FORMAT for the CASE STUDY

1.Introduction

● Identify the key problems and issues in the case study

2.Background of the Case

● Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues

3.Evaluation of the Case

● Outline the various pieces of the case study that you are focusing on.
● Evaluate these pieces by discussing what is working and what is not working.

4.Alternative Courses of Action

● Provide specific and realistic solution(s) or changes needed.

● Explain why this solution was chosen.
● Support this solution with solid evidence

5.Recommendations

● Determine and discuss specific strategies for accomplishing the proposed solution.
● If applicable, recommend further action to resolve some of the issues
 Digital Marketing plan

By Avantika Monnappa
Digital Marketing Knowledge Manager
Feb 8, 2023

INTRODUCTION

In this case study, the term Digital Marketing was first used in the 1990s. The digital age
took off with the coming of the internet and the development of the Web 1.0 platform. The Web
1.0 platform allowed users to find the information they wanted but did not allow them to share
this information over the web. Up until then, marketers worldwide were still unsure of the digital
platform. They were not sure if their strategies would work since the internet had not yet seen
widespread deployment. In 1993, the first clickable banner went live, after which Hotwired
purchased a few banner ads for their advertising. This marked the beginning of the transition to
the digital era of marketing. Because of this gradual shift, the year 1994 saw new technologies
enter the digital marketplace. The very same year, Yahoo was launched. Also known as "Jerry's
Guide to the World Wide Web" after its founder Jerry Yang, Yahoo received close to 1 million
hits within the first year. This prompted wholesale changes in the digital marketing space, with
companies optimizing their websites to pull in higher search engine rankings. 1996 saw the
launch of a couple of more search engines and tools like Hot Bot, Look Smart, and Alexa.
Digital marketing is a function that continues to innovate, with emerging trends coming to light
year upon year, advertisers are simply spoilt for choice. Though reaching the right audience at
the right time with relevant content is still a huge challenge for brands, as the sheer number of
digital tools and tactics out there on the market can make digital campaigns extremely
complicated.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

In this case study, Products marketed digitally plan are always now available to
customers. Statistics collected by the Marketing techblog for 2014 show that posting on social
media is the top online activity in the US. The average American spends 37 minutes a day on
social media. 99% of digital marketers use Facebook to market, 97% use Twitter, 69% use
Pinterest and 59% use Instagram. 70% of B2C marketers have acquired customers through
Facebook. 67% of Twitter users are far more likely to buy from brands that they follow on
Twitter. 83.8% of luxury brands have a presence on Pinterest. The top three social networking
sites used by marketers are LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. 1998 saw the birth of Google.
Microsoft launched the MSN search engine and Yahoo brought to the market Yahoo web search.
Two years later, the internet bubble burst and all the smaller search engines were either left
behind or wiped out leaving more space for the giants in the business. The digital marketing
world saw its first steep surge in 2006 when search engine traffic was reported to have grown to
about 6.4 billion in a single month. Not one to get left behind, Microsoft put MSN on the
backburner and launched Live Search to compete with Google and Yahoo. There are some
problems that it seems everyone experiences at least once during their digital marketing. There’s
no point in wasting more time on mediocre digital marketing. From struggling with a small
budget to floundering on social media, these are the four most common digital marketing
problems and the best solutions for each.

EVALUATION OF THE CASE

In this topic, the 90s Archie, the first search engine, debuted in the early 1990s, heralding
the birth of search. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, quickly followed. The first clickable
web-ad banners were introduced in 1994. The first identifiable social media site was launched in
1997, with 3.5 million users. In the 1990s, a slew of websites still in use was found, including
Google and Yahoo's web search, both of which debuted in 1998. Nowadays, any digital channels
by a business or company to market or promote products and services to consumers are referred
to as digital marketing. Different websites, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and
similar channels are used in digital marketing.

One of the biggest digital marketing concerns for businesses is how to stand out against
bigger competitors without a commensurate digital marketing budget. This concern is commonly
paired with the feeling that Google’s search algorithm is slightly biased towards brands. though
Google says this isn’t the case. While we can’t speak to the veracity of that common perception,
we do know that larger competitors can feel like they have an unfair advantage. The solutions
that follow are some of the best ways to level the playing field.

