Marketing Stategies

What’s the difference between Email Marketing and EDM Marketing?

Although both use emails to create a list and build conversations, there are some key differences between email marketing and EDM marketing. Email marketing is sending emails in hopes that those emails will convert clients. 

EDM marketing is more complex and uses email blasts. Businesses use email blasts, or e-blasts, to build an email database of target clients and send their offers via email. EDM marketing then follows up with retargeting ads to those that have seen those emails.

What are the benefits of EDM Marketing?

EDM marketing has plenty of benefits, but we’ll take hours talking about all of them. Here are three benefits that you can get from EDM marketing.

It Saves A Lot of Time and Money

EDM marketing is amazingly cost-effective. Once you build your list, you can email them at a relatively low cost. It’s much more time-saving than traditional marketing. You can send about fifty emails in the time it takes for you to get a conventional poster ad pile printed.

It Helps You Build a Lot of Relationships

Speaking directly to your customers is one of the best ways to build trust with your clients. Trusting a brand is now more important than anything else.

EDM marketing gives you the ability to work with a list of people who have permitted you to talk to them via email. You can take this advantage and build on it by cherishing these relationships.

It’s Easy to Customize and Personalize

EDM marketing is more effective because it’s easier to write emails that your subscribers will want to read. It allows you to personalize your emails by taking a “quality-over-quantity” approach.

It’s better to send an impactful email that will make your customer remember you than spam them with way too many emails. It will allow your business to connect with your clients on a more genuine level. 

EDM takes the traditional gathering leads, builds relationships of email marketing, and pushes it a step further by leveraging the information you’ve collected and improving how you market to those leads.

EDM marketing also makes it easier to track and measure your success. You can check who opened your emails, what actions they took, and even where and when they opened them.

Set a timer

Keying in “set timer for (amount of time)” starts a countdown on Google. Simply push start, and the timer will give an audible beep once the time is up.

Find your IP address.

Certain apps and tools require you to input your IP address. For some of us less technologically skilled, locating our IP address might sound confusing, even intimidating. But Google has you covered; simply ask it, “what is my IP address?” to find out. 

Find out sunrise and sunset times.

Ever wanted to watch the sunrise or sunset, but you don’t know the exact time? Google does. All you have to do is key in “sunrise/sunset time + (your location).” Here’s an example of one in “sunset time Boca Raton.“

Convert units.

With all the different measurements out there for the same quantity, it can get a little bit confusing. For example, you want to know how to convert cm to inches, feet, or yard, but you don’t know the exact conversion factors. Google can convert any measurement to the desired one in mere milliseconds. Here’s one where we ask Google to convert “225 Fahrenheit to Celsius.”

Flip a coin.

Need help in making a potentially life-altering decision? You probably shouldn’t flip a coin for that. But when you do need to flip a coin, Google can do that too. Just ask Google to “flip a coin,” and you’ll have an answer. 

Tic-tac-toe

One of my favorite games I used to play as a kid was tic-tac-toe. I can still remember drawing grids on my school books, playing the game with my seatmates. Of course, it’s a little different now. You have the option of playing either a medium or a hard game against Google. Just search “tic-tac-toe,” and you’ll immediately be confronted with the game interface. 

Blink HTML

The HTML blink element “<blink>” is an element that causes the enclosed text to start blinking slowly. Now, I’m not quite sure why you’d want to use this trick, but it is pretty fun. You input “blink HTML” into the search bar, hit enter, and start to see all the words of “blink” and “HTML” flicker metronomically.

Metronome

Speaking of metronomes, Google has just that for you. For whatever reason you may need one, the search engine has one where you can adjust it to the exact bpm that you want. 

I’m feeling curious.

Want to learn a random fact today? Just tell Google, “I’m feeling curious,” and it’ll do the rest. The “I’m feeling curious” query lets Google go through its database and present you with a question and corresponding answer. It’s a fun and unpredictable way of learning new information. 

Breathing exercise

Did you know? Practicing healthy breathing exercises dramatically reduces anxiety and panic disorders. Google has short 1-minute breathing exercises that you can try right now. By searching “breathing exercise,” Google will display the exercise’s interface, and all you have to do is press play and follow the instructions. 

Google logo history

Want to learn a little bit about history? Take a walk through time as you navigate the different stages that Google’s logo passed. This tour should bring back nostalgic memories of a simpler time in your life. Get to it by searching “Google logo history.”

