W1_DM_Reading Material

Factors Impac�ng the Shi� from Tradi�onal to Modern Marke�ng

Tradi�onal marke�ng techniques (more prevalent prior to the 1990s, before interac�ve technology
started making its impact) focused on elements which in the present age have undergone significant
shi�s (for compara�ve es�mate between tradi�onal and modern marke�ng areas,

Key reasons for such shi�s include:

• Power shi� from business to consumer atributed to availability of a wide variety of product
choices and satura�on of key categories

• Growing amount of communica�on channels leading to cluter and brands moving away
from mass marke�ng to customized online marke�ng

• Consumers’ preference for interac�ve rather than tradi�onal medium like newspapers,
magazines, TV, which had a one-way informa�on flow

• Need to validate marke�ng with product and service recommenda�ons from trusted group
of influencers/social interac�ons

• Need for comparison of product benefits to make informed decisions (mul�ple messages
need to be heard, understood, and trusted upon by target segment)

• Higher interac�on with products and more avenues for such interac�ons facilita�ng holis�c
messaging rather than the tradi�onal prac�ce of one-off marke�ng

• The emergence of marke�ng as a discovery-led immersive exercise for an

individual/group rather than forced messages targeted to large audiences

Area of Comparison tradi�onal Marke�ng Modern Marke�ng

(a) Interac�vity Customer has no choice in receiving messages of his interest. All channels have
certain interac�vity

(b) Engagement Difficult to track results and impact of marke�ng Focus is on customer sa�sfac�on
and building a rela�onship

c) Agility Delivery though physical channels takes larger fulfillment �me Efficiency in terms of ‘agility
of service’ is much higher

(d) Conversions Closer to product awareness and interest stages. Ac�vi�es targeted to more towards
‘end of the funnel’ rela�ng them with consump�on

(e) Personaliza�on Mass marke�ng techniques with low personal touch High poten�al to customize
offerings for each customer

(f) Brand imagery Difficult to build brand imagery because of pla�orm limita�ons With rich
media/video gaining prominence strong imagery is possible
(g) Social involvement Not able to involve social integra�on features , Ability to socialize and build
trust by leveraging social networks

Marke�ng:

A simple definition for marke�ng is that it is the crea�on and sa�sfac�on of demand for your
product, service or ideas. If all goes well, this demand should translate into sales and, ul�mately,
revenue.

Dr Philip Kotler defined marke�ng as “The science and art of exploring, crea�ng, and delivering value
to sa�sfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marke�ng iden�fies unfulfilled needs and desires.
It defines, measures and quan�fies the size of the iden�fied market and the profit poten�al” (Kotler,
2012).

The American Marke�ng Associa�on (AMA), defines marke�ng as “The ac�vity, set of ins�tu�ons,
and processes for crea�ng, communica�ng, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for
customers, clients, partners, and society at large” (AMA, 2017).

In order to mo�vate people to pay for your product or service, or to consider your organisa�on
superior to your compe�tors, you need to create meaningful benefits and value for the consumer.
The design of the product or service itself can arguably be a func�on of marke�ng. The value that a
marketer should seek to create should be equal to or even greater than the cost of the product to
the consumer. Doing this o�en and consistently will grow trust in, and loyalty towards, the brand and
create strong brand equity

What is digital?

Bud Caddell defines ‘digital’ as “A par�cipatory layer of all media that allows users to self-select their
own experiences, and affords marketers the ability to bridge media, gain feedback, iterate their
message, and collect rela�onships” (Caddell, 2013). In other words, digital is a way of exploring
content and ideas (for users) and connec�ng with and understanding customers (for marketers).

Digital marke�ng

Digital marke�ng is a form of direct marke�ng which links consumers with sellers electronically using
interac�ve technologies like emails, websites, online forums and newsgroups, interac�ve television,
mobile communica�ons etcetera (Kotler and Armstrong, 2009).

