Digital Marketing: Overview, Trends, and Strategies

This document provides an overview of digital marketing, including a comparison between online and offline marketing. It explores key consumer trends and insights that are fueling the growth of digital marketing. The document also discusses digital tools and hardware available to marketers in contrast to bricks and mortar and other physical channels. Additionally, it presents a digital marketing plan and strategy to build multichannel capabilities, and examines how omni-channel marketing has evolved.

Digital Marketing

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................4
P1 Overview of digital marketing landscape and comparison between online and offline
marketing.....................................................................................................................................4
Comparison between online and offline marketing:-..................................................................5
P2 Key consumer trends and insights that are fuelling the growth of digital marketing. ..........5
LO2..................................................................................................................................................6
P3 Digital tools and hardware that are available to marketers in contrast to bricks and mortar
and other physical channels. ......................................................................................................6
P4 Development of e-commerce and digital marketing platforms in comparison to physical
channels.......................................................................................................................................7
LO3..................................................................................................................................................8
P5 Digital marketing plan and strategy to build multichannel capabilities. ..............................8
P6 How omni-channel marketing has evolved............................................................................9
LO4..................................................................................................................................................9
P7 Measurement techniques and performance metrics in digital marketing..............................9
P8 Actions to improve performance in digital marketing.........................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
Books and Journals...................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Digital Marketing means promoting all products through use of Internet, social media
like Facebook, Twitter and so on to attract customers world wide. In today's world almost all
consumers are active on social media and company considers it as a effective way to promote all
products. In digital marketing also, company not only use social media channels but they do their
marketing through e-mails, blogs, webinars. The below analysis is based on Sainsbury. It is the
largest supermarket in united kingdom. The company was founded in 1869 by John James
Sainsbury. and became largest retailer. Sainsbury has three divisions which includes Sainsbury
bank, supermarket and argos. The below report includes concepts of online and offline
marketing, various opportunities, challenges and impact of digital marketing. It also includes
digital channels, platforms,tools and various activities that are performed in organization. The
report is also based on the use of omni-channel marketing and various techniques. (Chaffey,
2019)
LO1
P1 Overview of digital marketing landscape and comparison between online and offline
marketing.
Digital marketing landscape means the techniques which company use to reach to
consumers through use of various channels. An organization makes various strategies regarding
the tools they will be using to attract consumers. In digital landscape, there are six things which
company considers while making strategies. Social media marketing:- In today's world everyone is active on social media whether
its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on. So, companies find it a very effective
channel for doing marketing and reach consumers. It is a wide channel and while
promoting products through the use of sites it is necessary that before promoting, right
channel should be used and it should be done according to the kind of product. In the
case of Sainsbury, they used various digital channels especially Facebook and Twitter
and advertised the products on that channel.(Kingsnorth, 2019) Digital Ads:- In comparison to traditional marketing, digital marketing is now more
effective for the companies. They use various advertising techniques like video ads,

social ads and so on. In case of Sainsbury, they used technique of advertising all
products and recently the account of digital advertising is held by Abott Mead. Search engine optimization:- It means to improve company sites so that more consumer
gets attracted and become ready to buy products. Many supermarkets still not improved
their sites but in case of Sainsbury, they were ranked on number one position. Websites:- Every business should have a website that is simple and designed properly so
that it becomes easy for consumers to operate websites. Conversation marketing:- It means providing customers a facility where they can give
feedback regarding products or their needs and desires. In case of Sainsbury, they
provided this facility to all consumers and listened to their problems and soved them in
an effective way.
 E-main marketing:- This type of marketing channel is also considered as a good
technique in comparison to other marketing channels like social media or conversation
marketing.(Bala and Verma, 2018)
Comparison between online and offline marketing:-
Online marketing means selling all products with the help of online channels like social
media, e-mail marketing and so on. In case of online marketing it uses third party channel and
communicate through chat, social media. There are soms advantages as well as diadvantages of
online marketing. Companies finds it very easy to sell their respective products as it is not time
consuming and at the same time is very cost-effective but it also creates a risk due to which
frauds is done and it is not possible for the company to establish advertisements for each product
they are offering. Offline marketing means use of traditional marketing ways like advertisements
on television, print ads, word of mouth and so on. When companies use the technique of offline
marketing, customers trust them more as compared to online marketing channels because they
don't communicate with them directly as well as companies target large group of people because
many consumers are not active on social media especially the older generation but as compared
to online marketing it involves more cost because creating advertisements on television is
expensive and the use of print ads is also for limited time. As in the case of Sainsbury, they
provided the facility of Internet based home delivery services and they also offered facility that
they don't need to come at stores for checkouts and everything is done through digital
conversations. (de Ruyter, Keeling and Ngo, 2018)