Wizard of Oz

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. If you’re a big “Wizard of Oz” fan, this one should hit the spot perfectly. Once you key in “Wizard of Oz” in your search bar, you’ll notice the pair of bright red, ruby slippers somewhere. Click them and return to the black and white hues of Kansas. And if you want to get back? Be whisked away by the tornado into the magical land of Oz (our world). 

Animal sounds

If you’ve always wanted to know what an animal sounded like, this feature will do good by you. Featuring sounds of some of your favorite animals, this might be useful if you have a toddler too. Input “animal sounds” as your search query and enjoy the sounds of nature. 

Reverse image searching

We all know that Google shows images of things related to our search, but did you know it can conduct a reverse image search when you input a picture of your own? Google can show you relevant and related information to the posted image. To do this, you’ll open up Google Images ,click the camera icon, upload a picture, and click the search icon. 

Find businesses near you.

If you’re looking for new spots to go to, this is perfect for you. You can do this by inputting “(Business) + nearby,” so if you’re searching for a coffee shop, you put “coffee shop nearby.” This feature is excellent, as it displays relevant businesses with their corresponding ratings for you to choose from. 

7 Types of Branding Strategies

Product Branding

This is probably the most popular branding strategy. Product branding involves focusing your efforts on making a product that is distinct and recognizable. Everything about your product is included here, from the logo to color to its shape, everything. 

Product branding involves a lot of research on your target market. Your product will have to be attractive and effective enough to relieve a customer’s pain points. 

A terrific example of this type is Coca-Cola. From the logo to the shape of the soda bottles, Coca-Cola has established itself as the leading soda brand worldwide. 

Pros:

• Improves identifiability 
• Establishes brand preference if done correctly

Cons:

• Can be expensive
• Typically tough to change

Personal Branding

Personal branding refers to an investment in yourself as an individual. This type establishes your image, character, and personality as the brand. For personal branding to be effective, you should be able to showcase a unique skill set and personality that is relatable to your audience.

An incredibly popular and trending example of personal branding is the rapidly growing collection of influencers online. With the rise of social media, visibility is no longer a concern. You can quite easily put out content that highlights your value as a personality. 

Pros: 

• People want to do business with people they like and relate to
• Easy to convey personality and views to the target audience

Cons:

• Your reputation is much more fragile than a company’s
• Negative press can spill over into your personal life

Corporate Branding

Corporate branding is the set of core values a company holds in high regard and shares with the rest of the world and its employees. 

Successful application of corporate branding requires a top-to-bottom adherence to the company’s values and mission. This means that with every customer engagement or interaction, they can see your brand’s image. 

One example of corporate branding is Tesla. Tesla’s brand represents innovation and renewable energy, as seen in their electric cars. 

Pros:

• Competitive edge
• Customer loyalty
• Enhanced credibility

Cons:

• High costs 
• Risk of negative publicity

Online Branding

Since the dawn of the internet, we’ve seen this transition from traditional practices to digital. With that, access to customers has never been more convenient. 

Online branding involves establishing your brand’s image and reputation through online means, such as social media and website creation. Through various content and social media posts, you can more effectively educate people about your company and show them your brand’s personality. 

You’ve probably seen examples of these on Twitter, where companies regularly interact with their customers and fans.

Pros:

• Fairy low costs
• Easier to start
• Targets customers where they spend their time

Cons:

• Highly competitive space

Co-Branding

Co-branding involves a strategic alliance between two or more established companies. This strategy combines the market strength and brand reputation of multiple companies to compel each brand’s customers to pay a heftier premium for the collaboration. In almost all cases, this strategy is mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

An excellent example of a co-branding involves Nike and Apple to come up with Nike+. This innovation made the activity tracking technology compatible with Apple products like the iPhone and Apple watch.

Pros:

• Companies share the risk
• Higher revenues
• Product image enhancement

Cons:

• May have adverse effects on partner brands
• Negative publicity from one side will likely affect the other, decreasing overall brand equity

Service Branding

Service branding leverages the needs of the customer. Companies that practice service branding guarantee extraordinary services than those of their competitors. They use excellent customer service to meet and surpass expectations in every encounter.

Pros:

• Increased brand equity
• Excellent service will likely induce customer loyalty quicker

Cons:

• Variability since each interaction is unique
• Negative press can be more devastating

Activist Branding

Activist branding is when companies involve themselves in social, economic, political, or cultural issues. A popular example of this is Nike’s commercial starring Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick became infamous back in 2016 for kneeling during the American national anthem in protest of racial injustices he witnessed firsthand. The commercial displayed the quote, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” alluding to Kaepernick essentially losing his job, remaining a free agent since 2017. 