The Millennial Generation, A massive economic bubble grew in the new millennium.
However, the bubble's peak and burst between 2000 and 2002 harmed many businesses. Many
new sites were launched in the 2000s as the economy recovered from the boom, including the
beginnings of LinkedIn in 2002, Myspace and WordPress in 2003, and Facebook in 2004. In the
early 2000s, mobile text messaging marketing became increasingly popular.

Today, 65% of an individual's digital media time is spent on a mobile device. The digital
advertising industry is now valued at around $200 billion, with Google Ad Words accounting for
96% of the company's revenue. With an estimated 3.1 billion online users, social networking has
led the digital marketing revolution. The rise of bloggers and Instagram has resulted in a $1
billion industry for influencers, which are anticipated to grow. Digital marketing is expected to
grow in the coming years, with many new developments and changes in this exciting industry.

ALTERNATIVE COURSE OF ACTION

 According to Deloitte, 72% of marketers report that the role of marketing has increased
in importance during the pandemic year(s). Digital marketing has become a powerful tool for
communicating with new and existing customers, as the last 18 months has brought on several
changes to consumer behaviors. Throughout various restrictions on our daily lives, people have
been forced to live differently and as a result, they are shopping and spending their time in
different ways. Changing consumer behaviors is forcing digital marketers to pivot their
strategies, as it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with customer expectations and
maintain a competitive edge, whilst keeping up to date with the latest tech. It’s no secret that
digital marketing is currently going through a transitional period, with other challenges
including:

 A customer-centric market

Adopting a customer-centric approach is not an easy task, especially considering that

customer needs and expectations are constantly evolving. Though utilizing a customer-centric
marketing strategy is key to success, according to a study by Salesforce:

-66% of customers say their experience with one industry influences their expectations of others

-52% of customers expect offers to always be personalized

-66% expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, yet 66% say they’re
generally treated like numbers

-Only 48% of customers say they generally trust companies

 Creating engaging content
 The definition of engaging content has shifted exponentially in recent years as video and audio have
soared in popularity. Though this is not necessarily a new trend, the need to create compelling and
engaging content continues to rise. Agencies are challenged to come up with new, innovative ideas to
present content and communicate in new and exciting ways that are relevant to the demographics they are
trying to reach.

When
you create a digital marketing plan your main goal is to share knowledge. But tension spans are
short and the people you want to share knowledge with are probably gone when you send some
information straight away. To help everyone folks at Maester have created this infographic to
show the essentials to (easily) Create Engaging Content. Maester makes it easy to train your
employees. Anywhere and anytime. We guide you through the process of creating engaging
training content. By removing the need to have didactical or technical skills it gets super easy for
managers to create trainings themselves. Maester automatically enhances your training with
gamified and social components. Leaderboards, badges and discussions are a great way to get
motivated to learn, even if it's not the most exciting subject.

 Complying with privacy and data-sharing regulations

 According to Salesforce, only 27% of consumers completely understand how companies use
their personal information, and 86% want more transparency. Digital marketers are constantly
having to face evolving privacy regulations and phasing out third-party cookies. As we continue
to attract more and more visitors from around the world to a website, agencies must ensure they
remain compliant with any laws covering a population in any country they’re targeting.

Privacy compliance is a company's accordance with established personal information

protection guidelines, specifications or legislation. Privacy compliance has become a prevalent
business concern due to an increasing number of high-profile regulations including the European
Union's (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy
Act designed to protect unauthorized access to personally identifiable information. Privacy
compliance reentered the spotlight in 2013 when former National Security Agency (NSA)
contractor Edward Snowden leaked details surrounding a previously undisclosed surveillance
program called Prism. Details of the Prism program's scope drew controversy due to the
program's violation of rules such as the safe harbor policy agreement established by the U.S. and
the EU in 2000 to regulate the ways in which U.S. companies export and handle the personal
data of European citizens. Privacy compliance also gained widespread attention after hacks of
customer information at large retailers, including Target Corp. in 2013 and Home Depot in 2014.

