We're in the digital age and have been for a while; experiencing the digitization of a number of industries including financial services, healthcare and education to an extent. The way we live and do business is continuously being improved by technology and advertising is no different, with more brands choosing to allocate their marketing budget towards website design, social media marketing and other similar avenues of lead creation.
You don't have to rack your brain too hard to remember some of the brands that have moved online and those that have been left in the dust by the digital reform.
We live in a time where you can easily order a product with a few clicks and have it delivered to your doorstep within a day. More and more people are opting for the convenience of shopping online as opposed to venturing out to physical stores where they're faced with lengthy queues, unorganised shelves and the cherry on top that is Great British weather.
Some of our favourite retailers, such as Topshop and Miss Selfridges are being eaten up by online fashion retailer greats such as ASOS and have moved their products to their stores. Similarly, Debenhams, a well-established department store dinosaur that has been around for almost 250 years is making the move online, after being bought out by boohoo, who have been trading online for roughly 15 years now. This just shows the power for growth that digital marketing holds in comparison to the traditional model.
Customer service is no longer subject to being restricted to in-store, companies now have the responsibility of 24/7 support for their customers - with many offering live chat services on their websites, interacting with their customers on social media and emailing them promotions.
Even the complaints process has become easier for customers since they can make complaints or even ask a simple question out of store opening hours. In addition, many companies are happy to interact with their customers through social media, either publicly where others are able to indirectly witness their great customer service, or privately via direct messages.
Gone are the days where the company with the bigger bank account dominated advertising space; digital marketing evens the playing field for smaller business by providing a cheaper but more effective solution to their marketing needs.
Digital marketing is more about strategically targeting your audience and building an appealing brand identity thus companies no longer need to put out tons of content to get seen.
Using pay-per-click and Search Engine Optimization campaigns - businesses can target specific audiences have a better chance of being seen by the people that need their product or service, with 93% of online interactions starting with search engines.
As discussed above, digital marketing allows companies to target their specific audience rather than including those who are unlikely to be interested in their product or service.
A company can use demographics and online activity of an individual to gauge their interests and needs; thus being able to qualify them as the correct target audience which is close to impossible with traditional marketing. This makes digital marketing far more effective than traditional marketing as it saves time, resources and effort that would otherwise be wasted.
Potential customers are more likely to buy from people they trust and digital marketing allows companies to express themselves and develop a personality in the eyes of the customer. This allows people to get to know the people behind the product or service.
With the rise of social media and growing importance of website design, it is easier for companies to build a brand identity that has a unique impact on the customer - often using humour and giving their own take on current events in pop culture allows brands to remain in the minds of customers, even when they aren't buying from them.
If it wasn't clear from the numerous benefits of digital marketing outlined above, the digital marketing revolution is killing traditional advertising. According to the Digital Third Coast, traditional marketing generates 50% fewer interactions with customers than digital marketing.
But traditional marketing paired with digital marketing can help some businesses to reach a local audience. For example, a window cleaning service might benefit from leaflet distribution and have their website address and social media on the leaflets so that potential customers can learn more about them and be persuaded by more than the contents of the leaflet.
However, today traditional marketing alone is simply not enough as you are missing out on a huge pool of leads that will quickly be snapped up by your competitors who are doing digital marketing.
Want to be part of the digital marketing revolution? Then book a meeting with us to learn more
