We can see that many people are creating content related to Digital Marketing. Unfortunately, the term Digital Marketing is defined as the same in almost all content that I have gone through. The most interesting fact is that they are even using the same wording to explain the concept of Digital or Online Marketing.
According to their words, Digital Marketing is the process of marketing using digital platforms or techniques. They also try to introduce or teach some digital tools to perform such digital marketing activities.
Is that really what digital marketing is all about?
No never… It is not…
My definition of digital marketing is different than others. I am just writing this post to let you know what my mind tells me. Some of you may think that why I have come up now explaining what is digital marketing as it is a very basic question on this subject. You can see that I try to define this term only after making hundreds of videos relating to various aspects of digital marketing. That is why people are thinking like that. So I can’t blame those who think or ask so.
But one thing I can say is that you don’t have to see it as a mistake on my part. Because it is the right time that I am coming to teach you what Digital Marketing is. After reading this entire post you will surely understand what I meant
As mentioned above, everyone teaches that digital marketing is about making marketing possible by utilizing various tools used in digital media. So the general view is that the more tools and tricks one learns, the more one becomes an expert in digital marketing.
Changed Definition of Digital Marketing
As I said, my point of view on this matter is different. Digital marketing is not just the act of using some tools or platform but it is a process of influencing someone by understanding their mind or behavior by using the experiments we have done in the digital field as well as our experience or expertise.
In other words, Digital Marketing means all activities that persuade a person or a group of people to take any kind of decision by utilizing digital media or tools.
Here persuasion does not just mean only the persuasion to buy any goods or service. On the contrary, there are many motivations in our daily life without even knowing it. Whenever we watch any video, there is a motivation behind it. Whether it is listening to a song, clicking a link, reading a blog, or subscribing to a channel, we need motivation too.
Now if we are on social media, there are impulses to like, comment and share, even if we don’t understand such instincts. Likewise, anything that drives attention is really digital marketing.
So in a simple sense, we can say that Digital Marketing is the act of persuading people to get a click in the digital world.
Even if we use many methods and tools to induce people, they are not important actually. Rather, what is important here is what one says or does by understanding one’s character, to get the users inspired.
The website is said to be the foundation of digital marketing. I have already made a detailed video about why a brand or organization needs a website.
Social media sites play a vital role in the industry but it has their own limitations. The main reason is that we have no control over certain things on social media, but our website is completely under our control at all times. So it is important to have more emphasis on your website and plan the marketing strategy accordingly.
Classification of Digital Marketing
Whether it is social media or a website, digital marketing is mainly classified in many ways. Let’s see what they are.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
We use search engines like Google to search for the information we need. They are actually fulfilling the desire of persons who seek information and persons who create various forms of content on the internet. The most reliable traffic to a website is coming from search engines.
Only the most useful and relevant websites will be shown at the top when searching for any topic. Every business wants its website to come up top in search results when searching things related to its field. Therefore, according to people’s search query, SEO or search engine optimization is the method of changing their blog or website in Google Search Result. Anyone doing digital marketing wants to get their business listed on Google first. A business can be listed on Google very easily by using the system called Google My Business.
2. Content Marketing
The Process of inducing internet users to consume a particular digital content either in the form of Video or blog post that is beneficial to them is called content marketing. Blogs and vital part of the content marketing industry for a long. Not only text but also videos and audios come under the purview of content marketing. This includes YouTube channels and similar video-sharing sites.
Not only content creators can do this but those who are good and interested in marketing can also make money by buying content and marketing it. As such there are many who take it as a business or career option.
3. Social Media Marketing
We all know that there are different types of social media. It can also be used as a marketing tool due to its wide reach, acceptance, and simplicity. Business opportunities naturally increase when there are more people assembled. That is what makes social media marketing so popular. There are people among us who run businesses worth millions of rupees by using the possibilities of social media alone.
4. PPC or “Pay Per Click”
Even though sounds a bit complicated, it is something that everyone is familiar with. PPC is an advertising technique like Google Ads or Facebook Ads. We pay for the clicks on our ads. That means we pay for whatever platform we advertise on. After all, clicking on that ad brings that viewer or reader to our website, channel, or wherever we want. Through that more people will get the opportunity to understand our business or our content. Sometimes it can even lead to a sale or purchase.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is the method of buying the email address of the readers in the form of a subscription or newsletter and through that, the information is communicated to the readers and consumers. It is an age-old marketing method that is used effectively when publishing new content, launching new products or services, or communicating new information about them.
