Steps of developing a Digital Marketing Service
By PR Professionals, November 16, 2021
With the advent of electronic devices, the way messaging works has changed. Customer decisions are driven on interconnected devices and new frontiers such as influencers are on the rise. As a direct result of these numerous changes, customer engagement, brand management, brands and consultancies need to change. The new aspect of targeted marketing on interconnected digital environments is called Digital Marketing. This article enumerates the several offerings that go into the making of a Digital Marketing service.
1. Content
Content is the key messaging pertaining to a brand. Content is king. It is what attracts attention and generates a dedicated following. Because of its indelible impact, the aim is to generate content that is in line with the brand voice, is curated, and speaks to the target audience. The lack of curated content would significantly impact the brand since the content is not relatable. Today, several relevant brands post regular content online, which speaks to millennials and generation Z, giving reason for them to interact with the brand online. Content serves as a
marketing touchpoint and helps build brand recall. As Rebecca Lieb put it, “Content is the Atomic Particle of all Digital Marketing.”
2. Online Reputation Management
Another pillar on which Digital Marketing rests is Online Reputation Management. It is about how a brand responds to customer queries or registration of concerns, complaints and issues sent its way on social media. Considering that several of these complaints or concerns are registered on the page of the company or by tagging the company, any negative experience, when highlighted, remains in public domain for others to see. This may reflect negatively on the brand and highlights the importance of Online Reputation Management. Solving the concerns amicably is of paramount importance for maintaining an overall brand perception and preventing crises. A digital marketing consultancy should ensure it offers this service if it wants to ensure a relevant social media offering.
3. Search Engine Optimization
An integral part of digital marketing and the most sought-after service by brands, Search Engine Optimization aims to partner with Google Search algorithm to provide a search result where the client ranks higher on search of certain keywords that are relevant to the brand. In a digital first world, this is a service that upcoming marketing consultancies cannot miss and brands cannot afford to ignore. Considering that attention spans are getting shorter in an era of over information, the relevance of SEO, as an important digital marketing offering is only going to increase with the passage of time.
4. Social Media Management
Overall social media management which is an amalgamation of Content and ORM provides for the creation and maintenance of a brand’s social media footprint on key platforms such as Twitter, Facebook etc. Brands must strongly consider maintaining an active social media footprint to stay relevant and engage with their target audience while marketing consultancies need to hire social media and visual design experts. Several corporates are
now hiring social media executives on the corporate side as well, which highlights the importance of a social media presence for brands.
In an effort to stay ahead of the curve, Marketing Communications consultancies have evolved fully-fledged functions offering each of the said functions of Digital Marketing, as well as integrated plans that provide curated messaging across PR and Social Media for clients. Consultancies have grown to provide counsel to brands for digital offerings and for concerns such as the type and frequency of posts as well as for driving overall engagement. While clients have the opportunity to pick and choose the kinds of digital offerings needed, a holistic approach that uses all of the said services is likely to provide overall growth a client’s digital footprint.
In providing all these services, the consultancies have become a one-stop shop for the clients’ needs of all things communication.