Marketing refers to the technique by which the product or services are promoted, sold and distributed (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2018). Marketing is one of the most critical areas of the businesses of the 21st century. With the advancement of the internet and the mobile technology and the globalization, the marketing activities of the entities have also become complex (Stevens, 2018). The focus of the marketing practices has evolved from the brand equity to the customer capital to the business capital over the years, as pointed out by Dussart and Nantel in the year 2007 (Erragcha and Romdhane, 2014). As a result, the marketing managers are required to design the marketing strategies for the businesses carefully, on the lines of the emerging trends and techniques in the field of marketing, in order to sustain in the competition in long run. There are a wide variety of techniques that can be used by the marketing managers to market their products and services. Though the two main channels are traditional marketing and the digital marketing, there are many practices involved in the digital marketing. Some of the main practices involved are video advertising, online social ads, content and email marketing and more. A marketing manager is required to select the best possible mix of the available options, depending on the customers and the content. The report aims to highlight the various facets of marketing in the light of the technological innovations and the current practices, keeping in mind the business practices of Clintons.
Traditional methods of marketing comprise of the conventional methods of the marketing such as the use of the newspapers, magazine, radio, television, flyers, door to door selling, brochures and the billboard advertisements along the roads (Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels, 2016). Initially, the marketing function was limited to the providing aid to the production department in terms of the market coverage of the products and the services while considering the financial and the human resource department components. As stated by the traditional marketing mix model, popularly known as the 4P’s of the marketing, the consumer offer is comprised of the four main components namely, Price, Product, Promotion and Place (Wirtz and Lovelock, 2016). However, the marketing concept has come a long way from the framework of the 4 Ps. The marketers of today are required to be conceptual and practical leaders (Pearson, 2013). With the introduction of the internet, mobile, tablets, e-commerce practices and the continuous advancements in the same, the face of the marketing has changed, with the digitalization of the same. The art of digital marketing world is continuously evolving with the introduction of the new techniques and the technological advancements. Some of the popular techniques of the digital marketing are the use of social media, blogging, content marketing, email marketing, paid search and many more. There is a wide range of benefits for the Clintons, of implementing the digital marketing practice in the business. Some of them are listed as follows.
Wide audience coverage: By using the dominant digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and such, the audience reach of the business reach can be widened nationally and internationally (Ryan, 2016). The strategy would allow the Clintons to discover new markets globally and thus penetrating new markets.
Affordable: A proper mix of the various digital media strategies can be opted by the business at an affordable cost. While the traditional marketing techniques often come with the hidden costs, the only consideration in the digital marketing practice is the choice of technique depending upon the budget (Lamberton and Stephen, 2016).
Measurable Results: With the introduction of the various web analytics tools, the businesses can judge the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns in figurative terms (Spiller and Tuten, 2015). The same can be compared with that of the competitors. Thus, the trackability of the results is another striking benefit of the digital marketing tools.
Customisation: By linking the customer database to the business website, the customers can be provided with more personalized services and offers, which further helps in inducing and retaining them.
With the business world being taken over by the internet, the website development and management for the entity is essential in terms of growth and success, as it helps in the creation of an overall image of the business brand. In addition to this, the website must be optimised to engage the visitors and convert them into customers for the fulfilment of the key goals of the entity. Therefore, it is critical for the company Clintons to develop an effective optimisation program together with a sound website creation for the online business to engage the visitors in an effective manner. An effective online business would result in the generation of greater revenues and profits for the business (Page, 2012). Some of the widely known techniques for the optimisation of the website that can be used by the Clintons are as follows.
In order to improve the site performance in terms of marketing, the first step is to evaluate the current performance with the use of the web analytics data. The trends, the online sales volume, the preferences can be examined with the use of the analytics data. The data would help the business by providing the key information to understand and prioritise the needs of the customers. Some of the widely used web analytical tools are MixPanel, Google Analytics, Heap Analytics, Oribi and many more.
The next step for the company Clintons is to make the business website more visible to the consumers. This can be done with the help of the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) techniques. In order to gain the maximum from the techniques, the marketing managers must design an optimum mix of the SEO and the PPC technique. The two techniques have been explained further as follows.
Search Engine Optimization: The technique is used to create organic search visibility for your website (Kent, 2012). It refers to the process by which the company Clintons can organise its website content by topic, which aids the search engines like Google to feature the website as per the customer’s intent. The company can directly influence the search engine optimisation by use of the certain keywords throughout the content, a clean and optimal website design, building of the links and many more.