P2 Key consumer trends and insights that are fuelling the growth of digital marketing.
In digital marketing there are many channels that are used like social media, advertising,
search engine optimisation and so on. Sometimes these channels may affect the growth of digital
marketing. So, while making any strategy various trends should be considered. Changing technology:- It means that technology should be used according to the
consumers. Not all consumers use every technology some may be active on social media
and some not. So, businesses should use technology according to the audiences they are
targeting.(De Pelsmacker, Van Tilburg and Holthof, 2018) Changing trends:- Earlier businesses were using traditional marketing technique but now
they are growing to the concept of digital marketing and they are promoting their
products digitally. It has been analysed that for businesses, the most easy and effective
way for companies is to use interative digital marketing technologies.
 Changing channels of communication:- To make businesses more effective, marketers
use various channels like social media, blogs for the audiences they are targeting.
Channels are used according to the products they are offering as well as the consumers
they are targeting like if the company is targeting youth generation then social media is
the best channel of communication. (Hanlon, 2019)
There are many challenges of digital marketing growth. Targeting right audience:- The most important thing for any organization is to target
right audience. As there are millions of users who remains active on social media but all
have different needs and expectations so targeting audiences should be done effectively. Keeping up with changing trends:- In today's world new technologies change at a fast
speed. So, company should know which technology or which site audiences are most
active at and ensure that they are using best technology.
 Security risks:-The main disadvantage of online marketing is that consumers personal
information can be hacked. So, organization should keep a proper programmes that
decrease their risks because if information of consumers will be hacked then it will afect
their brand image.

LO2
P3 Digital tools and hardware that are available to marketers in contrast to bricks and mortar and
other physical channels.
Bricks and mortar means the businesses that offers products to all consumers in their
store that they own. It is considered as traditional marketing because consumers visit their stores
and purchase at that particular time. As the concept of digital marketing got introduced, they had
difficult time because digital marketing is more flexible for consumers. It is not necessary that
with the increase use of digital marketing, bricks and mortar concept would be over. It is just
considered as a advanced shopping experience for all consumers which is prefered more by
consumers because it is more convenient for them. The development has evolved both in digital
marketing as well as in bricks and mortar. In the case of digital marketing, many things got
changed as compared to things that were used in past. Earlier, the main channel which was used
was e-mail marketing but after some time, websites like Yahoo, and Google was used. The
development is done on a very basis.(Kotane, Znotina and Hushko, 2019) There were many
websites that got introduced like amazon, flipkart, e-bay and so on and it automatically replaced
marketing on television, use of print ads and other traditional marketing channels. Earlier, people
usually did their work on their personal computers but as smartphones got introduced it replaced
the use of computers. In case of Brick and mortar development was done. As digital marketing
concept arised, it impact the growth of brick and mortar too. According to the past analysis, it is
recorded that everyone used to go the stores and purchase products but now most of the people
prefers to do online shopping. Despite the use of digital marketing channels, many people prefers
to do shopping by going physically to the store. They made various strategies like experential
retail. It means to improve the infrastructure and provide more customer satisfaction while
developing a calm and positive work environment. They also used the strategy of omni-channel
retail marketing. This strategy is made to generate more sales in the organization. This concept
of marketing helps businesses to interpret tastes and preferences of consumers. (Herhausen and
et.al, 2020)

