How companies use digital marketing to build their brands

• The value of brands for digital marketing

Understanding Brands and Digital Marketing:

• • A brand is how a business is perceived by the public, encompassing values, culture, design, and tone.

  • It's not a physical asset but more like a personality or reputation, influencing consumer perceptions.

• Importance of Brand Understanding:

  • Guides all marketing and sales efforts; marketing changes, but a brand identity remains constant.

  • Marketing attracts attention, but a strong brand ensures people remember the company.

• Brand Equity and Digital Marketing:

  • Brand equity is the value consumers attribute to a brand's offering compared to others.

  • Digital marketing campaigns contribute to brand equity by shaping public perception and building trust.

• Key Takeaways:

  • A brand is essential for successful marketing and sales strategies.

  • Digital marketing enhances brand recognition, equity, and trust, influencing consumer perceptions.

• Brand safety

• Understanding Brand Safety:

  • Brand safety ensures a brand's reputation remains intact when advertising online.

  • It involves avoiding association with inappropriate or inaccurate content and copyrighted materials.

• Importance of Brand Safety:

  • Crucial to maintaining a brand's values and mission, ensuring alignment with consumer expectations.

• Ensuring Brand Safety:

  • Define what topics are considered unsafe for the brand to associate with.

  • Prioritize quality over quantity when selecting ad placements.

  • Utilize trusted technology and brand safety tools provided by platforms like Google Display Network.

  • Strategies include buying ad space directly from reputable publishers, using image recognition, selecting keywords to avoid, and applying geotargeting.

• Key Takeaways:

  • Brand safety requires careful consideration and action to protect the brand's reputation.

  • Publishers and tools can assist in implementing effective brand safety measures.

create a digital marketing strategy

• The elements of a digital marketing strategy

• Understanding Digital Marketing Strategy:

  • A digital marketing strategy is a plan to achieve specific business goals through online channels.

  • It guides customers through the digital marketing funnel using effective tactics and media mix.

• Components of Digital Marketing Strategy:

  • Research audience and set meaningful goals.

  • Develop a strategy to guide customers through each funnel stage.

  • Determine media mix, allocate budget, and plan content accordingly.

• Example Strategy:

  • For a high-end jewelry retailer aiming for a revenue increase:

    • Allocate 40% budget for upper funnel efforts (e.g., video ads).

    • Allocate 40% budget for middle funnel efforts (e.g., social media engagement).

    • Allocate 20% budget for product-focused ads and email marketing to convert leads.

• Execution and Measurement:

  • Create content for campaigns, including email templates, ad copy, and visuals.

  • Plan to measure and analyze campaign results for future improvements.

• Recap:

  • Research audience, set goals, select channels, plan content, and measure results.

  • It's a team effort, and tasks can vary, but each contributes to the overall strategy.

• Find your audience and understand your customers

• Importance of Knowing Your Audience:

  • Creating campaigns that interest and engage your audience leads to brand growth and increased awareness.

• Understanding Your Audience:

  • Learn details about their lives, such as location, interests, online activities, and preferences.

  • Understand how they like to consume content (e.g., via email, social media ads, website).

• Customer Personas:

  • Represent a group of similar people in a desirable audience based on data and research.

  • Help in reaching people with the right message, offer, or products at the right time.

  • Enable focus on prospective leads likely to become customers.

• Creating Customer Personas:

  • Use marketing automation tools or conduct research via surveys, interviews, or existing data.

  • Collect demographics and other relevant information aligned with business goals.

  • Customize questions based on customers' personality traits, hobbies, and social media engagement.

• Key Takeaways:

  • Customer personas aid in targeted marketing efforts and focusing resources effectively.

  • They can be created manually or with automated tools based on company needs.

• Define your marketing goals

• Importance of Setting Goals:

  • Clear goals guide work effectively, whether in professional or personal life.

• Business Goals:

  • Desired outcomes for a business, typically big and long-term.

  • Examples include increasing profits, gaining new customers, and launching new products.

• Marketing Goals:

  • Specific objectives within a marketing plan, supporting larger business goals.

  • Examples include raising brand awareness, increasing web traffic, and generating new leads.

• Connecting Business and Marketing Goals:

  • Both should be specific and measurable.

  • Marketing goals should directly contribute to achieving business objectives.

• Example:

  • Business Goal: Grow active customer base by 25% in two years.

  • Marketing Goal: Increase lead generation by 40% in one year through targeted ads and increased budget.

• Alignment of Goals:

  • Each part of a digital marketing strategy should have aligned goals contributing to overall business objectives.

• Recap:

  • Well-defined goals are crucial for business success.

  • Marketing goals should always support broader business aims.

  • Next, we'll explore tactics and channels to advance marketing and business goals.

• The difference between business and marketing goals

• Business Goals: Think big! These are like the big dreams a company has. It's about where they want to go in the long run, like making lots of money, getting more customers, or even creating new products. They're like the big picture plans for the whole company.

