Every successful business or brand today has a good marketing team. You have an expert for every department of marketing – Campaign development, Television Ads, Prints, Consumer Market knowledge, Consumer research, PR etc.
But what about digital? Do I really need a digital expert on my team? Can’t any of my existing marketing managers do some digital marketing activity? Is it that difficult? Well, these are the questions a marketer or a company often ask themselves. And the answer is simple.
Today, everything is getting digitalized - from documentation to processes, to data handling, to reporting, to the way consumers are interacting, to the way they are shopping. Going digital is the need of the hour. It is no longer a luxury for a brand or a company, it is a necessity.
And you need the right team and resources to carry out this function effectively. Hence the need to have a digital marketing manager or digital expert in your team.
What is Digital Marketing
As a brand or company, you have to be present where your consumers are. And today your consumers are on various digital platforms like Google, Social media channels, YouTube, Mobile etc.
Digital marketing is nothing but marketing in this new digital age. It is about reaching your costumer and customizing your interactions through digital channels to promote your brand or company.
Going Digital!
Before understanding the need to have a digital expert or digital manager on your team, let’s understand what going digital really means. For some, going digital is all about technology, for others it is about the way we connect and communicate with consumers.
But going digital, for a company, is truly an amalgamation of everything - having the infrastructure and technology to build digital capabilities, being present on digital channels to connect and communicate with consumers, having a content strategy, having the mindset for change amongst the people within the organization, having the know-how to operate digital tools and having the resource (digital expert) to plan and execute digital strategies.
Going digital means everything. It cannot be defined as A THING, it is a way of doing business today!
Top reasons for having a Digital Expert or Digital Manager on your team
- To ensure your Brand or company is found on search engines:
More than half the world population is using the internet. They are constantly searching for information. Can your consumer find you on the internet, do they know about you, do they like what they know about you?
It is important for a Brand to be present on these online search spaces. Though it sounds simple, there are complex algorithms and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) rules which one has to master to be on top of these search results.
You need a digital marketing expert who understands the search world, and SEO rules to make sure your brand is everywhere on internet.
- To use Social media platforms as an effective tool:
Social media channels today are a powerful tool to connect, discuss and share information.
As a brand, you might have a presence on various social media channels but you have an audience or fan-base outside your target group. This is not effective.
Hire a digital marketing expert who can define your social media strategy to ensure you reach the relevant audience and who helps you to build your brand equity online.
- To have an On-Brand and easy to update website:
Your website says a lot about your business and your brand and therefore it is vital to a company.
Constantly updating and refreshing the content on your website helps you to score high on organic search. For instance, when you search a word or a phrase on any search engines like Google, Bing, etc. and your content shows up in the search results without paying for it, means you are doing well in organic search. But, is it a nightmare to make small updates on your website!!
Do not worry, put your digital expert in charge to ensure you have a user friendly, mobile friendly and a search friendly brand website.
- To invest on the right media channels to make your bucks count:
People are consuming digital media heavily these days - Google, Facebook, YouTube, fashion sites etc. But you don’t know which is the right media to invest in for your brand to get efficient ROI (Return on Investment).
Don’t worry, let your digital manager do your media planning by working on the data and media agency to evaluate the best media channels to invest on.
- To have the best in class E-commerce sites:
E-commerce sales are growing every year. More and more companies are going the E-commerce way to increase their sales. But creating a user friendly, mobile friendly and search friendly E-commerce site is not child's play.
Hire a digital expert who understands the online shopping world to create a best-in-class ecommerce website for you.
- To measure the ROI of your marketing:
You invest on various digital channels but have no clear indication on how effective these investments are.
Your Digital Marketing manager will define KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for each channel and track the performance. He/She will create a digital dashboard showing the results of the digital investment, keeping you and all stakeholders informed of the progress. You can therefore measure the impact of the digital campaign.
The data can then be used to define your future marketing strategy and you can get a real picture on where your brand and company stands today.
There are many more reasons why you should have a digital expert or digital manager on your team. The digital world is moving at a frightening speed. The digital disruption has changed the way of doing business today and is constantly evolving.
You need a digital expert who is up to date with the latest digital trends, who is innovative and passionate about all things digital. The digital manager can integrate the digital strategy in the overall marketing strategy of a brand or a company. The person has the knowledge and flare to handle various digital agencies to create best in class digital assets.
During this phase of unprecedented speed of digital transformation, your digital expert can equip you with the right framework, tools and processes to drive a winning digital strategy for your brand.
Most companies have understood the need and importance of a digital expert in their team. They are shaping their future digital strategy. Before you know it, your competitors will do it, so if you don’t want to be left behind, go ahead and hire a digital expert or digital marketing manager for your team now!
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