Topics for Fancy Marketing Parties

Digital marketing tends to be treated as some sort of holy grail of advertising or as an armed explosive that only an expert should touch. In reality, digital marketing is, "any type of marketing for products or services that use electronic devices."

Simple right? So what is with all the fuss and why is it such a buzz-word at fancy marketing parties? (I don't know for sure if fancy marketing parties exist, but they sound like a lot more fun than "networking events.") The answers are relatively simple.

It's where the people are.

A Pew Research study shows 77% of American adults go online daily, and 26% are online almost all of the time. In fact, only 11% of adults in America aren't online. Where else can you reach nearly 90% of the population?

Digital marketing is affordable.

OK, that statement may be relative, but the truth is, unlike television where production and media costs can skyrocket quickly, there are digital options for every marketing budget. From a $100 social media campaign to a $50 million per year Google AdWords buy, there is a solution for every wallet size.

Targeting, targeting, targeting (and retargeting).

Digital allows advertisers to accurately target their ads to precisely the right audience. You know, the people who are going to purchase that item that's being sold. With geo-targeting ads can be served to only those within a certain radius of a location. Advertisers can also target based on the type of content a user is viewing or the actions they are taking online. Retargeting allows a company to serve ads to someone who has visited their site, reminding them of a product they were interested in.

Know it's working, RIGHT NOW.

Although it can be complicated, consumer response to campaigns can be measured across devices and immediately. As opposed to waiting and counting coupons that were redeemed or offers that were claimed, once a promotion is launched advertisers can see what's working and adapt as necessary. Having the ability to put a stop to something that isn't working or to invest in something that is immediately is one of the most significant advantages of the digital medium.

Digital may not be a panacea to all advertising woes, but the advantages it puts at marketers fingertips surely give you something to talk about at all the fancy marketing parties.