Tips for a Digital Marketing Campaign in 2021

It’s 2021. The world has changed more rapidly than ever, that’s for sure. The pandemic has altered the way people live their lives. Going into brick and mortar stores is in many instances being overtaken by the experience of online shopping. People are spending even more time on their mobile devices, especially on social media. Digital marketing has become more important than ever before. Here are five things I’ve learned in my Digital Marketing class along with my own recommendations regarding how to market in today’s world:

1. Being Genuine and Honest
   Whether it’s influencers on social media or an email marketing campaign targeting consumers, people want honestly and to feel like the suggestions for products and services being marketed are genuine, as authenticity shines through in messaging. Authenticity can affect a brand’s image, so it’s important that in digital marketing, the campaigns and influencers advocating for your brand are genuine, or at least seem it.
2. Knowing Your Audience
   It’s importance to understand your audience so that you can effectively target them. Use Google Analytics to understand who your customer base is and figure out new ways to grow that audience accordingly. It’s important to also figure out what kind of messaging will speak to your target consumer most- do they want follow up emails? Influencer ads? Constant banner ads reminding them of the product they just viewed? Once you understand the message, it’s also imperative to determine the most effective channels to target your consumer on whether that be through email marketing, social media, or SEM.
3. Adapting and Taking Advantage of New Opportunities
   Technology is constantly updating and we need to adapt with it, especially regarding our brands in digital marketing. It’s important to find the best, most economical ways to reach your customers. And the truth is, planning is only good until something happens and then you need to be scrappy and improvise to adapt to the current circumstances of the situation. Take this Oreo example as a reference of adaptation. It’s important to be current, but to also be relevant when advertising to consumers, so incorporating real time events into digital marketing is usually a win.
4. Putting Money Behind Your Strategy
   In order to amplify a brand message, it’s necessary to spend money. Organic reach is on the decline, and paid search is on the ups. With SEM or Search Engine Marketing, you’re looking to get people to your site and convert them to consumers. In order to guarantee higher placement, bidding on your real estate on Google’s site has become increasingly more important.
5. Optimizing the Online Experience
   We’ve all been on websites that are difficult to navigate and just don’t make sense. Well now is the time, more than ever, to maximize the online experience and create a site that’s easy to use. Consumers don’t have the patience anymore and because of the pandemic, many more people are shopping online. It’s imperative to make an optimal user experience on all digital devices and to consider mobile in all of your ads, as these days, that’s often where your consumers will be seeing them. You need to find ways to bring the experience to people at home- offering free shipping and expanding delivery options online is a helpful tool. And lastly, make sure that the user experience looks and feels like the brand. This way your brand can span in the consumers mind from start to finish, or website until when they have the product in their hands.