Digital marketing is certainly a part of our everyday lives as business professionals, but what exactly is it? And more importantly, how does one use it to their advantage?

Digital marketing refers to various promotional methods aimed at reaching customers in digital space, according to Techopedia, and it embodies a wide range of tactics, which use the internet as the core medium. Digital marketing is much more targeted than traditional marketing efforts and usually has a lower cost than traditional marketing efforts such as print or television advertising.  The lower cost often makes it an ideal choice for many businesses to reach their customers, but because it is so targeted it is critically important to engage the appropriate audience for your products or services.

Digital marketing has many forms, each with their own niche audience. Some of the most common types of digital marketing tactics include email campaigns, display ads, and mobile marketing.  An effective digital marketing campaign may include only one, none, or several of these tactics – it all depends on who the target audience is. If your target audience is between 34 and 55 years old email is a great choice because research has shown that many Gen-X’ers are highly receptive to email promotions.

However if you are trying to reach the ever-elusive millennial crowd, you are probably going to need a much broader campaign that encompasses mobile marketing, display ads, online video, and more.  The great part of digital marketing is that it is highly targetable, so the more you know about your target audience the more you can target them.  For instance, if you know your target audience is made up of males between the ages of 25 and 36, with income of more than $50,000 a year, it is possible to buy email data for that exact audience, or target sites with user demographics that match your audience profile for advertisements.  The more you target your audience, the better chance you have of engaging them and converting them into a customer – which is the truly great thing about digital marketing.

The down side of digital marketing is that there are, without appropriate strategy, endless ways to waste money on it. Advertisements that do not hit their target market, too much emphasis on social media, or email blasts that lack compelling content are just a few of the many ways a business can get into trouble with digital marketing. The good news is that with the lower cost, and the multitude of different opportunities out there, digital marketing is a slightly more flexible form of marketing. The best bet is to partner with marketing firms that are experts in the digital world that can get the most benefit for your marketing dollars.

Caliber Media Group has been doing effective digital marketing over ten years. To see what a custom tailored approach to digital marketing can do for your business give us a call at 714.867.1600 or visit us online at www.calibermediagroup.com for a free consultation.