When it comes to digital marketing, there are a plethora of channels and tactics that marketers can leverage to improve their brand’s online presence. However, many of these channels are often overlooked or underestimated, despite their potential to deliver significant results.
In this article, we will explore some of the most underrated digital marketing activities that marketers should be paying attention to. These hidden gems of digital marketing have the potential to boost your online visibility and drive conversions, but are often overshadowed by the more popular marketing channels.
To shed some light on this topic, we reached out to a panel of digital marketing experts from various industries to share their insights and experiences.
Our panel of marketing experts for this article are:
- Marley Hayles – Digital Marketing Manager at Hometree
- Federica Geraci – Digital Marketing Manager at Wella Company
- Nicola Moss – Head of Marketing at Peak Retreats
- David Kenning – Digital Marketing and Fundraising Officer at The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory
- Katie Reed – Marketing Manager at BEC Group
- Charlotte Howell – Digital Marketing & eCommerce Manager at Grafton International
- Charlotte Hitchcock – Marketing Manager UK & ROW at myFitApp
- Sean Brewer – Marketing Manager at Whispers Care Solutions
- Roland Buckley – Marketing Manager at Cross Rental Services
- Ellen Bushell – Head Of Marketing at King Edward VI School
We received some very helpful advice from these highly regarded marketers, which we are delighted to share with you. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, keep reading to discover the hidden gems of digital marketing and why you shouldn’t overlook them. So in no particular order, here are the top 10 most underrated digital marketing activities:
Microsoft Ads
Advertising on Microsoft Ads is often an overlooked channel in digital marketing. However, it can be a valuable addition to any marketing strategy. Bing is the second largest search engine and is the default search engine for over 1.4 billion Windows 10 and 11 users. Therefore, not including Microsoft Ads in your strategy could result in missed opportunities for traffic and conversions. Additionally, Microsoft Ads can offer cost-effective alternatives to Google Ads, with reported CPCs up to 70% less on Microsoft Ads. Furthermore, Bing’s older and higher-income demographic may align well with certain marketing goals.
Marley Hayles, Digital Marketing Manager at Hometree said: “In today’s world, marketers have numerous digital marketing channels to choose from. However, in my experience, Microsoft Ads is one channel that is often overlooked. While Google dominates the search engine market, focusing solely on Google may not always be the best approach, and ignoring Microsoft Ads could be a missed opportunity. One of the major benefits of using Microsoft Ads is that there is usually less competition compared to Google Ads. This can lead to lower average CPCs, and with the right attention and optimisations, acquisition costs can be significantly reduced. Moreover, Microsoft has been introducing new AI-powered Bing search engine features, which could potentially increase their market share. This makes it an excellent time for marketers to start paying more attention to Microsoft Ads.”
Remarketing Through Google Ads
Remarketing through Google Ads is a powerful tool that digital marketers can use to target audiences who have already shown an interest in their products or services.
By presenting your remarketing ads to visitors even as they browse other parts of the internet, you are gaining brand exposure and becoming more recognisable to your target audience, raising trust and making them more likely to purchase from you.
Remarketing ads have much higher click-through rates and conversion rates than typical display ads.
Nicola Moss, Head of Marketing at Peak Retreats said: “In my experience, businesses often overlook remarketing through Google Ads, particularly those who don’t use Google Ads for anything else. Remarketing will target anyone that has visited the specified pages on your website, not just those from Google Ads, so I’d always recommend getting this set up even if you don’t intend to use any other Google Ads functionality. To me remarketing is a no-brainer because you’re targeting people you know are interested in what you’re offering.”
Data Fragmentation
Data fragmentation is a growing concern for digital marketers as they strive to gain a complete view of their customers’ behaviours and campaign performances.
Federica Geraci, Digital Marketing Manager at Wella Company said: “The issue of data fragmentation has become increasingly relevant as the number of platforms used to collect data continues to grow. Marketers are constantly pressured to expand their campaign reach and incorporate more platforms into their campaigns. The result is that obtaining an accurate picture of all activities across different channels has become very challenging. Overcoming data fragmentation is vital for marketers to optimise their campaigns and achieve greater success in their digital marketing efforts.”
Press Releases
Press releases can be a valuable tool in a digital marketer’s arsenal, as they provide an opportunity to reach a wider audience and generate brand awareness. As Katie Reed, Marketing Manager at BEC Group notes: “Digital marketing strategies can vary hugely from one company to another- what works for Microsoft might not work for Wikipedia. In my experience however, the oft-overlooked press release can be invaluable; regardless of the space you work in. Provided you place press releases in the right channel for your proposed audience, with a memorable point of view and copywriting- brand awareness and website traffic can skyrocket.”
