your clients' websites, build a reputable
backlink profile, and so much more. Google, Bing, and Baidu have platforms that allow
websites to communicate with each search engine's web crawlers.

For example, Bing is particularly important for b2b marketers because its users tend to be
older and wealthier than users of the other tools. These tools allow to submit sitemaps, test
site speed, see organic search term traffic and more.

6. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) involves the purchase of ad space in prominent, visible
positions atop search results pages and websites. SEM is also known as Pay-per-click (PPC
advertising. The Pay-per-click is a form of paid advertising that allows marketing teams to
essentially purchase traffic to their website. Search ads have been shown to have a positive
impact on brand recognition, awareness and conversions.

Marketers place ads on websites or search engines such as Google and Microsoft Bing, and
pay a fee each time the ad is clicked on. These ads often appear at the top of the search results
page, and are typically determined by bids on specific keywords, while banner ads on websites
usually have set prices. 33% of searchers who click on paid ads do so because they directly
respond to their particular search query.

7. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is similar to referral programs, it involves working with outside

individuals or companies under the agreement that they promote your product in exchange for
a commission from each sale that can be attributed to their efforts. This is a way to cut down
on costs and outsource some of the heavy lifting of promotion. An example of affiliate
marketing would be when an ad running on a podcast or radio show offers a discount code for
listeners to use when purchasing the product. For example, the customer may receive 30% off
their purchase and in return, the show gets a small percentage of each purchase that is made
using the code.
8. Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing initiatives can include many of the digital marketing strategies mentioned
above, and typically influences a combination of text messages, social media, email, push
notifications and mobile applications. The importance of mobile marketing is rising, as it is
expected that by 2024, the number of mobile shoppers will rise to approximately 187.5 million
users. With the clear move to mobile, marketers need to think about how they can optimize
their current marketing efforts for mobile to be able to deliver a seamless and user-friendly
experience.

Developing a digital marketing strategy involves several key steps:

1. Set a goal

Before you start strategizing, you must ask yourself what it is that you hope to achieve with
your marketing strategy. Sounds simple, but this step requires you to come up with a very
detailed and specific set of goals.

SMART offers the following criteria for setting goals:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Relevant

• Timely goals

Acquiring more views on your website is not a SMART goal.

Generating 10% more visits to your website through ads on X social media platform for the
next two months is a SMART goal. All the SMARTer when you outline the exact steps you’ll
take to get there.

2. Evaluate your existing digital marketing presence

Even if it’s close to non existent, it’s good to understand what you have already accomplished.
This step will help you understand what to focus on to achieve your current goals. first, you
need to understand your main marketing channels:

• Your website

• Social media

• Email marketing
 • Content marketing/SEO

• Pay per click advertising

Which of these is driving the most leads and traffic to you? Rank each channel and specific
media from most effective to least effective

3. Understand the digital sales funnel

The digital sales funnel is the arc of your buyer’s journey from stranger to a repeat, or long-
term customer. A brand with a strong digital presence can use the funnel to achieve their digital
marketing goals. How? By addressing each step of the funnel with the appropriate digital
marketing tools.

Understanding the digital sales funnel means that you need to grasp each stage of the funnel
and the appropriate digital tools that complements it.

Here is a simplified breakdown of the stages and the appropriate digital marketing responses.

• Awareness

• Interest

• Engage

• Action

4. Build buyer personas

You need to know who your audience is before you attempt to successfully reach out to them.
So how can you understand who your audience is?

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Once you can imagine who a person is then you can
make some assumptions about what would appeal to them.

• Create a narrative:

• Get specific.

• Do your research using analytics services.

To delve further into this step, take a look at our post: How to create a user persona.
5. Locate your customers on the funnel

You then have to locate your customers at different stages of the funnel. In all likelihood, there
will be customers at all stages of the funnel who are open to connecting with you. For example,
let’s say your product is an organic deodorant. Your prospective customer may be:

• Someone who does a Google search for organic deodorants and ends up reading an
article that features you.

• Someone who’s looking to buy a deodorant that is organic and zero waste and sees your
sponsored Facebook post about how your deodorant is made of compostable
packaging.

• Some who has already purchased your deodorant and who you now include in an email
campaign featuring an option to buy your deodorant at a discounted price.

Once you have this information, you can begin to target distinct groups of customers through
different channels.

