A Media Company’s Guide to Digital Marketing and Integration

Of the many technological revolutions the world has witnessed in recent years, none appears to have been as impactful as the internet, especially in the world of marketing. Among the industries that have benefited the most is the media one. Besides being able to monitor consumer patterns and behaviors, the internet has helped organizations within the media sector to adapt to the relevant changes and, in turn, continue to not only meet but also surpass the expectations of consumers. Modern consumers, particularly millennials are increasingly using the internet as their major source of information. Businesses in the media industry must see this as an incredible opportunity for growth.  The secret lies in embracing digital marketing. Sadly, while many media firms are already using one or several techniques of digital marketing, some of them don’t have a clear and solid strategy.  A recent report by Smart Insights revealed that 45 percent of companies that have embraced digital marketing does not have a defined strategy. Seventeen percent of the respondents that claimed to have a digital marketing strategy in place admitted that they have not integrated it into the company’s overall marketing strategy. The good news is that 38 percent of companies have a clearly defined digital marketing strategy that is fully integrated into their marketing strategy.  Where does your company sit? You need to act with speed to ensure that you take full advantage of the various benefits that digital marketing has to offer. Do not worry if you don’t know where to begin. This guide will help you make sense of digital marketing as well as integration.

• Assess your website

Make sure that your website is updated regularly. How can you tell if your website hasn’t been updated recently?  Some of the pointers include a site that doesn’t fill the entire screen and that you have old content.  Check its responsiveness. If it isn’t mobile-friendly, then it definitely needs some work. By 2025, close to 75 percent of people will be accessing the internet using smartphones only. This is a whopping 3.7 billion internet users. That’s why media companies must update their websites to make them mobile responsive. Ensure that your website operates effectively on all screen sizes. Your website should still display properly when you minimize the window of your PC. Don’t only focus on mobile responsiveness. Instead, ensure that people visiting your website from whatever device will have an easy time.

• Content authority

Stay ahead of the competition with relevant and up-to-date content. Consumers are always looking for fresh content that helps them solve their problems.  You see, content builds authority. So you create compelling content that will position you as an authority in the media industry. How do you achieve this? While the emphasis has always been placed on the creation of quality content, determining the intended recipients should be the very first thing you do.  Gather as much information about your target market as you can. This is the only way you can create content capable of stealing and keeping their attention. Remember to utilize various content marketing strategies besides blogs. Media companies that are into video marketing are doing extremely well when it comes to growing their client base and revenues. Internet users spend a third of their time online interacting with videos – whether live or recorded. Landing pages are among the best places for posting these videos. Social videos are particularly effective because they attract a significant number of shares. Video marketing will work in your favor because today’s consumers are more comfortable making a purchase decision after watching a video about a product they want. While at it, don’t forget the importance of your video marketing metrics. These are elements such as the number of people who have viewed the video, engagement, social sharing, conversion rates, feedback, as well as the total cost – throughout the campaign. Metrics come in handy in the determination of what is working and what is not. Have you ever wondered how Netflix and Disney have always stood out as trustworthy sources of information? They are content kings because they utilize different types of content, but most importantly, videos.

• Social Media

If your media company isn’t active on social media and using every opportunity to market their products and services on different platforms, then your marketing efforts can’t deliver the desired results. Tools like Twitter Ads and Facebook Ads are invaluable instruments for promoting content. One of their greatest benefits is that they enable businesses to reach a massive and highly targeted audience whose chances of responding positively to your brand are extremely high. However, for optimal benefits, target people who have shown interest and love for organizations and products/similar to what your company sells – when using Facebook Ads and Twitter Ads. Take maximum advantage of Twitter Ads because the platform permits users to target audiences of given brands and people. Don’t forget the importance of generating and posting quality, relevant and fresh content in different versions. Integration

With more technologies being discovered every day, it has become impossible for a firm to stick to a single technology. By now, you must have realized that not a single technology can perform all the company functions. For instance, one company’s software solution can deliver the best CRM, yet cannot help you manage your inventory as you need to. Some software vendors provide the best ERP solutions but fail in the area of CRM and other organizational functions. So, the only choice that a company is left with is to engage various software vendors. The outcome – company data scattered all over, poor collaboration and miscommunication or delayed communications. The inability to access data at the right time can incapacitate company operations and decision-making becomes problematic. Before long, these problems begin to reflect on the productivity and profitability of the firm. What’s the solution? Integration.   Integration is the reason some companies are doing way better than others. Organizations such as PBS have withstood the test of time because of their adaptability to changes. The largest public media firm in America has been in existence since 1969 and as soon as they understood the benefits of integration, they jumped right in. To guarantee its continuous operation of 350 stations across all the US 50 states, Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico, PBS adopted Salesforce. The solution allows them to handle staff in sales and customer service. They then sought Mailchimp for automation services.  Once the two solutions were operational, PBS realized that something was missing, and that’s integration.  And in comes SyncApps. Integration helps to enhance business processes. If you are looking for a predictable sales pipeline and revenue growth, then you need top integrations for media software. SyncApps delivers a perfect integration for Salesforce with Mailchimp. Vimeo has also followed suit and has embraced SyncApps to integrate Salesforce and Mailchimp. To get an in-depth understanding of how media companies can use digital marketing and integration effectively, download our whitepaper – A Complete Guide to Digital Marketing and Integration Conclusion Digital marketing and integration are not buzz words and are not going away anytime soon. These marketing and business processes have greatly transformed the business landscape and provided a level playing ground for all businesses. Don’t be afraid to incorporate digital marketing and integrate your processes into your company-wide marketing strategy. Encourage your employees to learn as much as possible about the various techniques of digital marketing and integration. Provide relevant training from time to time. Invest wisely. Use these tried and tested methods to grow your media company.