Activist branding should only be done if the cause aligns with your company’s values, and your practices reflect that. It can also effectively associate your brand with a particular cause. However, it may also be subject to other considerations, such as public reception and marketing concerns. You should be wary when using activist branding because it could easily ruin the brand identity you took years to establish. 

Pros:

• Sternly expresses a company’s values
• Shows a company’s empathy
• Great platform to express company views

Cons:

• Extremely divisive
• Controversial

When is the best time to upload to Youtube?

The uploading process on youtube isn’t instantaneous. Generally, Youtube may take a couple of hours to index your video, so the time you upload your video may not be the time it becomes available to everyone. It’s a rule of thumb to upload your videos hours in advance before your planned streaming time. Referring to the same study from Frederator, they indicated the best time ranges to post your videos for each day of the week (based on EST).

Monday: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Tuesday: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Wednesday: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Thursday: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Friday: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Saturday: 9:00 am – 11:00 am

CONTENT MARKETING

Creating high-quality, valuable, and relevant content for your target audience greatly benefits your brand awareness. Content will always be at the heart of every digital marketing campaign despite seeing new trends come out. 

Content refers to the collection of promotional media your business delivers to its target audience. These can come in the form of blog posts, videos, case studies, and more, which generate leads like crazy. Content marketing is an excellent platform for businesses to educate and provide necessary information to their audience. 

This channel is critical if you want to establish your brand’s reputation and authority in a specific field. Compared to traditional marketing, good content can generate 3x more leads at less than half the cost. Increasing your organic traffic and lead generation depends a lot on the content your pumping out. 

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Search engines have become integral parts of our lives in the world today. Anytime someone needs an answer to their question or a solution to their problem, they just “Google” it. Statistics show that 93% of online experiences start with a search engine query. Furthermore, Think with Google says that 53% of people always do their research before making a purchase. 

Search engine results are a clear integral cog in shaping customer experience. Search engine optimization is the process of maximizing the traffic to your website by making sure your links appear high in search engine results. Your position in a search result matters, as 75% of people never even scroll past the first page! That’s insane, especially when you consider the millions of websites out there. 

SEO-generated traffic has much higher conversion rates than say, ad-generated traffic. That’s because this traffic is much more organic, with people actively searching for information. This marketing tactic involves many activities like keyword research, on and off-page optimization, organic link building, and other related operations. 

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

You’ve probably come across businesses and brands making funny quips on Twitter and Facebook. These are all part and parcel of their marketing strategies! 

Talking ROI, 20% of marketers say that social media garners the highest one out of the rest of these strategies. Additionally, only 8% of the same marketers don’t use this channel, which is the lowest among all strategies. 

Social media provides a much more candid and casual way businesses engage with their customers. This is incredibly effective in establishing a brand image and personality. Building these makes your brand much more relatable, which subconsciously influences your audience. 

Some of the most popular social media sites include:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Google+
• Pinterest

SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING (SEM)

People not immersed in the digital marketing space often mistake SEM with SEO. The main difference between the two is that SEO optimizes sites to get organic search results, while SEM makes use of both organic and paid search.

SEM uses both SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) to generate the necessary traffic. When using the PPC strategy, search engines will show your links at the top as an ad. And from its name, you have to pay a specific amount per click. How it works is that you bid to rank for specified keywords. The order in which you rank is directly proportional to how much you bid for that search query. Using PPC allows you to target individuals based on buying behavior and demographics.

In summary, SEO falls under SEM, as SEM encompasses both SEO and PPC. 

DISPLAY ADVERTISING

The last, but certainly not the least digital marketing channel is display advertising. Many people visit websites that they believe are useful or attractive to them. Digital marketers may generate traffic from their target audience by displaying ads on third-party websites. Display ads can be banners, interactive ads, video ads, and other visually attractive media linked to a landing page or website. 

Display ads usually charge on cost-per-impression (CPM), which is more cost-effective than its counterpart, cost-per-click (CPC). These are the possible forms your ads could come in:

• Banner ads
• Interstitial ads
• Rich Media
• Video ads

About 41% of marketers indicate that display advertising has medium to high ROI. 

