Have you ever heard anyone say “ah – the good, old days” when it comes to marketing? 
Neither have we. That’s because there’s not much to miss. Marketing has changed quite a bit over the past several years – and that’s a good thing. We’ve gone from mass messaging to strategically targeted tactics that enable us marketers to connect with the right audience at the right time – making our efforts more effective and quantifiable. But you probably already know that. What you might not know is all the reasons why we love digital marketing, and why you should, too. Let us explain.
Targeting Capabilities
The targeting capabilities provided by digital marketing tactics far surpass that of traditional marketing. We’re not just throwing wet spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. We’re leveraging real data and strategic targeting to determine our audience and connect with them using the most effective methods. Digital marketing tactics such as social media advertising and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising allow marketers to target individuals based on very specific criteria including geographic location, age, gender, interests and so much more. Granularly outlining your target audience, clearly defining goals and aligning these details with your strategy and ad targeting will help you effectively reach and truly connect with your market.
Budget-Friendly Advertising
The phrase “you get what you pay for” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to digital marketing. Of course, the more you spend the greater impact you will have. However, with paid advertising you get the same quality impressions regardless of the amount you spend – just a different quantity. This provides companies the flexibility to work within even modest budgets and still obtain meaningful results. Determine your initial spend, closely monitor performance and make data-driven adjustments to allocation in order to maximize your funds and achieve the best results possible within your budget.
Enhanced Engagement
Marketing is no longer about talking to your audience – it’s about talking with them. Such engagement cultivates stronger relationships between customers and companies, which can be beneficial to brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. But to successfully build these deep connections, companies must appropriately leverage channels that provide for two way communication. Digital marketing in the form of social media enables companies to be in direct contact with their target audience – allowing them to establish, maintain and monitor relationships with both existing and prospective customers. Understanding the benefits of the various social media platforms and how your business can use them together to connect with your audience will enhance the quality and effectiveness of your efforts.
Fluid Conversions
The process for marketers to convert visitors online is much simpler compared to traditional tactics, such as direct mail and print signage. Offline strategies require more effort on behalf of the individual to take the desired action, and the more effort it takes, the less likely they will – and vice versa. With digital, marketers have the ability to direct individuals to the point of conversion with a simple click. Whether you’re sending visitors to a custom tab from a social media post, or to a landing page from an email – be sure that the destination page contains prominent, clear calls to action that make it quick and easy for your audience to convert.
Better Tracking
Digital tactics provide very detailed information regarding the performance of a specific marketing effort – from sources and bounce rates to the total number of conversions. Such insight helps marketers better understand their target audience in terms of how they engage with certain marketing tactics – what they connect with and what they don’t – so they can continually alter and improve their strategies to better reachtheir market. Utilizing even the most basic, no-cost analytics platforms can help digital marketers develop a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of where visitors are coming from, and how they are interacting with and responding to your marketing efforts. Monitoring and measuring this data will ultimately allow you to judge which tactics are most effective so that you can allot more resources to those strategies.
Mixing Digital with Offline Marketing
Digital marketing certainly has its advantages. But that’s not to say that traditional forms of marketing don’t have a place in your marketing mix. When used in combination with digital marketing efforts, traditional marketing tactics such as direct mail and print advertising can help to reinforce your marketing message and extend your reach beyond the digital space – supporting the achievement of your overarching marketing goals. To learn more about integrated marketing strategies for your business, contact ZAG Interactive.
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