Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Ghasem Zarei ¹
• Rahim Mohammad khani ²

¹ Associate Professor, Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili Corresponding Author: zareigz@gmail.com

² Ph.D Student of Business Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
The convergence of information technology, media and communication has changed consumer behavior in terms of searching, obtaining, processing and responding to company information or services. A company's ability to plan, implement and manage digital marketing to increase its competitiveness in the eyes of consumers is called digital marketing capability. The purpose of this research is to design a model for improving marketing capabilities by emphasizing the indicators of using digital marketing in industrial companies. This research is a type of mixed research with a qualitative and quantitative approach, which is a survey study in terms of its purpose, application, and in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the research was managers and experts in the field of digital marketing of industrial companies and university professors who were selected using the snowball sampling method. In the qualitative part, the data collection tool was an interview, and in the quantitative part, a questionnaire was used to identify the categories, and a semi-structured interview was used, and a questionnaire was used to validate the model. In the qualitative part of the data analysis method, the Grounded theory approach was based on the Strauss and Corbin method, which was compiled using MAXQDA software and using the coding method, and in the quantitative part, the analysis method was based on Kendall's correlation test.

Introduction

The availability of digital technologies for a growing number of companies offers new opportunities in terms of market and consumer research and analysis, as well as communicating with customers throughout the consumer life cycle and building brand awareness and loyalty. On the other hand, changes in consumer preferences and lifestyles, including the increase in time spent by consumers worldwide on digital media and their expectation of a highly personalized approach, make manufacturers' shift to digital tools a necessary condition for survival.
 Digital marketing strategies have been studied, however, research focused on the understanding and application of digital marketing usage indicators in digital marketing has not been analyzed and the novelty of the current study is that despite the exponential development of digital technologies and its emerging application in Unlike marketing, none of the previous studies have addressed the indicators of using digital marketing.
 The purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing the improvement of digital marketing capability and to analyze a company's digital marketing usage index (DMUI) and to plan strategies derived from these indicators, as well as to identify the motivating, contextual and intervening factors to improve the digital marketing capability of industrial companies.

Literature Review

The term digital marketing refers to almost all marketing activities that take place online. It is a collective term that includes all digital communication and advertising channels that businesses can use to communicate with existing and potential customers (Alexander, 2017)
 A company's ability to plan, implement and manage digital marketing is known as its digital marketing capability. It refers to a company's ability to use the Internet and other information technologies to facilitate deep customer interactions. Through these interactions, customers have access to the company's resources and information, and the company learns more about its customers. The processes, structures and skills that a company needs to succeed in the digital age are also defined as digital marketing capabilities (Chaffey, 2016).
 Digital transformation is a process of change that leverages technology and digital capabilities to create added value through business models, operational processes and customer experiences (Markanian, 2020). Therefore, digital transformation aims to improve entities by making significant changes in their characteristics through a combination of It is from information technology, computing, communication and connection (Viyal, 2019). Innovation Ecosystem Readiness is a measure of ecosystem readiness to accept innovation. Ecosystem interactions affect the adoption rate of organizational innovations (Wang, 2020).
Adoption of digital marketing: shows the extent of use of digital marketing technology in the organization. Companies that are able to use digital marketing technology effectively tend to have higher levels of digital marketing capabilities (Wang, 2020).

Methodology

This research is a type of mixed exploratory research with a qualitative and quantitative approach, which is practical in terms of its goal. The method of data collection is, in the qualitative part, interviews, review of library documents, articles, and in the quantitative part, a questionnaire (survey). The statistical population of the research was managers and experts in the field of digital marketing of industrial companies and university professors who were selected using the snowball sampling method. In the qualitative part, the data collection tool was an interview, and in the quantitative part, a questionnaire was used to identify the categories, and a semi-structured interview was used, and a questionnaire was used to validate the model. In the qualitative part of the data analysis method, the grounded theory approach was based on the Strauss and Corbin method, which was compiled using MAXQDA software and using the coding method, and in the quantitative part, the analysis method was based on Kendall's correlation test.

Results

 In this research, in order to meaningfully interpret the effective factors in improving digital marketing capabilities, personal views and personal experiences of experts, senior marketing managers in the digital field of industrial companies and university professors have been examined. Data collection was done through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 18 people from the mentioned statistical community. It should be noted that the interview with the 13th person led to theoretical saturation and after that almost all the information and data were repeated, but for more certainty and the possibility of obtaining new data, we continued the interview until the 18th person. The interviews started in a semi-structured way by asking questions about the effective factors in improving the digital marketing capability, and the subsequent questions were designed based on the answers of the interviewees during the interview session, although certain frameworks were considered before the interview. The interview lasted approximately 40 minutes to an hour. The method of sampling in this research is judgmental (theoretical) and the interviewees were selected randomly during the research.

Discussion and Conclusion

The results of the research showed that management factors in industrial companies can influence the promotion of digital marketing capability. The knowledge and expertise of the manager about the up-to-date science of marketing, the manager's belief in customer orientation, good thinking and risk-taking, creativity, management's confidence in the existence of expert human resources, financial and time resources for electronic marketing, management's enthusiastic desire to use existing and up-to-date technologies, use And having successful and related experiences in this field and ensuring the intention and decision of the management to invest in the development of digital marketing, can be considered as very important factors in the field of management. The company's strategies in terms of being customer-oriented, having clear visions for digital marketing and using communication and information technologies are very important for development in this field.
 Although a company's digital marketing capabilities can be achieved through one of the channels of digital marketing adoption, digital transformation, or innovation ecosystem readiness, digital marketing is about more than technology adoption. It is also about strategies for integrating technology into business processes. Digital transformation is the main driver of increasing digital marketing capabilities. Companies can enhance the role of managerial innovation, organizational readiness and perceived usefulness to improve their innovation ecosystem readiness. In addition, businesses must master changing and re-engineering new business models to accomplish digital transformation. Finally, in addition to implementing digital marketing through websites, social media, mobile marketing, and content marketing, the company should emphasize the importance of digital analytics, digital CRM, digital advertising, and display advertising.
Although a company's digital marketing capabilities can be achieved through one of the channels of digital marketing adoption, digital transformation, or innovation ecosystem readiness, digital marketing is about more than technology adoption. It is also about strategies for integrating technology into business processes. Digital transformation is the main driver of increasing digital marketing capabilities. Companies can enhance the role of managerial innovation, organizational readiness and perceived usefulness to improve their innovation ecosystem readiness. In addition, businesses must master changing and re-engineering new business models to accomplish digital transformation. Finally, in addition to implementing digital marketing through websites, social media, mobile marketing, and content marketing, the company should emphasize the importance of digital analytics, digital CRM, digital advertising, and display advertising.
Keywords: digital marketing, digital market capability, digital marketing index, industrial companies.

Keywords

• digital marketing
• digital market capability
• digital marketing index
• industrial companies

Main Subjects

• Management approaches in the field of smart