 Mobile-friendly approach

Customers are browsing and shopping on smartphones and tablets more than ever. Now, with
more than half of all internet traffic shopping from a mobile device, it is important for agencies
to ensure their website is optimized for mobile viewing. According to a report by App Annie,
Covid has changed consumer behavior on mobile ‘forever’ with consumers spending 25% more
time on their mobile apps than ever before. Google has also heavily influenced the necessity for
a mobile-friendly experience. In 2015, it updated its algorithm to rank mobile-friendly websites
higher. Then Google announced plans in 2016 to rank and index web pages based on the mobile
version of the website rather than the desktop version. And if you want to play in Google’s
sandbox (and you should), you must play by Google’s rules.

 Omnichannel marketing strategies

 An omnichannel marketing strategy allows teams to meet their consumers where they are,
with the right message at the right time. Through omnichannel marketing, organizations can
deliver a unified customer experience that acknowledges the previous touchpoints along the
customer journey.

Businesses need to invest in omnichannel efforts, from email to social media, from their own
website to search engine advertisements, and from store apps to third-party messaging platforms.
Not only do marketers have to relay a consistent message across all these various channels, but it
must also be personalized too! According to research by Salesforce, 74% of customers have used
multiple channels to start and complete a transaction. To successfully navigate existing and
emerging marketing trends, you need the right digital marketing team in place to capitalize on
these opportunities and effectively drive results. According to Gartner, 35% of marketing leaders
believe that one of their biggest challenges currently is building more synergistic relationships
across their organization to better communicate digital marketing vision. Digital marketing
leaders will need to harness the abilities of effective, cross-functional teams and this will start
with hiring the right talented individuals. Our global talent consultancy at DMCG Global helps
to quickly connect marketing agencies and brands with the right individuals anywhere on the
planet. If you are looking for marketing professionals and would like a bespoke, high-quality
recruitment service, our expert consultants will be happy to help. Get in touch below to find out
more.

Recommendations

In this case study, Digital marketing plan that businesses of all programs are giving access to the
mass market at an affordable price. Unlike TV or print advertising, it allows truly personalized
marketing. Digital marketing also comes with several challenges you should be aware of. The
main advantage of digital marketing is that a targeted audience can be reached in a cost-effective
and measurable way. I recommend that other digital marketing advantages include increasing
brand loyalty and driving online sales. It also includes Global reach a website allows you to find
new markets and trade globally for only a small investment, Lower cost a properly planned and
well targeted digital marketing campaign can reach the right customers at a much lower cost than
traditional marketing methods, Trackable, measurable results measuring your online marketing
with web analytics and other online metric tools makes it easier to establish how effective your
campaign has been. You can obtain detailed information about how customers use your website
or respond to your advertising, Personalization if your customer database is linked to your
website, then whenever someone visits the site, you can greet them with targeted offers. The
more they buy from you, the more you can refine your customer profile and market effectively to
them, and Improved conversion rates if you have a website, then your customers are only ever a
few clicks away from making a purchase. Unlike other media which require people to get up and
make a phone call, or go to a shop, digital marketing can be seamless and immediate.

Example of digital marketing plan

1. ASCEND
Ascend help sales and marketing leaders build the systems and processes required for growth and
create essential assets and campaigns that attract and engage potential customers. Evaluate and
audit your current approach, develop the plan, build the tech stack, define the processes, create
content and campaigns, analyze results, and continually improve. Sales and marketing leaders
can get more done with better results using an experienced outsourced provider. The goal of
ascend is a strong sales pipeline and a steady flow of net new customers. With the right systems
and processes in place, we can measure the success of our content and campaigns to continually
improve outcomes. Studies show that companies that want to maintain their current level of
growth will invest about 5% of their total sales in marketing, and companies that want to grow
aggressively will invest 10-20% of their total sales. the goal of ascend is to make sure that the
sales you generate significantly exceed your marketing spend. Marketing is a science of human
behavior. You make and test a hypothesis. When something is working, you do more of it. When
it's not working, you try something else. If we're not getting results, we stop, do a detailed
analysis of what is going on, and restructure your plan. The key is to ensure you have clearly
defined goals and systems in place to measure your progress. If you have enough resources
internally and feel confident, they have the skills to get results for you, then you don't need to
partner with an external resource. It takes a team to implement sales and marketing campaigns -
strategist, programmer, graphic designer, social media specialist, email marketer, blogger, etc.
Most small businesses can't afford to have such a large and specialized team. Therefore, an
outsourced partner that can bring all those skills to the table makes sense. If you already have
some of the required skills but have some gaps, an outsourced partner can coordinate with your
internal resources to help you develop a well-rounded team.