These are also referred to as the paid search marketing or sponsoring the advertising results. In this technique, an entity is required to bid for the keywords that are relevant to the nature of its business. The cost of the bid depends upon the competitiveness of the keyword that yields a high search engine ranking (Mitchell, 2012). In this technique, the payment is made only when a visitor on a PPC ad makes a click. Accordingly, it is critical for the marketing managers to raft their PPC ad carefully and competitively. This is an effective manner to target and garnish the online consumer traffic towards the company’s website.
Thus, it can be said that successful SEO and the PPC strategies are the foundation of the digital advertising of an entity. Both the SEO and the PPC teams must construct the keywords that align with the target audience preference and behaviour, help in projecting the traffic growth for the advertisements and drive relevant conversions of such visitors into customers.
The company Clintons must create a balanced campaign in terms of the search engine techniques. While the PPC technique would yield quick short-term results, the long-term results of SEO advertising are effective. Therefore, an effective digital marketing strategy while creating a balance between the quick visibility and relevant visitor targeting must be devised by the managers for the efficient marketing of the business products.
However, while designing such advertisement campaigns, the marketing managers must equip themselves enough with the knowledge and the applicability of the relevant laws and regulations. The digital advertising in the UK must be done within the framework of Data Protection Act, 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (Practical Law, 2018). This is in addition to the Committee of Advertising Practices (CAP) UK Code laid down by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations of 2008.
After the website and the search engine mode of advertising, comes the next popular means of advertising i.e. advertising within the social communities. Conventional online display ads comprise of text, graphics, sound and video and these are displayed on the various websites unlike the print ads in the newspaper or magazines. When a visitor is clicking the ad, it lands the visitor at a particular chosen page by the advertiser, known as the landing page. The marketing managers of the company Clintons can chose to create the online display ads with a suitable landing page to their website. The landing page must be designed attractively to retain the visitor on the same. Social ads are also the online display ads but with the incorporation of the user data and social interaction within the ad (Tuten and Solomon, 2017). These ads are customised by adding the profiles, images and other data of the users. These ads are even more effective than the conventional social ads because of the ability of the user interaction and the personalisation of the ad. According to research conducted on the 70 number of the Facebook campaigns; it was found that there was an increase of about 55 per cent in the ad recall through the social ads. Therefore, it is a very attractive option that can be availed by the company Clintons for running their marketing campaigns and interacting with the potential visitors about their preferences.
Another means of marketing using the social media is through the video advertising. According to a recent study conducted by the Web Marketing Video Council in the year 2016, it was found that approximately 60% of brands are currently engaged in the video advertising practice on social networks. Thus, it can be said that it is even more effective than the social ads. The video ads are most suited to the tech-savvy younger generation and these help the marketers create an instant emotional connection with the consumers. In addition, with the wide use of the mobile phones and the smartphones, the technique is best suited for the current generation of the consumers. The different social media platforms that may be used the Clintons for video advertising are YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The series of steps for marketing on the social media are as follows.
A good content holds the ability to create and shape the identity and voice of a business brand. It is important for the businesses to create relevant and high-quality content on a consistent basis to stay in touch with the various stakeholders (Lieb, 2011). A good content can aid the companies to have meaningful consumer interactions. Content marketing is a pull technique by which the consumers are provided with the data to engage, educate, help, and entertain them. It aids in trust building, loyalty building, recognition of the brand and dissemination of the authoritative and credible data and information. Earlier businesses used to publish newsletters and brochures widely, however as the market has been taken over by the technology, these practices have reduced. These days, digital content is being disseminated through various means, one such means is Email.
Connecting consumers through email is yet another significant way to promote products and services by the companies like Clintons. The use of the email has evolved to a development into software as a service (SAAS), from the simple mail facility, and thus it has become an essential component of the marketing plans of the companies (Gunelius, 2018). Software as a service is a software distribution model through which the application may be used online at affordable rates. The hosts further provide 24/7 access at a very low subscription amount and simple tools through which the email can be sent to the wide range of customers at once. The technique allows the user to create professional emails which can be sent to the groups of consumers to inform them about the schemes, discounts, updates, sales and more such marketing tactics. According to the National Client Email Report 2015, the return for investment in marketing via email in dollar terms is $ 38 for every $1 (Email Monday, 2015). This shows a high return on investment against affordable rates. Moreover, the emails can be customised and sent according to the segment distribution of the consumers.
Thus, the digital marketing technique can be used by the Clintons to convey the important consumer-related information at once. The company can use the content and email marketing to circulate important announcements and information with the aid of email. The Clintons can reach their customers via email on various festivals and occasions and provide them with the information about the new offers, varieties and discounts on cards. This way, the company will be inst touch with its customers on regular basis.
