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DIGITAL MARKETING - DEFINITION, SEGMENTATION, APPLICATION


WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital marketing is the process of using digital technologies, the internet, and electronic communication tools to promote products or services, attract new customers, and increase brand visibility. The main goal of digital marketing is to use digital channels to achieve marketing objectives.

Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of tools and methods, including websites, online advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media marketing (SMM), email marketing, mobile marketing, analytics, and measuring the effectiveness of digital tools.


SEGMENTATION OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Large companies often divide digital marketing into three major segments based on the degree of control over the placement and distribution of marketing communications:

• Owned Media. Content and platforms directly controlled by the brand or company, such as the company's official website, blog, social media pages, messaging channels, email newsletters, mobile apps, and other company-owned channels.

• Paid Media. Media and content for which the company pays to be placed, including advertising campaigns on platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. Companies purchase ad space to attract new customers and promote their products or services.

• Earned Media. Content that is distributed directly by users, customers, or other parties, rather than by the company itself. Earned media can include customer reviews, interviews, social media discussions, blog posts, articles, viral content, etc. This type of media results from successful marketing strategies and increases customer interest and trust.

Segmentation into owned, paid, and earned media helps companies develop a balanced and effective digital marketing strategy aimed at achieving specific marketing goals and attracting the target audience. Segmentation offers several key advantages and functions:

• Improved audience interaction. Combining owned, paid, and earned media allows for deeper and more diverse audience interaction. Companies can engage their target audience through their own content, paid advertisements, and incentivizing the sharing of earned content.

• Targeted approach. Segmentation helps direct marketing efforts toward specific channels and media that will most effectively achieve marketing goals. Each type of media has its own characteristics and possibilities, and their combined use allows for optimal results.

• Resource optimization. Through segmentation, marketing budgets and resources can be allocated more efficiently by focusing on the most effective channels and media. Companies can save costs by investing only in media that truly attract the target audience in a particular market.

• Increased impact. Combining different types of media allows companies to maximize outreach and attract more people to their brand. Each type of media has its own characteristics and possibilities for audience engagement, and their combination helps create a comprehensive promotional strategy.

• Trust and influence boost. Earned media, such as customer reviews and recommendations, holds significant weight with consumers. They trust such content more because it comes from independent sources. The use of all three types of media allows companies to build trust and increase their influence on consumers.

Overall, in modern times, digital marketing is suitable for almost any industry where there is a need to attract an audience, advertise products or services, and build trust and interaction with customers. It provides an effective way to achieve marketing strategy goals and support business development.


DIGITAL MARKETING LIMITATIONS

However, the application of digital marketing has some drawbacks and may encounter various challenges. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Speed of change. The digital space is highly dynamic, where trends, audience interests, search engine algorithms, and social media can change rapidly. Marketers must be prepared to adapt and change strategies accordingly.

• Competition. The internet and social media have low entry barriers for businesses, leading to significant online competition. It can be challenging to stand out and attract audience attention, especially with a limited marketing budget or insufficient knowledge of digital marketing.

• Diverse audience. The digital space reaches a wide-ranging audience with diverse demographics, interests, and geographical locations. Effectively engaging all segments can be a challenging task.

• Misinformation and fake news. The likelihood of spreading misinformation and fake news in the digital space can negatively impact a brand's reputation and consumer trust.

• Brand control. It is challenging to have full control over how a brand is perceived in the digital space. Negative feedback or situations can quickly spread and adversely affect the brand, particularly on social media and other online platforms. Brands need to be prepared to respond effectively and interact with consumers.

• Analytics and reporting. Effective digital marketing requires data analysis and constant improvement of strategies. Insufficient analytics and reporting can lead to unsuccessful campaigns and waste of financial and other resources.

• Cybersecurity issues. Digital marketing involves operating in a digital environment, where there is a high risk of being targeted by hackers and their groups. A company's digital infrastructure must be adequately protected using internal capabilities or external services.
  
  

Therefore, digital marketing can be highly beneficial for companies, but its successful implementation requires continuous tracking and updating of knowledge, tools, and strategies. Companies must be prepared to invest time and resources in digital marketing to effectively implement and utilize it to achieve marketing objectives.

Achieving the commercial objectives of a company through effective marketing requires a deep understanding of the market situation, consumer needs, the ability to analyze and explore alternatives, and a creative approach to problem-solving. Our company has extensive experience in defining optimal marketing strategies for our clients' businesses, creating a strong brand and market positioning, as well as developing a marketing mix and implementing the chosen strategy. You can familiarize yourself with the services and solutions our company offers on the "Services" and "Solutions" pages, respectively.