Understanding the 'digital' in marketing

The Internet age has made marketing incomplete if a digital strategy isn't included in the plan. Most people think of 'tools' and 'systems' when they hear digital when in actual sense it is the latest exchange of value in our economy with attention from visitors and potential customers as the common currency.

Digital has now become a way of life; it is now the method in which people interact with each other, the media and the world as a whole. The desire of customers to contribute, share information using the Internet has resulted in marketers picking their audience and sharing information which will suit their needs and wants. All these have been made possible by the 'digital' in marketing.

People no longer ignore digital messages. Customers have become publishers, editors and commentators which makes conversation multidirectional. Nowadays, conversations are no longer controlled by brands but by visitors and potential customers through the use of user-friendly gadgets.

Digital strategy director Bud Caddel defines 'digital' as a "participatory layer of all media that allows users to self-select their own experiences and affords marketers the ability to bridge media, gain feedback, iterate their message and collect relationships" (Caddel, 2013).

In simpler terms, Caddel says digital "is a new way of exploring content (for users) and connecting with customers (for marketers).

Knowing how essential digital is, it's important to have a clear understanding of what marketing entails. Professor of Marketing Dr. Philip Kotler defines marketing as "that function of the organization that can keep in touch with the organization's customers, read their needs, develop products that meet these needs and build a program of communications to express the organization's purposes." (Kotler and Levy, 1969).

With these definitions, it's not hard to see that traditional and digital marketing have the same intents and purposes. The aims of marketing both traditional and digital are to get customers, keep customers, make sales and generate sales from future transactions.

But digital has made it easy for marketers by establishing effective communication tools to connect and build long-lasting relationships with customers.

Digital marketing has used the Internet as its marketplace where customers not only demand for products but interact with each other. This has given rise to a term called the "attention economy". Through there is an exchange of value given, it has allowed the exchange of attention for value instead.

The power of digital marketing can be felt in these ways:

It allows marketers and strategists to know who their audiences are. Unlike traditional marketing, precise segmentation is totally possible and factors like current location and recent brand interactions can be included in the information. This allows for personalized messages made specially for the brand's audience.

Everything that has to do with digital marketing is completely measurable. Every click made by customers can be recorded. Marketers can now see how their digital campaigns faired in the market, which is the best digital channel to connect with your customers, bring about sales and double fold revenue.

At RDM, we help clients understand why going digital is very important for the growth of their businesses, making short or long term sales and solidifying relationship with customers.

Kindly visit the website on  http://www.rdm.ng/

Article written by Oge Okonkwo

This is a feature by RDM