Carrying out brand communication or promoting trade in a product or service using digital media with a dedicated and specially studied strategy to enhance the results and impact of our commercial actions on the Internet is what we define as digital marketing.
Online marketing brings with it new communication attributes, digital KPIs linked to web services that not only capture user data, the interactions they make when viewing, clicking, or visiting a site but also allow us to know in detail and then lead to interest and monitoring metrics, what our clients and users look for, like or show genuine purchasing interest.
Digital marketing uses various digital tactics and channels to connect with target audiences online, such as email marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) ads, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and social media marketing.
Digital marketing can be done with tiny budgets, achieving niche reach. In addition, it is scalable, allowing the growth of both the company and the online marketing project.
Most people research and buy online. Figures compiled by HubSpot indicate that by 2021, global retail e-commerce will reach sales of over $4.5 trillion and that 47% of shoppers viewed 3 to 5 pieces of content before committing to a purchase—sales representative.
Features of digital marketing
For you to understand in greater depth what digital marketing is, it is essential that you also know the specific characteristics of digital marketing that differentiate it from traditional or offline advertising. Take note:
The modern consumer has access to colossal volumes of information, allowing them to control their purchasing journey and, in a certain way, disdain intrusive advertising misaligned with their interests. He dramatically appreciates personalization. Statistics compiled by Omnivore indicate that 40% of mobile users say they will spend more money at a company if they receive a personalized coupon.
It is one of the best characteristics of digital marketing. As we pointed out earlier, millions of people are present on the web. Therefore, your marketing actions can reach a broad audience, even crossing borders, especially now that the Internet threatens to surpass television as the medium of communication most consumed.
Digital marketing allows you to use data to reach highly segmented target audiences, targeting your campaigns based on geographic areas, age and gender data, and critical aspects such as tastes, interests, and browsing history. This added to its great scope, translates into much more defined investments.
Its cost-benefit ratio is quite good compared to traditional advertising tools such as television commercials. In the case of Inbound Marketing, a fundamental methodology within digital marketing, it can be six times cheaper than direct marketing. Of course, to obtain this benefit, you must know how to plan and execute strategies.
The best thing about digital marketing is that it allows the monitoring and measurement of actions and results—incomparable advantage over traditional advertising. Think, for example, about advertisements published in newspapers. You will always need to find out how many people saw your ads. In online campaigns, you can easily have this data.
The Internet democratizes access to information and communication. Digital marketing is built on this premise, enabling new spaces and channels that give rise to interaction between brand and consumer, leaving behind the old one-way model.
Measuring results allows you to test different actions and tactics while adjusting them in real-time to optimize results.