Digital Marketing - the growing need of the hour

  Digital marketing is the latest buzzword. However, it often leaves one wondering what it is all about. More significantly, there is much confusion over how effective and useful it really is. Let’s face it; with the Internet emerging as the all-new and most efficient marketplace for the 21^st century, the need for suitable marketing strategies (read digital marketing strategies) has never been felt more strongly as now.

Simply put, digital marketing is clearly the most sensible choice when one is faced with the challenge of reaching out on a global scale within the shortest possible time and also in a cost-effective manner. With such measures as search engine optimization (SEO), PPC (Pay per Click) advertising, social media marketing, blog marketing and many more, digital marketing can truly work wonders in ensuring the success of your online venture.

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I was hoping to read some thought leadership or something new, my hopes were for hour by hour optimisation or something. 

I wish we could halt the herd mentality that online is always the most cost effective and accountable medium, or the predicable quote like "marketers are using online because it is more accountable" (note - it is usually only more accountable if you are blindly accepting misleading data).

I'd also suggest we should not think of online/digital as a single solution and write about it that way (as in "digital marketing is clearly the most sensible choice").  We don't say "offline marketing..." we say TV, press, outdoor, inserts, DM, etc.

Different online channels do completely different jobs at different points in the purchase funnel. 

Good point IanC, there is rather more to it than that. Digital marketing isn't actually the latest buzzword. Digitising marketing might be a more useful description of the real thing to deal with.

I'm with Ian on this one.

As an additional thought - surely the challange is creating an integrated staregy i.e. the debate isn't the question of whether offline or online is best. The question marketeers should ask themselves is what is the best way to get the message in front of your target audience while ensuring that your communications objectives are met?

In my experience, digital advertising, particularly Pay Per Click has essentially replaced the Trade Show and the Directory.  People used to visit trade shows or browse trough the yellow pages, but now they simply go to Google where you can search uch more effectively.

 It's not hte latest buzzword, though.  Maybe about three or four years ago!  People have charting its steady growth for years now.

Hmmmmm I'm not really convinced on this one and I do love a bloody good row so here's my twopennorth!

Digital advertising is a perfectly good generic catch-all term, somewhat akin to well used marketing terminology such as "above the line" or "below the line" which encompass a large number of subcategories in themselves

I'm in accord with all those who take a Holistic integrated view because the whole is always greater than the sum of its constituent parts

The dangerof course is in divisive agendas i.e if Digital & Analog marketers were to fall out and oppose eachothers efforts, like for example sales departments and marketing departments once did

By the way are you not concerned about the governments lack of a digital swine flu strategy ? I was so concerned I did their digital bit for them, free of charge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XAvcigxpiI