Chapter 9 - Marketing communications using digital media channels

Learning objectives

What are the different types of digital channels?

There are many different types of digital channels that can be used by a business to use in online campaigns.

1. Search engine marketing (SEM) - This is used to gain top ratings on the search engines or the use of pay-per-click.
2. Online public relations (e-PR) - Exposing the business to third party websites such as social websites to maximize the number of people hearing about a product or service.
3. Online partnerships including marketing - This is used to build long term relationships with other companies that can expose the product or service being offered.
4. Interactive display advertising - The use of ads on other websites to draw people to the company's website through pay-per-click advertising.
5. Op-in email marketing - The use of email to communicate to customers that have signed up for e-newsletters or product updates through the company's website.
6. Viral and electronic word-of-mouth marketing - The use of Internet to create a massive awareness of a product or service through the use of video, social media, etc.

What is the advantages and disadvantages of opt-in email marketing?

There are many advantages and disadvantages of using opt-in email marketing by a business. One advantage of opt-in email marketing includes the relatively low cost of the use of e-mail to reach many people compared to using direct marketing. Another advantage includes the response time of the customers, because it requires an immediate response by the customers. In this case the company can make an immediate offer and this will mostly likely create an immediate response by the customer to buy the product or service being offered. The opt-in email marketing also is a faster way to create campaigns and it is very easy to personalize to the needs of the customers. This type of marketing allows the business to test different markets very easily, without spending a large amount of money and can be mixed in with other types of channels very easily.

There are also some disadvantages that come along with the use of opt-in email marketing. One such disadvantage includes the sometimes difficulty of getting the emails through ISP's corporate firewalls and web mail systems. Since there is so much SPAM that is created on a daily basis, many businesses create rules that move these types of email into a junk folder, which may cause the customer to never receive the emails. Another disadvantage includes the difficulty to display the creative parts of the emails being sent to the customers. This may not allow the customer to be able to read the email, which in most cases will cause the customer to disregard the email. There is also a chance of email response decay, which is when the customer tends to lose interest in the product or service. Since customers are most interested in the product or service when they first sign up for a product or service, this tends to fade as time goes on. Lastly, there tends to be a customers tend to respond to communication in different ways and a company has to manage this by using preferences that customers can use to create a personalization.

What is the difference between traditional PR and online PR?

There are a few differences that can be determined between the tradtional PR and online PR campaign. In the traditional PR campain, most or all of the customers were detached from the business. Traditionally, the business would offer press releases to keep the customer engaged in the product or service, but since the invention of the Internet, this has changed. Online PR has provided a way for the customer to stay engaged to the business through different channels such as social media.

Another difference can be attributed to the relationships between the business and the customer. In traditional PR, the customer was not connected to the other customers, but in online PR this has changed. Customers of a business are now engaged with each other through different forms of online channels. With the relationships between the customers, there has been more word-of-mouth PR that keep the customers aware of products and services more than ever.

Traditonally, customers did not have access to the information to make informed decisions about the product or services. Today, the Internet has given customers a plethera of information, which they can use to make informed decisions on the product or services they are interested in. Now, customers have a wide varity of places to get the information, so they can education themselves, understand other customers experiences, and make better decisions from the informtion.

Questions for marketers

Which digital communications media should we select for different types of campaigns?

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) can be used in natural search engine optimization, pay-per-click, and aggrigation websites.
• Online Public Relations (e-PR) can be used in syndicating news about products, services, or the company. This can also be to manage online opinion polls, manage consumer participation on social media or blogs.
• Online partnerships including affiliated marketing is used for commission based campaigns and for creating long-term relationships with sponsors, link-building, and editorials about the company or products.
• Interactive display advertising can be used in behavior targeting campaigns where the company wants to see the responses of the consumers using the products or services.
• Opt-in email markeing can be used to engage the customers through e-newsletters, product or service updates, or rentention and growth activities.
• Viral and electonic word-of-mouth marketing can be used create a "buzz" about the product or service being offered by the company. Ways that this can be used is to create interactive content or encouring customers to send friends and families promotions, videos, or other interactive advertising.

Which are the success factors which will make our campaigns more effective?

A business must use a combination of both online and offline techniques to engage the consumers. Strategies for mixed marketing can create a great balance that will allow the business to maximize the responses by their consumers. A mix might include both opt-in email and direct mail campaigns or social media and formal mail polls. Consumers will respond in different ways and by giving the consumer options to select the way they respond can make a huge difference in the success of a campaign. The business must decide which mix is best for their situation to be the most effective.