Digital technology has reshaped almost all spheres of our lives in just two decades. In 2010, only 34% of the world’s population had Internet access. Today, this number has grown to over 60%! Of course, it seriously changed traditional marketing and advertising. Traditional channels and mass marketing are no longer effective, and businesses must find new ways to connect with consumers. It’s about targeted, data-based strategies that build relationships, boost engagement, and ultimately drive conversions in a hyper-connected world. Let’s discover how to achieve marketing success in this new environment.
The traditional marketing approach vs. the digital one.
For years marketers relied on a proven toolbox of advertising methods. However, print advertising, mail, and event marketing come with considerable limitations:
- Limited reach. Traditional methods like print ads or billboards are often meant for a broad audience that might not be interested in the product or service.
- One-way communication. Traditional advertising has a one-way focus. Businesses struggle to measure audience response or build interaction.
- Poor feedback. Tracking the effectiveness of traditional campaigns is a challenge. It is really hard to measure the exact impact of a TV commercial or a print ad.
Digital technologies have completely changed the marketers’ possibilities:
- Social media platforms. Giants like Facebook, Instagram, and X (former Twitter) are great virtual spaces to engage with target audiences, build brand awareness, and encourage two-way communication.
- Search engines. Users actively use search engines like Google to find information and make purchasing decisions. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps businesses rank higher in search results and drive traffic.
- Mobile marketing. Now, consumers can be easily reached on the go with targeted ads, location-based marketing, and user-friendly mobile websites for clothing, cosmetics, fashion, and electronic marketing.
Modern marketing campaigns are data-driven. Businesses can now collect valuable insights about their target audience, track campaign performance in real time, and optimize their strategies for maximum impact. For example, marketing heatmaps are a crucial tool that helps visualize user engagement on a website by showing areas of high and low activity, which can inform targeted improvements for better performance and increased conversions.
Key Digital Marketing Tactics
The Internet is everywhere, and it is here to stay for long. So here is how you can effectively build your marketing strategy around it.
Use influencers.
Influencer marketing not about a one-off promotional deal with a social media personality. It is building genuine partnerships with bloggers who have big audiences in your niche. It allows you to reach a wider audience, leverage the influencer’s credibility and trust and grow your client base. What’s interesting, there is no need to choose the biggest name. It is enough to find an influencer whose niche matches your brand and whose audience is genuinely interested in your product or service. Furthermore, do not create scripted sales pitches. Let your social media partner create engaging content on the go and advertise your product in a natural way. Collaborating with an event videographer can add a dynamic visual element to these partnerships, enhancing the authenticity and impact of the content created.
Focus on mobile access.
The majority of Internet users access it from smartphones and tablets, So, a mobile-first approach becomes a priority for marketers. Your website, marketing materials, and email campaigns must be optimized for viewing and interacting from all devices. Use responsive website design that flawlessly adapts to different screen sizes. Offer a user-friendly mobile app if it is relevant to your business. And do not forget that mobile websites must load fast.
Automate your campaign.
Use software to automate repetitive tasks like email marketing and social media posting and free up your time for more strategic things. Here is how it can be done:
- Email marketing. Schedule automated emails to promote new products, send spring emails, send birthday greetings and get in touch with your customers on other ocassions.
- Social media posting. Schedule and publish content across various social media platforms in advance. It will save you time but keep consistent brand messaging.
- Lead generation. Automate the process of capturing leads through website forms. Create targeted content and qualify your leads for sales outreach.
Launch pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
PPC advertising allows you to target people who are most likely to consume your products or services. You can monitor how well this strategy works and get detailed performance metrics. Thus, you can always tune your ads for more efficiency. There are many PPC advertising platforms to use – Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. Choose the space that is most relevant to your target audience. Experiment with diverse content formats like blog posts, infographics, videos, and short social media snippets that your customers consume best.
Implement chatbots for 24/7 service.
AI-powered chatbots can interact with customers on your website or social media platforms -answer questions, provide support, and even personalize marketing messages. Charbots offer 24/7 customer service, improve lead generation and create a more engaging and interactive user experience. Note that your chatbot to be helpful and informative, with a friendly and approachable personality. Train the chatbot to answer common customer questions and provide basic troubleshooting.
Add voice/visual optimization to your search.
People are increasingly using voice search and visual search engines (like searching by image) to find information online. Optimize your website and content for voice and visual search and you will immediately improve its online visibility and organic traffic. To make this tactic work, include long-tail keywords that people often use for voice search queries. Besides, optimize image descriptions with relevant keywords and alt text.
Digital marketing tricks of big companies
How do big companies master their digital marketing strategy?? Here are some real-life examples of their effective tactics.
Warby Parker, a famous store in the eyewear industry, prioritizes technology and offers a virtual try-on tool. It works seamlessly with webcams on laptops and desktops or smartphone cameras. Users simply allow access to their camera and then can virtually “wear” different frames. The technology utilizes facial recognition software to accurately position the frames on the user’s face, providing a realistic preview.
GoPro, a manufacturer of action cameras, doesn’t need to spend millions on flashy commercials. They encourage users to share their action-packed adventures captured with GoPro cameras, using the #GoPro hashtag. This user-generated content creates a sense of community and authenticity, showcasing the camera’s capabilities in real-world scenarios.
Away, a premium luggage and travel accessories brand has partnered with micro-influencers – travel bloggers with small but highly engaged audiences. These influencers showcase Away suitcases on their adventures. This authentic content attracts attention to the brand and automatically increases company sales.
Wrapping up
The world of marketing is like a living organism. It continuously evolves, and you must adapt to all changes and trends to remain successful and competitive. You have just read about the most revolutionary digital marketing tactics that are taking the industry by storm. No matter how big your company is, these methods can be tailored to fit your specific budget and marketing goals. So, it is time to take your marketing strategy to the next level!
