The Ultimate Guide To Digital Marketing in Singapore

Guide To Digital Marketing in Singapore

Digital marketing in Singapore involves the promotion of brands or products via different forms of electronic media. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing employs various methods and channels to help businesses analyze marketing campaigns in real-time.

Some of the aspects that digital marketers in Singapore work with include; what content works and what does not, sales conversions among others. The internet is the main channel associated with digital marketing, but there are many more including digital television, electronic billboards podcasts, and instant messaging.

This guide will look at the different aspects of digital marketing in Singapore including digital marketing channels, digital marketing trends, and how digital marketing can help grow your business.

Why Shift to Digital Marketing in Singapore?

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Business owners, consumers, and marketing agencies in Singapore have shifted to digital marketing thanks to the ease with which marketing results from the different websites can be quantified, tracked, and estimated. This is unlike anything you would experience using traditional marketing methods.

The other important aspect is that digital advertising is budget-friendly for most business owners in Singapore. Compared to direct mail and print advertisements, the web presence and conversing with clients using email marketing and social media is relatively cheap. Whether you are a start-up or an established brand you can easily take advantage of these digital media channels.

The speed and ease in which services and goods can be located using computers and mobile phones have also made digital marketing essential for all businesses. With this type of marketing, you have the world in your hands.

Singapore Digital Marketing Channels

Experienced digital marketers in Singapore have a deeper understanding of the different digital marketing campaigns and how each of them supports their ultimate goals. Depending on the goals set for a marketing strategy, they can support the broader campaign through different paid and free channels.

Here is an in-depth look at different digital marketing channels you should know.

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to the creation and promotion of content for lead generation, traffic growth, and generating brand awareness. The creation of engaging content isn’t promotional, but it is designed to inspire and educate. This can be challenging, but it is worth the effort. Providing informative content which is relevant to your audience makes them consider you as a valuable source of information. Offering original content also means that they are less likely going to turn you out.

The content created is published on a website and later promoted through PPC campaigns, SEO, email marketing, and social media. There is a distinct difference between a content marketing campaign and having a blog with content that aims to achieve a specific goal. This comes about in terms of how to market the effectiveness of a content, who to target when to publish, and what content to publish.

2. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is the promotion of your content or brand on different social media channels to generate leads, drive traffic and increase brand awareness. Social media isn’t just a platform where people post selfies or watch cat videos. These days, Singapore residents rely on this media to research and discover brands before engaging with them.

That is why for digital marketers in Singapore, it is not enough to post on Twitter and Facebook accounts. They always incorporate social elements into different aspects of marketing. This is important because it creates more peer to peer sharing opportunities. The more your audience engages with the content, the more likely they will share it.

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This will ultimately lead them to become clients. The added advantage is that they will influence other friends to become clients. The primary medium of social media campaigns is either through paid ads or content marketing campaigns.

A Facebook sales funnel for instance consists of three major steps.

Brand awareness is at the top of the funnel. At this stage, you will use Facebook to introduce the brand to Facebook users. The aim at this stage is to get your ad to many people and in turn gain more followers.

The next step is a consideration. This is where you get those who showed interest in your brand to send you a message, install your app, engage with your page and visit your website.

The last step is conversion. This is the actual number of people who opted to purchase the goods and services offered.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing that has had significant changes with the rise of internet usage. This marketing involves the promotion of other people’s products, and you get a commission once you introduce a lead or make a sale. When coming up with a digital marketing strategy, it is best to have Affiliate marketing as a way to promote your brand and sell products.

Your affiliates do not just drive sales, but they are a positive influence on people who want to connect with your company. Affiliate marketing has two main channels which include; hosting videos on YouTube partner programs and posting affiliate links on your social media accounts.

  • Hosting Video Ads On YouTube Partner Program

With the YouTube partner program, digital marketers in Singapore have unlimited access to resources and programs to help them succeed on YouTube.

These are some of the benefits you will gain by enrolling in this program.

Increases Your Audience

There are different cost-effective ways to make videos work for you than branded commercials and viral clips. With this YouTube program, you get exclusive access to video equipment, development programs, and tools that will improve your distribution skills and production quality.

Partners get additional tools on and off YouTube to build a fan base. The other advantage is that you can add in-link videos to external pages like your website which can drive traffic.

Helps To Monetize Your Content

The program gives you the option to display ads on your video which is a great way to monetize your content. They include overlay video ads, display ads, skippable and non-skippable ads that appear when people watch your video.

If you monetize your content, it means that you can earn and receive payments. This is only possible if you associate your videos and AdSense. You also get access to analytics on your earnings including performance-based on playbacks and estimated earnings.

  • Posting Affiliate Links From Social Media Accounts

Social media is one of the best ways for affiliate marketers to optimize their success. Once you understand the different social network messaging capabilities, features and audiences you make the most of your online presence.

