This map is typically referred to as a marketing model, and it’s far from throwing darts: most mainstream marketing models have been developed by experts and refined by research, case studies and real-world evidence that the components of the model are likely to generate success. Granted, digital marketing models are much younger than traditional models, and for some time that meant the results weren’t as dependable — the industry was still working to figure out what worked.
But that’s no longer the case. Digital marketing has matured to a point where we can point at any widely held marketing model and be confident in its design. More often than not, digital marketing models fail businesses because those businesses didn’t choose the best model to address their needs at the time. Different models cater to different needs and goals, and businesses have a vested interest in making sure they are marketed the right way. Here’s a quick guide to the basic marketing models out there, and how to balance your needs to earn the desired goal.
The Four Basic Digital Models
Digital marketing models can be broken down into four schools of thought:
- Digital Branding. This type of marketing model is all about developing and selling the brand, and particularly the brand-consumer relationship. Customer engagement and the customer experience are the primary focal points for this strategy, and companies investing in this type of marketing model typically target strong brand loyalty as a means of generating repeat business.
- Demand Generation. This approach primarily focuses on driving traffic to a business through any and all digital means. Digital properties are well-developed and highly integrated with one another. Volume is more important than efficiency, but companies investing in this digital model are also built to become more efficient with their expenses as sales volume increases.
- Product Innovation. When companies invest in this marketing model, their goal is to leverage digital marketing information and feedback to shape future innovations. This means using customer feedback and insights gained through social and other platforms to enhance customer satisfaction by making continual enhancements to the product line in question. The ability to create new products effectively generates new streams of revenue that keep the company viable and successful.
- Customer Experience Design. This model is all about creating an optimal customer experience: Developing streamlined paths to purchase, easy lines of communication, improved customer interactions and sleek, appealing sales platforms. Customer data gathered through digital platforms plays a large part in guiding future strategy and building the ideal customer experience.
Balancing Insights and Activation
The digital marketing model you choose will ultimately influence the proportions of your various marketing campaigns and capabilities. The goal of these various campaigns can typically be distilled down to one of two primary motives: insights and activation. Insight-minded campaigns typically seek out data and information to guide future strategy and decision-making, while activation is all about using the campaigns to generate immediate results such as lead generation and customer sales.
In an ideal world, when working with an endless budget, companies can afford to pursue both insights and activation at the same time. Some major businesses are able to accomplish this, but most are forced to choose between the two — or at least to emphasize one another the other. While insights and activation are valuable to businesses at any level, insights are particularly beneficial to companies working in development phases, or those seeking answers to questions about their market success.
Activation efforts are most lucrative when companies believe in their current product and platform and are waiting for the sales volume to show up. Businesses can help identify their preferred digital marketing model by identifying their priorities between insight and activation, as well as the proportions they might like to see these two pursued by any one approach. Once this is determined, the ideal marketing model — and its ensuing strategy — will fall into place.
Whether you seek a specific digital marketing model or simply want to figure out which one is best for your present needs, don’t take on the risk of making these decisions on your own. Contact DBC Digital today and let our professionals help you pinpoint the right strategy to help your business thrive.