P4 Development of e-commerce and digital marketing platforms in comparison to physical
channels.
E-commerce growth has never stopped. According to reports, it has been analysed that
due to e-commerce, sales is expected to raise from 6.5% to 9.3%. There are many things through
which e-commerce has led to growth. Use of technology:- In today's world everyone is using Internet which led to growth on e-
commerce. Earlier only 40% of people used Internet but now 70% people are using it. Price advantage:- According to consumers, the prices of all products are cheaper due to
which many people started prefering doing online shopping and led to e-commerce
growth. (Oktavianiand Rustandi, 2018) Convinient:- E-commerce is not at all time-consuming. People can purchase their
product from anywhere they want and at any time. The consumers can purchase in
seconds through online websites.
 Large product assortment:- In stores consumers may not find all products at one place
only but thorugh online shopping people can find any kind of product at one particular
website.
As in the case of Sainsbury, it was analysed that they faced a rapid growth while applying
strategy of e-commerce. The company reported that it increased upto 50% and earlier their
grocery business were facing online sales till 8% but it raised to approx 15%.
Digital marketing channels is more developed than other physical channels because they
involve high return on investment, it is easy to measure as well as easy to adjust.
LO3
P5 Digital marketing plan and strategy to build multichannel capabilities.
Multichannel marketing means to use both online as well as offline marketing channels to
target audiences and attract them for purchasing products. There are many digital marketing
plans that can be considered:- Marketing plan:- It means making strategies for future growth. There are many elements
which are considered while making a marketing plan like proper research should be done,
analysis of budget, various market strategies and so on.

 Digital marketing plan:- It means promoting and selling products with then use of digital
channels like social media, blogs and so on. Organizations makes various strategies while
promoting their products. Social media marketing:- In this type of marketing plan, social media channels are used
like Facebook, Instagram, Linkledin and so on. It is the most prefered plan for every
company because almost all people are active on social media. There are various
strategies that marketers make to build their multi-channel capabilities:-
1. Identify buyers persona:- It is very important to identify buyers needs and desires so that
they focus only on those products that consumers wants and make efforts according to
that. (Vieira,and et.al,2019)
2. Choose the channels:- While doingmarketing proper channels should be targeted.
Marketing of products should be done on those channels that customers prefers. The
target should also be set according to the product. If product is for young generation then
social media channel should be prefered.
3. Better customer knowledge:- Every marketer should have proper knowledge of
customers and according to their needs products should be produced and promoted.
4. Expanded reach:- While doing marketing, they should reach to maximum number of
people as possible. It should not happen that companies are focusing only on one channel.
They should use various channels so that their reach to audiences can be expanded.
P6 How omni-channel marketing has evolved.
Omni-channel marketing means the customers gets an integrated experience while doing
shopping. They can do shopping online or through visiting stores but their experience would be
really good. In this type of marketing, both online as well as offline strategies are used which led
to increase in efficiency of businesses. There are various steps that are followed while doing
marketing like proper objectives should be set, selection of channels, analysis of budget,
impletention should be effectively done. According to a report it is analysed that omnichannel
shoppers 50 to 300% more than traditional ones. There are many things which has been evolved
around omni-channel marketing like the mobile effect, embracing self service, channel
switching. In case of Sainsbury, shoppers moved to convenience stores, specialists and online too
due toh which sales of the companies were threatened. (Buchanan and et.al,2018)

