It is often joked that in marketing, professionals are aware that only half the team is actually working but no one knows which half. This perception seemed to have changed post the advent of business analytics when so much data got available and marketers could keep track of all little things. Digital marketing has become so sophisticated that it can even advertise for products searched from some different device. For example a service searched on a personal laptop gets tracked and a relevant ad is posted on some website even when reading via a tablet or office system. But in spite of all this, things can still improve as lot of marketing is still ad-hoc. This can only happen once customers are empowered. A system where a customer actually himself or herself posts for an ad on some specific service that he / she needs will bring benefits to all parties. It will also help immensely in retargeting.

Source: http://innovationexcellence.com/blog/2016/07/11/how-online-marketing-helps-us-innovate/

While some marketers are still not convinced by the effectiveness of content marketing, some reasons have been compiled to prove the point. Sharable content trends very well and this can be used effectively to conduct digital marketing. As the content broadcast is owned by the company, it can disrupt the industry as has been proven triumphantly in the medical industry. Ultimately content is the king as that is what differentiates the brand from others and develops unique visitors. Business analytics also uses data to reach web pages depending on the content. Thus industry’s perception of individual companies is formed on the basis of the kind of content that is shared with the public or within industry circles. Finally, content induces action. Social media share buttons must always be inserted with the content so that it can get viral.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/07/12/5-reasons-every-company-should-be-using-content-marketing/#48f7175fd2fc

Pokémon Go has proved to be a rage among people across generations seeing record levels of downloads already recorded. Pokémon Go actually provides a case study for marketers as several lessons can be learnt out of it, relevant to how modern business works. Contrary to how a lot of online businesses have set, up in this case virtual traffic is leading to physical locations. This is because the search for Pokémon is taking users across their locations and in the process driving other businesses including food, beverage or transport. Strategic partnerships were formed between the developers of this game and several businesses in whose premises several of the Pokémons are getting discovered. In this way the game is driving digital marketing for their partners. These partners had the foresight to forge these partnerships while others who haven’t are exploring ways of now getting into the act. The reasons why the game has proven so successful is because of the intense user engagement using concepts such as nostalgia, adventure, social play and physical exercise.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/marketing/marketing-lessons-pokemon-go-01598362#mde5a38vxBibUKpE.97

Some Jordanian bloggers are on a mission to showcase their country as a tourist destination. They are covering the entire country and blogging about the various sites to visit. Interestingly their mission is to travel entirely by inexpensive methods in order to educate people in the Arab world that traveling is not meant for only rich people, but common people too may enjoy. The will cover the Dead Sea shoreline, nature reserves such as Bergesh and visit heritage sites such as Petra. One of the students venturing on this has a blog titled ‘Ibn Batuta’ which serves the purpose of conducting digital marketing for the tourism department of Jordan.  

Source: http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/travel-bloggers-go-jordan-adventure-promote-domestic-tourism-853064

The email can be amongst the most effective tools to deliver on digital marketing. In order to be most effective at it, it is important to include social share icons within the body of the mail. Feature posts must be shared with the public. Critically, the mail must include a CTA (call-to-action). Content that will be included in the mail must be shareable so that eventually it can get viral. Through this, exclusive offers must be advertised to consumers including discounts and giveaways to lure the customer. Periodic contests must be held to engage with the crowd and eventually crown the winners. A feedback mechanism must be incorporated along with the mail so that customers can directly engage with the firm.

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2016/06/social-media-email.html

Continuous research has established that content is amongst the best sources of digital marketing. While SEO takes time and persistence, PPC involves money. Social media marketing on the other hand, has a stop-start success rate. Thus content marketing must be worked on thoroughly by most firms, especially startups. The first step involves providing great, verifiable and authentic content. The content along with management team’s contact details must be visible on Google or business listing pages. Copywriters can always be heeded in order to get website indexed effectively on Google. The content must be of the highest quality possible. Publications written specifically to generate SEO or listicles produced purposefully for social media do not usually stand the test of time. The next step must involve building authenticity to give confidence to the customer to engage at transactional level now. In- house blogs or whitepapers could be key to this.

Source: http://customerthink.com/how-to-build-customer-trust-through-content-marketing/

Social media is seen by most professionals as a platform to conduct digital marketing. It is seen as the medium to penetrate new markets, drive up the bottom line or improve conversion rates. Few see it as a source to promote positive company culture. Employees are increasingly sharing matter about their work lives on social media. While many voluntarily post positive points, many others also openly criticize their workplaces. Thus it is time for companies to take this seriously and must act genuine with their employees so that positive points far outweigh negative ones online. Personal hygiene giant L’Oreal and top brand Apple are just two of the market leaders who have been promoting positive company culture on various coal media handles.

Source: http://www.cio.com/article/3086157/internet/the-key-to-improving-your-company-culture-with-social-media-marketing.html