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Here is how you can leverage social media for affiliate marketing.

Posting Consistently

A fraction of your followers will see your post when you publish for the first time. It is good practice to regularly re-post popular items to reach out to a large audience. Remaining consistent will mean that you will have to blend planned campaigns post with engagement, but this has to be done a week ahead.

Take advantage of the scheduler tools to pre-post and set the publishing times. You can also schedule different times of the day to check “mentions” so that you can easily respond.

Integrate Videos and Photos

The social media timeline is a hyper-cluttered environment, and you can’t miss incorporating videos or images. People flip through their Facebook feeds instantaneously, and visualization gets people’s attention than a text-only post.

4. Email Marketing in Singapore

For the past two decades, email has remained the fastest and most convenient way to reach clients with valuable information. It is no doubt that most people are attached to their emails. Expert email marketers in Singapore understand that not any email works. Most successful email campaigns are entertaining, informative, relative, and engaging.

Emails are designed to direct people to a business website, as well as promote content and events. That is why email in a marketing campaign has to include; blog subscription newsletter, customer welcome email, and follow-up emails to the people who downloaded content.

5. Inbound Marketing

With inbound marketing, you can take advantage of any of the above marketing tactics and incorporate them into one marketing campaign. It is one of the best ways to attract, engage and delight new customers. This digital marketing channel takes advantage of five key elements which include satisfaction, trust, engagement, attention, and content.

All these elements are designed to create a channel of bi-directional communication to help businesses in Singapore connect with potential customers.

Singapore Digital Marketing Trends

Singapore’s digital marketing trends keep changing with time. That is why it is vital for you to be informed on the emerging and still evolving techniques to keep your social and digital media marketing strategy sharp. Businesses in Singapore have begun integrating digital marketing, and they are willing to part with thousands of dollars just for the exposure.

Here is a closer look at some of the common digital marketing trends in Singapore.

1. The Use Of Infographics

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Apart from sharing articles, photos, and videos on social media, the use of infographics can be a powerful tool. An infographic is simply a visual representation of information about a service, product, or brand. In the past few years, this trend has proven effective in simplifying complex matters. This is an advantage to the target audience as they can take the desired action such as subscribing to a weekly or monthly newsletter or placing an order.

There is plenty of call-to-action that can be linked to an infographic. What you need is to ensure that the content is geared to a relevant audience. If you design a quality infographic displaying your brand and share the same on social media, the chances are that it will go viral. This way, you will have exposed your business to millions of business partners and potential customers in Singapore.

It is always a good practice to take note of the comments made by your audience. The comments will help you get ideas for your next article, videos, or infographic.

2. Segmented Email Campaigns

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Segmentation involves the dividing or grouping of email subscribers based on factors such as conversion funnel, location, and interest. This is an essential tool in digital marketing as it can raise your email open rate by up to 203%. To make the most out of your digital marketing campaign in Singapore, you have to learn the basics of email segmentation.

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You should also understand the stages of email segmentation and take into account the problems your target audience face and why they chose to join your email marketing list.

3. Augmented Reality

This is a technology that expands the physical world by adding layers of digital information. Unlike virtual reality that requires you to inhabit a virtual environment, augmented reality takes advantage of the natural environment and overlays virtual information on top. Incorporating this technology into your digital marketing strategy has plenty of benefits.

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First, it increases user engagement with your brand by offering a new experience to which consumers are not exposed. You also get to be different from your competitors because you are generating expectations and using innovative techniques to promote a product.

4. The Use Of Vertical Videos

Videos play an important role in conveying the intended message to your customers. This does not mean using YouTube as the only medium. Other platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are some of the best places to pursue video marketing. How you use videos to market your brand will define if you are going to stand out from the completion.

Most customers in singapore don’t turn their phones to watch videos. That is why you should consider creating vertical videos that can suit different audiences. A platform such as Instagram is ideal when creating vertical images. It has the IGTV segment that allows content creators to come up with case studies, live streams, 360-degree virtual reality, demos, interviews, animated videos, and the list goes on.

5. Bloggers or Micro-Influencers

Most people don’t consider micro-influencer to have an impact on the digital marketing space, but this is actually not true. Micro-influencers are people who have a following of up to 100,000 people. Even with such a small number, studies have shown that they can still generate more engagement per post.

With such people on a digital marketing campaign, brands tend to have a higher conversion. You may be wondering how this can be achieved. While a celebrity might have millions of followers not everyone will be interested in what you are offering. If you opt for a micro-influencer in Singapore with a specific interest, you are more likely going to build rapport with potential clients.

