Expanded Summary 

In the modern world, digital marketing has replaced traditional approaches. Marketers are constantly developing new mechanisms and tactics that will allow their product to stand out from others and become visible to consumers. Marketers actively create promotional content and post it on social platforms to connect with consumers and promote their products. Positive customer feedback determines the successful launch of a product, that's why developing effective content creation mechanisms customized to the target audience is extremely relevant for any business. Accordingly, the present article discusses the main types of design  and content common on digital platforms, compares and analyzes the behavioral preferences of users of social platforms and the views of marketers regarding effective content.

Coming from the research objectives, questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted in the period of December 15, 2021 to March 1, 2022. The 76 marketers were surveyed, with the 16 of them the in-depth interview was conducted. In order to survey the social media users, 1002 consumers were randomly selected and surveyed through advertisements placed on social channels throughout Georgia.

Based on bibliographic research and empirical studies, the Facebook and Instagram were revealed as the most popular channels among social platforms for Georgian consumers and marketers, however YouTube takes the third place in the ranking.

When comparing the content and design of the digital posts, the consumers and marketers underline their preferemce to content. If the topic is relevant, current and familiar to users, it embraces attention and increases the interest.

The preferences of marketers and consumers in Georgia regarding the design of digital content are similar, but opinions differ regarding the type of content. According to marketers, the higest insights receive the contant containing discounts, although consumers say that they prefer informative and inspirational posts.

For marketers and consumers, the most consumed content is video, photo, live video and stories. Differences between their preferences were observed for the three forms: marketers think that links to extensive information and extensive text are less effective, on which customers say they like reading such posts. According to this distinction, businesses should prioritize the creation of the most common content, such as videos, photos and stories.

Marketers and consumers have different views on celebrity engagement. Marketers believe, the Influencer  engagement has medium feedback, consumers say the interest to the posts endorsed by influencers is low.

When using digital tools, businesses have the ability to measure the results/feedback of any activity. For the effectiveness of these tools, it is recommended to use a variety of design and types of content, including discounts and inspirational content will create great interest in the user, which will also increase engagement and purchase decision.

The interactivity of posts on digital platforms increases the desire to engage, so it is recommended for businesses to interact with customers and generate discussions. Algorithms of social platforms also respond positively to increased engagement and reach more people. This will increase the volume of viewers of the content and, accordingly, the chance of finding a potential buyer.

In marketing activities, the engagement of "influencers" has an average positive result, therefore, such expenses are less reasonable for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.

The findings of the research will allow businesses and commercial organizations to design effective mechanisms for digital marketing and develop effective marketing tactics for selecting the design and content of promotional material. 

Keywords: digital marketing, content marketing, social media, consumer behavior, marketing tactics, marketer.