08 Aug 7 Superpowers of Digital Marketing

“Going paperless” has become a popular buzzword among businesses and organizations in the last few years. However, for marketers, the idea of abandoning all printed tools can be daunting. As a marketing organization, we still believe in the power of printed media. However, there are numerous compelling reasons to use digital tools instead of or in combination with their printed counterparts.

Why digital media?

Digital media is attractive to marketers for several reasons. In some cases, organizations are compelled to choose a totally digital marketing strategy. Some are simply shifting to a coordinated digital/print effort. Whether it means going completely paperless or not, businesses and non-profits alike are moving more and more of their marketing resources into the digital realm. We’ve identified seven reasons why, and we like to call them digital marketing’s superpowers.

7 Superpowers of Digital Marketing

1. ROI

Saving money, right? Everyone likes the sound of that phrase. However, just saving money is not good enough when it comes to marketing. The goal is low cost with return on investment, or ROI.

Yes, in many cases, digital tools are cheaper to use, but their value is based on their effectiveness. If you’re going to do something that costs less, you want it to yield a return at least as high as the tool it replaced. Digital tools are proving to be extremely effective when implemented strategically.

According to Salesforce, 44% of people surveyed made at least one purchase in a year based on email marketing. That’s a huge percentage, which means the ROI potential of digital marketing is huge. Making sure your digital piece is the one that gets noticed, read, and clicked is key.

2. Analytics

How do you know if your marketing efforts are effective? Analytics is the secret! Having a skilled team to run analytics on your marketing strategies is one of the ways digital marketing is blowing print out of the water. (No offense, Mr. Gutenberg).

Because these tools are digital, you can know exactly how well they are performing. With print, much of the analysis is extrapolation or even guesswork. Digital tools can be measured exactly, so you actually know what your real results are in real time.

3. Digital is Interactive.

While print has the advantage of being held in the hand or pinned to a bulletin board, digital has an ace…interactiveness. You cannot click a flyer, a postcard or a catalog, but a well-produced social media ad or email newsletter is another story.

Build your digital tools correctly and they become interactive powerhouses. It’s like having a magical doorway to your shop embedded into a brochure. You give customers an opportunity to respond immediately with a purchase–no waiting, no driving, no forgetting about the billboard they saw. With digital, you are right there.

4. Digital Opens up Content Marketing.

One of the best ways to succeed in today’s marketplace is through content marketing. This is marketing based on expert information you provide. You may choose to provide this content in the form of blogs, newsletters, infographics, and more. In fact, such content is expected by many consumers.

In case you haven’t noticed, we operate in a highly informed market. Consumers are much more likely to research a buying decision than ever before. If you’re providing the content, you’re more likely to win the customer.

Digital marketing gives you the power to provide a continual stream of fresh, original content aimed at your specific market. Producing the same volume of printed content you can now produce digitally would be cost-prohibitive. With effective SEO, your content is readily available, searchable, and always working for your target market online.

5. Digital is Agile.

Every tool you create in the digital world is instantly shareable or transferable. Brochures, magazines, newsletters, reports and postcards can be easily shared across multiple platforms. Imagine if customers could copy your entire catalog as many times as they wanted and hand it out to their friends. That kind of sharing is just normal in the digital world.

In addition, you can continually update any digital publication. If your brand has a paper catalog, how long do you have to wait to print a new one? If your catalog is digital, you can update it as often as needed.

6. Digital is Green.

Saving paper is not just good for the environment, it’s good for business. In today’s market, green is more and more important. In fact, some would say green is king. Consumers are increasingly sensitive to how an organization responds to environmental needs. Making your marketing digital is a great step toward promoting an environmentally conscious culture.

7. Digital Leverages Social Media.

Let’s face it, social media is the new landscape where we all must go to reach consumers. And social media, in general, is where we all have to go if we want to reach consumers. Print media can no longer stand alone; digital marketing strategies are essential for growth.

Tools specifically designed for social media platforms are immensely powerful. They reach almost every person in the marketplace almost every day. When leveraged strategically, each social media platform can reach a specific percentage of your target market. The possibilities are endless.

At Relay Creative Group, we exist to uniquely develop and represent compelling messages for our clients. We are committed to helping our clients start smart and finish strong. While we still believe in the power of print, we are experts at creating and implementing powerful digital tools to meet your organization’s goals. Click here to get started.