2. ONLINE AND DIGITAL MARKETING PLATFORMS

 The internet has revolutionized the way we shop. Because of the numerous advantages
and benefits, more and more people these days prefer buying things online over the conventional
method of going into stores.

Shopping online has many benefits.

1. Convenience

Convenience is the biggest perk. Where else can you comfortably shop at midnight while in your
pajamas? There are no lines to wait in or cashiers to track down to help you with your purchases,
and you can do your shopping in minutes.

Online shops give us the opportunity to shop 24/7 and reward us with a 'no pollution' shopping
experience. There is no better place to buy informational products like e-books, which are
available to you instantly as soon as the payment goes through. Downloadable items purchased
online eliminate the need for any kind of physical material at all, as well, which helps the
environment!

2. Better Prices
Cheap deals and better prices are available online, because products come to you direct from the
manufacturer or seller without involving middlemen. Plus, it's easier to compare prices and find
a better deal. Many online sites offer discount coupons and rebates, as well.

Not only are prices better, but you can save on tax as well since online shops are only required to
collect a sales tax if they have a physical location in your state. Factor in the saved expense of
gas and parking, and you have saved yourself a lot of money!

3. More Variety

The choices online are amazing. You can find almost any brand or item you're looking for. You
can get in on the latest international trends without spending money on airfare. You can shop
from retailers in other parts of the state, country, or even the world instead of being limited to
your own geography. A far greater selection of colors and sizes than you will find locally are at
your disposal.

Plus, the stock is much more plentiful, so you'll always be able to find your size and color. Some
online shops even accept orders for out-of-stock items and ship when they come in.

4. You Can Send Gifts More Easily

Sending gifts to relatives and friends is easy, no matter where they are. All the packaging and
shipping are done for you. Oftentimes, they'll even gift wrap it for you! Now, there is no need to
make distance an excuse for not sending a gift on occasions like birthdays, weddings,
anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and so forth.

5. More Control

Many times, when we opt for conventional shopping, we tend to spend a lot more than planned
and end up buying items that aren't exactly what we wanted (but we can't find anything better in
the store). Online, you don't have to let the store's inventory dictate what you buy, and you can
get exactly what you want and need.

6. Easy Price Comparisons

Comparing and researching products and their prices is so much easier online. If you're shopping
for appliances, for example, you can find consumer reviews and product comparisons for all the
options on the market, with links to the best prices. We can research firsthand experience,
ratings, and reviews for most products and retailers.

7. No Crowds
If you are like me, you hate crowds when you're shopping. Especially during holidays, festivals,
or on weekends, they can be such a huge headache. Also, being crushed in the crowds of
shoppers sometimes makes us feel rushed or hurried. You don't have to battle for a parking
place. All of these problems can be avoided when you shop online.

8. No Pressure

Oftentimes when we're out shopping, we end up buying things that we don't really need, all
because shopkeepers pressure us or use their selling skills to compel us to make these purchases.

9. You Can Buy Used or Damaged Items at Lower Prices

The marketplace on the internet gives us access to listings of old or damaged items at rock-
bottom prices. Also, if we want to buy antiques, there's no better place to find great ones.

10. Discreet Purchases Are Easier

Some things are better done in the privacy of your home. Online shops are best for discreet
purchases of things like adult toys, sexy lingerie, and so on. This enables me to purchase
undergarments and lingerie without embarrassment or any paranoia that there are people
watching or judging me.
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