Why digital marketing is the future of marketing

Is Digital Marketing the future of marketing? Do you remember the iconic ads of the nineties airing between Chitrahaar or Tu Tu Main Main? Remember, the small jalebi boy from the Dhara ad, or the crazy dancing girl from the Cadbury Dairy Milk ad who barged into the cricket stadium after her paramour hit a boundary? These ads have been the piece of nostalgia and were carefully crafted to attract the attention of the audience sitting in front of the TV, along with their family.

Unfortunately, this mode of advertising has become somewhat less rewarding in the current times. You see, most of us do own a TV of our own – some even multiple sets – in our home. But, most of us do not spend that much amount in front of it. Instead, we prefer watching the shows on the OTT platforms where there are lesser ad breaks and more of the content. We prefer connecting our mobiles to Smart TVs, for better viewing experience.

Related reading: Growth of Digital Marketing in India

Digital Marketing is the future of Marketing!

In these scenarios, advertisers are thinking out of the box solutions for engaging with their audience and promoting their products. With the tremendous increase in viewership among online channels, the promoters have shifted their attention towards – online Digital Marketing.

What is digital marketing?

Technically, digital marketing is promotion of goods and services through digital mediums. In this broad perspective, advertising anything over websites, social media, OTT, mobile app or any other sources of online media. With time, the definition of digital marketing has evolved to exclusively include online marketing and promotional activities.

Currently, Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms own the massive percentage of audience in terms of viewership. In reality, as we speak, more than 4.5 billion people are using the internet. Among them, 3.8 billion people are on some social media channels for educational or entertainment reasons (and the number is most likely to increase with time).

Read about digital marketing trends in India

With such a huge percentage of viewership, it is obvious that the marketers are innovating and shifting their attention towards online mediums. According to a survey, a huge percentage of business leaders have agreed on rethinking their advertising strategies to profits from the latest viewership trends.

It is not to say that traditional mode of marketing is dead, however without digital marketing it cannot sustain in the long run.

Related reading: Digital marketing career opportunities in India

Why you need digital marketing?

Even ten years back, for running a successful business all you needed was dedication, hard work, and proper management skills. But now the story is different. In order to survive in an overtly competitive market, digital marketing has become a game-changer for most industries. The benefits of the traditional marketing tactics cannot be ignored while doing business, but digital marketing is also making its presence felt.

In the recent years, the human dependence for knowledge and information has been satiated by the internet. The tremendous reach of the smartphones and tablets into the domestic life has further expanded the reach of the world wide web.

More and more people are switching towards mobile phones for entertainment, knowledge, or networking. In this scenario, online or digital marketing might have a better penetration in the consumer demographic.

When talking about demographic, in India close to half a billion people (and counting) are currently using internet in their daily life. Surprisingly, some of the youngest users of the internet belong to the age bracket of 1 – 5 years (data presented in the joint study by the Nielsen and Internet and Mobile Association of India)! These data make digital marketing a lucrative venture for promotion and marketing business and services.

There are massive advantages associated with digital marketing, including:

1. Cost effective
2. Can create dedicated campaigns for targeted demographics
3. The results are measurable
4. Changes can be made based on the direction of the campaign
5. Global reach
6. Brands can build their social currency

With skilled professionals, any brand can make a positive impact on their sales and reach their growth goals.

Using internet for promotional activities

As stated earlier, a huge percentage of the global population depends on the internet for information and entertainment. According to Think with Google, more than 51% consumers have agreed on running an online research before making the purchase.

As per the shoppers, this additional step helps them in making the right choice during the purchase. It makes internet a valuable medium for promoting and selling the product. Digital marketing sets up a bridge between the consumers and the buyers, benefitting both the parties in the process.

With the right usage of online marketing, sellers can push their sales as well as,

• Connect with consumers
• Find a push in return of investment
• Better conversion rates

The huge penetration of internet among the rural and urban population, most industries using digital marketing to create new venues for themselves. And, industries that are not jumping onto the internet bandwagon are facing stiff competition to survive.

Moreover, most retail goods are now available on Amazon, and Flipkart, while for lifestyle goods one can visit Myntra or Nykaa. These retailers have diversified to include lifestyle, grooming, cosmetic products on their shelves. Thus, consumers can shop from the comfort of their homes. Sadly, this means more competition at the local levels. Therefore, it is important to make some changes to get noticed in the eyes of the buyers.

For starters, setting up a website is a great idea. At a decent budget, entrepreneurs can setup a basic page online to interact with the consumers. Setting up a website is not that difficult, can be done without any professional help. But experts can make the entire process smother.

To step up the game, one should work towards building the brand value. This can be done with the help of social media. Some of the popular social media platforms are:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Snapchat

Over the past year, the percentage of time spent on social media per consumers have increased tremendously. According to a report published in Oct 2019, 351.4 million Indians are on some kind of social media platform. They spend on an average 2.4 hours a day on these channels. Interestingly, 290 million active users visit their profiles via mobile phones. With social media, consumer can create better turnaround on their business.

Thus social media and digital marketing is a valuable tool, that can make a positive impact on the business.