Recent decades have brought the major revolution in the area of technology. The planet we live in has turned into the digital globe. This has influenced numerous areas of our life. In particular, this had the significant impact on the marketing strategies applied by the companies in Dubai and other parts of the world. The process is unlikely to stop – more changes are still to come. Keep reading on if you want to learn more about electronic direct marketing.
What is digital world? What is its right definition? This is the world of digital devices, the world where the majority of communication involves digital technology. Traditional direct marketing channels include:
- Email marketing;
- Telemarketing;
- Voicemail marketing;
- Broadcast faxing;
- Couponing;
- Direct mail;
- Printed advertising etc.
Some of these traditional techniques are costly. For a number of reasons, their volume has decreased over the past several years. Moreover, it is difficult to measure the results of the traditional direct marketing. Digital direct marketing gives much more accurate results. This does not mean, however, that the days of traditional marketing are gone. A good marketing campaign combines successful elements of different strategies. The main thing is to understand what you need and who your targeted audience is.
As for electronic direct marketing and new strategies emerging nowadays, this area continues growing. More and more digital channels appear every day. The role of smartphones is increasing, and marketers do their best to develop email marketing strategies and other tactics for the digital online world. One of the main advantages of the digital world is that it helps you create more personalized messages. No matter which type of marketing we’re talking about – digital direct marketing or traditional – its main goal is to market your goods or services directly to customers. The details on direct marketing scenery and how to act professionally in it - see our Direct Marketing course.
Any type of direct marketing is well-targeted. It is based on the demographics and other important data related to the customers. However, strategies within this approach do change. The digital world by definition makes things much faster. In fact, messages can be sent and delivered at once with the help of the Internet. Offline channels sometimes take months before marketers manage to reach the desired goal. According to the digital world definition, its core is the use of various digital services which provide fast access and measurable results.
Real-time marketing is another benefit of electronic direct marketing. This means that your potential customers will always have access to up-to-date information. Decisions are made in real time; recommendations are given immediately as well. This enables you to make the best offer for every particular customer. This is much more efficient than the mass marketing approach of the old days. International studies and review suggest that personalization which is possible in the Digital world has the very positive impact on customer retention.
The digital world of the nowadays offers UAE marketers numerous digitals tools. Direct marketing helps business owners to deliver the right service to the right people. How can this be achieved? In the first place, via the well-developed database. It should contain extensive information about your clients. This is the only way to know your target audience. Moreover, marketers can test new ideas which will lead to getting more precise results. Customers’ contact information should be stored in your database. It is the guarantee of better relationships with your clients. It will enhance your interaction with them. You’ll have the opportunity to concentrate on specific needs of your customers.
The digital world is not only about digital technology – it is the place where good old traditional technologies meet with online marketing tools. The digital globe implies that the game is led by the consumers. They are the core of everything that is happening. The digital online world enables consumers to order and purchase online, perform research online and pay for the items online. Online and email marketing are becoming increasingly popular. However, we would like to emphasize once again that traditional direct marketing is not dead and can be greatly combined with digital marketing.
Traditional direct marketing is the proven technique. It can still drive customers and be as effective as digital channels. But there is one thing you should pay attention to – direct marketing will work only if you send the right message. Your customers should be encouraged to visit your website and learn more about your company in UAE or other country if your message is good enough. Moreover, today you are equipped with digital printing technologies. It allows you to create bright, eye-catching materials that were not possible some years ago.
Modern printing materials can also combine both different techniques which provide the option to mix the two kinds of strategies – online and offline ones. Make your direct campaigns as diverse and as multi-faceted as possible. This will help you to reach the desired result. The incorporation of online and offline strategies is vital – this integrated approach is actually best approach to the direct marketing. Social media are also the very important part of the digital world and is the integral part of its definition. Their improper use can have a dramatic effect on your business in Dubai or other place.
The digital online world has turned marketing into the area of its own. Direct Digital Marketing makes your messages much more targeted. The biggest role of social media is that it helps you share your marketing messages with extreme efficiency. There are no boundaries, no limits when it comes to social media. The most used social networks include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. These platforms facilitate your interaction with customers. It becomes more personal, and your clients become more engaged. It can help you to reach more people, expand your target audience. Modern people love spending their time online – this is one of the features of the digital world.
How can you make your digital direct marketing campaign successful on social media? Provide content that is fresh and informative. It has to be truly gripping. People will “like” your content if it is interesting. Give them a reason to talk about it and to share it. Another benefit of social media marketing is its customer centricity. It focuses on conversation and dialogue. It fosters the exchange of ideas. It is a place where customers feel free to share honest opinions and give unbiased feedback about brands.
This kind of direct digital marketing results in increasing credibility towards your UAE company. Customers will have more trust, and the existing customers will help you acquire more clients. This is your dedicated following. These are the people who might become ambassadors of your brand. A direct campaign is usually costly. Why? Because printing materials require money. Direct Digital marketing campaigns are cost-efficient when applied proficiently. Some of the marketing costs can be reduced while the others may be completely eliminated.
The digital world relies on big data. The digital online world is driven by data and is guided by it. Big data analysis is actually the combination of digital direct marketing and traditional marketing. This approach enables marketers to get insights into how things work and learn more about their customers. This is the verified way to obtain priceless metrics. What kind of content gets shared and liked? Why? Which social platforms are the most successful for your particular brand? Big data is the part of the digital world. It is about the use of mobile phones and geo-location.
