From SEO to Facebook ads, the marketing industry has evolved tremendously in the past few decades. Digital marketing is an important branch of marketing. This channel requires you to develop digital marketing strategies to strategically promote your business. This branch was developed due to the internet phenomenon and has since become an essential part of all modern businesses.

Digital marketing is defined as the act of promotion and selling of products and/or services through the use of digital marketing strategies. Some of the most popular ones include social media marketing, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising.

By 2023, the total digital marketing spend is predicted to reach $146 billion; a growth of about 9% compound annual growth rate.

While there are many digital marketing strategies out there, it is important to keep in mind that not all strategies will perform effectively across all types of businesses. This is where the real challenge of online marketing comes in. To execute the most effective digital marketing strategy possible, one must have the right skills and expertise, not to mention the time and effort required to create all the right content.

The Mechanics

How digital marketing works is by putting your business in front of customers online. However, your business must use the right digital marketing strategies to make your efforts worthwhile. For example, you can keep your existing customers aware of you by creating consistent and engaging content.

There are many different ways to put your business in front of your customers, here are a few common ones:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Google Pay Per Click Ads (PPC)
• Facebook Ads
• Email Marketing

The History

Back at the start of this field, digital marketing was extremely different to what it is today because there were much simpler algorithms that were not entirely user-friendly. Marketers at the time were uncertain and hesitant about this method of promoting businesses. The digital age began way back in the mid-90s and this was when the term digital marketing was first used.

Let’s dive even deeper into the history of marketing. It is helpful to first learn of the terms Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0.

What is Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0?

• Web 1.0 refers to the beginning of the internet where websites were in simple formats with very minimal user interaction. Users were able to consume information on a website. However, it was more of a one-way communication from websites to audiences.

• Web 2.0 is the next part of this evolution. This began in 2006 when the internet became much more widespread. Website designs also became much more interactive and user-centered due to the creation of social media. As a result, sharing and collaborating between people online was encouraged which completely turned the table on what marketing means.

• Web 3.0 is the internet we know of in 2020. This era is one where websites are given the ability to learn about its users. It is also able to give new data such as personalized suggestions.

The evolution of the web shows the progression of its intelligence and affects how digital marketing is applied. From simply showing information to an exchange of information to today’s personalized website experiences.

In Web 1.0, businesses were promoted online by paying simple-looking websites. However, the problem with this was that these advertisements may not have been able to target their ideal customers directly.

Web 2.0 helps businesses reach their customers directly and conduct business online. Social media marketing and paid advertisements rapidly grew. These marketing channels became a huge success and the turning point of both the internet and the marketing industry.

As for Web 3.0, machines now have the ability to create much more complex actions. Customer preferences have been helping businesses put their products in front of the right people, at the right time. Many are still looking forward to what Web 4.0 or even 5.0 would bring. Its impact will likely transform internet users’ interactions as well as the digital marketing industry completely.

Picking The Right Channels For Your Digital Marketing Strategies

There are many different channels you can use to get your customers to see your products. However, not all of them are the perfect fit. The best way to find out which to use is to learn of what each channel has to offer. Start by picking the ones that your ideal customers will see. Then, experiment with these channels for some time, and adapt to what works for you and your business.

Learning From Case Studies

Shopify

Let’s take a look at Shopify. It is an e-commerce platform that helps businesses create their own websites without having to learn how to code. Since their main customers are entrepreneurs, their content is created to help people build successful businesses using their service.

They were able to grow their revenue by 90% in just 365 days.

This was largely through an intensive content marketing plan that involves a combination of blogging, video marketing, and podcasts. With an in-depth knowledge of who their customers are, Shopify answered these needs by providing quality content as part of their digital marketing strategies. If you visit one of their blog articles, you will see the various kinds of content that they have. They cater to all kinds of people with content about e-commerce to digital marketing.

Daniel Wellington

This popular trendy Swedish watch brand is one that truly understood the power of influencer marketing. They were able to grow to sell a million watches a year. This was largely from them sending their products for free to Instagram’s micro-influencers. How did this help grow their sales? In exchange for sending their products, the business asks the influencers to post a photo of them with the watch.

Each influencer that they send their products to were able to put their own creative spin on their posts. This creative spin gave the brand a source of influencer-generated content which ultimately became the brand’s source of success.

Tai Lopez

Tai Lopez is a personal branding business that sells online courses. These have helped hundreds of thousands of people grow their wealth. His digital marketing strategies were a mix of social media and paid advertisements, especially on Youtube.

One of his videos called “Here in My Garage” became a viral success. This video shows him in front of his Lamborghini. He was talking about self-improvement and encouraging his viewers to visit his site. This video became a meme due to how often people would see his advertisements before watching their content on Youtube. It brought about many more promotions for him through social sharing. As a result, Tai Lopez is now one of the most well-known names among the business-related online courses.

We have now seen the different ways that digital marketing can help businesses. If you are interested in implementing it into your business or upgrading your digital marketing strategies contact Marketing Guru today for a free consultation!