Digital marke�ng is powerful in two fundamental ways. First, the audience can be segmented very
precisely, even down to factors like current loca�on and recent brand interac�ons, which means that
messages can (and must) be personalised and tailored specially for them.

Second, the digital sphere is almost completely measurable. Every minute and every click by a
customer can be accounted for. In digital you can see exactly how various campaigns are performing,
which channels bring the most benefit, and where your efforts are best focused. Cumula�vely, access
to data that measures the whole customer experience should lead to data driven decision making.
Importance of DM (digital marke�ng guide)

1. Increased recogni�on

By defini�on, par�cipa�on in a digital network will increase exposure to a broad audience of

poten�al customers. As employees, vendors, business partners, and customers interact with your
content, a business builds awareness and a corresponding reputa�on. Each piece of content has the
poten�al to reach a new network of poten�al customers.

It has changed the way we do marke�ng. Earlier, you needed to go an extra mile (literally) to
adver�se your business—publish an ad in a newspaper, pay an agency to put your business on
billboards, and break the bank to squeeze into air�me on TV.

Today, you don’t even have to leave your office or home to promote your product. And, video ads on
YouTube cost much less than TV adver�sements (and bring you more engagement).

2. More inbound traffic

Increased awareness for the business results in increased exposure to new networks of poten�al
clients. These new contacts have the opportunity to connect with your content and build an
emo�onal connec�on with your company before the sales process begins. Consumers can gather
more informa�on at precisely the moment when their interest is piqued.

3. Higher levels of customer sa�sfac�on

Every interac�on online is an opportunity to listen and respond to the needs of the customer. You
can answer ques�ons quickly and address complaints promptly. A business that takes the �me to
engage with customers directly and interact on a personal level will generate high marks in customer
sa�sfac�on and improve their chances for repeat business.

4. Improved brand loyalty

Developing a loyal customer base is one of the main goals of any business. Customers perceive social
media as a window into the personality of your business and expect your social pla�orms to serve as
channels through which to engage directly with your company. Studies show that consumers are far
more loyal to brands that directly engage with them. In turn, loyal customers are eager to spread the
word about a great product or service, and they usually turn to social media to express their
opinions. Vocal, sa�sfied, and loyal customers will do your adver�sing for you.

5. Cost-effec�ve

PR & marke�ng via digital pla�orms offers a more affordable alterna�ve to tradi�onal
mediums. There are usually no minimums on ad campaign buys for social media pla�orms and
search engines. Whatever your budget, you can create a campaign targeted to your poten�al
customers.

With digital marke�ng, you can reach audiences on a global scale. You can market your products and
services locally, na�onally, or interna�onally for a litle to no cost compared to tradi�onal marke�ng
means.

Digital marke�ng can be the most cost-effec�ve component of an adver�sing strategy. Although it
requires �me to plan and create content that is meaningful, the actual distribu�on of the content can
be inexpensive. As the consumer market transi�ons to a greater percentage of digital na�ve
customers, an effec�ve digital marke�ng strategy will provide greater returns on investment as
customers do much of the work in distribu�ng your content to poten�al new customers.

6. Create new ways to know your industry

By monitoring the ac�vity on social media profiles, a business can observe customer interests and
opinions that might otherwise be elusive. Insight into the marketplace can be one of the most
powerful outcomes of an effec�ve online presence. These insights can be useful with market
segmenta�on, product development, channel strategy, and brand posi�oning.

7. Opportunity to demonstrate your subject mater exper�se

Well-produced, educa�onal content designed to inform and support customer decision-making will
establish a business as an authority in their industry. Demonstra�ng exper�se and thought
leadership will boost credibility and help build a respected brand.