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6. The Use Of Chatbots

Customer support is an integral part of any e-commerce website. Not everyone feels comfortable talking to a real person by email or phone. With the Chatbot, such individuals can get accurate and comprehensive answers to their queries in real-time. The chatbots use artificial intelligence technology to fulfill requests without compromising on the image of the brand or personality.

digital marketing in Singapore

A recent study by the grand view research shows that the chatbot market will rise to 1.25 billion dollars by 2025. This is an estimated annual growth of 24.3%. The bots can engage and reach customers any time of day, filling in the limitation of the human workforce. The other factor that makes them an excellent customer service option is their ability to respond faster and smarter.

How Digital Marketing Can Help Grow Your Singapore Business

The changes in the digital world have shifted the way businesses in Singapore operate. Companies that choose to stick to traditional marketing soon realize that most of their potential clients are online which means that they have to make changes fast. Implementing a Singapore digital marketing strategy doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need to have an in-house digital marketing department.

The best you can do is work with digital marketing strategies that fit your business and implement them. The most important thing you have to do is spare a few hours to manage your digital promotion. Effective digital marketing strategy ensures that you use resources effectively and this will give you maximum results.

This is how digital marketing can accelerate your business growth.

1. Helps In Building Your Brand

Companies such as Apple and Buzzfeed have a pretty brand, and their online presence influences this. If you keep track of their social media accounts, you will realize how often they post and interact with their audience. You will also notice reviews from customers telling the online community how great these companies are.

To ensure your brand is seen by potential customers you have to be creative. For instance, you could have an interesting article published on the company’s blog or a new product on offer as the first thing the audience sees when they wake up. This is how to make your clients a vital part of your physical and digital life.

2. Businesses Can Effectively Analyze Data

Digital marketing is not just about how you tell clients about your business; it is also a way to find out what they are looking for. This can be achieved by analyzing their spending habits, average income, or encouraging them to review your product. Digital marketing can also be done directly via email and online surveys.

It is such basic facts that provide insights that can be used to improve your experience and help your business in Singapore grow. There is no need for you to spend a fortune to have an effective digital marketing strategy.

The most important aspect of digital marketing is to understand and effectively use the tricks of the trade to help you compete with the most established brands.

3. There Are Plenty Of Mediums To Use

There are plenty of marketing strategies to employ in digital marketing. Most digital marketers in Singapore, for instance, take advantage of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. They can also drive traffic to their website by creating a monthly newsletter and publishing content on their blog.

Ad campaigns such as Pay-per-Click (PPC) account for almost 65% of the click-on goggle searches and are gaining popularity by the day. These digital marketing methods may be useful but people are still finding creative and innovative ways to market their business online.

4. Digital Marketing Is Efficient and Cost-Effective

Digital marketing is great for businesses in Singapore with limited resources because it is more efficient and cost-effective compared to traditional methods. Compared to spending thousands of dollars bombarding the public with ads on flyers, billboards, and television, digital marketing targets a specific demographic. This, in turn, saves you from wasting money on an audience that is not interested in purchasing your product.

The ultimate goal of digital marketing is to be more affordable and efficient compared to any other medium.

5. Advantage Of Data-Driven Campaigns

There are plenty of programs such as Google analytics that give insights on your marketing campaign so that you can evaluate the strategies that work for you and those that don’t. Monitoring and tracking data from such a program will help you find a plan that works towards your campaign goal.

6. Builds Stronger Relationships

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Digital marketing can help you build a stronger relationship with your client/customer base. Mediums such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook allow you to engage with your clients directly. This builds a personal connection that is invaluable when developing brand loyalty.

7. Gives SMBs A Competitive Edge

Entrepreneurs owning small and medium-sized businesses in Singapore have limited funds and resources, but there is a greater need to market to the online audience as is the case with established organizations. A digital marketing strategy such as search engine optimization (SEO) has leveled the playing field.

This means that small and medium-sized businesses can compete with bigger organizations, and not just survive.

8. Expands Your Customer Base

When you are reaching your potential clients online, whether, through email newsletters or social media posts, you are developing a sense of trust and loyalty. Through the interaction with your customers, you get to understand what they want, and this is what you offer them. It is an excellent relationship with your clients that keeps them coming.

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Closing Remarks

Digital marketing is one of the strategies that every business owner should adopt if they want to grow their business or brand in Singapore. Understanding how digital marketing in Singapore works, the different channels, as well as the digital marketing trends, will help you stay ahead of the competition.

Get in touch with us for professional digital marketing services in Singapore. 

About the Author

Tom Koh

Tom is the CEO and Principal Consultant of MediaOne, a leading digital marketing agency. He has consulted for MNCs like Canon, Maybank, Capitaland, SingTel, ST Engineering, WWF, Cambridge University, as well as Government organisations like Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Law, National Galleries, NTUC, e2i, SingHealth. His articles are published and referenced in CNA, Straits Times, MoneyFM, Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, Hubspot, Zendesk, CIO Advisor.

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