Is digital media as effective as it is made out to be?

This is the question, Vijay Menon, a marketer posted on my last post few weeks ago. The answer is definitely ‘yes’ though will not deny there’s some amount of hype that surrounds digital. It’s natural as its still an emerging medium and has the buzz that any new media carries.

As I have said earlier, depending on how you use different aspects of digital media, it can be the most effective medium for your specific marketing objectives. In a country like India, it cannot yet replace the traditional media, but can compliment it beautifully to get maximum for your marketing spend.

Here’s why digital media holds lot of promise:

-    You can measure your audience, moreover using the pay per click model you only pay for users that view your advertising and express interest in your product or service. Compare this to traditional media advertising, can you only pay for audience that views your newspaper ad?

-    Digital enables brands to recreate the product experience virtually, allowing users to experience the offering. Users can also be prompted to make a purchase immediately, thus making it convenient for them and converting users quickly.

-    You can interact with your user, capture their details and preferences and could also boost your footfalls or sales with e-coupons. Hence digital media spends can be measured directly with increase in sales / queries.

-    The collaborative nature of this medium allows you to read conversations around your brand, do a quick consumer research and even influence users positively by engaging with them.

-    You can leverage the viral nature of the medium to turn users into your brand ambassadors.

These are some of the most common advantages that the medium offers vis-à-vis  traditional media, if used correctly. Please add to this list, if I have missed out on some.