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Is It Important to Learn Digital Marketing for an E-commerce Business?
Digital marketing is the future of all marketing activities because, first, the entire business world is moving to digital infrastructure, and second, consumers are more active on the internet. Out of the world's 8 billion people, 4.7 billion use social media or the internet on a regular basis. Since consumers are consuming so much content online and have a scarcity of time, the time that they used to devote to other traditional mediums has gone down, and hence the company has to ensure its presence in the digital world.
In this article, we will understand the concepts of digital marketing and e-commerce and why it is crucial for e-commerce businesses to conduct digital marketing activities.
E-Commerce
Electronic commerce provides buyers and sellers with a digital platform on which they can meet and negotiate buying agreements for the mutual benefit of the parties involved. It is the digital replacement of the physical market set up and takes the place of the 4 Ps. Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio, Myntra, Blinkit, Instamart, and Jiomart have gained extreme popularity in India. These platforms were in existence before the pandemic as well, but the pandemic gave the users the extra push they needed to become frequent users of these platforms. The e-commerce platforms provide their users with −
Accessibility to products from different brands
They can make a purchase decision at any time of day or night.
Better discounts because of the elimination of intermediaries
Price comparison, feature comparison, and product look comparison among the brands with zero hassle
Digital Marketing
All the marketing activities carried out by businesses to promote their products and services through digital platforms and with the help of the internet are known as "digital marketing activities." Here, the companies are leveraging social media platforms, browsing websites, affiliate marketers’ reach, websites, content, and email to close the deal. Various types of digital marketing activities include:
Social media marketing
Affiliate Marketing
search engine marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Content Marketing
Email Marketing
Website Marketing
Reasons why it is important for e-commerce businesses to conduct digital marketing activities
With e-commerce, the company is targeting consumers who are tech-savvy, know how to conduct digital transactions, and are interested in buying online because of its various benefits. Since the company is targeting such consumers, it becomes more than obvious that they have to target them through digital platforms. For example, if the company designs an amazing advertisement and publishes it through traditional marketing channels, and consumers are even attracted and convinced to buy, but do not have access to the internet or digital payment facilities, will the situation be worthwhile for the company and all its invested resources? It will not be, so the company has to understand this and conduct the majority of its marketing activities through digital platforms. A marketing mix depending on your product type is advisable. Now let's understand how a company can leverage various digital marketing activities to ensure the success of its e-commerce business.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) − it is an organic form of digital marketing activities. Google and other browsing websites go through the details of the website and its blogs and decide the ranking of each one of them on the basis of the quality and quantity of content. The company would have to enter into details regarding its product and service on the platform. The company can utilize the opportunity to develop quality and keyword-rich content to ensure that the website is ranking high on the search engine results page. Zagg, a mobile accessories retailer, posts around 35 times per week and has currently declared a Return On Investment (ROI) of 172% on its blog, all from direct sales.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) − it is a type of digital marketing activity in which a company pays a browsing website to list a link to its website at the top of the results page or to sponsor specific stories and posts on social media platforms in order to reach a larger audience. Companies today are targeting long-tailed keywords to get more authentic buyers, higher click-through rates, and higher conversion ratios. For example, "travel in Mumbai," they are using "budget hostel stay in Mumbai."
E-mail Marketing − It is difficult for retail shop owners to get access to the contact information of the shoppers, but for the e-commerce industry, this is a blessing in disguise. Companies can use the email database to send customized emails to consumers based on their previous purchase history, birthdays, special discounts, and others. Amazon today is using the data regarding the last purchase and items on the wish list to send consumers product recommendations, provide them reminders on the pending purchase, and send out emails and other communications for every purchase. With e-commerce, companies can easily collect contact information, previous purchase history, and a lot of other information regarding the buyer and use them to design effective marketing campaigns and send emails.
Social Media Marketing − On average, active consumers spend around 2 hours per day on various social media accounts. Social media is an opportunity for brands. Companies just do not have to post about their products, services, or expansion plans; they can also come up with something that excites the consumer and provides them with entertainment. For example, BuzzFeed, a company selling cat food, launched this advertisement in 2016. The advertisement was a hit on social media because it involved cats and had a humorous script. It had a wider reach, and the company, in a very subtle manner, advertised its products. Companies conducting social media marketing activities have to ensure that they are not bombarding consumers with only promotional content. Users on social media will get irritated, and the company will lose out on followers. They should maintain a balance.
Affiliate Marketing − To promote the products of the e-commerce platform, business owners can also take advantage of the affiliate marketing wing of digital marketing activities. This will allow the company to target the niche segment and only pay when they are getting sales from the particular approach.
80% of online shopping happens at night or at really odd hours. Companies have to understand that consumers today are overloaded with information, and they have to be reminded again and again about the brand's existence to ensure sales. With digital marketing, companies can ensure that they are releasing the ad at the right time and on the screen that the consumer is using to make purchases. E-commerce businesses should conduct the majority of their marketing activities online because this ensures that the three basic requirements of having internet, a desire to purchase online, and having digital payment facilities are met. Without this, sales become difficult, and the company will have a lower conversion ratio.
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