What is digital marketing?
Before jumping into the subject of digital marketing, let’s talk about what it is. Do you remember driving down the road looking at all of the various billboards? If you notice, a lot of them now are digital. They may display different businesses, or some provide information about one company in a few different ways.
Whether the billboard is the old-fashioned ones or the new digital ones, they do catch your attention. This is a form of marketing. The same concept applies to digital marketing other than it’s on your computer instead of the side of the road.
How did it become so popular?
Unlike in the past, people are using computers and mobile devices to find products. When you want to look for a new coat, the first thing you’re going to do is google to see different places that sell them and browse different styles. Once you use the search engine, you can bet that every social media platform you use will then bombard you with advertisements.
There is no denying that 2020 changed the way that people changed the way people shopped. Most businesses had to shut down, meaning that people could no longer come in to browse your products. Luckily the food and grocery industries learned to adapt quickly while many small businesses still struggle with the change. There is little doubt that digital marketing is here to stay.
1. Shoppable Advertisements on Social Media
Instagram was the first social media site that introduced the idea of shoppable social media. This is when you can click on ads where you can purchase products without ever leaving the site. These posts are not only good for businesses, but they are also more convenient for consumers.
One of the primary goals of digital marketing is to increase your company’s brand awareness. Brand awareness is vital because it’s the first step in attracting new customers. This is why updating your branding page is a good idea, especially if you’re looking for new employees to keep up with the latest marketing trends.
Shoppable posts simplify the buying process. Instead of having another page popup or leaving the social media site entirely, they simply have to click and buy, then go back to where they were. This also helps customers make buying decisions quickly instead of going through the ‘do I want it or not?’ thinking process.
2. Video Marketing
Using videos as a marketing tool has become one of the most popular ways to attract customers to your business. Everyone knows that Youtube is one of the most popular ways to advertise, but did you know that TikTok is catching up quickly. TikTok has over 80 million users worldwide, and people spend more time there than on other social media platforms.
Youtube and TikTok are not the only ways you can utilize videos to attract customers. Videos help to tell your business’s story and who you are at your core. People are concerned with the environment and specifically will look for companies that share this value. Using this marketing technique can show potential customers you are also worried about the environment.
3. Ways to Use Video To Boost Conversion Rates
- Animated Illustrations: Allows businesses to convey messages about their products to entertain and draw people’s attention.
- Insert lead capture early into your video: People may think that this is a bad idea, and people will leave instead of continuing to watch the video. This is not the case. If people are interested in your products, they will subscribe to learn more.
- Use a smiling face: If you’re not using animated illustrations, make sure to include someone who is smiling, especially at the beginning.
- Don’t make the video too long: People will not watch a long, drawn-out video. Capture their attention quickly, get to the point, and keep it entertaining.
- Tell your story while marketing your brand: Focus on your customers’ challenges and how you can solve their problems. Like all styles of marketing, you need to be honest with your customers. Don’t promise that your product will change their lives when it won’t. If you do this, you’ll end up with so many bad reviews no one will want to deal with you.
4. Voice Search
Alexa, Google, Siri. What do all of these things have in common? They are the new way people are searching for products and services. Want to remain competitive? Make sure your company has adopted a voice strategy. Technology that uses voice recognition is much better at word recognition. This means that devices are getting easier to use and showing accurate results, therefore, improving the customers’ experience.
Brands are finding unique ways to interact with customers to grab their attention. A really cool example of a brand that’s doing this is Whirlpool. They joined with Amazon to create a line of voice-activated products. These products can answer questions and provide guidance about things the individual may need to know.
5. Smart Chat Bots
People don’t want to wait until your business is open to get their questions answered. If you don’t have a way to answer questions right away, they will go someplace that can. These bots can interact with customers while they are on your site. They can answer any consumer’s questions, direct them to the right people, schedule meetings, and assist with sales.
6. Automated Emails
Emails are one of the best and easiest ways to stay in contact with your customers. Could you imagine if your employees had to write and send each email? Even if you use a template and bulk emails, it can take a long time to update all information, such as new products. Setting up AI to update your products and showcase your best sellers will free up so much time. This has become a popular marketing strategy with its low cost and how easy it is to set up that all businesses use it.
7. Interactive Content
Interactive content is a one-on-one type of marketing that is customer-driven. Customers can interact with your website in real-time. This type of marketing can be in the form of videos, infographics, GIFs, quizzes, and multiple-choice questions. A great example of a company using interactive content is when you wait for some site to load, and they let you play a game. Often, you’ll get this type of content when you’re playing a game, and an advertisement pops up.
Another way companies are using interactive content is by letting customers interact with the ad. Pandora is by partnering with Doritos and allowing users to answer yes or no to questions. It will be interesting to see how being able to interact with advertisements will advance as technology advances.
With the pandemic of 2020, the way consumers purchase products have drastically changed. There has been talking of another shut-down with the Delta variant, therefore, making the right marketing strategy is more crucial than ever. You have to remember that as a business, you have to be willing to grow and change with the times.
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