The word ‘digital’ is very popular, but have you ever thought about what it really means? It simply means putting something or doing something on the web or online as we call it. This could be your product or business. The purpose is to sell them online and people can also contact you through your social media handles or website.

 ‘Going digital’ refers to the process of transitioning from traditional methods of doing business like owning only a physical shop to more modern methods that rely on technology like owning an online shop. You become more productive when you know how to use technology properly. You may be interested in knowing that 71% of small businesses have their own websites and that a whopping  81% of shoppers choose to research a business online before making purchases, this is with 47% searching for online reviews and 47% searching for the business’ website.

PRODUCT 

You probably know that a product is an item you sell to satisfy a consumer’s want or need; like a sachet of cold water on a hot day. But you may not know that in today’s world, the word product has gone ahead to include services. Yes, you are a hairdresser, so hairdressing is your product.

MARKETING 

Those people that grab your hand in the market as if you have been familiar with them all your life and call you ‘my colour’ are simply trying to market their products and the lady at the market that agrees with whatever you say while you are buying things from her is only trying to sell her goods (she may not really agree with you at all). 

So, marketing is simply all the activities that someone undertakes to promote the buying or selling of a product or service, simple. When you tap the lady sitting beside you in the bus and tell her about the clothes you make and how the one you are even wearing at the time is one of your productions, you are marketing.

DIGITAL MARKETING 

Let’s go a little further. What then can we describe as digital marketing? It is the act of promoting products and services through electronic devices and digital channels, such as social media, search Engine Optimization (SEO), emails, mobile apps etc. The important thing to note here is the channels being used. You are not just randomly telling everyone you see along the road about your products, you are using digital platforms that are able to reach much more audience than you could ever get the word across to in the real world and the specific audience you need too.

PRODUCT MARKETING 

How about product marketing then?  Product marketing is the process of bringing a product to the market, simple right? Well, it’s not that simple. This includes activities like promoting or advertising the product and eventually selling it to the customers. A product marketer must know and deeply understand the product’s target audience i.e. the particular group of people that the product would appeal the most to and also use strategic positioning and messaging to increase the demand and eventual purchase of the product.

Product marketing is focused on driving demand for a product and the adoption of the product among existing customers. Unlike traditional marketing that is directed at everyone, product marketing is much more narrowly focused on the target audience and understanding them on a very deep level. For example, not everyone is interested in wigs. But with product marketing you would be able to reach the specific audience that love wigs and are interested in buying, so you just have to make them buy from you.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

So, if you happen to take one of our courses and begin to help people to create awareness about their products across different digital platforms like Instagram, twitter, even writing Facebook ads, what have you become?

What if you focus on introducing a new wrist watch to the market and having information like the target audience’s age group, purchasing power, marital status, problems, wants, needs, habits and in some cases location at your fingertips in order to drive the sales of your product; what have you become? You are right, A product marketer!

So, now that you know the differences, and what you would like, take action immediately!