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CHAPTER 1
Introduction to Digital Marketing
Digital marketing can be called as the process of promoting brands or products using electronic media. So what is the difference between digital marketing and traditional marketing? What is the current scenario of digital marketing? You will find the answer to these questions in this chapter and the subsequent ones. So letās get started!
Structure
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
1.1 Introduction to marketing
1.2 Types of marketing
1.3 Evolution of marketing concepts
1.4 Importance and scope of marketing
1.5 Elements of marketing
1.5.1 Needs
1.5.2 Wants
1.5.3 Marketing offers
1.5.4 Consumer value and satisfaction
1.5.5 Markets
1.5.6 Marketer and prospects
1.6 Marketing vs. sales
1.7 Introduction to digital marketing
1.8 Benefits and opportunities of digital marketing
1.9 Inbound and outbound marketing
1.10 Content marketing
1.11 Understanding traffic
1.12 Understanding leads
1.13 Digital Marketing use in business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), and not-for-profit (NFP) marketing
Objective
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Understand the importance and scope of marketing
- Understand the concept of digital marketing
- Understand the benefits and opportunities of digital marketing
1.1 Introduction to marketing
Marketing is an approach of business functionalities that includes various phases engaged in creating, analyzing, managing, delivering products, and the related services. It also focuses on maintaining customer relationships, resulting in mutual benefits of customers and the stakeholders.
It is the technique of choosing the market targets with criteria of market analysis and segmentation. Market analysis is done based on the buying behavioral characteristics of the user. The basic objective of this place is to provide the best customer value.
However, the marketing agenda is considered to be successful only when the business exists as a whole, which is followed by an organizationās vision, mission, tasks, and the ability to adopt technology as per current the demand and scenario.
It can also be considered as a matter of intelligent perspective because it is observed as an indicator of an organizationās success. For example, Patanjali, Dabur, and Wipro must rely on marketing strategies to grow and keep their customer strength and its base.
1.2 Types of marketing
The types of marketing that are functioning in the real-world are as follows:
- Traditional marketing: To capture the market targets, it covers varying offline steps such as door-to-door selling, print advertisement, radio, television direct mails, and so on.
- Digital marketing: It benefits from the usage of the internet to arrive at its respective markets via social media channels, e-mails, websites, video sites, mobile apps, and online feedback forms.
- Social media marketing: It performs well when used in combination with other marketing strategies. It is a popular way of doing business and connects with audiences in an effective manner. It is also considered a helpful brand builder and market research tool.
- Mobile marketing: It is considered as one of the important marketing approaches in todayās framework. It helps customers in getting their information in one click.
1.3 Evolution of marketing concepts
Here is a brief overview of the evolution of marketing concepts:
- Production concept: This concept focuses more on the need for the product. Its aim is to fulfil the expectation of the user in terms of product availability at affordable prices. Moreover, the focus is on lowering the cost and increasing the mass distribution.
- Product concept: This approach gives attention to the userās expectations towards their desired products. It is assumed in product concept criteria that users are more likely to be loyal once the product meets all their requirements. This thought comes up with business drivers to offer better, highly fulfilling, unique, and rich features based products.
- Selling concept: This concept concentrates on selling the products through active promotion. The belief behind this concept is that customers will respond only when the product is pushed. The strategy is to sell the product however it is produced rather than to create a product that meets the user needs.
- Marketing concept: This approach focuses on the buyer rather than the seller. It is different from the earlier stated marketing concepts because it believes in pull marketing. This marketing concept is buyer-oriented as it gives credit to the user by creating brand loyalty. Moreover, its objective is to give attention to the needs, wants, and desires of the user.
