Importance of Creating an Online Marketing Management Plan
Online marketing management of digital marketing management refers to that field of marketing management which deals with promotion of an organization’s products and services on the digital medium of the internet. Online marketing management employs a set of tools and techniques used for promotion of products and services on the internet. Online marketing management is a critical component of marketing these days. This is due to the benefits it offers to the organization. Online marketing management offers technical as well creative digital tools to the company to design campaigns, measure campaigns, sell products and services, generate leads and champion positive brand imagery. Organizations today are willing to invest money into their online marketing efforts and are hiring marketing managers who specialise in the digital or online front. Digital marketing managers have experience working in the field of online marketing. A marketing manager is usually trained through specialised courses in marketing such as digital, advertising, brand or PR courses.
Online Marketing Management has Several Benefits
Online marketing management can provide a brand a host of benefits. It can help run targeted campaigns on different segments of customers and increase an organization’s reach. It can reduce the extra expenses that come with an offline marketing campaign because there is more wastage due to a lack of control. It allows to measure the campaign in real time and make instantaneous changes to the campaign and make it live. It provides a platform for understanding and analysing customer trends as well as for measuring the impact of the campaign and calculate the return on the marketing investment. By virtue of digital marketing being more efficient than any traditional marketing methods, organizations gain a competitive advantage in their market. Creation of online marketing management plan hence has several advantages as discussed in detail below –
- Online Marketing Management is Customer Centric in its Approach
The online marketing mix may vary according to the requirements of the business. Effective online marketing management uses customer information and customer relationship management systems (CRM systems) to their advantage and builds a loyal customer base. Online marketing management connects the organization directly with the consumers and provides them with a channel for efficient and quick customer service. If utilised properly, social media can provide the perfect platform for an organization to increase customer satisfaction through its online customer service. For example, these days, companies are deploying chatbots on their Facebook page to increase customer engagement.
- Online Marketing is Lower in Cost and Provides Higher Value for Money
There is a definite drop in overall marketing costs when an organization starts to manage the majority of its marketing campaign through the digital route. This is possible because online marketing allows a company to reach a larger audience base at a fraction of a cost as compared to traditional marketing. It also is more effective than a traditional marketing method because of the accuracy in segmentation which allows a company to get better conversion rate on its marketing campaigns.
- Online Marketing is Flexible
The marketing manager for online marketing can launch campaigns instantly. He can make changes to it as well whenever required. For example, if a campaign is not giving desired results on the segmented demographics, the marketing manager can change the filter criterion and start the altered campaign instantly. Online marketing tools like e-commerce shopping portals and websites also offer flexibility to the consumers who can go online and search for products and services at their own convenience.
- Online Marketing is Measurable
Since online marketing management provides analytical tools to access and analyse the marketing metrics, it becomes very easy and convenient to see what is working in a campaign and what is not. A marketing manager can have a holistic view of marketing campaigns and change them basis the results as viewed on these tools. This is a sharp contrast from traditional marketing methods like television or print campaigns where there was no confirmed way of telling if the marketing campaign was directly or indirectly resulting in increase in sales. Today’s online marketing management allows for dependable metrics which are visible and measurable in great detail. They are statistical results provided at no extra cost to the company.
From the above discussion, it is obvious that an online marketing management plan is crucial for a brand’s success in marketing itself to its targeted audience. It provides a variety of dependable options to choose from such as search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimisation (SEO), email marketing, social media marketing, websites, blogs etc. Advertising tools and accurate targeting methods make it more reliable. Online marketing management has outsmarted traditional methods in several ways and hence it is imperative that today’s managers plan for it extensively.
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