Is digital marketing worth it?
If planned and executed well, then - yes. Today we find many careers based on content promotion, but due to the changing environment of the add-based venues, bursting out social media trends and online presence in general, digital marketing is becoming a sub-niche, rather than a trailblazer, as it was during the past 2 decades.
Virtual presence vs the real facto
Some projects, brands and products are present online since the 90's and don't get the natural exposure or tendency to it. Why is it so?
Because people are used to recognize and follow the ones, that are recognized and followed.
Becoming an online celebrity from your home (and there are examples) requires exceptional talents - in terms of entertainment. Speaking of professional niches like:
- book publishing
- music production
- product promotion
- on-site advertising
- on-site commerce
and other applications - it requires as much of energy and finances as from the established brands out there. Social presence demands some resources to work with.
Diversifying your presence
Having all bets entirely on your virtual presence may have drawbacks. No matter how the technology had been boosted, it is the media press and the publicity that dominates the trends. Because it all entails the following:
- professional approach
- widespread coverage
- widespread recognition
- professional media market
- physical shelves
- theatrical releases
- live events
- fan-base initiation
and many other opportunities that launch the career. These live interaction methods are the most valuable and dynamic, compared to the online presence, which most of the time a static image of your portfolio. Being a promoter for your self is a good skill, however, jack-of-all-trades won't help you here, if you're still in your room.
Are online marketing agencies worthy?
They come from a long history of back-linking your project. Now there are very few of those, who could really launch your presence and not just content. There is a difference between a content agency (aka advertising agency, social media agency, etc) and a promotion. Such content-based teams (real humans, not the bots) are able to write for you and about you. It includes certain tactics of:
- social media interaction
- copywriting
- blogging
- sharing your content
- making short videos
- clipart
- email newslettering
Basically almost all of those physical chores, that are accessible to people today, but due to heavy volumes of it, make no sense to perform by yourself. We speak of 'kilos' and 'tonnes' of organic traffic, that compound your brand and the product.
Will working with such a traffic influx have any effect on your promotion? Technically yes, but will it change your brand perception, public ranking, etc? Probably not. Online marketing agencies work (and they state that openly) to increase visitor traffic and thus, to kick your name onto a more visible spot on the Internet. Such technical shoveling requires some SEO, PR and marketing strategies.
Promoters and producers
If online marketing agencies work in teams of content distribution and content creation, then promoters set in some trends and generate demand. Making fuss for a celebrity or a name, sometimes comes as a collateral result of a good promoter's activity. Working with real life events and festivals, means having certain access to key people. Today, digital and a traditional promoters blend into something in between. Any of them would let you have similar venues, but from a different pitch:
- press/publicity
- podcast
- documentaries/professional video materials (not tutorials)
- events
and other 'behind-the-scenes' management activities you may not find really visible to you. The role of live-event and real social interaction manager/producer/promoter becomes more on demand (or should we say, returns back on its traditional roots). The online social media presence is a good thing, but it's over-supplied and exploited already.
Is social media dying?
Life events, celebrities and characters we loved and followed, or the tangible products we used, seemed to get back in favour, in some sort of return. The more time people spend online, the more they realize where their social interactions lead to. With the cons, such as:
- fake accounts
- unverified info
- haunting product placement
- political affiliation
- intentional disinformation
- narcissistic market
Other lobbyist approaches of your personal data breach, when companies like Facebook were spotted in a scandal of selling your data to third-party companies, etc. Such big companies, ready to market their products, based on your data, which you give out for free, while using Facebook or Twitter. Such platforms are fed by real users for content and product distribution.
What is changing with the self-publishing?
With the growth of the social media, competitiveness is being increased in the product niche. Alternatives to the:
- traditional book publication
- music distribution
- merchandise sales
do rise and create their own niche following. Today, nobody is surprised, if your book is on Amazon, your bicycle is on Ebay and your garage band - on Spotify. Platforms get accessible to anyone. And people get into a real challenge of managing the flow.