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Digital marketing strategy as a strategic approach to promote and sell products and services in the digital world has attracted the attention of organizations and businesses in recent years.

With the ever-increasing expansion of virtual space and people’s widespread use of the Internet and social networks, digital marketing strategy has gained high popularity as a powerful tool to reach target customers and increase sales. This article examines digital marketing strategies and introduces important approaches for the successful implementation of these strategies.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing (Digital marketing) or internet marketing or digital marketing is a type of marketing that has been around for almost 2 decades. Of course, according to the definition of Neil Patel, one of the most significant figures in this field, it dates back to more than 100 years ago. The birth of digital marketing, according to his definition, was when the first ad was broadcast on the radio. This time is related to after 1920 when the radio came into general use. According to him, the definition of digital marketing is the marketing of various services and products using electronic devices. This definition can be considered as a short and concise answer to the question of what digital marketing is, which omits digital tools.

Definition of digital marketing

Digital marketing has different meanings according to different people active in this field. In fact, there are 2 types of different approaches desired by these people. These 2 types of approaches are the following:

The first approach to digital marketing

The basis of this approach is the meaning of marketing; That is, doing any work in marketing with digital tools is considered as digital marketing. With this approach, a digital marketer or a digital marketing expert does the same things as a marketing expert with digital tools. In this way, all things are common in these areas except that they are done in internet marketing with digital tools. For example, the following 3 examples of activities are important in both types of activities:

• Advertising
• Marketing research services
• Investigating consumer behavior

The second approach to digital marketing

Instead of focusing on the meaning of digital marketing, this approach focuses on digital marketing methods and tools. This means that you must first list and know these methods (techniques) and tools. Now, all these and the things that are done with these tools are internet marketing. In this way, this type of marketing means mastering a set of methods and tools such as the following in the digital space:

• SEO
• E-mail marketing
• Content strategy
• Using social media
• Click Advertising
• Mobile Marketing
• Content production
• Affiliate marketing or cooperation in sales

Explanations of digital marketing

According to the approaches that were said about digital marketing, a definition of these two approaches can be considered for this marketing. Digital marketing is a type of marketing that is done for different services or products on a digital platform. This platform includes the internet, virtual space, web space, mobile phone, tablet, and similar spaces and tools. In fact, this type of marketing is a subset of advertising management and marketing management on the Internet using the tools available in this vast space.

The spaces where this type of marketing is offered are expanding day by day. For this reason, the growth of the field of digital marketing in the world is such that it is recognized as an academic field in the world. The progress of this field is such that it is possible to continue studying it even up to the master’s level. Iran has also taken good steps in this regard, and a good future is expected in this field. In fact, despite the recent developments in the world, digital marketing cannot be considered as an independent expertise and knowledge. Developments such as:

• Development of information technology
• The amount of increase in the average online time of the general users
• Most people widely use mobile phones
• Significant increase in Internet penetration in the whole world

What is digital marketing strategy?

Digital marketing strategy refers to a set of approaches, techniques, and tools used in the digital space in order to advertise, promote, and sell the products and services of an organization or business. These marketing advertising strategies are used to attract, engage, and retain target customers online through social networks, websites, emails, and other digital channels.

Digital marketing strategy includes a set of operations and activities that generally include the following:

1. Market analysis: accurate understanding of the target market, competitors, customers, and their needs, preferences, and buying behaviors.
2. Targeting and needs assessment: Determining specific goals and target groups that you want to focus on in the digital space.
3. Content strategy: producing content and sharing attractive, valuable, relevant content with target customers.
4. Search engine optimization: using content and website optimization methods and techniques to improve internet search engine rankings and attract traffic.
5. Online advertising: using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media advertising, and other advertising methods to attract target customers.
6. Digital public relations: direct communication and interaction with customers and the online community through social networks, blogs, podcasts, and other means of communication.
7. Performance measurement: using tools and criteria to measure the success of the digital marketing strategy and analyzing the obtained data for continuous improvement and optimization of strategies.

By using digital marketing strategy, organizations, and businesses will be able to communicate with their customers more effectively and completely. They can meet the needs of customers and ultimately increase their sales and profitability.

How to develop a digital marketing strategy

Developing a digital marketing strategy is a systematic process that requires examining and analyzing various issues. First, you need to set general and specific goals for your digital marketing strategy. These goals must be measurable and achievable. You can specify your goals more precisely by taking internet marketing training courses.

Examining competitors’ traffic, entry channels to competitors’ sites, digital strategies they use, their strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing target customers can help you choose better solutions for your strategy. Carefully researching your target customers will help you to accurately define your content and messages and communicate with them more effectively.

Choose the right digital channels to implement the strategy based on your target customers and goals. This includes website, social media, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, content marketing, and other digital methods. Planning to create valuable content, diversity in formats (articles, videos, images, podcasts, etc.), and content distribution in the right channels will help you communicate with your audience more effectively.

Examining and choosing suitable digital advertising methods to achieve your goals is an important part of digital marketing strategy. By using appropriate tools and metrics such as website traffic, conversion rate, return on investment (ROI) percentage, etc., you can evaluate the performance of your strategy and make the necessary optimizations.

Due to the complexity and constant changes in the future of digital marketing, it is important to update your strategy and familiarize yourself with new developments. Also, cooperation with digital marketing expert teams and using professional advice can help you in formulating and implementing a successful digital marketing strategy.

What are the most important components of a digital marketing strategy?

The most important components of digital marketing strategy are:

1. Goal setting

Accurate and clear goal setting is one of the vital components of digital marketing strategy. Goals should be measurable and achievable.

2. Market analysis

Market and competitor analysis is very important. Accurate knowledge of competitors, customer preferences, and opportunities in the market will help you choose the right strategy to enter the market and improve your competitiveness.

3. Target customer group

Knowing the target customers and analyzing their needs, preferences, and behaviors is very important. By better understanding your target customers, you can more precisely direct messages and content to them.

4. Choosing digital channels

Choosing the right channels to implement the digital marketing strategy is also very important. This includes websites, social media, email marketing, and other digital methods.

5. Content Strategy

A content strategy based on creating and sharing valuable content is very important to attract and retain the audience. Varied and attractive content in the form of articles, videos, images, and other formats can significantly attract audiences.

6. Digital advertising

Using digital advertising methods is also part of the digital marketing strategy. Advertising in social networks, display ads, and other advertising methods can help you in this field.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A search engine optimization strategy helps you improve your website and content for search engines and rank higher in search results. This includes optimizing titles, meta descriptions, keywords, and page structure.

8. Social content marketing

Social content marketing strategy includes the use of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Direct communication with the audience makes it possible to create interactions, publish attractive content, and increase awareness of your brand through these media.

9. Data analysis

Using data analysis in digital marketing is vital. By analyzing data, you can evaluate the performance of your digital marketing strategy, understand customer behavior, and make better decisions based on real information.

10. Improving the user experience

It is very important to pay attention to the website’s user experience and other digital channels. Optimizing the design and user interface, the speed of loading pages, the simplicity of the purchase process, and providing a positive experience to users can have a great impact on the success of the digital marketing strategy.

These components are only some of the factors that are considered in the digital marketing strategy. Every digital marketing strategy must be designed and implemented in order to adapt to the specific needs and conditions of each organization and market.

Summary

By using digital marketing strategy, organizations enter a dynamic and exciting world with infinite power to attract and communicate with customers. Using technology and digital tools, this strategy provides us with countless possibilities to bring marketing to a unique and creative level. From market analysis and accurate knowledge of target customers to search engine optimization and digital advertising, all details are used in this strategy.