Digital marketing as a place promotion tool

Introduction. Digitalization processes intensify competition for investments, tourists and human resources among places. Hence, searching for effective digital tools, designed to promote places, is increasingly relevant. Despite the growing interest in digital marketing, scientific research into its use for place promotion purposes remains fragmentary. The mission of this study is to determine the role, the potential and limitations of digital marketing in creating a positive image of a place and making it more attractive. Materials and methods. An integrated approach and general research methods were employed to study marketing digitalization processes for place promotion purposes. They included analysis and study of literature, promotion strategies, and digital marketing cases used in particular places. The article also clusters digital marketing tools. Results. The study identified the main digital marketing tools used to promote places, as well as characteristic features of digital marketing tools employed. Successful place promotion strategies were systematized and typical digital promotion problems were identified. Conclusions. Digital marketing is the most important tool used to boost the visibility and attractiveness of places. Places lose the competition for tourists, investors and new residents without a strong presence in the digital environment. Successful promotion requires a comprehensive approach; one communication channel (for example, a website or social networks) is not enough: a system of actions is needed, and it should be consolidated by a single idea of a local brand. A local brand must be clear and comprehensible to target audiences. Inconsistent promotion without a clearly formulated image leads to unclear perception places.