Digital Gurkha started its super-hyped 3 months course, so I decided to join….

A broad review 

Too Creative.

If you think you are creative, then Digital Gurka’s class will make you realize how there are still levels to your creativity you have yet to reach.

And if you have a huge ego, this review is just for you. Don’t join. 

Well, it’s a different case if you are open to growing and learning.

Digital Gurkha had gone hard on marketing and promoting their new course – a 3-month Digital Marketing course that they referred to as the path to becoming a “Super Digital Marketer.” Since I have been learning and reading about Digital Marketing myself, I thought, why not join the hyped course? 

So here is a simple review of what I have learned in the class, which has now gone into its 3rd week. 

Let’s begin with an introduction to Digital Marketing.

Digital Marketing would be anything that aligns the marketing efforts of your brand through digital platforms such as websites, applications, social media, and other advertising platforms. 

In simpler words, the process of marketing through online or offline media digitally is Digital Marketing.

We all know that Digital Marketing has swiftly taken over the world, as every brand, small or big, has a digital presence. But why is that? What’s so special about Digital Marketing?

As Online Marketing offers brands the opportunity to interact with their customers, allows them to target the designated audience, and is also cost-effective, most brands spend their time and money to attract and reach the audiences digitally.

But before a brand starts to market its product digitally, some processes and steps need to be followed.

1. Business is a broad topic….

What’s so tough about starting a business? You need to have a product or service to sell. Right?

            WRONG.

A brand needs to define its Business Canvas, before making its presence on digital platforms. 

Business Canvas? Now, what’s that?

Alright, let me explain.

A business canvas is a graphical representation of a business model which clearly defines the problem faced by people, the solutions to that problem, the revenue stream, customers, and many more.

Moreover, a business also needs to define its 4Ps.

The 4Ps include Product, Place, Price, and Promotion. Each of these Ps is essential as it can give brands an advantage over their competitors if clearly and cleverly managed. 

Additionally, a brand needs to have a Unique Value Proposition. 

Now you are just using some big and fancy words. 

Erm.. no, UVP stands for Unique Value Proposition which should describe why their business is different and unique from others. Unique Value Propositions carry a huge role in relaying a brand’s image and value to customers and the world.

2. But what about Branding?

After the business value proposition is defined, then comes the Branding. 

Any business needs to have a great name to sustain greatness and become successful. In other words, a name suitable for business. The name can be chosen based on business, inspiration, or wordplay.

Some of the biggest brands even have their name inspired by the founder’s names, Louis Vuitton, and Mcdonald’s. 
Crazy, Right?

After the name is carefully chosen, now comes the logo. The logo is basically a graphical representation of any brand.

A logo always signifies the reputation of a brand. So it needs to be distinctive, appropriate, and practical. A business can set up its logo from Canva, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Shopify.

Now that the name and logo have been defined, what’s next?

… Well, it’s time to set the Font. 

Wait a minute. Is Font really that important? That’s what everyone asks.

It seems like people unconsciously or consciously make an opinion of any words or copy from the font itself. 

The words can be literally the same but according to what kind of Font is used, people make their own assumptions about it. If a business needs to make a strong presence, then the font needs to be selected accordingly.

In conclusion, a business needs to have a suitable name, logo, and font for it to be finally called a Brand. 
Anything else?

Well, it seems like color is equally as crucial for Branding. Many big brands use color to communicate their theme. 

Take Coke, for example, they are heavily associated with the color Red because they want people to feel happy whenever they see that Red logo.

 So, a brand must choose a color that demonstrates its theme and idea.

3. The audience is always a tricky part but is it?

After the brand has been established, now its turn to focus on the audience. The Customers. The KINGS.

You first need to know that not everyone is your customer. If you want to please everyone, you will have no sense of value as a brand and, consequently, you won’t have loyal customers. 

So it is important to know who your audiences are. 

And precisely for that reason, the audience persona is used.

Audience Persona is the visualization and profile of a person representing your ideal audience. You make a profile of your ideal audience’s demographics, background, challenges, and goals. 

After going through your audience’s information, it’s time to research their deep needs and interests and which social media they are most active in. 

And after that, you are pretty much set.  

4. Competitors are a headache, so you also research them.

No matter what product or service you want, there is always someone who has already done that or has been doing that. Therefore, it’s tough to stand out in the competitive market. 

And for that, you have to research your competitors. When you research your competitors, the best part is that you might even come up with some new ideas. In simple words, they can serve as an inspiration as well.

