You have a product, service, or company website. You want people to learn about it, so you use online marketing to get the word out. You create content, such as product reviews, and you share it on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.
But is that enough? Does creating marketing content, sharing it on social media, and expecting people to come back for more mean you’re doing it right?
What if you want to get direct, in-your-face with your customers? What if you want to engage with them, interact with them, and create lifelong value for them?
That’s where marketing comes in. Not in the way you might think.
What is direct online marketing? It’s not just about marketing online; it’s about connecting with people where they are, engaging with them, and creating value.
The Difference Between Marketing And Marketing Strategy
Traditional marketing is, at its core, the process of getting people to learn about your product or service, and generating interest in it.
Marketing is, generally speaking, the process of turning interest into action. So while you’re doing your thing with traditional marketing, you’re also building a strategy for the future.
The goal is to generate leads, gain customer trust, and grow your business. That’s what defines marketing in a nutshell. It’s not about a single move or initiative; it’s a constantly evolving strategy.
What’s more, you’re not always thinking about marketing. Your actions and initiatives may simply be helping to fulfill your company’s goals. However, without a proper strategy in place, your marketing efforts may be going nowhere. It could even be backfiring.
Let’s say you’re a car manufacturer, and you want to market your latest model. You might put up billboards in high-traffic areas, run ads in online directories, and even sponsor a sports team. While all of those things are forms of marketing, they’re not strategy. They’re tactics.
Now, let’s say you’re an airline company, and you want to encourage tourists to visit your destination. You could put up billboards, run ads on social media, and invest in trade shows and conventions. But if your strategy is to market your destination as a luxury vacation spot, your tactics may simply be helping to fulfill that strategy.
The Role Of The Media In Digital Marketing
It’s important to keep in mind the different forms of media available to you when trying to market your product or service. While many of us think about social media when it comes to marketing, traditional media, such as television and newspaper ads, still have a place in digital marketing.
Just because a form of media is digital doesn’t mean it doesn’t have rules and norms. For instance, you probably wouldn’t want to run an ad in a prominent location on YouTube, because it’s owned by Google. While Google itself isn’t necessarily against ads, the company doesn’t allow them in certain prominent places, like above the fold on its homepage.
That’s why when you’re creating content for your blog, you have to keep in mind that there are “rules” of the road when it comes to online marketing. Otherwise, you’ll simply cause irritation instead of engagement.
Creating Long-Lasting Value With Customers
Your customers come back for more because you provide them with value. Not just any value, but value that is unique, valuable, and practical.
You may provide your customers with invaluable information about the product or service you sell. It could be something as simple as providing them with FAQs (frequently asked questions), or it could be as complex as creating a step-by-step buying guide. Whatever the case, by creating unique value, you’ll be able to retain your customers and gain new ones.
If you want to create lasting value for your customers, consider what they want, need, and use for your product or service. That’s how you provide value. You don’t necessarily have to create an in-house buying guide to do this; you can use third-party companies, such as UBITU, to get valuable insights into the buying behavior of your customers.
The Importance Of Measurement
If you want to succeed as a business owner, marketer, or brand manager, you must be able to measure the results of your initiatives. Without measurement, you simply have no clue whether or not what you’re doing is working, and you may be wasting your time and resources.
You can’t make changes, evolve your strategy, and then measure the results of those changes without first taking a step back and assessing where you are, and how you’re doing. That’s why it’s important to measure the results of your marketing strategy, and make adjustments as needed. Measuring alone is never enough. You have to constantly be looking for ways to improve and determine the effectiveness of your marketing.
The Importance Of Building A Brand
A brand is much more than a logo and a slogan. It’s a position in the minds of your customers, engaging with them, and connecting with people who are already thinking of your product or service.
A brand is, in other words, a promise to provide value, and not just any value, but valuable, practical, and unique value, for your customers.
If you want to establish a brand for your product, service, or company, start with the basics. What is your company known for? Does your product, service, or company have a recognizable logo? A memorable slogan?
It’s important to have an identity that is consistent across all touchpoints, but you also don’t want to be so corporate that it becomes dull and unappealing to your customer. Find that perfect balance.
The Importance Of Inspiration
As a business owner, marketer, or brand manager, it’s important to have a vision of what you’re trying to achieve, and the inspiration for that comes from the people you work with.
If you want to establish a direct line of communication with your customers, create content that is helpful, and use that to build a community. Your customers will thank you for giving them the information they need, and want, to help them make better decisions. Your fans, followers, and subscribers will feel like you understand their needs, and are paying attention to what they want. So not only does your content provide value, it also provides guidance on where to go, and what to use. That’s valuable, isn’t it?
If you want to become the go-to source for information on your product or service, form a community of people who have the same need and want to be part of your success. Create helpful content, utilize different media platforms and channels, and ultimately attract the right audience to your product. That’s how you build a brand. One small step at a time. That’s what you need to keep in mind.