6. Create a content plan

At this stage, you will develop a specific marketing strategy for every channel that attracts your
customers. What sort of content do you need to achieve your digital marketing goals for each
of these channels?

Your strategy will be made up of a series of actions that respond to specific goals. It will also
have a specific timeline so that the actions can have measurable deadlines.

Some of these actions will be:

• Developing a keyword strategy

• Creating a content calendar

• Posting on social media

7. Analyse results.

Once you have a strategy in place, practice this step at intervals (add it to your calendar). How
are customers interacting with what you’re sharing with them? How are you progressing toward
your goals? These analytics will help you correct course and learn from things that didn’t work
out as planned.

By using analytics software, you can observe your progress at different stages of the funnel.
You want to understand:
 • If clicks are turning into conversions. Is there mobility across the funnel? Why or why
not?

• If there is a point where you’re losing engagement with customers. What’s the reason
and how can you fix it?

• What’s working well—and what’s not.

Keep up with the latest digital marketing tools, there might be something new on the market
that addresses your analysis needs perfectly.

With the results you gather, you can create graphics using data visualization tools which will
help with comparisons, goal tracking and presentations.

Setting goals and objectives

Define Your Business Goals: Start by understanding your overall business goals. What do
you want to achieve with your digital marketing efforts? This could be increasing sales,
generating leads, boosting brand awareness, or something else.

Specificity and Measurability: Make your goals specific and measurable. For example,
instead of saying "increase website traffic," say "increase website traffic by 20% in the next
six months."

Target Audience: Identify your target audience. Who are your ideal customers? What are
their demographics, interests, and pain points?

Competitor Analysis: Research your competitors to understand what strategies are working
in your industry.

Choose Digital Marketing Channels: Select the digital marketing channels that align with
your goals and target audience. This could include social media, email marketing, content
marketing, SEO, PPC advertising, and more.

Set Objectives: Objectives are specific, measurable steps toward your goals. For example, if
your goal is to increase website traffic, your objectives might be to publish two blog posts per
week, optimize your site for search engines, and run Google Ads campaigns.

Timeframes: Assign timeframes to your objectives. Will you achieve them in a month, three
months, or a year?

Budget: Determine your digital marketing budget. This will impact the scale and scope of
your campaigns.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Identify the KPIs you'll track to measure success.
These might include website traffic, conversion rates, click-through rates, and social media
engagement

Content Plan: Create a content plan that aligns with your chosen digital marketing channels.
What kind of content will you create and how often?

Testing and Optimization: Plan to regularly test and optimize your campaigns based on data
and performance. This is an ongoing process.

Monitoring and Reporting: Implement tools and systems to monitor your progress and
create regular reports to evaluate your strategy's effectiveness.

Adaptation: Be ready to adapt your strategy as needed based on changing market conditions
or results.

Budgeting and resource allocation for digital marketing:

• Define your goals: Start by setting clear and measurable marketing goals. Are you
looking to increase website traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or enhance brand
awareness? Your goals will determine your budget allocation.
• Understand your target audience: Identify your target audience and their online
behaviour. This will help you choose the most effective digital marketing channels to
reach them.
• Allocate budget by channel: Allocate your budget to different digital marketing
channels such as pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media advertising, content
marketing, email marketing, and SEO. The allocation should be based on the channels
that align with your goals and audience.
• Monitor and adjust: Regularly review the performance of your marketing campaigns
and channels. Allocate more resources to the most effective ones and consider
reducing or reallocating resources from underperforming channels.
• Seasonal considerations: Be prepared for seasonal fluctuations in demand or changes
in consumer behaviour. Adjust your budget accordingly to maximize your results
during peak periods.
• Test and optimize: A portion of your budget should be set aside for testing and
experimentation. This will help you refine your digital marketing strategies and
improve performance over time.
• Track ROI: Continuously track the return on investment (ROI) for each marketing
channel. This will guide your resource allocation decisions and help you optimize your
budget.
• Keep up with industry trends: The digital marketing landscape is constantly
evolving. Stay informed about industry trends and adjust your budget and resource
allocation to adapt to changes.
• Consider long-term and short-term goals: Balance your budget allocation between
immediate results and long-term brand building. For example, allocate resources to
both PPC for quick wins and content marketing for sustained growth.
• Technology and tools: Invest in the necessary marketing tools and technology to
streamline your campaigns and make data-driven decisions.