The marketing world has undergone significant changes following the development of the Internet, social networks, and messengers. Marketing is no longer limited to banners, TV commercials, and print media. In fact, marketing has taken on a new dimension — a virtual one, where the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds are becoming increasingly elusive.
Features of digital marketing
| Feature | Description | Implementation |
| Personalization | The ability for brands to tailor advertising messages and offers to the individual preferences of their target audience. | The brands offer products and services based on the customers’ browsing history of previous purchases or website page views. Traditional advertising fails to deliver this experience. |
| Affordability | Classic marketing entails a significant investment compared to digital marketing. | Brands can directly communicate with their target audience in a familiar environment. Advertising campaigns can be launched with a minimal budget. |
| Analytics | Brands are collecting massive amounts of data starting from customers’ preferences to consumer browsing patterns. | Data analytics allows you to draw practical conclusions. This, in turn, leads to an understanding of the things that work and the things that don’t. As a result, it creates new perspectives for improving advertising campaigns and individual projects to achieve the highest possible effect. |
| Community building | Brands establish virtual spaces for consumers to connect with each other, share experiences, and make purchasing decisions | Previously, similar communities were created on forums and other discussion platforms, but now social networks are the best choice. Users independently set up numerous communities for the product or service of the brand they are using. |
Outlook for the development of digital marketing and virtual reality
Websites, social media, and messengers have been treated as part of the real world for quite some time now. When it comes to purchasing physical goods, brands have a massive opportunity to provide competitive options.
Many e-commerce platforms are actively leveraging the power of native advertising and personalized ads. However, when it comes to choosing clothes or shoes, potential buyers still have to rely on sizing charts, for example. Virtual fitting is mainly focused on the visual component, so it is important to fully utilize such a solution through the tools of Augmented Reality.
Digital marketing issues and challenges
Companies face several opportunities as well as challenges when it comes to brand promotion and image building in the virtual environment. Brands can engage with their audiences in real time, utilize multimedia content, and tailor information and advertising messages based on the data they receive. However, the virtual nature imposes certain limitations:
- The user is not willing to wait. He/she expects to get an answer “here and now”. From a technical point of view, this implies fast data processing, the use of powerful servers, and deep analytics.
- The digital environment is crowded with brands competing for users’ attention. It is difficult for companies to stand out in the flood of content and advertisements in such a saturated environment. Standing out requires a unique brand offering, quality content, and a deep understanding of the target audience.
