The Korean boy band BTS is a recognized genius in digital marketing. The boys and their team have savvily employed the internet to turn the band into a household name on the four corners of the globe. They even have a so-called BTS army that stans them online 24/7 and would readily defend the band against malicious K-pop bashers. Now how did they do it?
The simple answer is top-notch digital marketing. BTS knows its audience and knows how best to cater to them. Last June, while most musical artists are on hiatus due to the pandemic, BTS staged a virtual concert that raked in ticket sales amounting to $24 million. That right there is the power of digital marketing done right.
Thankfully, you do not have to be BTS, with its team of behind-the-scene marketing experts, to sell products online successfully. All you need to know are some of the best digital marketing practices that you should emulate. Here are five of them:
1. Have a specific audience in mind
You need to know your audience. That is perhaps the first thing you would learn from any marketing class. Audience targeting is the foundation of marketing, digital, or otherwise.
Audience means customers. And there are three kinds: new customers, existing customers, and former customers. Your digital marketing strategy should be specific enough to target one of these segments. Keep in mind that a marketing gimmick used for an existing customer might not work for a new customer, requiring intricate sales funnels to first be determined and studied. That said, it’s important to segmentize your marketing efforts.
BTW knows how to do this well. They do fan service effectively while also encouraging new supporters. They’ve even made renowned author Paulo Coehlo into a BTS convert.
2. Diversify
Do not settle with just one marketing platform. Use all platforms at your disposal. From social media to email marketing, your options run the gamut. Diversifying the ways you get your message out there improves your chances for, at the very least, engagement, and at best, conversion.
Again, you may derive inspiration from BTS. They’re everywhere. They have official Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok accounts. They even regularly tour late-night shows to promote their latest singles. In effect, they get to reach many people from diverse backgrounds.
3. Work with accurate and up-to-date data
This is most crucial when it comes to e-mail marketing. You should regularly clean your acquired data and remove obsolete entries. Keep in mind that within a year, as much as 30% of your gathered e-mails could become inactive. So lest you be sending out marketing e-mails to addresses that are no longer used, thus wasting your efforts, you can work with firms that provide email hygiene services.
Regularly update your data as well. On top of e-mail addresses, you could do better with adding social media handles and even phone numbers. The goal is to know as much about your audience as you can, like how BTS knows its loyal fans.
4. Create top-notch content
Sure BTS has a lot going for them, which could explain their popularity. Their skin looks poreless, like they visit the derma every day. They have zero fat as if they regularly go through fat freeze treatment. And their fashion sense is on point. But on top of these visuals, the guys actually create good music or content for that matter.
That’s another gold standard for businesses and digital marketers. Yes, it’s all about content. Whether it’s an e-mail copy or a blog entry, it should be compelling, easy to read, and mobile-friendly.
5. Measure and analyze performance
The key to succeeding in digital marketing is knowing what strategies work and which fall short of expectations. The only way to do this is by analyzing data. Social media platforms have built-in analytics tools that you could use to determine whether your messages are getting to your target audience. You could then correlate your sales movement to this data.
Alternatively, you could work with third-party vendors offering data analytics. This way, you’re assured you’re getting accurate reports done by experts.
Fresh from the success of their pandemic-era virtual concert, BTS is probably already cooking up something new to dish out for their fans. Maybe a holiday virtual surprise is in the works? Who knows? That’s how relentless the band’s digital marketing game is, and it’s worth imitating.
So, why not begin ramping up your holiday digital marketing campaign too? After all, if BTS made it, armed with a winning digital marketing strategy, so can you.