Conversation Channels or Advertorials?
From the global trends in marketing over the past 12 months, digital marketing solutions (online and via cellphone) are coming into their own as marketers' channels of choice because of their growing stature as solutions that work well and save money.
According to the trends by so many market researches, enterprises will increase their focus on business impact in 2009 and build on the collective growth and adoption of social media sites and consumer interaction.
Social technology adoption increased tremendously in 2008, and by the end of 2009 more than 85 percent of online consumers, for example, will be reading or interacting with social content.
Ratings and reviews, "voting" for websites, and peer-generated video experienced the largest growth, while blogs and tagging closely followed.
Older adults are now also more likely to participate socially as spectators and critics, placing them in the active rungs of the researchers' social media ladder.
The research projects that more brands will begin to integrate social applications with traditional marketing campaigns and revise campaigns based on social feedback.
"Clients are now going to look at the digital medium more seriously and the guys who were thinking about it will now start acting on it,"
"Cost effectiveness is just one part of the story. It is also because the entry barriers are low - you don't have to invest huge amounts of money to get in.
"It also gives an opportunity for one-to-one interaction, and is far more accountable than other media. So it's a gamut of reasons, and I think now when everybody is looking to cut corners and think twice before they spend, a medium like this really helps."
Key elements that underpin the rise of digital marketing. For businesses and marketers looking to access digital marketing channels, there are a few central tenets.
Firstly, conversation, connection and interaction are the key. Most digital channels are two-way and immediate, and can lead to a higher return on investment.
Social media such as blogs and social networks such as Facebook, for example, are all about people connecting with other people. It is easier to shift attitudes and affect behaviour through a conversation than an advertisement.
Most marketing efforts in the past have been fragmented due to the high cost of communicating with consumers via traditional channels.
With the advent of online and social media, however, the gaps between adverts can be filled with richer interactions that involve consumers more in the brand narrative. Social media plays the deciding role in the actual purchase for many consumers.
Secondly, it is easier to track the results of digital marketing with simple analytics tools or pay-for-performance pricing on many channels such as Google (you pay only when your ad is clicked by a user).
Thirdly, well-executed digital campaigns gather momentum and can become marketing assets. An example is Procter & Gamble's BeingGirl.com site.
By investing in content, offline marketing of the site and strategic partnerships, it created a successful teen destination that drives not only visits but also sales.
Fourthly, digital campaigns can simultaneously inform consumers, while gathering insight about them. Social media is a market research opportunity the likes of which most companies would never be able to afford, particularly in a recession.
The online community is continually engaged, providing constant opinion that can lead to better products and services.
Finally, the digital marketing possibilities extend to cellphones, which to date globally has been underleveraged.
The numbers of cellphone users exceed users with fixed-line broadband in many countries
Many of these users are also accessing the internet using phones and social networking applications such as Mxit. The potential for marketers is staggering - and as yet untapped.
Despite its vast potential, marketing through the internet and cellphones is still at a nascent stage; marketers are still not up to speed on how to use these channels.
In this economy, however, firms should be switching on to these opportunities.
From the global trends in marketing over the past 12 months, digital marketing solutions (online and via cellphone) are coming into their own as marketers' channels of choice because of their growing stature as solutions that work well and save money.
According to the trends by so many market researches, enterprises will increase their focus on business impact in 2009 and build on the collective growth and adoption of social media sites and consumer interaction.
Social technology adoption increased tremendously in 2008, and by the end of 2009 more than 85 percent of online consumers, for example, will be reading or interacting with social content.
Ratings and reviews, "voting" for websites, and peer-generated video experienced the largest growth, while blogs and tagging closely followed.
Older adults are now also more likely to participate socially as spectators and critics, placing them in the active rungs of the researchers' social media ladder.
The research projects that more brands will begin to integrate social applications with traditional marketing campaigns and revise campaigns based on social feedback.
"Clients are now going to look at the digital medium more seriously and the guys who were thinking about it will now start acting on it,"
"Cost effectiveness is just one part of the story. It is also because the entry barriers are low - you don't have to invest huge amounts of money to get in.
"It also gives an opportunity for one-to-one interaction, and is far more accountable than other media. So it's a gamut of reasons, and I think now when everybody is looking to cut corners and think twice before they spend, a medium like this really helps."
Key elements that underpin the rise of digital marketing. For businesses and marketers looking to access digital marketing channels, there are a few central tenets.
Firstly, conversation, connection and interaction are the key. Most digital channels are two-way and immediate, and can lead to a higher return on investment.
Social media such as blogs and social networks such as Facebook, for example, are all about people connecting with other people. It is easier to shift attitudes and affect behaviour through a conversation than an advertisement.
Most marketing efforts in the past have been fragmented due to the high cost of communicating with consumers via traditional channels.
With the advent of online and social media, however, the gaps between adverts can be filled with richer interactions that involve consumers more in the brand narrative. Social media plays the deciding role in the actual purchase for many consumers.
Secondly, it is easier to track the results of digital marketing with simple analytics tools or pay-for-performance pricing on many channels such as Google (you pay only when your ad is clicked by a user).
Thirdly, well-executed digital campaigns gather momentum and can become marketing assets. An example is Procter & Gamble's BeingGirl.com site.
By investing in content, offline marketing of the site and strategic partnerships, it created a successful teen destination that drives not only visits but also sales.
Fourthly, digital campaigns can simultaneously inform consumers, while gathering insight about them. Social media is a market research opportunity the likes of which most companies would never be able to afford, particularly in a recession.
The online community is continually engaged, providing constant opinion that can lead to better products and services.
Finally, the digital marketing possibilities extend to cellphones, which to date globally has been underleveraged.
The numbers of cellphone users exceed users with fixed-line broadband in many countries
Many of these users are also accessing the internet using phones and social networking applications such as Mxit. The potential for marketers is staggering - and as yet untapped.
Despite its vast potential, marketing through the internet and cellphones is still at a nascent stage; marketers are still not up to speed on how to use these channels.
In this economy, however, firms should be switching on to these opportunities.
1 comment:
Did I miss something here. I thought when you talked about advertorials you meant the literal term used in online media where a company goes to publishers (bloggers) to write advertising editorials for them. Something like pay per post or sponsored posts. That was my understanding of advertorials. And being someone closely related to Google and way it treats paid posts, I know for sure that ROI on such activities is not even worth considering the option. Of course I am going with my definition for advertorials.
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