In the past decade, the ideology behind various things changed dramatically. Our concepts were altered as the way we lived our daily lives became enhanced with new technology. The innovations in technology have made us forget the traditional markings of how we worked; whether it was operations, logistics, marketing, or human resources. Each division faced the wrath of novel findings and inventions. One such highly impactful consequence of innovations in marketing is the emergence of digital marketing. 

Now you must be asking yourself; what is so attractive about digital marketing that it has become a necessity for a business to grow? Digital marketing specifically includes utilizing online platforms to create awareness about a business’s particular product or service. Broadly the marketing channels used in this exercise include search engines, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, etc., websites, email marketing, and certain applications on mobile. These platforms are all used as the bridge to connect to the customer. Advertisements are displayed through them in various ways to entice the customer to purchase the product. These channels are used in different methods to endorse unique features of the company’s products or services. A business can create an entire brand identity with the use of digital marketing. 

You will seldom find a business that does not require marketing efforts. It could be a software house in Chicago requiring help getting the word out about their unique cloud services or a company offering technical services in Dubai needing assistance with creating awareness about their particular brand of awesome facilities. In one way or another, any company in existence requires sound marketing plans to generate sales. Digital marketing is done through multiple roads and each category involves particular research and strategy planning. Some of the core methods used in this process include the following:

• Website Content
• Social Media Profiles
• Brand Marketing (Logos, Icons or pictures)
• Blogs, Vlogs, and EBooks
• Influencer Marketing (Image and Video content creation)
• Reviews and testimonials
• Content Marketing

Now that we understand what the numerous avenue are in digital marketing that can be used to benefit a business, the next step is planning an execution strategy. Although before defining a plan it is important to know exactly who your consumer is and which particular platform they can be approached on with the most frequency. Each strategy will differ as the features of the various types of digital marketing sub-categories come into play. Knowing the purpose behind your marketing efforts is what will pave the way for ultimate success for the business. 

So how exactly should one go about implementing this strategy? The roadmap is simple yet dynamic. It is important to do your research and then plan according to how you envision your product and service. The first crucial step, therefore, is to inaugurate your brand. This refers to identifying the critical points of interaction with the customer that includes the selling points. Map out the consumer journey to have a transparent picture in mind of what your brand stands for and the competitive advantage that you have in the industry. Determining and defining the image of your brand also includes creating the logo and design constituents that will be used in marketing to identify your company out of the heart. 

The second crucial step in this guide to digital marketing is the identification of the company’s buyers. This includes determining the category of individuals online who are going to want to review your product or service. What is the persona of your buyer, create a customer profile by answering questions such as what their interests would be like, what is their income bracket, what kind of job would they have or where would they live. This will also help you establish where to find that customer online. After determining the persona of your customer you need to clearly define what is it that you aim to achieve out of your digital marketing efforts. Set specific goals with measurable results so that the team executing the tasks has a rubric of how to gauge their progress. They should be attainable and realistic not far-fetched enough to completely disorient the actual probability of getting to the target. A critical factor to consider when setting your goals is to make sure they are time-bound. Give your team a deadline, use project management software, and work according to a set of deadlines to make sure you achieve the desired results on time. 

Once you have a clear picture of who you are marketing to and why the time comes for determining the tactics you would deploy. From the extensive list of possibilities at your disposal with digital marketing choose the ones that suit your particular need the most. As every business has a limited set of resources to provide each department, marketing efforts have to be cognizant of the boundaries of these resources as well. Determine the budget that can be deployed towards these tasks and try to stick within it. Evaluate over time what the return of investment is on your plan and then slowly increase the level of resources you put into the idea. Probably the most important aspect of digital marketing to work with is the data that it provides. There is an immense amount of relevant data generated through online platforms that can be analyzed to create better strategies. So invest in data analytics.

The digital world is here to stay with its ever-evolving array of uses. It is in the best interest of businesses to get their hands dirty and learn the intricacies of the process. Every new era brings with it a new set of challenges. There is immense change that we need to adapt to that come into existence with innovations in technology. Digital marketing is one such invention that has altered the way we used to view marketing and generating sales. This is why it is vital to understand the significance of the art and reap its benefits. 

Author bio.

Sheikh Adil is a keynote speaker on social media strategy, LinkedIn marketing & social media marketing trainer, MediaHicon digital marketing author, and  MediaHicon SEO consultant for global organizations.