Digital marketing challenges are becoming one of the most talked-about topics today.
In the Philippines, Filipinos spend at least 10 hours and 2 minutes on the Internet using any device. 71% of the total Philippine population has access to the Internet, making the Philippines the country with the heaviest Internet usage in the world. By 2023, the number is still expected to grow by 20%.
E-commerce giants see great potential in these statistics. In iPrice Group's Map of Philippines' Leading E-commerce Players, foreign e-commerce platforms including Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, and eBay dominate the top four spots. Entrepreneur.com reports that 92% of the e-commerce traffic is going to these e-commerce platforms, calling them the 'Big Four of PH E-commerce.' as they compete for search interest ranking and social media leads.
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Many traditional brands today find a huge appetite for technological adoption and advancement to maximize the power of technology. As consumers increase their online presence, the shift from traditional to digital marketing practices becomes inevitable. So, to help you make the digital shift, here are 4 of the biggest digital marketing challenges you should be prepared for:
Digital Marketing Challenges 2019
1. Determining how to use and maximize all consumer data
The digital space is wide and can provide so much consumer data. Collecting data is one thing, but strategically using them is another. It can be challenging to organize insights from all these data, identify what is relevant for your company, and understand what it can do for the business.
Most companies nowadays, especially those that are transitioning from traditional practices to digital, admit that they do not know how to effectively use the huge data at their disposal. Tracking was never possible before, although TV viewings and ratings are comparable. With digital forms of media, metrics have become more accurate; thus, more helpful. It is essential for any digital marketer to know how to read data despite its very technical side.
One way to solve this is through Artificial Intelligence (AI) marketing. Because of the extraordinarily fast-paced movement of consumers, marketers must always be ten steps ahead to predict online trends. AI marketing benefits even the world’s most successful brands as AI concepts like machine learning, help them improve the customer journey.
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Today, these brands are already reaping the rewards of AI marketing in terms of campaign performance and ROI.
Read Related Article: Top 5 Powerful Marketing Automation Tools
2. Driving the right traffic to your website
There are plenty of ways to increase site traffic. But to make sure that you direct the right people to your page? It’s another challenge.
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Digital consumers jump from one channel to another. Still, it doesn’t mean that using multiple screens automatically drives them to your website. Maybe your page loads slowly or maybe you’re not paying enough attention to SEO. But even though you can get people visiting your page, there is no point in having high traffic if it’s not composed of the right audience. You need to attract visitors who find value in your services.
Identifying a specific target audience will help you develop a solid digital strategy. Global marketplace Etsy improved their organic shop visits by creating a powerful traffic strategy. Most websites ground their strategy in blog content. But beyond that, Etsy revamped their on-site SEO, increased the visibility of in-site links with prominent keywords, and ultimately drove traffic to different areas of their website.
3. Turning clicks into conversions
Brands tend to focus on crafting relevant content as it is a major form of currency in any brand-customer relationship. It all starts from there. And still, getting conversions from clicks remains to be a challenge for many digital marketers.
One of the most important tasks of a digital marketer is understanding the marketing funnel. Having a clear map of your brand's customer journey helps you develop relevant top-of-the-funnel and bottom-of-the-funnel content that will guide your audience to conversion and beyond.
Consumers today connect with brands via multiple channels and screens. They demand relevant content that caters to their individual needs. Making sure they are engaged from the first touchpoint to the last is a key strategy to drive conversions more than just clicks.
4. Taking advantage of real-time marketing
Technology has revolutionized the way consumers live. A few clicks allow access to information, instant purchase, and quick registration to different platforms. Everything is now fast-paced and can be done at once. The downside is: people lose interest just as quickly.
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One of the greatest digital marketing challenges is keeping that interest yours. That’s why real-time marketing makes a valuable strategy. It enables digital marketers to cut through the noise and interact with their hyperconnected consumers at the time they’re most engaged.
Brands can often be seen ‘trendjacking’ or riding on the digital hype with their social media posts and advertisements. Angkas is one of the local tech brands known to do this. From trending movie releases to social media influencers, they get to create content that grabs the attention of their audience yet still very much true to their brand identity. One of the most popular is their 'Game of Thronesportation' posts, released during the hype of Game of Thrones Finale.
Final Thoughts
Digital technology has been continuously disrupting the practice of marketing. From predicting consumer behavior to crafting relevant marketing messages, there is always a digital way of dealing with marketing challenges. However, the infinite number of online strategies and executions came with a wave of digital marketing challenges. Brands that aim to remain relevant during the digital era should develop strategies that will overcome these challenges.
Established traditional marketers can find digital marketing challenges daunting at first. Key platforms and best practices have been shifting rapidly. The ever-changing digital environment can be intimidating. But even though these can be quite overwhelming, the digital world offers extensive opportunities for business. As the world goes forward with digitization, it is essential to move along and grow with it.
