Utilizing online distributions methods to promote
products is known as digital marketing. This approach is
both time saving and cost effective. Digital marketing is
done through items such as cell phones, SMS, MMS, instant
messaging, websites, emails, banner advertisement and
digital billboards.
Digital marketing involves some of the techniques of direct
marketing and Internet marketing. In digital marketing
traditional methods of promotions are executed digitally. It
involves marketing in two forms, pull and push.
Pull digital marketing requires the user to pull or extract
the content directly. The customer has to approach the
promotional matter and see the matter by himself. Examples
are websites, forums and web logs. All these require
clicking on a URL in order to view the content. The content
that is being displayed doesn’t have to follow any
guidelines. Effort is required to only display the content
on the website or forum and there is no additional cost of
sending the information to the customer, but the customer
has to make the extra effort of reaching to the content .The
customer doesn’t have to opt-in for such kind of promotion
and one message is being viewed by all and it cannot be
personalized. The customers who see the content cannot be
traced, although the click through rate can be considered
which give details about the number of clicks the message
received. This is be done by enabling the click though
tracking during the campaign, which records the information.
Push digital marketing technologies requires the effort of
both the marketer and the customer. The marketer has to push
or send the content to the customer and the customer has to
make the effort of receiving it. This is a very effective
kind of marketing and the investments surely earn a big
return as it creates brand recognition. SMS, MMS, emails,
RSS podcasting are examples of push digital marketing. Since
the content is sent to individuals, it can be personalized
according to the intended recipient. Whether the message has
been opened and viewed by the customer or deleted it can be
tracked and reported. Information related to the customer
such as name, geographical location could be traced. But
when sending this king of message, certain criteria should
be met as the SMS and emails sent are monitored. If the
marketer doesn’t follow the rules and regulations properly,
there is a possibility of messages getting rejected and
blocked, before they reach the targeted audience and the
message is considered to be spam. Bigger consequences
involve marketers getting blacklisted temporarily or even
permanently. The number would be blocked and they won’t be
able to send any messages at all. Messages sent to the RSS
feeders require a mechanism with an application to reach,
when sent by an email marketing system.
Both forms of digital marketing should be used in consonance
to achieve positive results. A smart marketer sends out
emails along with SMS and uses multiple channels to market
his products. The type of messages being sent should also be
different from one another. They should not only be text,
but animations, audios and videos. There is a possibility of
using pull and push message technologies in conjunction like
the email sent to a potential customer can have a URL or a
banner ad, which on clicking downloads information. If there
is enormous group of people to be reached via email, Email
service providers can be hired who sends loads of emails to
the customers on behalf of the marketer and they take
measures so that the messages are not considered as spam.
Although much of the marketing is opt-in, federal laws, such
as CAN SPAM Act, have been passed to protect the customers
from unscrupulous marketers who would go to any extent to
promote their products or hackers or spammers who have a bad
intent i.e. like harming the computer or installing adware,
spyware on people’s computers.
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