Evolu�on of Digital Marke�ng (Fundamentals of Digital Marke�ng)

Marke�ng as a discipline has undergone radical changes over the past few decades. Since 1450,

when Gutenberg’s prin�ng press began its opera�on, leading to mass produc�on of flyers and
brochures, �ll the present �me when automated pos�ng of online adver�sements has become very
common, marke�ng has kept up incredibly well with changing technology. Along with shi�s like
customers’ social orienta�ons towards buying and the humongous informa�on available at hand to
compare mul�ple products and brands, ‘modern marke�ng,’ a phrase coined recently, has emerged
steadily marking a new phase. To understand how and why the original marke�ng concept and its
orienta�ons have shi�ed, let us go through the various stages of evolu�on termed as ‘Marke�ng
Eras’—

• Trade era: products were handmade; hence, supply was limited

• Produc�on Concept/era: products were mass produced and consumers focused on features
like low cost and availability

• Product Concept/era: focus moved from quan�ty to quality and consumers laid more
emphasis on quality, performance, and innova�ve features

• Sales Concept/era: with increasing compe��on companies were compelled to emphasize on

aggressive selling and promo�on, commodi�za�on of products, leading to satura�on of
consumer demand

• Marke�ng Concept/era: marke�ng emerged as a prac�ce as consumers started demanding

beter products; differen�ators like pricing, distribu�on, and promo�on became important

• Rela�onship Concept/era: customers started ge�ng valued to build a long-term orienta�on

• Digital Concept/era: also called the social/mobile era, the focus is on real-�me and social
exchange based marke�ng where communica�on and social interac�ons play a prime role
Moving from Tradi�onal to Digital Marke�ng

• From Segmenta�on and Targe�ng to Customer Community Confirma�on

Tradi�onally, marke�ng always starts with segmenta�on—a prac�ce of dividing the market into
homogenous groups based on their geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral
profiles. Segmenta�on is typically followed by targe�ng—a prac�ce of selec�ng one or more
segments that a brand is commited to pursue based on their atrac�veness and fit with the brand.
Segmenta�on and targe�ng are both fundamental aspects of a brand's strategy. They allow for
efficient resource alloca�on and sharper posi�oning. They also help marketers to serve mul�ple
segments, each with differen�ated offerings.

However, segmenta�on and targe�ng also exemplify the ver�cal rela�onship between a brand and
its customers, analogous to hunter and prey. Segmenta�on and targe�ng are unilateral decisions
made by marketers without the consent of their customers. Marketers determine the variables that
define the segments. The involvement of customers is limited to their inputs in market research,
which usually precede segmenta�on and targe�ng exercises. Being “targets,” customers o�en feel
intruded upon and annoyed by irrelevant messages aimed toward them. Many consider one-way
messages from brands to be spam.

In the digital economy, customers are socially connected with one another in horizontal webs of
communi�es. Today, communi�es are the new segments. Unlike segments, communi�es are
naturally formed by customers within the boundaries that they themselves define. Customer
communi�es are immune to spamming and irrelevant adver�sing. In fact, they will reject a
company's atempt to force its way into these webs of rela�onship.

To effec�vely engage with a community of customers, brands must ask for permission. Permission
marke�ng, introduced by Seth Godin, revolves around this idea of asking for customers' consent
prior to delivering marke�ng messages. However, when asking for permission, brands must act as
friends with sincere desires to help, not hunters with bait. Similar to the mechanism on Facebook,
customers will have the decision to either “confirm” or “ignore” the friend requests. This
demonstrates the horizontal rela�onship between brands and customers. However, companies may
con�nue to use segmenta�on, targe�ng, and posi�oning as long as it is made transparent to
customers.

• From Brand Posi�oning and Differen�a�on to Brand Clarifica�on of Characters and Codes

In a tradi�onal sense, a brand is a set of images—most o�en a name, a logo, and a tagline—that
dis�nguishes a company's product or service offering from its compe�tors'. It also serves as a
reservoir that stores all the value generated by the company's brand campaigns. In recent years, a
brand has also become the representa�on of the overall customer experience that a company
delivers to its customers. Therefore, a brand may serve as a pla�orm for a company's strategy since
any ac�vi�es that the company engages in will be associated with the brand.

