Digital marketing is also commonly known as e-marketing or online-marketing. A clear definition of what this type of marketing consist of is:
“The traditional marketing aspects (offline) took to the internet, using on-line tools and resources”
In other words, e-marketing is just another form of the traditional marketing which we can see on our computer screens, tablets and phones.
Digital marketing involves publicity, communication and PR services. It entails many types of techniques and communication strategies about a given product, service or idea in any existing type of media. There are two main characteristics that e-marketing has and which make it somehow special.
What makes E-marketing different?
The two most notable characteristics which make e-marketing different from traditional marketing are:
- PERSONALISATION: customers will to know more about products or services is constantly increasing and e-marketing takes this into account. New on-line tools and resources allow e-marketing to adapt and custom web-pages to customer taste, but not only that, they also allow each user to automatically receive information about the product or service which they are interested in and have previously been looking for on the company’s web page. This allows customers to find what they want to find easily and it makes it easier for the company to sell the product.
A clear example of a business which is in charge of helping other companies to enter the e-marketing world is Demand Base. Here is a video of they do in order to help other businesses make more out of their marketing by using online tools and personalized web pages.
- MASSIVE: for less money than the money used in a traditional marketing campaign, companies can reach a great number of people in their target market segments to promote their products.
The E-form of the traditional four P’s
With e-marketing, we go from PRODUCT, PRICE, PROMOTION, PLACE to:
Flow: The flow of information is created by online-platforms, which are interactive and make the customer feel involved in the buying process. Interactivity catches many people’s attention as they feel that they are being attended in a better way, this gives them confidence and a little push to make their first on-line purchase.
Functionality: On-line web sites must be easy to use and intuitive for the user. Doing this we allow customers to know exactly what they are doing, and therefore they do not get lost in the purchase process and they do not abandon the site. The Kiss rule is vital towards the functionality aspect, and even though it may seem strange, all it means is Keep It Simple and Stupid.
Feedback: interactive platforms allow establishing a customer company relationship, the perception that the customer receives about our company is vital towards the image of the company. Customer complaints made via an online source should be attended to improve customer service, as this allows the improvement of the image the business projects.
Loyalty: Once an e-relationship is established there is a rule: never let go! Companies proportion information that the customer is interested on by tracking the set of items which they have been looking at. Making the customer want to visit the site more frequently is a vital step toward increasing the popularity of the web page and making the company more well known.
M for Marketing 