The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns around the world had a disastrous effect on many businesses of various industries like retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and others. As a result companies, large and small, have intensified their digitalization activities developed new or improved existing e-commerce websites, and sought new means to stay connected with their clients through various digital communication channels.

The pandemic has actually prompted the projects that would have probably been implemented in several years from now. We see more and more of the digital transformation processes that have been on the agenda for years now being urgently on the top lists of priorities for businesses, corporations, and firms. With the pandemic still in action let’s dive into why digital marketing is now everybody’s savior and understand the advantages of it.

Having a website is not only a must but may not be enough

Nowadays having a website is far from enough. It is very important to have an effectively working, content-rich, easy to browse, easy to find, and engaging website that actually serves the best way possible to all the visitors that land there. There are so many micro-details that make the bigger picture look “beautiful” in the eyes of the audience. Would it be tech, design, marketing and sales, UX, UI, and other important factors that are some of the key elements making a website to be a way above average.

And things are just starting once you have your effective and working websites. You need quality traffic to visit your website. To return there for more of what you have to offer. To stay engaged with the content, products, or services presented. And here comes the digital marketing and communication strategy you will implement.

A study showed that 43 percent of customers find it super comforting to hear from companies that they trust in these unpredictable times. This means that you need to reach your audience through a complex mix of digital communication channels that is precisely developed and fits your business buyer persona digital behavior – that could be social medial platforms, video content platforms, blogs, email, live streams, and so on.

The most important factor is that the content delivered matches your brand’s communication strategy, business goals, and audiences’ needs. Otherwise, it is just only digital “noise” and is some cases even “pollution”.

There are of course various ways you can interact with your audience. Those are also defined by the nature of your business. If you are a B2B business for example you should also consider utilizing LinkedIn for your digital marketing activities.

Other B2C products or services that serve an end-consumer may consider utilizing Instagram or even Tiktok? Or building an online shop on Facebook.

Giant brands like Oreo, Pepsi, and Maybelline now use Tiktok challenges and such digital practices go viral also on Instagram. Considering 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business page in a day, a robust digital marketing strategy should create a comprehensive online presence on several platforms. But again, not random ones and not with random content.

An engaging, valuable, easy to understand and creative digital marketing strategy is the key component of winning businesses nowadays. And it refers to their websites, digital assets, online presence, content, and digital image.

Digital recipes: the 4Ps marketing mix

Many company owners and executives often mention the marketing mix or the marketing 4Ps in their meetings, agendas, and interviews. But how is this actually put into practice in the real world?

A lot of firms believe they have a high-quality product or service and so people should buy it. No second thought about it. However, they often don’t put their potential end-user first. And how the end-user, the buyer-persona by definition will engage with and react to the product characteristics (are they presented in the best possible way), to the price tags and the purchasing options, to the offers available?

By outlining all this we mean having solid answers to a set of questions related to your product or service:

• Do you firmly know your USPs?
• Like not some clichés but the real competitive advantages?
• Are they easy to understand?
• Do you know what customers exactly like about your products or services?
• Why are they buying it and do they come for more?
• What are your price tag opportunities and how you can utilize them the best way possible?
• Where does your product or services stand against your competitors?
• Do you express the value proposition through effectively thought the right digital assets, digital platforms, and digital communication?
• What are the levels of brand consistency?
• What is your customer acquisition cost? Do you have an appalling offer to present?
• The list of questions goes on.

Having an excellent understanding of the above is crucial when marketing your products or services online. People have developed zero tolerance the opposite.

In addition, using digital marketing tools and advertising platforms like Google Ads and Facebook/Instagram ads will result in far more optimal KPI measurements and ad-spent budget allocation than conventional TV or radio ads or billboards, for example.

Online networks and social media platforms have long ago become the Place in the 4Ps definition. Good businesses have researched and found the most effective digital places where they need to be present in order to serve best their audiences, engage with them and build loyalty up.

Next week we will elaborate more on the topic and will publish Part 2 of the article. Stay tuned…

ThanX

ExpandX Marketing & Web

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