by Tanveer Faruq

Media is one of the most critical factors which make delivery of communication effective for reaching the consumers. Like many other countries, digital marketing is the fastest growing media in Bangladesh. This growth is not only in-terms of expenditure but also in-terms of reach. Digital marketing can be a tool to reach a potential audience and/or spread the word about certain services, but no matter the location, as long as people have an understanding of various digital marketing strategies, this may just be the start in being able to see growth within a business.

The opportunities and challenges of digital marketing in Bangladesh go hand in hand with reference to the following:

Keeping the above context in mind, marketers need to start experimenting or broaden their horizon to reach out consumers through digital media. A simple A.B.C.D.E model can help kick start the process:

Assess the Market Scenario

The digital media scenario varies from country to country. There would be secondary sources in terms of survey, books, and online resources on the digital market scenario in the market. It is always easier to get to know the market scenario by different platforms, such as, display, video, mobile, social media, search engines, games and messaging. In context, reach and advertisement placement opportunities are different in these platforms. It is important to know the broad and niche consumer groups which we can connect and engage with these platforms as each of them would typically cater to a different set of consumers.

While accessing the media scenario we should also look out for top spenders and competitive information on different platforms. That would give a sense of the areas which are easier to start in digital marketing as well as indicate where the marketers are getting the most return on their investment. It is also important to understand the competitive expenditure/activities because that will give insights on the areas to work on going forward.

Every market trend and opportunities are different and changes frequently. Standing at the point of assessment, it is important to set out the trends and opportunities in the short-term and long term horizon in the market. Looking at examples and case studies of similar markets can be really helpful. Reaching out to industry experts can be enlightening and we get to know about the trends and opportunities which exists in the market.

Brainstorm The Areas To Focus

Once we have defined the consumer, content, trends in the market it is important to focus on the areas where the impact and return on investment are likely to be more effective. Unlike traditional media, ad placement opportunities and formats are more in number. Therefore, in this step it is important for the digital strategy, creative and buying team to come together and, based on the assessment of market scenario, brainstorm on the digital media platforms and formats where creative and communication can and should be placed.

In this process, it will be important to keep the communication contents and assets in perspective. For example, if there is a video asset which can be deployed, there are multiple platforms and formats to consider. However, it will be important to understand where one can get the desired target group and to how to make it relevant for them to consume the video. If we want to be present in search, having a website is essential. Therefore, selecting the platforms will lead towards utilization of assets on hand and assets which we need to create to have a meaningful presence in digital media.

Capability Building for Internal and External Environment

Navigating in the digital space is not one person’s job. In this ever changing media landscape it is important to constantly upgrade the game through capability building within and outside the organization. The 3Ms of Management can be simply used to optimize the scope of capability building. These are manpower, money and method.

The first task in capability building remains in getting the top tier management of the organization onboard in this journey. It will also be required to assess the capability gap of people within the organization as well as agencies who would typically support landing campaigns in digital. Necessary actions then needs to be taken for ensuring the skills are in place to move to next step in digital media.

It would be required to allocate budget for digital media campaign. This would depend on the campaign objective, duration, number of activities, etc. Also, it would be important to decide on the phasing or the way the campaign will be deployed. Having a complete network of activities with specific responsibility can prove to be helpful in capability building phase.

Deliver on the Jobs to be Done

Before we jump into actions with our marketing activities, most often we forget to decide where we are heading towards. Therefore, it is important to set the marketing, media and business objectives expected from the digital campaign. Unlike other traditional media, objectives can be set very precisely. For example, if it is a display media then the cost-per-impression or cost-per-click can be set as an objective, for video – number of views, for social media – reach of posts can be set as an objective. To make sure that social media users (who decide to use Instagram) can reach these objectives, it is important that they have enough instagram followers to help them accomplish this. Some users like to use an outside source to help them gain as many followers as possible.

Initially when a marketer is starting a journey in digital; resources, experience and knowledge on this media may be limited. Therefore, out of numerous opportunities in display, video, mobile, social media, search engines etc. it is recommended to start with a few activities which would help ensure a footprint in digital media and gradually expand that to other peripheries.

Evaluate Performance

Evaluation in digital performance has 3 characteristics – it is almost real time, it is detailed and it is in scale to take corrective actions during the campaign. While these characteristics may not be available in other media, it helps to optimize digital campaign before it is over. Evaluating and taking corrective actions during the campaign can help deliver the media objectives effectively and efficiently.

Evaluation doesn’t always refer to a set of objectives or KPI being delivered or under delivered, it is also a tool to capture the learning of why something worked or didn’t work so well. These learning helps to shape up future activities and course of actions in the digital ecosphere.

The A.B.C.D.E. of digital media is therefore as simple as our basic alphabets but important to use in our endeavors to drive marketing activities in digital.