A/B Testing
A/B testing has become a popular and essential technique for digital marketers to improve their website and campaign performance. By testing two versions of the same page or element, marketers can identify what works best for their target audience and make data-driven decisions. In a world where assumptions can lead to costly mistakes, A/B testing is a reliable way to ensure that digital marketing efforts are optimised for success.
Lots of companies don’t have a testing strategy. A/B tests are typically done as a reaction to having bought a testing tool. Testing strategies are often not created because of lack of an experimentation mindset.
David Kenning, Digital Marketing and Fundraising Officer at The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory said: “Utilise A/B testing platforms to move away from assumptions and more towards a data-driven approach with your digital marketing. Undecided on whether your new homepage or product page will perform well? Show your audience different variations of the same web page to help you build insight into page performance.”
Post-Purchase Email Marketing
Post-purchase email marketing is a valuable digital marketing strategy that can be overlooked by e-commerce businesses. This approach can enhance brand trust, customer loyalty, and experience beyond the initial sale. Personalised and automated post-purchase emails can encourage repeat purchases and increase conversion rates, making it a cost-effective way to boost sales.
Charlotte Howell, Digital Marketing & eCommerce Manager at Grafton International said: “I think one of the most overlooked digital marketing strategies in e-commerce is the implementation of post-purchase email marketing.
Post-purchase emails help to build brand trust, customer loyalty and customer experience, past the initial sale.
They can be used to collect user-generated reviews and gain customer feedback on how to improve products or services.
Through automation and personalisation, post-purchase emails can be used to increase AOV and conversion rate. One of our favourite uses is to send targeted product recommendations based on past purchases. We have also seen great success by triggering repeat purchase reminders.
Post-purchase email marketing is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to increase sales. And the best thing – it can be effectively measured!”
Balancing The Long And Short Term
In digital marketing, balancing long-term brand awareness and short-term sales activation is critical for success. While immediate sales activation is essential for generating revenue, long-term brand building supports the growth of the business in the future.
Charlotte Hitchcock, Marketing Manager UK & ROW at myFitApp said: “One thing that is so important, and is commonly overlooked when it comes to marketing strategy, is balancing the long and short term. Long term brand building supports the short term sales activation.
Especially when it comes to B2B marketing, most of your audience won’t be in market, a lot of the time, so it’s crucial that you invest in long term brand awareness ready to activate when they’re ready to make a purchase.
A general rule of thumb would be a 60/40 split, investing at least 60% of your budget in long term brand awareness and 40% on immediate sales activation.”
Quality Digital Content
When executed well, quality digital content can help build trust and credibility with customers, strengthen brand loyalty, and ultimately drive business growth. Quality digital content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to the target audience, while also reflecting the culture and values of the company.
Sean Brewer, Marketing Manager at Whispers Care Solutions said: “I see a lot of online ‘carbon copy’ content nowadays that looks to have been generated quickly, and with very little thought put into it. For me, it’s vital that digital content conveys the culture and principles of a company. When it’s executed with passion and effort, that really shines through.”
Video and Photography
In today’s digital age, businesses need to utilise various forms of content to grab their audience’s attention. While written content remains essential, visual content such as video and photography can have a significant impact on a company’s digital marketing efforts.
Roland Buckley, Marketing Manager at Cross Rental Services said:“I would advise businesses (especially if they have specialists within their organisation who are working out in the field) to regularly take the time out from chasing metrics and capture as many of their people as possible in video and photography (it doesn’t have to be too polished, but it does need to avoid obvious pitfalls that could present badly). I think that gathering this type of content together with creating interesting graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge has real long-term value and should be built into all marketing planning.”
Thought Leadership
In a world where brands need to stand out in a crowded marketplace, thought leadership has become a powerful tool for digital marketers.
Ellen Bushell, Head of Marketing at King Edward VI School explains why thought leadership matters: “Every marketer knows there is an abundance of content from which your brand needs to differentiate itself to be heard. Thought leadership is original, authentic, free from brand guidelines and a great lever to position yourself as confident leaders by demonstrating value or expertise. Encourage your experienced employees to share their thought-provoking insight, welcome conversation, and validation from other sources that in turn will generate dialogue that should develop awareness of your brand, conversion or even better, loyalty.”
Well, that’s it! As you have seen from the above it’s essential for businesses to diversify their digital marketing mix and explore these underrated activities. By doing so, they can reach new audiences, increase brand awareness, and drive more conversions. I hope you have found the above information useful for your digital strategy. If you have any thoughts on any of this, please get in touch! We’d love to hear from you. And of course, if you need any support with your SEO, Digital PR or Content then please do reach out to us.
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