Just remember, you might have direct and indirect competitors. Direct Competitors are those brands that sell the same products or services as you, while indirect competitors may be in a different industry but provide the solutions your product is trying to solve.

There’s no denying that your brand should offer something different or unique service to your customers. That’s the reason why you should clearly define your Competitive advantage. 

Always try to provide some unique experiences to your customers that your competitors fail to provide, that way your brand will have loyal customers. 

Ermm, that doesn’t sound that difficult. Is that all there is to competitor analysis?

Hold your horses. Because it’s time to dive even deeper. 

Now, you have to research your competitor’s social media and platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Google. You leave no stone unturned. Find out what kind of content they are creating, their sales strategy, and the kind of customers they have attracted. 

5. “Content is king”- Every social media

It can sometimes get tiring when all the so-called gurus and social platforms keep telling you that Content is king. And to a great extent, that’s actually true. 

Because everything you see on videos, blogs, and sales pitches is content. Content helps to give your potential customers knowledgeable about your brand. In other words, it is a medium to communicate with your customers.

So your content needs to have its own voice. It needs to carry the same theme and vision so that your audiences won’t get confused about the brand’s image. And for that reason, the content narrative is crucial. Having less than 3 content narratives for your brand is always a great tactic.

Now comes the next part: Content Pillars.

Content Pillars are a set of themes or topics that your brand can use to create posts. As content creation can be confusing and difficult sometimes, a content pillar can give you topics, ideas, and content for your brand.

By now you must have understood what the Content Pillar is, it’s time to go through the Content Calendar. 

Content Calendar is making a calendar of which content and when you will post on your social media. As social media favors the pages that post regularly or as often as possible, Content Calendar helps you make a plan and gets you to stick to that plan.

6. Now it’s time to create a page and optimize it.

But before making a page for your brand, it is necessary to understand what platforms you will be on. A brand should invest its time based on where its audiences are active. 

For instance, if your target audience is between the age of 18-26, you try to increase your followers on Instagram. Being active on 3-4 social media can improve your audience rates, giving you better results. Moreover, if you own a store, it’s necessary to have Google Maps. 

Having a page on social media won’t directly attract audiences, you also need to have an informative Bio, and a beautiful and insightful cover image and you should keep on posting content that gives your audience entertainment or education about your products. 

Even more so, social media like Instagram and Facebook have made it easier for brands to interact with their audiences through stories and highlights. 

7. How do you keep your audience engaged and hooked?

For your brand to keep your audience engaged, there are specific strategies you need to follow. Your brand awareness among people is fundamental.

Brand awareness means consumers knowing what your business is known for and choosing your brand over your competitors even if the price of your product is higher. 

But how do you create Brand Awareness among people?

You were having good suspense about what your new product helps. You create an image in your audience’s mind and hook them up with what your brand offers in a suspenseful way. 

Furthermore, it would help if you communicated what your brand values are. It’s better to have a limited number of brand values because having many brand values can confuse your customers. 

The products and services you offer should be displayed beautifully. Use photography skills and effective lighting for customers to get hooked on your product.

Along with that, providing giveaways and freebies instantly increases the popularity of your brand because who doesn’t love free gifts, right?

Showing the results of your customers and how you solved their problems is one of the best ways to turn your potential customers into customers.

And of course, you can also hire influencers to promote your brand. As social media’s usage has grown exponentially, so has the number of influencers. So choosing influencers according to your brand image and values can make your brand a great one.

8. And finally, a short introduction to Funnel.

A marketing funnel describes your customer’s journey with you.

From the initial stages when someone learns about your business to the purchasing stage, marketing funnels map routes to conversion and beyond. 

It’s just like how a funnel works: pouring a considerable amount of water from the top of the Funnel to it dropping drop by drop at the bottom. 

And that’s how business also works. When you promote your products or services, lots of people will show interest, but only a few will engage with your brand, and finally, even fewer will buy your products/services.

And the Funnel has 3 parts:

• The top of the Funnel represents your activity to create awareness among people about your products.
• The Middle of the Funnel is where you engage with your audiences and make them interested in your brand.
• Finally, the Bottom of the Funnel is where your interested audiences become your customers.

Overview

It would be a crime to say that the course Digital Gurkha has been running is good. Don’t let the 1-star review fool you, it’s for people with huge egos. As there is a saying, “Ego is the enemy,” don’t let that enemy win over you. Join the class, and it’s worth it.