Getting a foothold in the digital market

Digital marketing is becoming increasingly important for firms looking to reach out to their target audience. The explosion in the popularity of the internet means more people are going online to research and purchase goods and services.

Traditionally, firms would have used a combination of TV, print, radio and promotional products in order to gain the attention of prospective clients, but budgets are now being shifted online because of the growth in web traffic. Some of the success stories from 2012 provide evidence of how businesses can be successful through a savvy web campaign.

Online video advertising

Creating a memorable and innovative online video advertising campaign is a surefire way to increase your customer base. A public transport authority in Melbourne, Australia captured the public’s attention with its Dumb Ways to Die video that sought to raise awareness of railway safety.

Despite the serious nature of the topic, it managed to take a light-hearted approach and was viewed over 30 million times in only two weeks. This demonstrates how effective campaigns can be if they stand out from the competition and make people either laugh or think, because they are then more likely to be shared.

Using social media

Twitter and Facebook have become accepted methods for promoting a brand or issue. In order to celebrate reaching one million Facebook fans, Cadbury made a giant chocolate ‘like’ thumb using Dairy Milk pieces. The whole event was streamed live on its Facebook channel, while user requests were incorporated into the process.

Thanks to the stunt, Cadbury gained over 40,000 Facebook fans and more than 350,000 people took part in the campaign.

Competitions and giveaways are a popular way of generating more followers on your social media pages. For example, you could distribute branded USB memory sticks to the first 100 people that ‘like’ your Facebook page.

Having fun

Brands interact with their customers for a number of reasons. One of the most important things to remember is that people want to be entertained and have fun. Heineken demonstrated the effectiveness of this particular tactic when it promised to blow up one green balloon in its office for every new ‘like’ it got on its Brazilian Facebook fan page.

The campaign was further personalised when the names of some of its YouTube users were read out during the process. Not only did this move manage to get Heineken thousands of new fans, it also helped to improve brand awareness in an emerging market.

Do something unique

Old Spice did something unique when it created its Muscle Music video, featuring former NFL player Terry Crews. The campaign was not directly related to any of its products, but instead encouraged people to make a tune by moving Crews’ muscles.

The video has clocked up over eight million views so far and its success is down to the fact it is so memorable. So when it comes to making waves in the digital market, companies should not be afraid to take a few risks.

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