For decades, the established best practices for marketers remained the same. Mediums like television, radio and print all saw fluctuations in their value, but for the most part the rules and marketing templates used remained consistent as advertisers sought to reach the masses and relate to them.
The Internet is a different landscape altogether. Marketers who have applied traditional approaches to this new medium have learned the hard way about the inefficiencies that such methods create. In some cases, it almost seems as if what works through digital media is the opposite of the tried-and-true approaches of traditional strategy.
But that doesn’t mean traditional marketers have to hang up their cleats and walk away from the game. In some ways, digital strategy can be developed as an evolution of traditional templates. It’s all a matter of understanding marketing’s digital economy and how consumers are influenced online.
Once you understand the unique breed of the digital consumer, the strategies used to excel online will seem simple, logical, even advantageous over traditional methods. Here are four key points to consider as you adopt a digital approach.
Aim for quality, not quantity, in reach
Traditional marketing is all about reach: Getting ads out in front of as many consumers as possible. The cost of ads is priced accordingly. But reach online has become an outdated notion as targeting tools allow businesses to refine their approach. Instead of blasting an ad out to X number of consumers, and hoping some of them respond and make a purchase, you can filter your ad exposures based on indicators and other information, including demographics and location, so that ads only target quality individuals — those considered more likely to make a purchase.
Thus, total reach has no value online. Instead, businesses want to be selective when choosing who to advertise to online. By using discretion and valuing quality over quantity, conversion rates can increase and your return-on-investment will be greater.
Embrace the ability to adjust and refine
Traditional marketing campaigns are developed and then released into the wild: Marketing departments wait in anticipation to see whether their latest campaign is a hit or a miss. It can feel a bit like gambling because even the best marketers can miss the mark and fail to connect with consumers, resulting in a poor performance from that campaign.
Digital marketers can be subject to the same inconsistencies when it comes to developing a campaign, but they have tools to bail them out in the form of analytics engines. Because no campaign is ever perfect right from the start, digital marketing allows analytics to evaluate the results of campaigns as they occur. If performance is falling below expectations, analytics tools can offer insight into why that might be happening — what techniques or marketing materials aren’t working, which consumers aren’t engaging the materials, etc. This way, marketers can make instant adjustments that change the strategy and lead to better campaign results in real-time.
Let computers do some of the dirty work
Analytics tools are just one way computers are improving digital marketing. Digital targeting tools are effective in identifying the best types of consumers to target based on a variety of information, including past online behavior. Similarly, keyword research tools and ad pricing tools, including mobile bid adjustments, can be integral in fine-tuning strategy while increasing efficiency and your per-ad cost. This will produce greater returns on your investment, stretching your digital marketing dollars and increasing ad relevance.
Of course, there’s still a place for traditional marketing, and you don’t have to scrap those practices just to take on digital opportunities. Whether you are solely focused on digital commerce or want to integrate digital and traditional strategies with one another, seek out a Denver inbound marketing firm with experience on both sides. Contact DBC Digital today to learn about how you can bring your marketing practices up to speed with your competitors.
