Online marketing campaigns must fully understand the digital mindset of potential customers, an expert has claimed.

With the majority of companies increasing their online presence through channels such as email marketing and social media, it is crucial that online behaviour is carefully monitored and reflected in successful advertising campaigns.

Faye Weeks, director of digital media research agency Connect Insight, said businesses looking to stay ahead of their rivals should obtain as much information about their customer base as possible.

“In order for companies to maximise the impact of their marketing communications, we advise them to take the time to understand their consumers’ digital behaviour, the way they use digital media and their mindset,” she said.

The growing popularity of social media has seen many companies create a presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but Ms Weeks pointed out that – while it is a highly-effective platform – it may not be suited to all products and advertising campaigns should be tweaked accordingly.

“Social media will work better for some products, brands and campaigns than others. It depends on the objective of the campaign, target audience, creative or communicative vehicle, et cetera,” she explained.

The rise of social media has also played a part in the changing nature of the email marketing newsletter, which can now have far greater reach if incorporated correctly.

While traditionally a one-way channel of information sent out to a roster of clients, the email marketing newsletter can be used to generate customer interaction across multiple channels.

According to US marketing consultant Mike Hotz, the newsletter must be adapted to incorporate social media, which is fast becoming a primary business tool.

“Traditionally, a B2B e-mail newsletter has been a passive exercise. You develop your content and mail it out every other week or so to your entire list,” he commented.

“As social media rises in popularity, your newsletter’s role must also change to better drive conversation across multiple digital channels.”

He advised all businesses to post an online version of their newsletter to the most popular social media sites, in order to allow users to share the content within their own personal networks.

Marketing professionals have seen their potential customer base expand substantially thanks to the rise of social media, with industry expert Stephanie Miller recently saying that such sites “may just be the best thing to happen to email marketers yet.”