Digital Marketing, The New GPS for Santa - The Digital Native Project

“HO HO HO!” A person passing by loudly chants, stroking his long white beard. His red attire from head to toe attracts the whole neighborhood as he walks the hall, carrying a brown sack over his shoulders. You might be wondering, what does Santa Claus have to do with Digital Marketing? Well, to start if off, both need thorough planning beforehand. Your Christmas presents do not just magically appear under your Christmas trees, do they? Santa has been preparing for this day all year round. The same goes for Digital Marketing. This is a strategy that also requires meticulous planning and preparation. Continue with the article to find out more!

Christmas is Here!

This was officially the beginning of the holidays. Houses decorated with an array of lights, choirs filling up the streets with hymns, shoppers ravaging for last minute shopping, these are truly the symbol of the holiday season that loudly proclaims, “Christmas is here!”

During this magical time of the year, the days are filled with joy and smiles as individuals anticipate celebrating the holidays. Preparations for the festivities are done months before the actual day. Seeing as this is the time for families to spend time together, people really do make an effort to make this time a very special one.

An Eerie Case

But Alia does not feel the same. Instead of a cheery and bright outlook towards the holiday, the child is anxious about something. She is no ordinary girl as the neighborhood that she resides in is very peculiar. Rows of similar houses welcome one as soon as they enter the subdivision. There are not a lot of guests entering in and out as the houses are unnumbered and the streets unmarked. Navigating through the whole neighborhood is just absurd for someone visiting for the first time. There are no guides to pinpoint exactly what part of the subdivision one owns. To add, there are also no indicators of distance. As the houses are exactly like the rest, there are no ways to identify which one is which.

The Babie Doll

Alia has been eyeing that one specific Babie doll from the mall that she saw last week. She has been dreaming about it ever since. As snow falls down the window sill, she has made up her mind. She grabs a pen and paper and gets to work. After she has written her letter, she folds it neatly and keeps it in her drawer for safekeeping. She has been such a good girl this year, and she hopes that it will be enough. Santa Claus has been missing her house every year and she prays that this time, he will make it, she makes sure of it.

Time for a Plan!

With the burning desire to own that Babie doll, she informs her family about trying to write to Santa Claus again. She was cheerful despite the amount of failures that they have experienced. Her family was all for it and supported the aspiration of the young child. As it was the holiday season, they wanted the best for Alia. So they set out to conduct an emergency family meeting about preparations to get Santa to come to their house.

“Santa never comes to our house because they all look the same.” blurted out Yan, the oldest of the children.

“What if he gets lost on the way here just like the rest of our guests?” asked Alex, the middle child.

“Oh no! What if he had presents all along and was not able to deliver it? He could have packed the doll house that I really wanted last year!”

“And my robot! We need to put an end to this once and for all!”

All Hands on Deck!

The family continued to plan and organize their thoughts. How could they make their house more distinguishable for Santa Claus to recognize? After hours of planning, they had finally come up with a list of the things that they needed. They agreed to set up in the morning right after the sun rises. Because of their love for their youngest, the family tried to exhaust all possible means to make their house stand out from the rest.

The whole morning started with ruckus. Brushes were all around and paint was splattered everywhere. Yan had brought out her bright yellow scarf on the bushery, in hopes that it would help attract Santa. Alex had brought his favorite toy out their front gate, letting it act as their eyes of the operation. Things were ready and all they needed to do was to decorate.

Hours later, they were exhausted. With the last stroke of the brush, it was finished. From far behind, the house was already very striking and distinct. Painting it a different color from the rest immediately set their house apart. Moreover, they tried to add some elements in their front yard and tried their hardest with the tools that they have. Being satisfied with the work that they had done, it was time for the reveal.

The Reveal

They had brought Alia outside to witness the masterpiece that they had created. With her eyes closed, they gently lead her to the front door. When she opened her eyes, she looked at her family with confused eyes. ‘Surprise!” They all exclaimed, but Alia did not get it. “We tried to decorate it so that Santa can find our house easier!” This made Alia cry. “Am I finally going to meet Santa?” She tried to say in between her cries. She hugged her family members and counted down until Christmas Eve.

It was the day that all had been waiting for. Alia tried to make sure she had prepared everything. She takes one last peek at the Christmas tree and eyes the milk and cookies set out on the table beside it. She felt reassured and went back to her room. Taking one last look at her note, she sets it under her pillow, mutters her last hope, wishing very hard and eventually falling back to sleep.

Christmas Day

As soon as the sunlight hit her eyes, she was wide awake. It was Christmas day, and now, the time that they have all been waiting for. She quickly shoved her covers aside and rushed downstairs under the Christmas tree. Her family has been waiting for her with grins all plastered on their faces. She has a great feeling about this. She hoped and approached them. Presents were handed to each other one by one, and when the last gift remained under the tree, the feeling of defeat crept towards her. But, as her parents handed her the very last gift, she screamed in joy as she found out who it was from. Finally, a Christmas miracle. It was from Santa!

Tearing up the wrapping, it was the Babie doll that she had wanted. She grabbed the doll and gave it the biggest hug. It was here. Santa was here. Santa had finally found my home.

Just like how Santa couldn’t determine which house was Alia’s, how are customers going to purchase from, subscribe to, and support your business if it is essentially a needle in a haystack? This is where marketing, specifically digital marketing, comes into play!

How to Stand Out

A plain house in the middle of similar-looking houses is a business’s platform without visually-striking elements and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Indeed, this plain house must be improved – no, transformed – for it to have better visibility, especially for people searching for that specific place. Wouldn’t want Santa to miss Alia’s house for the nth year again, right?

Okay, great, now Alia’s house can easily be distinguished, whether it be near or far. Good thing Alia’s family decorated their house with Christmas symbols and toys, though. Santa wouldn’t feel welcome if he had to drop off gifts at a Halloween-themed house! It is important to be able to determine the business’s target audience, otherwise, your digital marketing strategies won’t work and might just be a waste of time, effort, and other resources. At first, a business might be limited to using and maximizing the supplies it has on hand. But as time passes and as change starts to occur, it can start investing in other digital marketing tools that can help in improving its differentiation from the rest. As long as you head towards the right direction with your digital marketing strategies, your business will reach a larger audience.

And of course, this all couldn’t be achieved without the help of Alia’s family. At times, those around you know exactly what to do to help. At times when they don’t, though, then it’s the right time to brainstorm together! Digital marketing will even be more successful with the help of a great team. Whether it be a proficient SEO expert, a savvy social media analyst, the perfectionist with an eye for design, or even your friendly neighborhood cheerer-upper, each member has their own role to play.