Factors and other Criteria to consider

When selecting the appropriate digital marketing channels, you’ll want to align them with your company’s goals. Your business may relate to the following objectives:

Brand Awareness

Brand Awareness refers to how familiar your brand is to your target audience. When your brand is easily recognizable, people are more likely to ride its trend. For many old-timers who love crunching hard numbers, brand awareness may be a bit challenging. But let me tell you it is incredibly important not just to you but also to your customers.

Brand Awareness can be thought of as your reputation in the eyes of your target audience. The higher it is, the more they’ll trust your brand and keep coming back to it. Aside from that, it can also create an association with specific events or products. For example, when you think of photocopy machines, you think Xerox. When you think of hot tubs, you think of Jacuzzi. Associations like this are free real estate and could generate a ton of money. 

If brand awareness is your goal, you’ll want to devote a lot of effort into social media marketing. Social Media gives you an excellent platform where you can interact with your target audience. Research shows that 50% of brand reputation can be attributed to online sociability. People love when brands and their social media accounts make witty quips, provide swift customer support, and so on. With that being said, there aren’t many better platforms where you can informally connect to your target audience than social media. 

Sales Generation

With the world that we live in today, online stores are becoming the “new normal.” With avenues like Amazon offering same-day shipping, it’s no wonder people don’t want to leave their houses to make a purchase. 

E-commerce is becoming more and more prominent in the world we live in today. The idea that you have to have a brick and mortar storefront is all but erased now, with some businesses operating purely online. For this, we recommend using display advertising and email marketing. 

Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of enticing then converting strangers into someone who shows interest in your product or service. Generating leads is the first step in communicating with prospective clients and customers. Once they show organic interest in your business, their transition to a paying customer is much smoother. 

Educate Prospective Customers

The beautiful thing about technology and the world, in general, is that there are always new ideas to be had. I say that because many, if not all, products came from an idea at some point. Many companies pride themselves in coming up with ingenious inventions and products, which is a great thing. However, it can get a bit difficult to purchase something you’re not quite sure of. 

For that reason, your best plan should be first to educate prospective customers. You should talk about your product, and create a buzz of why more people should be using it. When you make people see that they have a problem that only you can solve, they will be sold on your idea! If you can see your business aligning with this, you’ll want to leverage content marketing here. You can do this sort of marketing by blogging and coming up with press releases raving about your product. 

Generate Traffic

Many companies and businesses give out most of their content for free. You might wonder how they earn money from this sort of business model. Well, they generally make money through third-party ads running on their websites. 

The appropriate digital marketing channel for this would be content marketing and SEO. Coming up with high-quality content that ranks well in search engines will generate a lot of traffic for your business. 

Interest

After your potential customer catches wind of your product or service, they’ll most likely want to learn more about it. At this stage, customers do their research to gain all the necessary information about your offering. 

Did you know that about 88 percent of consumers research their product before making a purchase? Potential consumers generally gather information through online reviews, word-of-mouth, and product descriptions. At this stage, you can ramp up the interest in your product or service with high-quality content.

Evaluation

The third stage is evaluation. At this stage, potential consumers use their gathered information to come to a conclusion about whether or not to purchase. 

Consumers may have a different set of criteria in coming to these conclusions. Some may consider price as the main factor, while others look to functionality or aesthetics. Whatever the case, potential customers measure your product or service’s perceived value in their lives. 

Additionally, consumers may compare your offering to similar offerings from different companies. Because of this competition, companies invest a lot in their research and development to gain a significant competitive advantage in their industries. 

Trial

The fourth stage in the adoption process is the trial stage. Consumers decide, “okay, I’ll try this product out.” Suppose you get to reach this stage as a startup, congratulations. It’s not an easy thing to do, as there are a series of forces you have to overcome just to reach this stage. 

In this stage, consumers decide to try your product in small quantities, dipping their toes in the water. Here, consumers want to gain first-hand experience or knowledge about your offering to see whether it’s worth adopting indefinitely. 

The concept of “free samples” is highly encouraged and recommended in this stage. 

Adoption

As you may have guessed, the last stage is adoption. When customers are satisfied with the trial stage, they’ll get right to integrating your product into their daily lives. Instead of buying in small quantities, they’ll buy your product in bulk, as they believe they’ll be using it for the foreseeable future. 

As the business owner in this stage, you’ll want to ensure that transactions are smooth and hassle-free. Additionally, you’ll want to focus heavily on customer satisfaction post-purchase. This entails responsive customer service and clear labels and instructions on your product. User experience is a significant difference-maker between a one-time purchase and repeat engagements. So, the easier your product or service makes someone’s life, the better.