DEMYSTIFYING DIGITAL | Advantages of online marketing

Tony Ahn, M.Ed., Special to InterAksyon.com

Let us try to unravel the mysteries of Internet marketing and digital public relations, one thread at a time.

The first question that should be answered is: What is the difference between the words online/internet/digital? Is online marketing different from Internet marketing or digital marketing? The answer is no. “Online” and “Internet” tend to be the terms used more by the general public (as evidenced in the number of Google searches for them), and “digital” is the term more commonly used by the marketing/PR industry itself. They are generally interchangeable. Mystery #1 solved.

A second question that should be addressed is:  What is the difference between digital marketing and digital public relations? Digital marketing generally aims to influence a buying decision through the Internet (whether or not the product is sold online), while public relations generally aims to influence perception (if you noticed that those two things can overlap, you’re right). These basic definitions do not change online, although they do have a host of disciplines and tools under them.

One nice thing about digital PR and marketing is that it is easier to measure impact (and thus return on investment) than with traditional marketing. For example, it’s hard to measure how many people see a billboard, and how many who do see it actually buy the product advertised. That’s easier to measure online. We can count how many people open an email, click a link, or visit a website. There are even ways to tell how many of those who do so actually visit a store.

It is also easier to target a particular group of people with digital rather than traditional techniques. If traditional marketing is a flashlight, digital marketing is a laser beam. With Facebook advertising, for example, I can specify not only basic demographic parameters (like 20 to 30, female, in Metro Manila), but even interests, or specific likes. For example, I can target everyone who has liked my competitor’s brand for a special offer.

There are two primary barriers for most companies to get into digital marketing or PR. The first is scepticism with technology they’ve never used. Traditional marketing always delivered before! That may be true, but Encyclopedia Britannica, Life Magazine, and Reader’s Digest were in print before, and they aren’t now. I guess tradition didn’t save them. The Internet used to only be accessed on a bulky desktop computer, but that tradition is fading so fast, that within our lifetimes the desktop computer may not exist at all. The world is continuing to change, and what is traditional will not always be the right choice. It will also not always be the wrong choice. Traditional media relations for example, will continue to be relevant as media is online.

Social media
The practical advice for this week answers the question: Does my company need a social media policy?

Social media policies are designed to let employees know what is expected of them in regards to their personal social media accounts. There are many questions to consider when developing a social media policy. For example, what if someone identifies that they work for your company on their Twitter account, and then engage in abusive or hateful speech? Even if they are not talking about their work or to another employee, it may still reflect poorly on the company. And that’s just the beginning: Is it okay to mention work-related things on Facebook? How about the company name? If okay to talk about the company, what is considered acceptable and unacceptable?

Some people might say that it’s better to be conservative and restrict employee communications on social media so as to protect the company. There’s a problem with this approach, though: today, the Internet and social media have democratized information sharing. Individuals have more power to spread a message than they ever have before. If your social media policy is restrictive, they may post something anonymous, create a parody Twitter account, or leak secrets. You can’t regulate someone posting anonymously, so providing for some freedom of expression may keep people from feeling that “going rogue” is their only recourse.

Similarly, I hear businesses all the time say “We want to have a Facebook page for our brand, but what if someone will write something bad on it?” I have two reactions: (1) If someone wants to write something critical of your organization, your lack of a Facebook page is not going to stop them. They’ll just find another place to complain, and you may not have any opportunity to respond. (2) In industries with high levels of complaints (such as telcos and Internet providers), creating a separate customer care page will give complainants an arena to voice their concerns - and it won’t be the same arena you’re announcing new products and holding promotions in.

Want something digital demystified? Send your questions to the author at tony@tonyahn.com.

(Tony Ahn is chief digital architect for Tony Ahn & Co., a full-service public relations, digital marketing, and reputation management agency based in Manila. He has written on the subject of Internet marketing and digital public relations for Social Media Examiner, Convince & Convert, and is formerly a featured blogger for Social Media Today.)