1.4 Importance and scope of marketing
The scope of marketing is very wide as it covers all the activities from the onception of ideas to realization. Generally, the usersā expectation are towards their wants and needs. Products are created to satisfy the userās requirements in terms of wants. So, a discussion is required to determine the usersā needs and wants. Some of the most important scopes of marketing are as follows:
- Goods
Goods are one of the important aspects of any country and are as per its desires and needs. Physical goods are considered to be a vital section of production and marketing efforts. For example, billions of food products, millions of vehicles, and electronic appliances are marketed by various companies.
- Services
Services are directly or indirectly proportional to goods or products. The main goal of any successful organization is to satisfy the users with its goods and services. To increase the sales and maintain faith with the users, it is necessary to keep services as one of the important elements of marketing in an active mode. For example, a company offering home appliances to its users with a mix of goods and services.
- Events
Events are one of the important elements of the scope of marketing. There are various moments that capture the scenario of events such as award shows, company anniversaries, trade shows, health shows, awareness camps, and so on. For example, global sporting events such as the commonwealth games are promoted energetically to both companies and fans.
- Experiences
Experiences help in making an impact on the userās mind with theor characteristics or features. For example, a residential township offers a clubhouse, swimming pool, sports court, and other services in the form of experiences to its customers. In short, marketers share experiences by offering a mix of both goods and services. A good is popularized not only by its features but also by sharing its unique and valuable experience to customers.
- Persons
Persons are becoming the popular scope of marketing from the last decade. Famous personalities such as sportspersons, film stars, and TV stars have their own personal managers and marketing agents. These personal managers are further tied-up with public relations marketing agencies to better publicize or highlight the personās personality in the market.
- Places
Places have helped in raising the scope of marketing for so many decades. In fact, it is one of the important elements of marketing. In the current situation, cities, states, and countries are also marketing their places as hot spots to increase the revenue bar of tourism. For example, places like temples, malls, exhibition grounds, stadiums, etc. are becoming important assets in the form of places for marketing purposes. These types of hot spots are effectively promoted by the tourism ministry or industries in both local as well as global regions.
- Properties
Properties are playing a major role in the scope of marketing. With the decent amount of development in the past few decades, people make investments in properties through their savings and other financial supports. Properties are bought and sold through marketing. The demand and supply of properties is making awareness among the public through marketing strategies. These approaches help in highlighting the scope of properties in the real world. Any type of category of properties needs to build trust and confidence at higher levels through the various aspects of marketing.
- Organizations
To raise an organization to a new height of success, its image and reputation actually matter a lot. Organizations work hard day and night to build a positive image in the minds of the tier target users. The public relations domain does a lot of exercise in marketing an organizationās image with a positive impact. The organizationās fruitful image helps in the smooth launching of their new and proposed products. In addition, their goodwill provides support in representing their strong and effective image in the real world.
- Information
Information is one of the strongest mediums of marketing. Due to increased literacy rate and awareness level, information is becoming an important tool for marketing. Also, in the digital era and the media revolution, the need and demand for information is growing very rapidly moment by moment. Information can also be produced and marketed as a product. Educational institutions, government agencies, research and development, and non-governmental organizations are various examples of the origination of the information.
- Idea
Products and services are two phases of the coin. Here, coin is resembling an example of the marketing scenario. These products and services are considered as two important pillars of the marketing platforms which help in sharing some idea or benefit. For example, Dettol promotes its various products with the tag line āBe 100% Sure.ā This is one of the cases of the idea that social marketers generally follow in wide promotions and awareness.
1.5 Elements of marketing
The concept of marketing consists of various elements such as needs, wants, marketing offers, consumer value and satisfaction, markets, marketers, and prospects. Each element of marketing highlights its meaning, role, and application in the functioning environment.
1.5.1 Needs
Needs are the passions or wishes that re categorized on the basis of different circumstances such as:
Psychological needs: This type of need belongs to fundamental or essential needs. For example, food, shelter, clothing, and education are cases of psychological needs.
Security needs: This category of needs occurs in a human beingās life in various instances either naturally or artificially. Every human being expects protection from any loss or failure because he or she wants ri...