The concept of brand is closely linked with brand posi�oning. Since the 1980s, brand posi�oning has
been recognized as the batle for the customer's mind. To establish strong equity, a brand must have
a clear and consistent posi�oning as well as an authen�c set of differen�a�on to support the
posi�oning. Brand posi�oning is essen�ally a compelling promise that marketers convey to win the
customers' minds and hearts. To exhibit true brand integrity and win customers' trust, marketers
must fulfill this promise with a solid and concrete differen�a�on through its marke�ng mix.
In the digital economy, customers are now facilitated and empowered to evaluate and even
scru�nize any company's brand-posi�oning promise. With this transparency (due to the rise of social
media) brands can no longer make false, unverifiable promises. Companies can posi�on themselves
as anything, but unless there is essen�ally a community-driven consensus the posi�oning amounts to
nothing more than corporate posturing.

Today, consistently communica�ng brand iden�ty and posi�oning in a repe��ve manner—a key
success factor in tradi�onal marke�ng—may no longer be enough. With disrup�ve technologies,
shorter product life cycles, and rapidly changing trends, a brand must be dynamic enough to behave
in certain ways in certain situa�ons. What should remain consistent, however, are the brand
characters and codes. The character is the brand's raison d'être, its authen�c reason for being. When
the core of the brand remains true to its roots, the outer imagery can be flexible. Think of it this way:
by having countless logo adapta�ons—Google calls them doodles—MTV and Google remain solid yet
flexible as brands.

• From Selling the Four P's to Commercializing the Four C's

The marke�ng mix is a classic tool to help plan what to offer and how to offer to the customers.
Essen�ally, there are four P's: product, price, place, and promo�on. Product is o�en developed based
on customers' needs and wants, captured through market research. Companies control the majority
of product decisions from concep�on to produc�on. To establish a selling price for the product,
companies use a combina�on of cost-based, compe��on-based, and customer value–based pricing
methods. Customers' willingness to pay, es�mated in consumer value–based pricing, is the most
important input that customers have in connec�on with pricing.

Once companies decide what to offer (product and price), they need to decide how to offer (place
and promo�on). Companies need to determine where to distribute the product with the objec�ve of
making it conveniently available and accessible to customers. Companies also need to communicate
the informa�on about the product to the target audience through various methods such as
adver�sing, public rela�ons, and sales promo�ons. When the four P's of the marke�ng mix are
op�mally designed and aligned, selling becomes less challenging as customers are atracted to the
value proposi�ons.

In a connected world, the concept of marke�ng mix has evolved to accommodate more customer
par�cipa�on. Marke�ng mix (the four P's) should be redefined as the four C's (co-crea�on, currency,
communal ac�va�on, and conversa�on). In the digital economy, co-crea�on is the new product
development strategy. Through co-crea�on and involving customers early in the idea�on stage,
companies can improve the success rate of new product development. Cocrea�on also allows
customers to customize and personalize products and services, thereby crea�ng superior value
proposi�ons.

The concept of pricing is also evolving in the digital era from standardized to dynamic pricing.
Dynamic pricing—se�ng flexible prices based on market demand and capacity u�liza�on—is not
new in some industries such as hospitality and airlines. But advancement in technology has brought
the prac�ce to other industries. Online retailers, for instance, collect a massive amount of data,
which allows them to perform big-data analy�cs and in turn to offer a unique pricing for each
customer. With dynamic pricing, companies can op�mize profitability by charging different
customers differently based on historical purchase paterns, proximity to store loca�ons, and other
customer-profile aspects. In the digital economy, price is similar to currency, which fluctuates
depending on market demand.
The concept of channel is also changing. In the sharing economy, the most potent distribu�on
concept is peer-to-peer distribu�on. Players such as Airbnb, Uber, Zipcar, and Lending Club are
disrup�ng the hotel, taxi, auto rental, and banking industries, respec�vely. They provide customers
easy access to the products and services not owned by them but by other customers. The rise of 3-D
prin�ng will spur this peer-to-peer distribu�on even more in the near future. Imagine customers
wan�ng a product and in a mater of minutes receiving the product printed in front of them. In a
connected world, customers demand access to products and services almost instantly, which can
only be served with their peers in close proximity. This is the essence of communal ac�va�on. The
concept of promo�on has also evolved in recent years. Tradi�onally, promo�on has always been a
one-sided affair, with companies sending messages to customers as audiences. Today, the
prolifera�on of social media enables customers to respond to those messages. It also allows
customers to converse about the messages with other customers. The rise of customer ra�ng
systems such as TripAdvisor and Yelp provide a pla�orm for customers to have conversa�ons about
and offer evalua�ons of brands they have interacted with.

