Vortex Computers has led successful traditional marketing campaigns but must now consider utilizing digital media and marketing to regularly engage current regions and expand. Currently, Vortex Computers has led against its competitors in Q6 within the Toronto, Tokyo, Paris, and Sao Paulo markets. It should utilize the evidence that cities like Los Angeles and Chicago respond well to similar products and begin marketing their efforts in those cities with next stops in London, Shanghai, and Johannesburg. Once it has achieved success in these markets they can begin further global expansion into areas that have not been infiltrated by the industry by either testing the market or waiting for competitors to do that work for them (this includes most of the Middle Eastern market). We should utilize digital marketing to engage current and future regions.
Digital Media Marketing Plans
Consumers are now always considered to be “on” also and are best engaged using relevant, entertaining, and interactive content from brands they trust (Taylor, 2009, pg.413). I suggest we shift half of our budget from traditional marketing methods to include digital marketing methods as the old ways have become dated yet research indicates it is still best to use it as a compliment to existing traditional promotional tools (Ramsaran-Fowdar, 2013, pg.80). It should also be noted that according to Smart Insights 28% of marketers have reduced advertising budget to fund more digital marketing, 71% planned to increase digital marketing budgets, and 78% now have dedicated social media teams. (Allen, “Digital Marketing Stats from 2015). It is imperative that Vortex Computers start with Facebook immediately and begins to develop and post relevant content that engages consumers by hiring a full time professional, Social Media Marketing Manager, with an understanding of how to successfully engage consumers online and with a voice that matches our company’s style. Also we must allocating some of our funds to online advertising through services like Facebook Ads and Banners on industry related websites with possible future considerations of using social media influencers that have strong followings in our targeted regions. The Facebook and Banner Ads would be bought for the initial regions we plan to infiltrate, Los Angeles and Chicago, while we will encourage our current clients through email campaigns using MailChimp to like us on Facebook. Eventually we can use online voices, social media influencers, to convince audiences through long term and subtle engagement that computers are still the best way to use the internet and they are having better online experiences through Vortex Computers. Outside of our immediate Facebook plans we should utilize blogs, vlogs, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat with branded pages and content that are managed by our hired professional.
Analytics
We will purchase both Hootsuite Pro and Synthesio to monitor analytics. Hootsuite is cost effect and provides everything that Synthesio is not able to do including monitoring internal metrics and Google Analytics. Synthesio will provide us with a more sophisticated scope of our online activity including where we are receiving our leads (banner ads, direct searches, blogs, YouTube reviews, etc). They provide the competitive data analysis that we will need, return on ad spend (ROAS), to help us read our digital footprint so that we can decide where we can make adjustments in our budget. We will also have access to their technical support.
It Will Take Time
These new digital media efforts should increase our online personality and create long term improvements in our bottom line. This should be a plan that will take several Quarters to see a ROI as stated by researcher Susan Janett, “Instant social media success is hard to find. You might upload amazing images but don’t be surprised if takes a few months before people take notice. The truth is, most people are wary. They see people like you all the time disappear after a few months. Be patient and earn your stripes. It will be worth it.” (Janett, 2013, pg. 13). Our marketing campaign online should take place immediately by placing ads on all relevant job sites for a professional who can manage these platforms for us while we create a 4 quarter budget from half of our current marketing budget for Vortex Computers on digital media.
- Ramsaran-Fowdar, R. R. (2013). The Implications of Facebook Marketing for Organizations.
Contemporary Management Research CMR, 9(1), 73-84. - Taylor, C. R. (2009). Editorial: The Six Principles of Digital Advertising. Int. J. Adv.
International Journal of Advertising, 28(3), 411. - Janett, S. (2013). How to Build Your Business Bigger and Stronger through Social Media
Marketing. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 29(3), 8. - Allen, Robert (2015). “2015 Digital Marketing Stats: The Good, the Bad and the Intriguing.”
Smart Insights. Smart Insights Ltd., 24 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 May 2016.