• Marketing Goals: Now, these are more like smaller steps towards those big dreams. It's like when you have a big project to finish, but you break it down into smaller tasks to get there. Marketing goals are the specific things a company wants to achieve through their marketing efforts, like making more people aware of their brand, getting more visitors to their website, or getting people to buy their products. They're like the mini-goals that help the company reach its big dreams.

So, while business goals are the big dreams for the whole company, marketing goals are the smaller steps that help make those dreams come true through things like ads, social media, or other marketing activities.

• How to set SMART goals

SMART Goals: These are goals that are like super smart plans. SMART stands for:

• • Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve?

  • Measurable: How will you know when you've reached your goal?

  • Attainable: Can you realistically achieve this goal?

  • Relevant: Does this goal make sense for your overall plans?

  • Time-bound: When do you want to achieve this goal by?

• Example Scenario: Let's say you work for a photo company and want to increase scrapbook sales by 15% in the next quarter through a social media campaign. This goal is SMART because it's specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

• Key Takeaways: SMART goals are super important because they keep you organized, help you stay on track, and give you a clear timeline to follow.

REACH CUSTOMERS ONLINE

• Paid, owned, and earned media

• Digital Channels Overview:

  • There are three main types of digital media: paid, owned, and earned.

• Paid Media:

  • Paid media is the digital promotion that a brand pays for.

  • Examples include banner ads, social media ads, and pop-ups.

  • Pros: Produces quick results.

  • Cons: Results disappear when you stop paying.

• Owned Media:

  • Owned media is digital content fully controlled by a brand.

  • It includes website content, blogs, and eBooks.

  • Pros: Provides value and helps retain customers.

  • Cons: Needs promotion to reach customers.

• Earned Media:

  • Earned media is positive exposure generated by customers or the public.

  • It includes social media mentions, reviews, and press coverage.

  • Pros: Enhances brand reputation and builds trust.

  • Cons: Cannot be directly controlled or paid for by the brand.

• Key Takeaway:

  • Successful digital strategies use a mix of paid, owned, and earned media to reach customers and build brand reputation.

• Attract customers with SEO

-Understanding Search Engine Results:

  - Search engines rank results based on relevance and quality.

  - High rankings are crucial for reaching customers in a crowded online space.

- Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

  - SEO aims to increase website traffic by optimizing content around commonly-used search terms.

  - It improves a website's position in search engine results pages (SERPs).

- Advantages and Disadvantages of SEO:

  - SEO provides long-lasting exposure, but it takes time and effort to see results.

  - Paid ads produce quick results but disappear when you stop paying.

- SEO Basics:

  - Keyword research: Identifying common search terms and incorporating them into content.

  - Quality content: Writing useful and updated content that ranks well in SERPs.

  - Website structure: Organizing the site in a user-friendly way for easy navigation.

- Key Takeaway:

  - SEO is essential for improving website visibility and attracting customers from search engines.

  - Businesses can enhance their SEO through keyword research, quality content creation, and a clear website structure.

• Reach customers with SEM
  Understanding Search Engine Marketing (SEM):

• SEM generates website traffic through paid ads on search engine results pages (SERPs).

• Ads appear above or below regular search listings and are triggered by specific keywords.

Keyword Research and Ad Auction:

• SEM begins with keyword research to target relevant search terms.

• Advertisers enter ad auctions to bid on keywords, determining ad placement.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Cost-Per-Click (CPC):

• Advertisers pay only when someone clicks on their ad (PPC).

• The cost per click (CPC) determines how much advertisers pay for each click.

Advantages of SEM:

• Allows targeting of specific customers quickly.

• Provides control over landing pages and opportunities for remarketing.

Remarketing:

• Identifies previous website visitors and serves them ads on other platforms.

• Encourages visitors to return and complete desired actions, such as making a purchase.

Key Takeaway:

• SEM is an effective way to drive website traffic through paid ads on search engines, offering control and remarketing opportunities.

• Display Advertising

• Understanding Display Advertising:

  • Display advertising involves visual ad formats placed on websites or apps.

  • Ads can be images, text, videos, or GIFs targeting specific audiences.

• Display Networks and Ad Exchanges:

  • Display networks include websites, videos, and apps where ads appear.

  • Ad exchanges are digital marketplaces for buying and selling ad space.

• Types of Display Ads:

  • Image ads: static or animated visuals promoting products or services.

  • Text ads: simple text-only ads displayed on websites.

  • Responsive ads: adjust size and format to fit available space, including native ads.

  • App promotion ads: drive app downloads and engagement.

• Integration with Marketing Funnel:

  • Display ads contribute to the awareness and consideration stages of the marketing funnel.

  • They also support remarketing efforts to re-engage past website visitors and increase conversions.

ENGAGE CUSTOMERS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL MARKETING

• introduction to social media and email marketing

• Social Media Marketing:

  • Effective for finding new audiences and engaging with customers.

  • Allows running ads and generating earned media through viral content.

