from Sven Martens
A long-cherished wish...
Years ago, there was a dreaded buzzword in marketing: "wastage" - always associated with the desire to minimize it, to know your prospects better and to reach them where they are available.
Today, modern target groups are characterized by their ability to engage in dialogue and their interest in the genuine and sustainable message of companies. As a result, user behavior has changed rapidly and, alongside classic funnel approaches, there are now customer-centric approaches that focus precisely on the user and meet the authentic requirements of companies. Companies are led by the market, which brings us back full circle
Digital marketing (as an extension of analog marketing) therefore deals with marketing strategies in digital media and the presentation of companies and their products and messages on the Internet. In contrast to analog marketing, digital marketing provides much more information on target markets and user groups and digital marketing measures such as SEM (search engine marketing), SMM (social media marketing), NLM (newsletter marketing) or affiliate marketing can be used.
Opportunities through online users
Increased interest in interacting with companies, more touchpoints in various media, shorter product life cycles and faster market penetration mean that user behavior is changing dramatically. Companies have the opportunity to provide their online users with the content they need to make the right decisions. We are talking about 5-7 touchpoints that are needed to turn a prospect into a customer. Today's users use search engines to look for information, they are active on various social media channels and respond to messages. Companies therefore have the opportunity to generate interest and demand and keep users loyal in the long term through digital engagement with the company.
The transparent customer - measurable behavior
The scattering losses of analogue marketing are rapidly minimized in digital marketing, whereas in the past newspaper ads, television commercials and radio spots were satisfied with success in the per mille range, today we talk about percentages when considering success. The available budgets are used in a success-oriented manner, not least in terms of performance marketing.
User data from the use of apps or behavior on websites can be used to measure and ultimately interpret relevant key figures. The corresponding digital campaigns can then be created from this data and continuously optimized.
Digital marketing: the tactics
Depending on whether you want to reach customers while they are searching in search engines, through advertising messages while they are browsing their timelines, through advertisements when they visit apps, etc., there are various fields and types of digital marketing that companies can tackle.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Addressing users in search engines is referred to as SEM. Search or display network. Push or pull campaigns are buzzwords that are frequently used in connection with search engine marketing. In short, users are addressed by advertisers in various behavioural situations and the success of this approach is permanently optimized.
Both when searching for answers in the search engine and when visiting popular websites, advertisers in digital marketing can reach the relevant users via search engine optimization (SEO) and / or search engine ads (SEA).
SMM (Social Media Marketing)
SMM targets advertising in social media channels (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, LinkedIn) where users combine their interests and their social network. Users can be targeted according to their profiles and usage data. The goals here can be to achieve and expand organic reach, respond to advertisements or trigger purchase actions. There is also SMO (optimization) and SMA (advertising) in the social media sector. In short, on the one hand I want to reach as many users as possible with my content (optimization) and on the other hand I want to reach as many interested parties from my target group as possible.
EMM - e-mail marketing (including newsletter marketing)
Email marketing is one of the most widely used tools in online marketing. A large number of existing customers and prospective buyers can be addressed promptly and simultaneously, often ensuring measurable success. In addition to working in social media channels, EMM is the instrument for regularly sending information to the loyal customer or prospect base.
Content Marketing
Due to the large amount of information and the time intervals in which messages are sent to target groups today, it is important to be perceived in a prominent position compared to competitors. In SEO and also in SMM, high-quality content is evaluated and providers are rewarded for their content, for example by the content appearing in a prominent position in search engines or becoming more visible in the social media provider's timelines.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing uses performance-based methods (sales commissions) to encourage users to take action. To this end, advertising is used on partner sites and commission is paid for the resulting actions. CPC (cost per click), i.e. commission per click at a fixed price, or CPM (cost per mille), which corresponds to the classic CPM (cost per thousand contacts), are common models here.
Digital marketing for your success
Digital marketing is part of every marketing mix alongside traditional marketing and trade marketing. It takes into account the changing behavior of users, who interact more frequently and more dialogically with providers. Digital marketing in communication policy, but also in distribution policy, takes account of changing user behavior and allows providers to act in a sustainable and future-proof manner.
Martens & Kollegen will be happy to help you develop digital marketing excellence for your company. Experienced sales and marketing consultants, content managers, graphic designers, copywriters and social media managers will turn your potential into the ideal strategy for your digital marketing success.