With a connected marke�ng mix (the four C's) companies have a high likelihood of surviving in the
digital economy. However, the paradigm of selling needs to change as well. Tradi�onally, customers
are passive objects of selling techniques. In a connected world, the idea is to have both sides ac�vely
obtain commercial value. With increased customer par�cipa�on, companies are engaging customers
in transparent commercializa�on.

• From Customer Service Processes to Collabora�ve Customer Care

Prior to purchase, customers are treated as targets. Once they decide to buy, they are considered
kings in a tradi�onal customer-service perspec�ve. Shi�ing to the customer-care approach,
companies view customers as equals. Instead of serving customers, a company demonstrates its
genuine concern for the customer by listening, responding, and consistently following through on
terms dictated by both the company and the customer. In tradi�onal customer-service, personnel are
responsible for performing specific roles and processes according to strict guidelines and standard
opera�ng procedures. This situa�on o�en puts service personnel in a dilemma over conflic�ng
objec�ves. In a connected world, collabora�on is the key to customer-care success. Collabora�on
happens when companies invite customers to par�cipate in the process by using self-service facili�es

Digital marke�ng is not meant to replace tradi�onal marke�ng. Instead, the two should coexist with
interchanging roles across the customer path. In the early stage of interac�on between companies
and customers, tradi�onal marke�ng plays a major role in building awareness and interest. As the
interac�on progresses and customers demand closer rela�onships with companies, digital marke�ng
rises in importance. The most important role of digital marke�ng is to drive ac�on and advocacy.
Since digital marke�ng is more accountable than tradi�onal marke�ng, its focus is to drive results
whereas tradi�onal marke�ng's focus is on ini�a�ng customer interac�on.

Key terms:

1. SEO Customer reten�on and acquisi�on

This is the prac�ce of op�mising a website to rank higher on the search engine results pages for
relevant search items. SEO involves crea�ng relevant, fresh and user-friendly content that search
engines index and serve when people enter a search term that is relevant to your product or service.
 2. Online adver�sing Branding and acquisi�on

Online adver�sing covers adver�sing in all areas of the Internet – ads in emails, ads on social
networks and mobile devices, and display ads on normal websites. The main objec�ve of online
adver�sing is to raise brand awareness online. It can be more interac�ve and therefore less
disrup�ve than tradi�onal or sta�c online adver�sing, as users can choose to engage with the ad or
not. Online adver�sing can be targeted to physical loca�ons, subject areas, past user behaviors, and
much more.

3. Affiliate marke�ng

Affiliate marke�ng is a system of reward whereby referrers are given a ‘finder’s fee’ for every referral
they give. Online affiliate marke�ng is widely used to promote eCommerce websites, with the
referrers being rewarded for every visitor, subscriber or customer provided through their efforts. It is
a useful tac�c for brand building and acquisi�on.

4. Video marke�ng Branding

Video marke�ng involves crea�ng video content. This can be wither, outright video adver�sing, or
can be valuable, useful, content marke�ng. Since it is so interac�ve and engaging, video marke�ng is
excellent for capturing and retaining customer aten�on. Done correctly, it provides tangible value –
in the form of informa�on, entertainment or inspira�on – and boosts a brand’s image in the eyes of
the public.