LO4
P7 Measurement techniques and performance metrics in digital marketing.
There are many techniques that are used in digital marketing as well as performance
metrics. Online sales:- It is considered as the most simple technique for achieving success. The
company can use various platforms like google analytics to track everything. Online to store sales:- There are many customers who visit company's websites, see all
products but purchase from the retail stores only.
 Sales from phone calls:- It is also important and considered as a good technique to build
sales through phone calls. In this dynamic number insertion is entered through which
calls are tracked.
There are certain metrics used in digital marketing which is helpful for the companies. Overall traffic:- It means how many people have viewed the sites of company. Thorugh
this it is analysed that if company is doing a good job then traffic will be increased. If
customers are not showing interest in visiting sites then company should change their
strategies so that traffic on websites should remain good but it should not messed up also.
 Total conversions:- It means to evolve around simple user who has viewed the site to the
paying customer. If there is a low conversion then it means that consumers are not
interested in buying products. (Diez-Martin and et.al,2019)
P8 Actions to improve performance in digital marketing.
It is very important for companies to improve performance in digital marketing because it
lead to increase in their brand image and reputation. There are many ways through which
performance can be improved. Focus on conversion, not leads:- In this strategy main focus should be on data because it
infuences all the major decisions. The marketers should fully understand where all
consumers are spending their time. Double down on customer service:- According to consumers interaction is is analysed
that what their opinion is about that particular brand. To achieve success, it is very
important that services should be provided perfectly both in the case of online as well as
offline marketing.

 Buying journey:- The ultimate buying journey involves understanding customers,
creating all the content regarding brands, their products should be properly set so that
they puit a good impression in front of consumers and became successful. Form digital marketing team:- In improving the performance in digital marketing, it is
very necessary to form a proper team who can perfectly follow all digital marketing
techniques and improve their performance. Multichannel communication:- To improve performance in digital marketing,
companies should not use only one channel of communication, they should focus on
multiple channels so that they can expand their reach to consumers.
 Effective content strategy:- The content redarding all products and brand should be
effective so that customers gets attracted. This is the good strategy to engage customers
because most of the people gets attracted to details and then they shows interest in
purchasing products.
CONCLUSION
According to the above analysis it is concluded that, digital marketing is the most
efficient technique in improving sales of organization especially in today's world because it lead
to future growth of companies. Digital marketing is a concept that has replaced the use of
traditional marketing by organizations. Earlier people used to visit stores and then purchase
products but now most of the people prefers to do online shopping because it is considered that it
saves lot of time especially by youth generation. Digital marketing use various channels like
social media, advertisements, blogs and so on. Most of the companies has started using the
concept of digital marketing which has led them to success. It is analysed that promoting
products through social media channels is really effective as many companies has seen increase
in their sales and led to growth.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chaffey, D., 2019.Digital marketing. Pearson UK.
Kingsnorth, S., 2019Digital marketing strategy: an integrated approach to online marketing.
Kogan Page Publishers.
Bala, M. and Verma, D., 2018. A critical review of digital marketingM. Bala, D. Verma (2018).
A Critical Review of Digital Marketing. International Journal of Management, IT &
Engineering8(10), pp.321-339.
de Ruyter, K., Keeling, D.I. and Ngo, L.V., 2018. When nothing is what it seems: A digital
marketing research agenda.Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ)26(3), pp.199-203.
De Pelsmacker, P., Van Tilburg, S. and Holthof, C., 2018. Digital marketing strategies, online
reviews and hotel performanceInternational Journal of Hospitality Management,72, pp.47-55.
Hanlon, A., 2019.Digital marketing: strategic planning & integration. SAGE Publications
Limited.
Herhausen, D., and et.al, 2020. The digital marketing capabilities gap.Industrial Marketing
Management,90, pp.276-290.
Kotane, I., Znotina, D. and Hushko, S., 2019. Assessment of trends in the application of digital
marketing.Scientific Journal of Polonia University,33(2), pp.28-35.
Vieira, V.A., and et.al,2019. In pursuit of an effective B2B digital marketing strategy in an
emerging market.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,47(6), pp.1085-1108.
Oktaviani, F. and Rustandi, D., 2018. Implementasi Digital Marketing dalam Membangun Brand
Awareness.PRofesi Humas,3(1), pp.1-20.
Buchanan, L., and et.al,2018. The effects of digital marketing of unhealthy commodities on
young people: a systematic reviewNutrients,10(2), p.148.
Diez-Martin, F. and et.al,2019. Research challenges in digital marketing: sustainability
Sustainability,11(10), p.2839.