The fact that the digital media marketing performance can be measured makes it superior to the other marketing strategies and this is regarded as its one of the most significant benefits (Chaffey and Patron, 2012). Web analytics refers to the technique of collection, measurement and analysis of the consumer data for the optimisation of the digital strategy accordingly. Thus, the website interaction capability with that of the customers, the success of an ad campaign or an email advertisement of the Clintons can be measured with the aid of the web analytics tools. In addition to the above, the service aids in budgeting and planning for the future and provides a base for designing future marketing campaigns. Some of the popular web analytics tools these days are Google Analytics, Chartbeat, UserTesting, Spring Metrics, Woopra, Clicky and more.
Conclusion
As per the discussions conducted in the previous parts, it can be concluded that marketing plays a significant role in the business operations of the organisations of today. The marketing concept has made a transformational shift from the traditional to the modern means. This is because of the fact that markets of today have been completely taken over by the technological advancements in the field of computers, mobile, internet and tablets, business practices, competition, consumer preferences and more. As a result, the companies must craft an effective digital marketing strategy to sustain in long run. As in the case of the company Clintons, the company is facing a stiff competition from the competitors and thus a digital media marketing strategy is an utmost need for the company’s marketing efforts. The company can choose from the various techniques of digital marketing depending upon the budget, customer preferences and other such parameters. However, the creation of a website, email marketing, social media advertising, use of the web analytics tools and the video advertising are suitable to the nature of the business of the company i.e. the greeting cards. In addition to the above, the company can go for a balanced advertising campaign between the search optimization advertising and the pay per click ads. The company must conduct the research on the consumer data and then plan the strategy accordingly. The modern techniques of marketing come with a list of benefits such as wide coverage, time-saving, measurement of the success of the ad campaign and data evaluation about the consumer-related information. In addition to the development, the strategy must be followed up from time to time, to amend the same depending on the changing business environment.
References
Chaffey, D. and Patron, M. (2012) From web analytics to digital marketing optimization: Increasing the commercial value of digital analytics. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 14(1), pp. 30-45.
Chaffey, D. and Smith, P. R. (2017) Digital marketing excellence. Planning, optimizing and integrating online marketing. 5th ed. Oxon: Routledge.
Email Monday. (2015) National Client Email Report 2015. [online] Available from: https://www.emailmonday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/National-client-email-2015-DMA.pdf [Accessed on 09/08/2018].
Erragcha, N. and Romdhane, R. (2014) New faces of marketing in the era of the web: from marketing 1.0 to marketing 3.0. Journal of Research in Marketing, 2(2), pp. 137-142.
Gunelius, S. (2018) Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Business. USA: Entrepreneur Press.
Kent, P. (2012) Search engine optimization for dummies. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons.
Lamberton, C. and Stephen, A. T. (2016) A thematic exploration of digital, social media, and mobile marketing: Research evolution from 2000 to 2015 and an agenda for future inquiry. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), pp. 146-172.
Ledford, J. L. (2015) Search engine optimization bible (Vol. 584). UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Lieb, R. (2011) Content marketing: think like a publisher-how to use content to market online and in social media. US: Que Publishing.
Merriam Webster Dictionary. (2018) Definition of marketing. [online] Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marketing [Accessed on 09/08/2018].
Mitchell, M. (2012) SEO & PPC: Better Together. USA: FT Press.
Page, R. (2012) Website Optimization: An Hour a Day. UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Pearson, D. (2013) The 20 Ps of Marketing: A complete guide to marketing strategy. UK: Kogan Page Publishers.
Practical Law. (2018) Direct marketing: a quick guide (DPA 1998 and PECR) [online] Available from: https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/4-385-3476?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&comp=pluk&bhcp=1 [Accessed on 09/08/2018].
Rognerud, J. (2014) Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Website. USA: Entrepreneur Press.
Ryan, D. (2016) Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. UK: Kogan Page Publishers.
Spiller, L. and Tuten, T. (2015) Integrating metrics across the marketing curriculum: The digital and social media opportunity. Journal of Marketing Education, 37(2), pp. 114-126.
Srinivasan, S., Rutz, O. J. and Pauwels, K. (2016) Paths to and off purchase: quantifying the impact of traditional marketing and online consumer activity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(4), pp. 440-453.
Stevens, M. (2018) Understanding the role of technology in marketing. [online] Available from: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/01/10/understanding-the-role-technology-marketing [Accessed on 09/08/2018].
Tuten, T. L. and Solomon, M. R. (2017) Social media marketing. USA: Sage Publications.
Wirtz, J. and Lovelock, C. (2016) Services Marketing: People, Technology. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company.
Zahedi, F. M., Abbasi, A. and Chen, Y. (2015) Fake-website detection tools: Identifying elements that promote individuals’ use and enhance their performance. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 16(6), p. 448.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download