5. Social media Branding

Social media is media in the form of text, visuals and audio, that can be shared online. It has changed
the face of marke�ng by allowing collabora�on and connec�on in a way that no other channel has
been able to offer.

6. Email marke�ng

Email marke�ng is a form of direct marke�ng that delivers commercial and content-based messages
to an audience. It is extremely cost effec�ve, highly targeted, customisable on a mass scale and
completely measurable – all of which make it one of the most powerful digital marke�ng tac�cs.

Digital Marke�ng Trends of 2022:

1. AI in Marke�ng:

This is the #1 Digital Marke�ng Trend on our list. The world has been buzzing about how the
Ar�ficial Intelligence wave will take over every aspect of your lives in the future. Litle do we
realize, the change has already begun. 60% of internet users have already interacted with an AI
chatbot for solving queries across mul�ple apps and websites.

Most of the content we consume on our social media pla�orms is fine-tuned by AIs to make our
stay engaged for longer! This technology is so amazing that it is projected to be a $190 billion
industry by 2025 and digital marketers have an amazing opportunity to exploit this hi-tech tool.

AI is a complex algorithm that teaches itself by looking at vast numbers of data about a certain
field or topic and learns the paterns that work the best. The learning capabili�es of the AI
 provide programmers with the ability to introduce effec�ve changes in outcomes by le�ng the
AI use the techniques it found works the best.

There are mul�ple examples of AI already accomplishing never thought of ac�vi�es such as
content wri�ng for JP Morgan and Chase. They have adopted an AI-powered content wri�ng
assistant called Persuado.

AI can serve many func�ons and act as an extension to every digital marketer who knows how to
employ it. It is cost-efficient, precise, and extremely effec�ve. Having seen so many giant
companies adop�ng these tools, every team must have a plan to incorporate AI in their array of
tools.

2. Augmented Reality

By the defini�on of Wikipedia, Augmented Reality is an interac�ve experience of a real-world

environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated
perceptual informa�on.

It consists of 3 basic features

• a combina�on of real and virtual worlds

• real-�me interac�on

• accurate 3D registra�on of virtual and real objects

While virtual reality makes buzz and gets everyone excited with grand sci-fi ideas, Augmented Reality
is much more plausible from a marke�ng point of view. Experts foresee that AR will con�nue to
outperform VR in terms of market share.

Brands are progressively using this AR technology to elevate the consumer experience and increase
sales.

One such example is IKEA, which has its own app that allows the users to click a picture of their room
on their smartphones (iOS 11.0.1 for now) to test drive IKEA’s furniture in it. The users can move the
furniture around to check out how the furniture looks different from different angles.

Another example would be Gucci, which is the latest luxury brand that newly added an Augmented
Reality feature to its app to let users ‘try on’ sneakers’.

The user can choose to see 19 different sneakers on their own by poin�ng their smartphone camera
downwards. It enabled users to swipe le� or right to change to another pair. The app also lets users
take photos, which can a�erwards be shared on social media or in messaging apps.

With AR eleva�ng more than ever, we will see a massive uptake in brands finding useful applica�ons
for the technology in the future.

3. Voice Search Op�miza�on

According to research by Review42 on voice search, they found that 55% of teenagers use voice
search every day. This massive adop�on by the en�re genera�on shows how popular voice search is
going to get in the future.
There are a couple of reasons why Voice Search, a feature we all received with our smartphones
around 2014, is taking off in a big way this year. Firstly, the increasing adop�on of smart speakers.
20% of the households have bought a smart speaker such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The
adop�on of devices that are fully voice search controlled is a big indicator of how people have
started to get accustomed to this new behavior.

Secondly, Google claims that they have achieved 95% accuracy with their Voice Search. With higher
precision of search, the ease of use factor for voice search has jumped up. Now with beter accuracy
to match what you ask for, and the ease of using your voice to get results makes the process
personalized and atrac�ve.

