The Continuing and Distance Education Department prepared this webinar following the observation that digital marketing has pivoted (in some cases) dramatically since Covid-19 hit the globe. Lead Instructor Eric Harbison and email Expert Liz Willits led this discussion. In this webinar, emphasis was laid on four areas of digital marketing; Digital Communities, Newsletters and Email Marketing, Audio and Video Marketing and the use of Voice Search. Generally, marketing strategies thrive when one is intentional about building a community based on authentic relationships, providing value rather than marketing only for sales and being creative and unique.
Why do email Marketing strategies and platforms like Finimize, Daily Skimm, and Morning Brew continue to work when there are other channels such as social media? Email marketing will probably remain an effective digital marketing strategy because; one has more control since they are not dependent on algorithms like some social media pages, email marketers own their email list and do not need to buy followers. Research shows that consumers love email promotions from brands they have opted into. Email Marketing is an effective way to get personalized attention from customers. Marketers use email because it drives revenues, as it is the best platform to sell, launch and boost products.
YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google and Podcasts. A video alone gives a more personal touch on one’s customers. A video is any outlet that allows you to provide sight and sound in motion. The big question is, how are you optimizing your video content? What are the YouTube searches that have increased in the last year? Optimization is key for traffic visibility. Turn Frequently Asked Questions into the content. 80% of shoppers will consolidate shopping to make fewer trips than in previous years. Searches for “available near me” have grown globally by more than 95% since 2020. 67% of all shoppers plan to confirm online that an item they desire is in stock before going to buy it. Voice search is therefore a marketing strategy that one can also consider exploring.
In summary, find more ways to connect and develop virtual communities, build a community and then provide value and treat marketing like a relationship. Remember podcasts offer the opportunity to perform hyper-targeted marketing and finally, create content that addresses the intention of your customers; respond to commonly asked questions, showcase clear product details and provide easy how-to steps.