The digital marketing arena is increasingly competitive and volatile as businesses and marketers aggressively compete for consumer attention. The noise of advertising is unbearable, and consumers are increasingly annoyed by the clutter of generic advertisements. Without a doubt, 2020 has been the year that introduced some major changes in every business model. Marketers, due to high consumer knowledge, have turned towards search engine algorithms and digital marketing rules. Many even working hard to think out-of-the-box and incorporate data-driven insights into the marketing mix.

Modern-day consumers desire personalized customer experiences, and they refuse to settle for anything less. Businesses that operate on keyword stuffing and generic social media posts fail to achieve expected ROIs despite spending a considerable amount on marketing campaigns. Perhaps, most of the marketing failures stem from the lack of accurate information, market research, and the inability to stay abreast with industry trends. Information verificationand acquainting oneself with facts are instrumental in designing a successful digital campaign. Marketing endeavors are successful when held through research, customer data, and statistics that reveal demand preferences.

Marketers who misinterpret or ignore facts find themselves at a natural disadvantage when approaching digital marketing. Keep reading to explore digital marketing facts that are vital to design relevant and customer-centric campaigns.

1.   Identifying a Specific Target Audience is Vital

How can you generate and convert marketing leads if you’re not targeting the right consumer segment, i.e., peoplewho desire your products/services? Market research is always the first step, as it allows marketers to identify different segments within their target audience.

Today, numerous advertising tools such as Facebook ads, PPC campaigns, and Instagram promotions allow specific targeting. Customer segmentation also facilitates local SEO campaigns, email marketing, newsletters, and conversion-boosting campaigns. Marketers often wonder how to do local SEO to increase walk-in traffic for retail stores or authenticate a service-oriented business.

The secret lies within market research and effective consumer segmentation. Once you identify a specific audience segment that will connect and desire your product, your market efforts will pay off. Even if you spend thousands of dollars, you cannot increase sales by targeting your efforts at an irrelevant audience.

2.   Marketing Investments Does NOT Determine Success

Many marketers believe that the secret to marketing success is to promote each ad and post randomly. Such marketers and businesses spend uncontrollably and then wonder why didn’t their efforts materialize the expected ROIs. You see, marketing expenditures spending does not determine success.

Numerous startups and brands have managed to create a powerful impression with original and authentic campaigns. Have you ever heard of organic traffic? It is the traffic a brand generates with its content and authenticity. It holds more significant value than monetized traffic.

Modern-day users are tech-savvy, and they are vigilant about blogs and ads that are heavily monetized. This tech-awareness also coincides with their increased distrust of brands and their marketing gimmicks. Therefore, consumers are more inclined towards influencer marketing as they desire honest and transparent reviews.

So, realistically what should a business aim for a higher marketing budget or storytelling creativity? A higher marketing budget will garner you greater exposure and a wider audience. But without creativity and originality, you have nothing to sell.

3.   Creativity Always Wins!

You might have heard that content is always the king. Good content empowers a marketing campaign with originality and engagement. Creativity is the dynamic force that allows brands to set themselves apart in the industry and rise above the noise. Content creation is a powerful marketing tool that enables brands to use immersive storytelling mediums to share their stories.

Content is curated to inform, educate, aware, engage, inspire and encourage the audience to make purchase decisions. Consumers actively explore content to verify the credibility, reliability, and transparency of a brand. However, a brand cannot stick to the same content medium or continue churning out in the sameformat.

For instance, a blog alone isn’t enough to attract a flourishing audience, i.e., eager and motivated buyers. You will need to tap into different content mediums so that your marketing mix appeals to your entire target audience. Some consumers like to read informative guides and lengthy blogs, while others prefer interactive videos and unboxing reviews.

Thorough research regarding each aspect might serve as your guide to understand your targeted consumer segments’ content preferences. Seasoned marketers strongly advise businesses to present their audience with an interactive mix of written, visual, and video content.

4.   Consumers Desire Highly-Personalized Experiences

The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has transformed users’ online experiences worldwide. Have you ever wondered how Facebook delivers suggestions and ads from products or brands similar to your browsing history? How Netflix suggestsmovies and TV shows that meet your preferences?

The answer is, these leading tech innovators deploy AI and machine learning algorithms to process and analyze user data and generate personalized suggestions. Since consumers interact with such technologies each day, their desires and expectations transform considerably. Modern-day consumers desire highly personalized experiences and expect businesses to tap into their expectations by pulling data insights.

Businesses respond by acquiring data analysis tools to understand the consumer experience and offer extensive customization. Personalization has penetrated every aspect of the consumer experience, from website experience to emails, ads, and much more.

5.   Content is Meaningless without Keyword Research

If your brand isn’t allocating resources for extensive keyword research, then your content isn’t serving any purpose. Keywords allow content to target a specific audience and increase the website’s overall search engine rankings.

How does Google rank millions of websites to fulfill a search query within seconds? Google bots and algorithms are programmed to skim through millions of relevant web pages. On the other hand, keywords allow bots to identify the relevance of your content and determine your search engine rankings. Further, they serve the purpose of establishing relevance and creating exposure for your content. Even a heavily funded PPC campaign cannot salvage the rankings of a web page devoid of keywords.

Besides, your content serves no purpose without keywords, as keywords can make your website relevant to your target audience.You can use online keyword generators to identify keywords relevant to your industry, business, and target audience.

Conclusion

Focusing too much on spending and too little on creativity is always a mistake. As a marketer, you may want to purchase abook and stick to tried-and-tested methodologies. But marketing success comes with breaking barriers and exploring out-of-the-box creativity to stand out in the industry. The magic begins by studying and understanding your audience and then offering products and services as per your consumers’ desire.