Marketing is a field that attracts students who want to combine their creative passions and analytical skills. Whether you are taking a marketing class or a general class in business, such courses are a great opportunity to learn about marketing concepts and business strategies. For those interested in business, marketing provides the understanding for important aspects of running a business including the 4 Ps, (e.g. Product, Price, Promotion, and Place).
What Is Marketing
There are many aspects of running a business that it is important to get right. You need to make sure you are focused on improving the way the company comes across to existing and potential customers as well as other firms and potential employees . By developing strategies around your products, one needs to also put in place a strong marketing plan which includes explaining what is offered and its value proposition to customers, devise a pricing plan that best fits the market, come up with effective promotions to encourage buyers to buy it, and finally determine the places one needs to reach or offer the product/service. The other aspect of marketing is to understand tools that can be used to deliver these strategies. For example, how does one maintain a customer list, where can you search for potential new ones and what type of promotions are in the firms toolbox.
So What is Digital Marketing
These days, many aspects of running a business are online. Some businesses combine a storefront (“brick and mortar:”) with online while others purely exist online. No matter what means of delivery a business chooses, it is absolutely critical that there is some form of online presence to market to perspective customers and help them find your business.
A successful company combines marketing efforts both through traditional and non-traditional channels. One aspect of marketing today is referred to as Digital Marketing. Basically, digital marketing is any kind of online marketing that is intended to reach and influence a potential buyer. These include things such as email marketing, online advertising, blogging, social media marketing and techniques that help promote the business assets such as a product, a website, videos/images.
Digital Marketing Tactics
There are many things to consider in a digital marketing plan and new tools or ideas come up every day as the Internet evolves. So one needs to stay on top of any new trends and find ways to incorporate them into a firm’s overall strategy. Here are some of things that are covered in the digital marketing area:
Content Marketing
You may have heard that content is king. What is meant by this is that the only way the business can advance online is by providing ongoing quality content about its products that is relevant and useful to audience it is intended for. These include anything from website copywriting to blogging to communicating content using various media forms such as videos, inforgraphics and more.
The content must be designed and/or written in a way to draw the reader in.
Email Marketing
One of the most direct ways to reach potential and existing customers is through email. Email marketers focus relentlessly on creating or acquiring email lists of potential customers and then create catchy designs that will catch people’s attention. Getting into someone’s crowded email in box is only one part of the battle, the next challenge is to get them to open and act on it.
Online Advertising
While people interact online in more ways daily, advertising on websites, streaming sites like youtube or within applications remains a key strategy in most firms toolkit to reach the market. Designing ads and carefully monitoring the success of their placement (e.g. how many impressions and clicks they get) is the core function of many marketers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
How do potential customers even know a firm exists. Chances are their first exposure is after a google search. But how can a firm stand out in a world where dozens or even hundreds of potential competitors might be in the same market. From carefully choosing the wording of your homepage, to monitoring how many and which other internet sites link to your content, SEOs are constantly refining their strategies as firms like google constantly tweak their search programs.
This is where SEO experts come in and try to help you stand out from the crowd and improve the search ranking of your website. Prices and service offerings can vary in this area, so it is best to determine what the priority is for your business and online assets. Moz and other onine sources such as Lentis Internet Media can be helpful in understanding what makes SEO so vital, and why you need to go about introducing it into your business.
Social Media Marketing
For many people, their key exposure to brands comes from friends, acquaintances and other connections on social media. Social media marketers help firms use social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, youtube, Twitter, or Snapchat to reach different audiences, especially younger demographics, who may avoid many traditional media channels (like cable TV) and even get much of their news off social media sites. Sites like LinkedIn have become a key means for reaching out to potential employees, while Snapchat or Pinterest can raise awareness about the newest products.
What skills are best suited for a Digital Marketing Career?
Potential digital marketers need first and foremost to be curious. New social media platforms and digital marketing tools are created all the time. From consuming music and movies to coordinating a dinner with friends or posting images of their vacation, the ways consumers use the Internet is changing just as fast. Successful marketers need strong communication skills to design cutting edge campaigns to reach customers. Finally, they also need strong analytical skills to research which strategies are working to their desired demographics, monitor their campaigns in real time and adjust them frequently. They need to be able to speak the language of business to managers and clients pushing products while understanding the wants, needs and daily habits of millions of consumers.