It is 2020 and the world population stands at 7.8 billion people, of which almost 60 percent have access to internet. We do the maths and it estimates to around 4.57 billion active internet users as of April 2020. As I am writing this I use the internet and in the 5 minutes I spent online I came across 10 digital platforms whose online footprints and publications helped me, a random user, thousands of kilometre away. I now know 2 new publications and subscribed myself to a newsletter.
That is how digital marketing works. In a world where more than half the population is online, your business can not be expected to lie stagnant on dependency to salesperson arriving at the doorstep of your potential customers nor can you rely on billboards which people conveniently drive by. Let’s start small. Say, you are a publishing start-up company which sells books. Considering that there is a global shift due to capitalist economies, people are prone to be busy with less time to actually visit bookstores and libraries to know what is fresh on the market, which writers are becoming popular etc. and thus there is less footfall for ground advertising in general and so marketing becomes difficult when you don’t understand who might your potential customers be.
Now, deciding to go digital you focus on kindles and e-books. The striking alternate reality that can be advertised for the busy population who can carry their books in their phones and can comparatively save money. You are just starting and don’t have enough capital to spend on offline marketing. But once you open up a website which allows you sell e-books and kindle editions of books, you open your platform to potentially 4.57 billion internet users. No amount of offline marketing can provide you with such chances. Digital marketing then becomes here the best seller option. It comparatively costs less and provides a larger global reach in a much smaller investment. With so many users online, finding your customers is not exactly that hard with the advent of web analytics. You can find out through trends on which websites you will find your customers. Online metric tools make it much easier for you to know users visiting your site, the amount of active customers and how they respond to advertising. Social media is another place where digital marketing has found its footing. An avid internet user prevalent on social media spends approximately 2 hours and 23 minutes of their time on such platforms. Making social media a buzzing hub for advertising.
A book blogger with a considerable amount of followers will give you a reach to more potential customers than offline marketing might. Digital marketing thus allows great opportunity for feedback and customer service. And also digital personalization. Each customer can be provided with altogether a different experience. Once you have a broad base of established customers you can start building memberships and turning this relationship into trust and taking things offline through online marketing i.e. opening bookstores on the basis of your digital marketing popularity.
As a corporation, digital marketing enables the best of both worlds which is less investments and high returns. But let us turn to the consumer.
Let us start with you. Now, you are in your prime, a financially independent adult working towards bettering your life altogether while trying to enjoy the journey. You return from your workplace tired and sit on your couch. Would you read newspaper or say welcome a salesperson who arrives at your door or maybe gives you a call? No, this will most probably end up feeling like a nuisance which you can conveniently avoid. But you open up your television or computer and right there is a click bait perhaps or an advertisement playing. Naturally, the visuals, the audio and the vibrancy of pictures and film will capture you. Digital marketing can show you just the image that you want to see, instead of selling the product, the visuals are able to sell you an experience by evoking emotions. All this while you sit in the comfort of your own space.
In another advantage, having online footprints of your business means easy accessibility for the customers who might search for it. It becomes easy for a reader to search on a search engine concerning books and come across your book selling business. This way the customer can come to you, instead of the other way around.
Digital marketing does not entail 100% profits. But it allows business to broaden their chances at having a stronger relation with their customers and building trust and convenience. It can be used wisely to create profits while allowing businesses to make people happy.
Comments