Digital marketing
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Digital Marketing refers to the practice of marketing services, products and other items using digital tools and techniques that have appeared relatively recently since the rise of the Internet as a mainstream communications platform.
Containing some, but not all, of the techniques that fall under the category of Internet Marketing, digital marketing encompasses all aspects of modern life that include a digital component. These can, and often do, include items such as mobile phones, sms/mms, email, rss, web sites, banner ads, iptv, digital outdoor and others.
Previously seen as a stand-alone service in its own right, it is frequently being seen as a domain that can and does cover most, if not all, of the more traditional marketing areas such as Direct Marketing by providing the same method of communicating with an audience but in a digital fashion.
Digital Marketing is best used to describe the all encompassing practice of marketing products and services by harnessing the power of the Internet as a mainstream communications platform.
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[edit] Digital Marketing – Pull vs. Push
There are 2 different forms of digital marketing, each of which has their pros and cons.
Pull
Pull digital marketing technologies involve the user having to seek out and directly grab (or pull) the content. Web site/blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are good examples of this. In each of these examples, a user have a specific link (URL) to view the content.
Pros:
No restrictions in terms of type of content or size as the user determines what they want.
• No technology required to send the content, only to store/display it.
• No regulations or opt-in process required.
Cons:
• Considerable marketing effort required for users to find the message/content.
• Limited tracking capabilities – only total downloads, page views, etc.
• No personalization – content is received and viewed the same across all audiences
Push
Push digital marketing technologies involve both the marketer (creator of the message) as well as the recipients (the user). Email, SMS, RSS are examples of push digital marketing. In each of these examples, the marketer has to send (push) the messages to the users (subscribers) in order for the message to be received.
Pros:
• Can be personalized -- messages received can be highly targeted and specific to selected criteria – like a special offer for females, 21 years old or over and living in California.
• Detailed tracking and reporting – marketers can see not only how many people saw their message but also specific information about each user such as their name as well as demographic and psychographic data.
• High Return on Investment (ROI) possible – if executed the right way, push messaging can help drive new revenue as well as brand reinforcement. Cons: • Compliance issue – each push messaging technology has its own set of regulations, from minor (RSS) to heavily controlled (email and text messaging)
• Requires mechanism to deliver content – the marketer has to use an application to send the message, from an email marketing system to RSS feeders.
• Delivery can be blocked – if the marketer does not follow the regulations set forth by each push message type, the content can be refused or rejected before getting to the intended recipient.
[edit] Digital Marketing and Multi-Channel Communications
While digital marketing is effective when using one message type, it is much more successful when a marketer combines multiple channels in the message campaigns. For example, if a company is trying to promote a new product release, they could send out an email message or text campaign individually. This, if properly executed, could yield positive results. However, this same campaign could be exponentially improved if multiple message types are implemented.
An email could be sent to a list of potential customers with a special offer for those that also include their cell phone number. A couple of days later, a follow up campaign would be sent via text message (SMS) with the special offer. Push and pull message technologies can also be used in conjunction with each other. For example, an email campaign can include a banner ad or link to a content download. This enables a marketer to have the best of both worlds in terms of their marketing messaging.
[edit] Digital Marketing Companies
There are many companies that specialize in digital marketing. Here are just a few examples.
mobileStorm - Features a platform that combines email, SMS, voice, fax and direct mail into a single system as well as consulting and design services
Axciom Digital – Email marketing application as well as digital marketing services such as customer acquisition and SEO marketing.
Twelve Horses – Email, SMS, voice and fax platform that allows for multi-channel digital marketing.
Premiere Global Services – Email, voice and fax platform for integrated digital marketing and communications.
Simple Feed – Allows companies to integrate RSS into their digital marketing applications.
[edit] Digital Marketing Terms
Banner Ad An advertisement that appears on a Web page, most commonly at the top (header) or bottom (footer) of the page. Designed to have the user click on it for more information (see Microsite)
'Blacklisted A blacklisted notice means that the message may not have been delivered due to be flagged on one of the major lists that keep tabs of known spammers. Different ISPs use different blacklists to block mailings from being delivered to their clients. It can be a temporary ban or a permanent one, depending upon the list.
Blocked' A blocked notice means that the message did not get through due to being considered spam by the subscriber’s ISP. This may be due to being on a blacklist or because the message contains a domain that is already being blocked.
Blog Shortened from “web log” a blog is a user-generated Web site where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Campaign A campaign is a specific message being sent to a specific group of recipients.
CAN SPAM Act The CAN SPAM ACT is a series of federal laws that must be followed by all email marketers. Those found in violation of the laws can be subjected to major penalties. For more information, go to http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html
Click through The number of times people clicked on the links in your message. Note: you must have enabled click through tracking in the campaign in order for this to be recorded.
DMA Market DMA stands for Designated Market Area, which is often associated with the entertainment industry. DMAs are usually counties (or sometimes split counties) that contain a large population that can be targeted, such as New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago.
Email Service Provider (ESP) Outside companies like mobileStorm that send bulk emails on behalf of their clients to prevent their messages as being labeled as spam or blocked entirely.
False Positives Legitimate messages being labeled as “spam” Can cost companies potentially millions in potential lost revenue if not dealt with correctly.
GRPL The Global Permanent Removal List consists of records that are automatically removed from a particular database. Almost all email service providers (ESP) or mutli-channel messaging companies maintain these lists for their clients.
Instant Messaging Instant messaging (often shortened to IM) is a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet.
Keywords Used in conjunction with SMS messages. A user types a short code and matching keyword in order to be added to a mobile club or database.
Microsite A mini Web site design to promote a specific portion or brand from a larger corporate site. Used often with contests or as a landing page for a specific promotion.
Open Rate This is a ratio determined by the number of people who opened your email against the total number of people to whom you sent the message. Typically, this number will be low for large campaigns and higher for more targeted campaigns.
Personalization Personalization gives you the ability to create a customized message for each person in your database. Can be addressed by first/last name, city, state, zip, etc.
RSS RSS or Real Simple Syndication is technology designed to allow users to subscribe to a specific content feed and be automatically alerted when new updates are available.
RSS Reader Application used to subscribe and monitor selected RSS content feeds.
Short Code A short code is a 5 digit number that is used to send and respond to text messages. They can either be a random set of numbers or a “vanity” number tied to a specific brand or number pattern.
SMS SMS (Short Message Service) is a one-way text message sent via a cell phone. It is usually received via the subscribers' text message inbox on their cell phone and can be a maximum of 160 characters per message.
Social Bookmarking Social Bookmarking is a popular way to store, classify, share and search links that are combined into a single site for easy access.
Spam An email message that is unwanted by the recipient. Legitimate emails can sometimes be incorrectly identified as spam and is a growing problem.
Streaming Technologies Communication channel such as video and audio that is accessed online. Can be a pre-stored clip to access as well as a live feed that is streamed like an online broadcast.
Subscriber A person who signs up to receive messages from a particular company or entity.
Targeting Targeting allows you to send a message to people based on specific criteria from your subscriber database.
Voice Broadcast Sending a pre-recorded voice messages to a large set of phone numbers at the time same. Can either be a voice call (meaning the recipient must answer the call for the message to play) or voice mail (meaning the message will play only if the recipient doesn’t answer )