Thirdly and most importantly, it is projected that by 2022, 50% of all online shopping will be
conducted through voice results. This is a whopping $40 billion opportunity for digital marketers to
exploit. With so many growth factors indica�ng the rise of voice search, making your website ready
for voice search will be very essen�al for the future.
We found a guide by SEM Rush during our research. This ar�cle will teach you how to op�mize your
website for voice search in simple 7 steps.

4. Programma�c Adver�sing

Programma�c Ad Buying is the use of so�ware to purchase digital adver�sing. While the tradi�onal
method includes human nego�a�on, requests for proposals, and quotes, programma�c buying
makes use of algorithms and machines to buy ads.

Programma�c Adver�sing is when AI is used to automate so that adver�sers can target more specific
audiences.

The automa�on is quick, efficient which ul�mately increases conversions and lowers the customer
acquisi�on cost.

Real-�me bidding is a type of programma�c ad buying, it allows beter and fast targe�ng, qualifying
ads to be bought and sold on a per-case basis, which means visitors who are your targeted audience
will be exposed to the ad.

Here’s how Programmatic Advertising works:

Programma�c Adver�sing is rapidly increasing every year and is predicted to be used for a huge
majority of display adver�sing in the next couple of years.

According to the research of eMarketer, the display ads in 2021 in the US are nearly 88%, which are
forecasted to be secured programma�cally.

One of the best examples for the same would be ‘The Economist’, a digital and print publica�on,
started a programma�c adver�sing campaign with the aim of persuading curious readers to try the
publica�on.

The same campaign generated 6,50,000 new prospects, addi�onal return on investment (ROI) of
10:1. Brand Awareness for “The Economist” also elevated by 65%.

5. Chatbots

Chatbots are considered one of the top digital marke�ng trends in 2022, the AI-based technology
makes use of instant messaging to chat with customers, and with site visitors. It is designed to
communicate with customers by textual or auditory methods.
Businesses can leverage the use of chatbots to engage with customers. Since there are plenty of
users visi�ng the website at once, it advantageous to have a technology that answers hundreds of
users at once. The benefits of having chatbots are 24/7 customer service, instant responses to
inquiries, and answers to simple ques�ons.

63% of people prefer messaging on chatbots to communicate with businesses or brands. This virtual
support provides excellent customer services, this means a business gets rid of repe��ve tasks and
can focus on important work.

Starbucks has introduced a chatbot that operates via the MyBarista app where you can order by
auditory message through Amazon Alexa or messaging.

Another amazing example of chatbot systems is the recently launched project LaMDA by Google. It is
going to revolu�onize the coming genera�ons of chatbot systems. Here’s a bonus read on everything
you need to know about Google’s LaMDA.

Besides allowing customers to remain in the comfort of their homes right up un�l their coffee is
ready the chatbot messages the customer when the order is ready for pickup, the chatbot also
allows payment and �pping.

6. Video Marke�ng

Video Marke�ng is also one of the top digital marke�ng trends in 2022 and is likely to be at the top
for more years to come. Here are some stats that will demonstrate the importance of including a
video in your digital marke�ng current trends list.

According to the research by Impactplus:

• 72% of businesses say videos have improved their conversion rate

• 70% of consumers say they have shared brands video

• 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online
purchase decisions

• Video content is 50 �mes more likely to drive users than plain text.

One of the issues faced by marketers in recent years was to showcase long-form texts on mobile
screens, as it becomes too difficult and tedious for users to read them. However, a video can present
the same informa�on in a much beter way regardless of the device.

According to Seotribunal, if your website includes a video, it’s 50 �mes more likely to bring organic
search results as compared to plain text. Why does this happen? Because people find video content
more cap�va�ng, hence google brings such sites on the top results.

