The growth of digital marketing and the internet has changed the way we connect with customers. And while the medium hasn’t always been kind to marketers, the benefits of online social networks (OSNs) can no longer be ignored. Here are five challenges you may face as a marketer and how to overcome them.

The Growth Of Digital Marketing

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re already aware of the growth of digital marketing and the internet. We live in a digital world, and as a marketer, you need to be aware of the importance of marketing technology in connecting with customers.

The internet allows for businesses to grow and thrive without geographical boundaries. This is great for consumers as a much wider selection of products and services are available to them, and it makes competition more even.

If you’re not using digital marketing to grow your business, you’re seriously missing out. There are many free resources online that can help you get started (e.g., Google Analytics, HubSpot, etc).

The Importance Of Brand Awareness

When consumers visit your website, they usually have a specific purpose in mind – to learn about your product or service and hopefully, make a purchase.

You as a marketer must understand the mind-set of your target audience because, beyond having a website, the internet is a place where rumors and false information flourish. Knowing what your target audience is thinking can help guide your decisions about marketing and advertising, and make your efforts more effective.

Some customers can become brand advocates and help spread the word about your product or service, while others may not even know your brand name. For this reason, you need to be sure that whenever someone visits your site, you have driven them to recall your brand name and motivated them to purchase what you are offering.

The Rise Of Influencer Marketing

If you’re not familiar, influencer marketing is the practice of marketing a brand or product through an influential person. Someone who has a large social media audience and plenty of credibility in their field.

For example, if you’re an e-commerce store and you’ve decided to work with an influencer to promote your brand, the influencer may create blog posts or videos about your product – showing the benefits and solving common problems.

Influencer marketing is a form of content marketing where the content is provided by a trusted third party (the influencer) and the goal is to have consumers behave in a certain way (e.g., purchase a product, attend a webinar, etc).

Working with influencers can be a great way to expose your product or service to a new audience and gain credibility with current customers. Just remember that influencers generate a lot of buzz but may not always lead to concrete action (e.g., purchase a product or service).

New Platforms For Old Problems

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re also aware that new platforms and technologies emerge that solve old problems. Thanks to the internet and digital marketing, creating effective online advertisements has never been easier.

With the right tools, it’s now possible to target specific groups of people based on the content they themselves participate in (e.g., forums, blogs, videos, etc). And because these platforms are relatively easy to use, anyone can do it. Your marketer may even have created these platforms and is able to guide you through the process.

The emergence of these platforms solves many of the problems marketers have struggled with for years: getting the right people to notice your product, engaging with them, and boosting brand awareness. Unfortunately, this also means there are now hundreds of options for advertisers to target and engage with potential customers. And while this may be great for consumers, it can make it harder for marketers to stand out.

How To Use Digital Marketing To Build A Business

If you’re starting a business or you’ve been operating for a while and you’re looking to grow, digital marketing can help. There are many platforms (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc) where you can put in place ad campaigns that will help you gain credibility with potential customers, engage them, and grow your business.

The great thing about digital marketing is that you can start small and add more platforms and channels (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube videos) as you grow. It is a flexible and cost-effective way to build your business. Just be sure to track the results of your efforts and learn from them.