Digital marketing: Is it the better way?

It’s a known fact that almost everyone in the metro is online, using their desktop computer, tablet or phone to access the Internet.

So there is a lot of discussion in the field of marketing on the value of going online, of using the Internet as an advertising platform or a sales channel.

Some marketers believe that opening free social media accounts is enough to reach out to the growing tribe of digital natives.

But is it really?

Should all efforts go to digital platforms and leave behind so-called traditional forms of media? Have marketers and sellers learned enough to make full use of online platforms and integrate these efforts with campaigns using other forms of media?

Andrew Chow, a social media and public relations strategist from Singapore, can provide some answers.

He has extensive experience using the Internet for branding and marketing. He has also published books such as Public Relations 247 and Social Media 247. It has been his advocacy to help businesses gain tangible results from using both traditional and online tools.

In this brief interview, Chow shares some of his insights on digital marketing:

Q: What are the important aspects of digital marketing that we should understand?

1. Less is more. Today, there is information overload everywhere. There is more supply than demand. Being concise will enable quick dissemination and absorption of vital proposition.

2. Digital alone is not enough. Besides Digital Marketing, there are other aspects of marketing like content, event, personal branding and other aspects which require a company to integrate them coordinately and seamlessly. Going digital alone will not reach out to all target audience effectively.

3. Sell by sharing. People do not buy because there is a campaign. They buy on perception, mind-set and recommendation. Prospects look for a lot more value-add than before. If there are not enough advocates to share what they have bought, there will not be enough traction to sustain the sales.

Q. It is believed that digital marketing is cheap. Is this true?

Going digital is cheap. Getting marketing going is expensive! It is inexpensive to create mobile web, fan pages, asking bloggers to write for you and even developing a mobile app. The content creation, dissemination strategy, conversation monitoring, and organically building your fan base are resource-intensive exercises.

Q: What are the trends in digital marketing the Philippines can learn from?

Digital Marketing, like social media, is culture-centric. Malaysia likes to talk about politics. Singapore loves to talk about cost of living and transportation. Brunei loves to talk about the royal family.

The top popular topics in general in Asia are gossip, food, online shopping, best deals, celebrities, nationalism, health and cost of living.

Research on evergreen topics to leverage on. Find the link between those topics and your unique selling points.

(Andrew Chow will again be in Manila this month to share practical approaches to Digital Marketing to help you execute your digital marketing plan. He will facilitate the second run of the Professional Workshop in Digital Marketing to be held on Oct. 19-21, 2015 at the Inquirer Academy on Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.)

The workshop is brought to you by Inquirer Academy in partnership with M.A.D. School by Chatsworth Mediart Academy. Graduates of the three-day workshop will receive a certificate from the globally recognized M.A.D. School, the first integrated Marketing, Advertising and Design school in Asia. For details, you may write to [email protected] or call (632) 834-1557. Look for Bambi Donato or Arvin Maghirang.

Inquirer Academy is the learning center for professionals who want to get ahead, be ahead and contribute to society.