ePLATFORMS

Digital tools in digital marketing

I work as a digital marketer which naturally means that I use many digital applications and tools. My work mainly consists of product data management, search engine optimization and marketing, social media, and email marketing. Tools that I use include e.g. Microsoft 365, Odoo ERP, Google services, social medias, Canva, and Ahrefs.

Microsoft 365 has the quintessential work tools: Excel and Word. These along with Outlook and OneDrive are important tools in my work. Odoo is an open source ERP system that we are currently using. Our website is also built on top of Odoo. I use Odoo for product management, email marketing and SEO.

For digital marketing, Google has many important tools. These include Analytics, Search Console, Merchant Center, Ads and Business Profile. Analytics and Search Console are used to track website analytics. Merchant Center can be used along side with Ads to create ad campaigns all over the internet. With Business Profile you can have a profile with business information and posts in Google Search and Maps.

Social medias that I use in my work include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Other tools that I use almost daily are Canva and Ahrefs. Canva is a graphic design platform that I use to create banners, social media and email marketing graphics and other things. Ahrefs is a marketing tool that I use for analytics and analysis like backlinks and tracking traffic and keywords. It combines many features for search engine optimization, tracking, auditing and analytics.

Utilizing social media at work

Dall-E

Dall-E is an artificial intelligence image generation tool by OpenAI. It can create realistic and artistic images from prompts and edit existing images. I chose Dall-E, because I have heard of it and seen the generated images, but I have not used it.

For my work as digital marketer, Dall-E could be utilized to create content, brand identity, and product mockups. Content could be generated with ease such as visuals for blog posts, social media, email marketing and ad campaigns. Dall-E can be used to experiment with new logo designs and brand colors. Product mockups could be used for effective presentation without needing photoshoots.

Dall-E can save time and money, and also boost creativity. Problems that might arise however are inconsistency, ethicality and legality, and how your brand will be perceived by customers. The results may be unpredictable, bad or lack professionalism. Ethical and legal concerns arise from copyright laws and the responsible use of AI-generated images, and your brand might be perceived badly for using AI-generated images.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Though I do use Microsoft 365 apps, I have not used Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered assistant integrated into Microsoft’s tools such as Excel, Teams and Word. Copilot can improve productivity, creativity, and efficiency which is why I chose it.

Copilot seems very useful for my work. I could use it for data analysis in Excel to generate pivot tables or trends and automate tasks. I could summarize emails and meetings. I could generate drafts of blogs posts and newsletters, and refine my own text.

The negatives can be over-realiance on AI, accuracy and again legal and ethical concerns. Being over-reliant on AI could become a problem and lead to reduced creativity. Moreover AI content might not be accurate or appropriate.

Discord

Discord is not a new platform for me. I have used it before years ago, but not for work which is why I chose it here. Discord is a communication platform used by different communities and creators. Users can create servers where they can host text, voice and video conversations.

In my work, Discord could be used for community building creating a space for more personal customer relationship. It can be used for real-time communication and a customer support channel. However, this would need constant moderation and wouldn’t be ideal for wide reach since it’s better for existing audience rather than acquiring new ones.

Threads

Threads is a newcomer in social media world. It launched in 2023 as a direct competitor for Twitter (X). Threads is a social media platform that allows users to post short-form text, replies, likes and reposts. I never used Twitter which is why I chose Threads to familiarize myself with such platforms.

Threads can be used for marketing purposes just like Twitter. I could use it for sharing updates and news, engage community and promote events and products. With Threads I could reach new customers and promote the brand. This would again need moderation and regular content to keep the page alive.

Partiful

Partiful is an event planning and invitation platform designed to make event organization more social. Partiful is mainly used for parties and gatherings like graduations, birthdays and dinners. It has event tools such as guest lists and reminders, but also pictures, themes and a group chat. I got one invite from Partiful before and was intrigued by it which is why I chose it.

Partiful is more designed for individuals not businesses, but it can be used in digital marketing for event marketing, community building and for team/work events. The platform however isn’t very suitable for large events and has niche user base which makes it not ideal for many events.

Elements of successful use of digital applications

Digital applications need to have a purpose and value: why does it exist and what problem does it solve? Without a clear purpose and benefit for the user why would they use it.

Digital applications should be designed with the user in the center. The application is made for the users so it needs to be intuitive, accessible and easy to use. This includes performance and compatibility across platforms. Of course these days the application needs to be secure and be compliant of privacy laws as well.

Digital applications need to be continuously updated. Improvements, bug fixes and new features responding to user feedback makes sure that the app works optimally for the users.

What I’ve learned

This task taught me about different platforms, what makes them work and what are the negative sides for using them. These platforms need to have a purpose and be valuable to the users. I will be thinking of these things for platforms that I use already and see what I think of them.