(Image retrieved from: shesaboss.org)
In my case, the sites that I visit most often are related to social media like Facebook or networking like LinkedIn. Other sites that I like just as much are related to news, like CNN, Yahoo News or Fox News. I find Facebook to serve me as a good way to stay in contact with family and friends that I don’t see for various reasons. Sometimes just putting a “like” in their Facebook wall about their pictures or videos means “I am not there with you, but I am still thinking about you.” Also, since many people have this social media account, it is a good way to quickly reach someone. Then, I can be informed about the latest products or services of my favorite brands, and watch news as well. Sometimes when I connect there, I can watch live events which is very helpful. For example, one time I wasn’t sure about going to an event in my city, and when I was able to see a preview transmitted live via the Facebook page, I changed my mind and decided to go in person. The event was very entertaining. Also, I am the kind of person that likes to be informed about what’s going on in the U.S. and the planet. Visiting CNN, Yahoo News or Fox News sites, are ways for me to do this and sometimes, I contrast them to see if they present the news in the same way or which one informs in more detail. Then, LinkedIn is a good way to network not just with friends, but also people that can inform us about job opportunities. Another thing you can take advantage of on LinkedIn are the videos and courses you can watch to prepare yourself for improving skills in your career. In relation with applications, I just use a few since I realized that when I download many, my phone gets slow or overheats. The Weather Channel and Netflix apps are good ones. The Weather Channel app is the fastest way to know how the weather is in my city. And, Netflix lets me watch my favorite movies online whenever I want. And this is helpful, especially when I travel.
I have positive reactions when using the different types of digital media that I mentioned earlier. I believe the news web sites serve their purpose, which is to inform. And the social media and networking sites help me to stay in touch with many people in a quick and easy way. For example, I feel very excited when I need to review my Facebook account because I know that I will be interacting with my friends. Another example is the Weather Channel application. It is very helpful for me since I live in Texas and there are many tornadoes there. Thanks to the application, I can know if a tornado is coming and I can be safe.
I believe my needs are satisfied when using the types of digital media that I have chosen over other digital media. If, over time, I find that they don’t reach my expectations any more, I will simply close my accounts and open new accounts with different providers. For example, lately, I noticed that many of my “contacts” have accounts in Instagram. Probably in the future, if they decide to abandon Facebook to totally migrate to Instagram or another place, I will switch too.
Sometimes, I receive e-mails from companies. Generally, they are some advertising from clothes, shoes, furniture, decoration stores or restaurants inviting me to buy because they have discount/sales days or new products arriving. The type of e-mail that definitively captures my attention is the ones that have big fonts that are clear and images that are realistic. Also, I notice those emails that show a big discount price.
In general, I look for quality products or services, and good prices. As a consumer, I am always reading commentaries or checking BBB (Better Business Bureau) as a reference for the companies that I am interested in buying a product or service from. To check the diverse social media of the companies is useful. Many times, just reading some people’s commentary about a product or service to know what they think about it, helps me to make the decision to purchase or not.
(Image retrieved from: optiminddigital.com)
Today, digital marketing is changing the form of commercials. With non-digital media, a commercial on television or radio has a fixed duration, such as 15 second or 30 seconds. But with digital media, the length of a commercial can depend on the interest level of the user. For example, on YouTube, commercials frequently play between videos. But we are given the opportunity to skip the commercial after a few seconds, if it is not interesting. However, if it is interesting, and we do not skip it, it may play out for 2 or 3 minutes, which is much longer than traditional commercials. Nowadays, marketing can be interactive, rather just a one-way transmission of information as it was limited to in the past.
References
Brooks, Chad (2018). The Best Email Marketing Services and Survey Software for 2018.
Business.com. Retrieved from:
https://www.business.com/categories/best-email-marketing-services/
Digital Media (2018). Business Dictionary. Retrieved from:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/digital-media.html
Digital Marketing (2018). SAS. Retrieved from:
https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/marketing/digital-marketing.html
EK Marketing Blog by Ericka Koehler 