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.