Big data makes you strategies better targeted. It leads to the creation of customized and personalized messages. Moreover, information is delivered in real time and in up-to-date context, which is crucial. The digital online world facilitates the creation of websites. It is easier than ever nowadays to create a website. A website can help you to reach your audience and grow it. It gives you the opportunity to display your products, explain how they work and what kind of aims it is capable of solving. Websites are very essential as the modern customers perform the majority of their search online. They seek information before making a purchasing decision.
If your brand has no website or the web site is very basic one, it decreases your visibility. Remember that we live in the digital world. How will the audience find out about you? The opportunities we have now have made us lazy – instead of keeping to look for a specific company in Dubai or other place, if we do not find it, we would probably simply give our preference to a competitor. We don’t want to work too hard to get information. We want things quickly, our concentration span is low, and we are the part of the consumerist society. Therefore, you have every reason to develop a perfect and customer-friendly website.
As for reviews, they play the crucial role in decision-making. Our research usually involved reading available online reviews. These might be reviews made by professionals, influencers or just users who have already tried this thing out. Reviews help customers assess the product. We rarely buy nowadays without this important component – making a bit of research on our own and comparing prices. In fact, according to the digital world international review, about 60% of customers read reviews before buying something.
Where can we find a review that might help us take the right decisions?
- On the websites selling products (the ones that sell the items they produce on their own or big platforms like Amazon);
- Review websites like TripAdvisor (dedicated to the topic of traveling) etc.;
- Social networking sites;
- Blogs;
- YouTube channels.
All of these components give us the answer on what is digital world and enables us to understand if this particular item matches our needs or not. We spend more time reading reviews than looking at the product. Having the well-planned website is crucial. It should be responsive and intuitive. It should also be mobile-friendly. If an enterprise does not keep up with the requirements of time, it inevitably falls behind. You’ll be trailing behind while your competitors will outperform you.
The digital globe facilitates e-commerce. It would never be possible without the Internet, of course. We cannot imagine our lives without purchasing things online: we order Christmas presents, we buy technology goods, we order food, choose e-books within just a few seconds, etc. Furthermore, we don’t even have to talk to someone on the phone. This is the great feature of the digital world. Both businesses and customers in UAE and globally benefit from it. Businesses have become more cost-efficient. Websites are less expensive than brick and mortar shops.
One more advantage of the website is that it is not restricted regarding geography. There are no borders – they no longer exist on the digital globe. Your reach is greater than ever. Websites are the freedom of action. It allows you not to be limited by location. More people will get the opportunity to become your clients. These are people who don’t even have to leave their houses to purchase things.
Advertising is still the very powerful strategy widely used in the digital world. Advertising is everywhere – on Facebook, Google AdWords, etc. Advertising gives UAE companies the opportunity to reach their audience with the help of the keywords. Customers use those keywords while performing their search. There are various types of advertising. They are not limited to a certain platform or a search engine. There are numerous places where you can place or come across advertising:
- In different applications including music services;
- On social media;
- On various devices.
Contemporary advertising allows us to become better at targeting. Targeting of nowadays relies on demographics. It analyses the behavior of consumers such as things they have been searching and websites they have visited. Social media provides comfortable platforms for the use of social media. Moreover, social networks are a great way of communicating with clients. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enable companies to interact with their audience. Social media can help you to encourage your potential customers to visit your website.
Social networks can also be used as a service method. How? Any rising problem can be quickly discussed with the client; any issue can be efficiently resolved. Helping individual clients and building rapport is very important in the digital world we live in. Social media is also tremendously convenient for placing orders – customers don’t even have to visit websites. Email marketing is another facet of an electronic direct marketing campaign. Email marketing is not a new strategy – it has already been around for some time.
Email marketing is the “offspring” of the Internet. It is one of the best and the most reliable ways to gather contact information. What exactly does email marketing allow us to do? Here is the list of the opportunities you get when using it:
- Inviting people to events and informing them of special offers;
- Familiarizing customers with new items;
- Providing clients with customized and personalized recommendations relying on their previous orders;
- Asking customers for reviews and any other kind of feedback;
- Giving tips as to how to use your product or service.
One more vital opportunity UAE businesses have due to the great potential of the digital world is analytics. You can measure things and keep track of almost anything. Why is it so important? Because it prevents you from committing bigger mistakes. Managers who keep track of things will see which tactics are working and which are not. This way you learn more about your audience. You can get rid of unnecessary things and try out something fresh and new.
The face of the marketing looks very different in the digital world we live in. We sell differently, we purchase differently, we buy more, and these are only some of the changes. If you want your Dubai of other business to stay afloat, you’re obliged to keep up with all these changes and alterations. Some of the traditional direct mail and direct marketing methods are still here. We use them to our benefit. In fact, traditional and digital direct marketing have been successfully merged. There are new tools that combine the features of both. They make available tactics more personalized and be better targeted.
Direct marketing and direct mail have changed. New technology has the great impact on modern marketing. Ordinary businesses face challenges. If you want to reach successful, stay consistent. One of the main benefits of a direct campaign is that it is fast. Things are done, and issues are resolved in real time. There is nothing as appreciated nowadays as time. The digital world by definition imposes its own requirements on enterprises. Direct Digital marketing, when applied correctly, will definitely help your company to prosper and expand.