Reaching the millennials
The Internet has given us many benefits, but one of the most important ones is certainly the ability to market our products and services online. In fact, today, online marketing and branding in the digital age is of the utmost importance for businesses, especially since millennials are usually the target audience.
Millenials are people born after the late 1970s. However, those who are in the “spotlight” were born in the 1990s. What’s more, they are tech-savvy and able to perform transactions online without too much trouble. Thus, companies and marketers should focus on them. After all, the potential revenue is immense given the fact that they’re spending a lot of time online.
Also, we cannot ignore the fact that they’re extremely fond of their smartphones. Hence, we no longer consider marketing products and services online a luxury. On the contrary — it is a must nowadays, as emerging consumers are showing signs of shopping habits that may have a fantastic impact on businesses.
The most desirable consumer base
Since millennials have embraced digital technology and are always online, companies are using that to reach them. Thus, even those who used to prefer print or outdoor media are now jumping on the bandwagon. They’re putting almost all their efforts into online branding so that they can engage millennials and make them their customers. Such companies are Adidas, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Nike, and Gap, just to name a few.
So who has gone online?
We cannot ignore the fact that companies like Nike and Adidas are catering to a young audience. However, those who have a different target audience have also delved into the virtual world. Take Kellogg’s for example. Sure, their target customers are career professionals and working mothers. But even they are now shopping online more often than in supermarkets.
Then we have some “online wildcards” – brands that we didn’t expect to see online. For example, Swatch. This company caters to a specific niche market; a market that isn’t really compatible with mass marketing the online world is known for. But they’ve joined the crowd and are present online. Why?
Most sports events nowadays are also broadcast online. Thus, there’s a good chance sports fans, especially those who love watch makers like Rolex or Swatch, would watch those events on the Internet. So obviously, they had to use that to the fullest and reach a wider audience – the online audience.
But what about mobile-driven advertising? Well, companies like Microsoft and Apple mainly cater to an audience that spends most of their time in the virtual realm. Hence, they are almost exclusively focusing on online branding. What’s more, they are also using mobile-driven advertising so as to reach the tech-savvy crowd.
Is online marketing as perfect as it seems?
As always, everything cannot be perfect all the time. Thus, online marketing also has a few disadvantages.
The first one is the fact that you always have to be “in the know”. You need to be the first one to tweet or post something on social media. Furthermore, the online world is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to negative publicity. No matter if it is true or not, news spread fast on social media. Thus, companies have to be alert and ready to respond instantly.
Moreover, since everything is going on online, most of the time, marketers cannot control what others are posting. There are millions of people posting, sharing, and liking every single day. Because of that, it’s difficult to stay on top of things and make sure no one is spreading lies or harmful information about your brand.
Lastly, we cannot forget the usual “herd behaviour”. Internet users are constantly being influenced, and they’re following the wisdom of all sorts of crowds. So if someone thinks badly of your brand, it would prove difficult to change the whole audience’s opinion.
Bottom line
Online marketing is extremely useful and beneficial to a brand. However, before delving further, marketers have to create plans A, B, C, and the rest of the alphabet if they want to ensure only positive publicity. As we’ve already mentioned, news spread fast on social media. But bad news and incorrect information are the fastest of them all.
Despite those dangerous effects, companies should consider online branding, as it can help them reach their goals quickly. Furthermore, it will probably allow them to reach an audience they might not have considered before; an audience that will not only appreciate their products but also encourage others to use them as well.
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