"Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart." - Joe Chernov
If you had asked anyone this question in 2014, the chances that they wouldn't know about it would have been very high. However, in today's scenario, there are 4.65 billion active users on Social Media, which accounts for 58.7% of the world's total population, and this number continues to grow every day. Facebook alone boasts over 2.7 billion monthly users, with YouTube and Instagram following closely as the second and third most popular platforms, with 2.562 billion and 1.478 billion users, respectively. In fact, 9 out of 10 internet users now engage with social media every month. Therefore, it's highly likely that you've come across the term "Digital Marketing" at least once in recent years.
As the world increasingly relies on the internet, from Social Media to Google searches to our favorite apps, we find ourselves connected online throughout the day. With such a vast number of people engaging online, digital marketing is experiencing significant growth. Much like how the internet has transformed the way we live, think, and communicate, it has also created new opportunities and advantages for marketers. Nowadays, brands prioritize online marketing over offline methods, and the data we present provides them with a compelling rationale for doing so.
What Is Online Marketing?
Online Marketing, also known as Digital Marketing or Internet Marketing, is a form of marketing that uses the internet and technology to connect with potential customers. online marketing is a strategy that entails using digital channels to reach your audience. In comparison to traditional marketing, this method is more cost-effective and has better chances of increasing brand awareness. In addition to offering a wider reach, online marketing is:
•Cost-effective. Cost is the most important factor for everyone and online marketing is dominating over offline marketing in this. in offline marketing, you should pay a fixed amount of money for your marketing campaign no matter if it's working or not, but online marketing helps you to track day-to-day campaigns, so you can know which strategy is performing well and which isn't, help you to optimize your marketing budget for higher ROI.
•Fast. Your audience can act on your messaging right away, giving you a quick turnaround on your investment.
•Trackable. It's easy to know whether your audience is clicking, opening emails, sharing, or making purchases. If you know what isn't working, you don't need to waste time and resources on it. If you know what is working, you can lean into it.
•Targeted. Online marketing allows companies to target specific audiences and customize their messages. When you know whom you are targeting and who are your customers, it's easy for you to make content according to their preferences.
•Personal. Digital methods can be automated and responsive to online consumer behavior, which means that an unlimited number of individual customers get timely, relevant, and personalized information.
•Attractive. Many online marketing methods are inbound, which means that by creating accessible and appealing content, you can draw in the right customers rather than blasting and hoping it reaches those who are looking for it.
Certainly! Here are some common components of online marketing:
1. Website Marketing: This involves creating and optimizing a website to provide information about products or services and facilitate online transactions. It includes on-page SEO to improve visibility on search engines like Google.
2. Content Marketing: This strategy focuses on creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage the target audience. Content can take various forms, including blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and more.
3. Search Engine Marketing (SEM): SEM includes paid advertising on search engines like Google (Google Ads) to appear in search results when users search for relevant keywords. This often involves pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
4. Social Media Marketing: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are used to connect with and engage audiences. This can involve both organic (free) and paid social media advertising.
5. Email Marketing: This strategy entails sending targeted email campaigns to subscribers or potential customers to promote products, share updates, and build customer relationships.
6. Affiliate Marketing: In affiliate marketing, businesses partner with other entities to promote their products or services in exchange for a commission on sales generated through referrals.
7. Content Syndication: Content is distributed on other websites, platforms, or content networks to reach a broader audience and gain backlinks.
8. Influencer Marketing: Collaboration with influencers or industry experts to promote products or services to their followers and audiences.
9. Online Advertising: This involves running display ads, banner ads, or video ads on various websites and platforms to reach potential customers.
10. Analytics and Data Analysis: Web analytics tools are used to track and measure the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns, enabling data-driven decision-making and optimization.
11. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO involves optimizing online content and websites to rank higher in organic (unpaid) search engine results, thereby improving visibility and driving organic traffic.
12. Mobile Marketing: Strategies and campaigns are tailored for mobile devices, including mobile-responsive websites, app-based advertising, and SMS marketing.
Online marketing provides businesses with the ability to target specific demographics, track performance metrics in real-time, and adjust strategies based on data insights. It offers a cost-effective and highly scalable way to reach a global audience and has become an essential part of the overall marketing mix for most businesses in the digital age.
Internet consumption by a user in recent years has increased tremendously, if we only talk about India the recent survey done by Nokia shows in its annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) report that mobile data traffic in India has risen 3.2 times over the last five years. As per the report, Indians now consume nearly 20GB of data per month on average. This is expected to reach 46GB by 2027. As you saw consumption of data increases every year, So Digital marketing is a must for every business. If you need customers, you need to do online marketing. One of its key benefits is that it provides a cost-effective way to reach a huge audience while simultaneously targeting a specific group within that audience. It also allows you to personalize the delivery channel and message to communicate more quickly and effectively with your customers for short- and long-term relationship building. So if you want to success your brand and product in today's scenario you should know how to play on digital turf.