Digital Marketing And The Art Of Getting It Right

Did you know that on average, Australians spend at least an entire day per week surfing the internet – for work, browsing, email, social media and online games. It’s sad, but true. In fact, few of us can actually make it through a device-free night when spending time with friends or family. With all the hype around new and evolving gadgets, apps and internet capabilities, how many of us realise that the advantages of the digital world are outweighed by the disadvantages in this information era?

Digital marketing, as a branch of marketing, follows a philosophy that takes advantage of the opportunities that the 21st century has on offer by promoting products or services with information and communication technology (ICT). ICT relates to the internet, social media and other online platforms.

The digital marketer has become an increasingly important role since marketers have branched out from traditional marketing. Yet the question still remains, how does one become a qualified digital marketer? Contrary to what you might believe, there is no need to be an expert in information technology, but it is necessary to know how to use it effectively.

Timothy Whitfield, Director of Technical Operations at GroupM, and Jo Nash-Clulow, expert in Strategic Marketing and Digital Marketing at the University of Sydney’s Business School, have both presented a vivid picture of this field as guest lecturers at the University of Sydney.

Here are some important points to take away from their presentations:

Sophisticated digital marketers should be capable of adapting to the constantly changing world with sufficient knowledge across different functions.
1. Understanding marketing
2. Be sensitive to digital evolution
3. Brand safety insurance for customers.

As a marketer, it is essential to know which segments to target, how to communicate a brand’s value proposition and how to make strategic decisions. More than just having the ability to use social media, this role requires an understanding of consumer habits and motivations, the ability to synthesize analytics, and communicating effectively with clients.

Much of the burden of showing a company the right direction is expected to fall on marketers, whose job it is to analyse and present relevant marketing metrics that can guide management with their decision making.

Then there’s also the small task of compiling online research, data and analysis to develop digital campaigns that raise brand awareness. Besides using cutting-edge techniques or platforms to implement products or service on the market, digital marketers must be able to see the big picture.

Take for example, Apple, who promoted their brand by hiring the world’s youngest APP developer, Yuma Soerianto. Originally from Melbourne, Yuma won a scholarship from Apple to attend the annual World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose. At only 10 years old, he already has four years coding experience and has built five apps for Apple's App Store.

Now that’s what I call seeing the big picture. The strategic move of offering up scholarships to young talent, enabled Apple to communicate their brand’s technology-minded and creative spirit, which was then promoted on various online platforms to emphasise their brand image as an innovator. 

Last but not least, we can never spin off completely the safety guarantee when digging deeper through digital data, as it links with a wide range of ethics issues. It’s ever so important to retain your credibility, by respecting you customers’ privacy, intellectual property, confidential internal information and of course, the law. All of which are key to maintaining your integrity, as well as upholding a trustworthy brand image in front of customers in the long term.

Timothy Whitfield graduated from Macquarie University and worked in the IT and Airline Industries. As well as a digital marketer, he has been an innovator, manager, public speaker and industry leading blogger.

Jo Nash-Clulow graduated with an MBA from the University of Sydney with a strong business and digital marketing background. Jo has a rich experience from working overseas and with many big name organisations and has won multiple awards for advertising and product launches.

Hazel Chen
Current student from Master of Marketing program in the University of Sydney Business School