  • Drawback: Businesses can't control platform changes, impacting reach overnight.

• Email Marketing:

  • Nurtures relationships with interested customers.

  • Businesses own email lists, enabling long-term relationship-building.

  • Highly cost-effective, yielding significant returns on investment (ROI).

• Integration for Success:

  • Social media helps grow email lists.

  • Email marketing focuses on nurturing existing relationships.

  • Together, they increase reach, awareness, and customer engagement online.

• Social Media Marketing Basics

• Introduction to Social Media Marketing:

  • Social media is a vital platform for connecting with target audiences online.

  • Social media marketing involves creating and sharing content on platforms to engage users and promote brands or products.

  • It's more than just posting; it involves strategy, planning, engagement, analytics, and paid advertising.

• Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing:

  • Strategy: Identify audience and platform preferences to create relevant content.

  • Planning and Publishing: Decide timing and frequency of content to engage followers effectively.

  • Listening and Engagement: Monitor conversations and responses to understand audience sentiment and engage accordingly.

  • Analytics and Reporting: Measure performance metrics to refine strategies and communicate results.

  • Paid Social Media: Utilize paid ads to expand reach, target specific audiences, and grow email lists.

• Integration and Goals:

  • Understand audience preferences and set clear goals before planning content.

  • Utilize analytics to refine strategies and engage effectively.

  • Paid social media ads offer targeted reach and email list growth opportunities.

• Choose the Right Platforms for your Target Audience

• Building Connections with Your Audience:

  • Platforms like Twitter/Facebook are great for interactive communication.

  • Be responsive, engaging, and authentic to your brand's voice.

  • Proactively seek authentic connections within your community of followers.

• Targeting New Customers:

  • Platforms like Instagram are effective for showcasing products visually.

  • Use dynamic visuals and storytelling to attract new customers.

  • Consider influencer marketing and social media ad campaigns to reach new audiences.

• Driving Traffic to Your Website:

  • Platforms like Facebook allow sharing articles, links, and products.

  • Share informative and engaging content that links back to your website.

  • Ensure your brand's voice and visuals are cohesive and draw users in.

• Key Takeaways:

  • Choose platforms based on your company's goals.

  • Customize content for each platform to meet audience preferences.

  • Push initiatives across multiple platforms while tailoring content accordingly.

• Build Relationships with Email Marketing

• Email Marketing vs. Spam:

  • Email marketing is not spam; it's sending relevant content to subscribers who agreed to receive it.

  • Spam refers to unwanted bulk emails that annoy recipients with irrelevant or false claims.

• Segmentation and Personalization:

  • Segmentation: Dividing subscriber lists based on interests, location, or purchase history.

    • Allows brands to send tailored content to different groups.

  • Personalization: Customizing email content for individual subscribers.

    • Examples include addressing recipients by name, sending promotions for special events, and following up on previous interactions.

• Key Takeaways:

  • Email marketing builds and maintains customer relationships.

  • Techniques like segmentation and personalization enhance the effectiveness of email campaigns.

  • In contrast, spam annoys recipients with irrelevant content and false claims.

• Types of Email Campaigns

• Types of Email Campaigns:

  • Acquisition Emails: Aim to acquire new customers by offering something for free, like a downloadable guide or free trial.

  • Welcome Emails: Sent to brand new customers or subscribers to encourage deeper engagement and specific actions.

  • Newsletters: Regularly sent to subscribers with news and informational content relevant to the company, fitting various funnel stages.

  • Promotional Emails: Inform subscribers about new or existing products or services, encouraging action, usually falling into consideration and loyalty stages.

  • Retention Emails: Sent to current customers to maintain their loyalty.

• Real-life Applications:

  • Reflect on emails received and analyze their effectiveness.

  • Testing different tactics is essential to determine what resonates most with subscribers.

• Key Takeaways:

  • Experiment with various email types to understand subscriber engagement.

  • Be adaptable and open to changes if certain tactics aren't effective.

MEASURE MARKETING PERFORMANCE SUCCESS

• measure progress with performance marketing

• Performance Marketing: The process of using concrete information about customer behaviors to plan and refine marketing and sales strategies. 

• It focuses on measurable results such as No. of impressions, CPC, CLV, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), etc.

• The average customer journey takes about 6 touchpoints (Doubled in 15 years). It is critical to measure the contribution of the performances in these touchpoints to the overall marketing goal. 

• common metrics for success

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• working with data

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• data ethics

USE DATA INSIGHTS TO IMPROVE STRATEGY

• attribution models for digital marketing

• Finding the most influential touchpoint for conversion.

• Attribution: Determining which content and channels are responsible for generating the leads, conversion, or sign-ups.

• Attribution Models:

  • Data-driven

  • First-click

  • Last click

  • Linear

• data storytelling basics

• Data Storytelling: Conveying data insights to a specific audience using a clear and compelling narrative.

• Components:

  • Data

  • Visualizations

  • Narrative

  • Action

• story structure