After the time entering the Internet age, consumer behavior began to undergo a huge change. Today, consumers have not only regained their information autonomy, but online search for evaluation and price comparison have become one of the common shopping habits of modern people.

* This article is sponsored by OMARMAR Inc. - Discover Digital Marketing Agencies arounnd the world.

In addition, consumers are no longer restricted to offline physical stores. From platform providers, own websites, communities to offline stores, shopping opportunities occur almost all the time. Therefore, companies need to develop new channel strategies through digital marketing and marketing communication strategies to respond to consumers' emerging consumer behavior.

Contents:
* Why companies need digital marketing
* Traditional marketing vs digital marketing
* 7 common digital marketing methods
* Conclusion

Why companies need digital marketing

As stated in the preface, traditional marketing methods can no longer satisfy the consumption habits of today's consumers. Returning to the daily situation, the source of information for consumers has gradually shifted from television, newspapers and magazines to social media communities, online search engines, and video streaming. When consumers have consumer demand, the first step is usually to search for relevant product information and compare on the search engine.

Through the use of digital marketing, it can help companies to conduct cross-channel operations. Compared with the more promotional TV advertisements and large-scale billboard advertisements in traditional marketing, digital marketing starts from the needs and consumption patterns of consumers. Having marketing budget flexibility, and the characteristics of tracking effectiveness and high interaction are also a marketing method that can be used for accurate marketing through data analysis.

Traditional Marketing VS Digital Marketing

With the rise of the Internet age and changes in consumer habits, traditional marketing is no longer as effective as before.

Four disadvantages of traditional marketing:
    • Audiences gradually become numb to promotional advertising
    • Need to invest a lot of marketing costs
    • Unable to track performance through data analysis
    • Unable to accurately deliver to target customers to achieve accurate marketing

7 common digital marketing methods

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Through SEO search engine optimization, brand websites can be exposed to consumers with search motivation, which is the best way for consumers to find websites. Through keyword research and optimization of website experience, when consumers search for relevant keywords on the Internet, your website has the opportunity to appear directly on the first page of search results.
For an in-depth understanding of SEO operation methods, find articles about How to do SEO search engine optimization?

2. Content Marketing

Under the digital torrent, consumers receive thousands of marketing information every day, and they are gradually paralyzed. This is precisely the reason for the rise of content marketing. Many brands have begun to increase consumer trust and adherence to the brand by operating content that is valuable to consumers and not selling products as the guide, thereby generating sales conversion and strengthening customer loyalty .

Common content marketing styles:
    • Product service white paper, user guide
    • Brand story copywriting
    • Videos, social interaction materials
    • Corporate research and insights (culture, consumer, authority field...)

How to do inbound content marketing? Refer to What is inbound content marketing?

3. Blog Marketing

Blog marketing is also related to the rise of search engines. Through blog management, not only can create brand image and tone be shaped, but also an important channel for communication with users. Blogs can be used as an outpost for website diversion, helping search engines to find websites more easily. It is one of the common digital marketing methods to help demand-motivated consumers understand product and corporate value through valuable content creation and SEO search engine optimization.

4. Digital Advertising

Today's digital advertising in 2019 should have long been known to everyone. Whether it is social networking sites, search engines, or even apps, digital advertising is almost flooding modern consumers' lives.
The difference between digital advertising and traditional advertising lies in data tracking. Through the advertiser's back-end system, we can see the effectiveness of each advertisement, determine the budget to be invested, the number of people that can be reached, the clicks reached, etc. In addition, We can even insert a tracking code on the website to re-market visitors who have reached the website page to achieve more accurate marketing.
Want to learn more about digital advertising? Refer to How to do online advertising marketing? How to evaluate the advertising performance indicators CPC, CPM, CTR ?

5. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media websites are an indispensable part of modern people’s lives. In addition to being an important channel for brand branding, communities are also characterized by high interaction and direct communication. Therefore, many brands use social media communities to create distinctive brands. Image shaping, or trigger discussion, etc.
For more social marketing, please refer to What is social marketing? Break your myths about social marketing !

6. EDM Email Marketing

Email marketing is a member management tool that companies can make good use of. Through the email information collected on social media, websites, and blogs, through good content strategies and CTA design, companies can effectively carry out remarketing activities to complete customer calls or It is to enhance the consumer consumption willness stage. If email marketing can be matched with a good crowd-focusing approach, the conversion effect that can be achieved cannot be underestimated. Therefore, it is a membership management tool that many companies use.

7. Buzz Marketing and Key Opinion Leaders (KOL)

The emergence of buzz marketing is related to consumers regaining their search autonomy. Consumers no longer easily accept advertising information unilaterally provided by companies. Instead, they prefer KOLs or real user experience and comments. Therefore, "buzz marketing" has become a very important part of the digital marketing channels.
From setting up a consumer review page, encouraging users to write tips, or cooperating with KOLs and bloggers, writing buzz posts and shooting YouTube videos, etc., to increase the credibility of the brand, promote the brand’s products and services, and deepen the audience’s understanding of trust and positive impression of the brand.

Conclusion:

In the multi-channel Internet age, companies can no longer use a single marketing method to carry out channel strategies or as a channel to connect with consumers.

Nowadays, consumers are no longer restricted to which channel to visit. Once the demand arises, the consumer journey is initiated. If companies want to catch this group of potential consumers with demand motives, they must think about how to conduct cross-channel operations through digital marketing. Create a marketing funnel that is in line with digital consumers and create valuable self-traffic through channel plans.

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