But simply producing a video a�er another isn’t enough. You need to make sure that you are well-
aware of the ongoing video marke�ng trends, a few of them are listed below:

• Livestreams on mobile

• Short-form videos

• user-generated video content

• Online Training & Educa�onal Videos

 • Video adver�sing

• Interac�ve AR content

• Shoppable Videos

• Virtual Events

YouTube Shorts

The recent addi�on by the popular pla�orm YouTube is called “Shorts”. It is similar to Instagram
Reels, where you can create short-form video content for 15 seconds or under. With the increasing
popularity of short-form video content today, YouTube Shorts is a very good opportunity for all those
who have their exis�ng target audience on that pla�orm. Engaging 15-second videos is all it takes
now, to grab the aten�on of your viewers.

WhatsApp Marketing

WhatsApp Marke�ng is believed to be one of the biggest & must-use digital marke�ng trends in
2022. WhatsApp has completely changed the way businesses now reach & engage with their
customers. You can now personally message on an app that is used by all age groups and always
checked mul�ple �mes in a day. And you will not be creeping out the consumer because you will
reach them through a WhatsApp Business Account which helps them trust you and your business’
credibility.

You can take orders from consumers, inform them about the status of their orders and even receive
& make payments! Prety much why it is one of the best digital marke�ng trends you should adopt.

7. Geofencing (Loca�on Based Marke�ng)

Geofencing is a loca�on-based service marke�ng in which an app or other so�ware program uses
radio frequency iden�fica�on (RFID), GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to provoke a targeted marke�ng
ac�on like a text, social media adver�sement, email, or an app no�fica�on. When the mobile device
enters or exits a geographic boundary, it is known as geo-fence.

According to increasingly.com,

• Mobile ads with geofencing have double the CTR (click-through-rate)

• Geofencing is adaptable with 92% of smartphones.

• 90% of SMS are read within 3 minutes.

• 53% of shoppers visited a retailer a�er receiving a loca�on-based message.

Market Research Future has analyzed that geofencing can help elevate customer interac�ons, it’s
undoubtedly one of the beneficial digital marke�ng trends and hence it is gaining popularity. The
global geofencing is expected to grow approximately by USD 2,387 million by 2023 at 27% of CARG
between 2017 and 2023.

Brilliant examples of geofencing would be:

Starbucks: Starbucks uses geofencing to adver�se its drinks to interested customers. They usually
send push no�fica�ons when users walk by their business or are in a nearby area. They also send a
special push no�fica�on le�ng customers in the nearby area about the great deal Starbucks offer, it
is a smart deal to get users in the door.
Sephora: Sephora uses a “store companion” geofencing feature which turns on as soon as the
customer walks into the store. The app has excellent func�onality, if the user visits one of the
geofenced areas, they receive a no�fica�on about current promo�ons, discounts, etc.

Pull and Push Marke�ng (Fundamentals of Digital Marke�ng)

Any type of customer interac�on with any digital media can be most simply be divided into two

types depending upon where the contact is ini�ated:

(a) Medium-ini�ated contact (Push marke�ng): This is the tradi�onal type of marke�ng

where marke�ng messages are packaged with informa�on pre-configured for a par�cular

set of users. Take the example of a newspaper, which typically is current informa�on packaged across
different ver�cals like poli�cs, economics, sports, etc., and packaged along

with large ad columns which bring in the revenue (along with the classifieds). In contrast,

let us understand what pull marke�ng entails.

(b) Consumer-ini�ated contact (Pull marke�ng): Pull marke�ng involves a consumer placing his
intent and specific interest for a par�cular type of informa�on and being offered

that informa�on along with relevant marke�ng messages suited to his intent, query, or

profile-based interests. In the same example of a newspaper, as above, consider that the

company decides to provide informa�on in a way that each ar�cle of the newspaper is

tagged and categorized based on mul�ple criteria to be searched upon a digital pla�orm.

In this case, when a consumer makes a specific search for a piece of content and chooses

matching informa�on/news, promo�ons are sent based on his profile preferences, real �me loca�on,
and the topic of the ar�cle he found interested in reading. This would then become be an example of
pull marke�ng.