6. Affiliate Marketing
This is a system in which each organization engages a specific influencer to sell its product or service. Affiliate marketing constitutes the major portion of the revenue for most content creators. There are many types of affiliate marketing methods. Someone promote their product or service by giving a specific link while others give a promotion code. In the case of an affiliate link, if any reader or viewer buys their product or service through the link given the company will pay a pre-determined commission to the person who helps to promote their link. Usually, a fixed percentage is paid as an affiliate commission. Some organizations may provide separate codes for each Creator instead of a link. Sometimes the buyer can get a little discount if they buy using an affiliate link or code. Creator also gets an affiliate commission.
7. Native Advertisement and Sponsored Content
This is the method of giving advertisements directly on blogs or channels. Business owners often contact content creators directly without intermediaries in order to ensure effectiveness and reduce cost. Sponsoring people who can influence more people is also very effective in marketing at all times.
How is Digital Marketing applied here?
Now, let’s return to the point that I mentioned at the beginning of this article. That is, explaining digital marketing after posting more than 100 videos on this subject.
Think that I start teaching what digital marketing is when I start this channel or blog. Then how many of you will come and watch that video or read that blog? Even if you see its thumbnail, you may not be willing to listen to what I am saying. What credibility do I have? Am I good enough to tell you what digital marketing is? A number of questions may come to your mind. This is because; I am not a popular person in this niche or a part of a famous institution dealing with such things.
Often people who work for YouTube Company come to their channel and teach each topic. But even if we don’t know that person, we trust what they say because we trust YouTube. Similarly, Google has its own channel and blog in which many people present topics. Because we value a company more than an individual, we tend to buy into what its employees say.
No one will pay much attention to my words if I don’t have sufficient influence on my readers or viewers. Because I don’t have to be what everyone says? Maybe I have a changed perspective. Many people may not find it credible when they hear it. Why because they don’t know me at all.
Now, don’t you see what I did to overcome it? I have made several videos and thereby helped many people. So now I am able to influence at least a few people through my videos. So when I come to teach digital marketing, at least a few will listen. Why because now I have come up with digital marketing only after understanding your taste and preference in this niche.
This is the basic point of digital marketing that I mentioned earlier. This blog post is created only for showcasing the practicality of digital marketing.
Advantages of Digital Marketing
Following are the main advantages of online marketing.
1. Wide Reach and Low Cost
The possibility of widespread reach within a stipulated time limit at a very low cost is the most attractive part of digital marketing. The Digital revolution was taken place with the advent of the new communication system. Low-cost internet is the main factor that leads to such kind of digitally driven world. After reading the following benefits, you will understand the depth and breadth of digital marketing
2. Measurable Result
Accurately understanding and measuring the outcome is the most important everywhere to assess the effectiveness of the efforts we made. There are many types of analytical tools that can be used to understand its quality and efficiency with the greatest accuracy. Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel are the most important and commonly used free analytical tools on the internet.
3. Precise Targeting
Digital marketing provides the convenience of narrowing down our marketing to exactly who we are targeting. Apart from financial gain, it can ensure proper utilization of time and other resources which will directly make an impact on the overall performance of an organization
Things have now come to a point where the marketer can decide how often to reach whomever in which country, which age group, which social situation, which financial status, etc.
4. Easy Two-Way Communication
Due to the development of technology, customers can interact very quickly with the entrepreneur and vice versa. Now it is very easy to communicate a flaw in marketing or dissatisfaction with a product or service. Since customer reviews are more relevant than ever before, substandard products or services cannot sustain in the market for long. It also leads to a rapid increase in demand for quality products. Hence every business owner is bound to ensure more reliability and quality for their offerings.
Conclusion
Whether it is search engines or social media, they are looking at how a human thinks or how he behaves in a digital space and make analyses with the help of artificial intelligence and changing their features or algorithms accordingly.
But on the other hand, we are wasting our time studying how the algorithm works and finally producing a lot of lifeless content without understanding the facts. Also learning some tools every day and putting something together and saying it is for SEO. We must understand that digital marketing is not about becoming a machine by forgetting the human mind or emotions when machines struggle to think like humans for a better user experience.
