The term digital marketing was first used in the 1990s. The digital era took off with the arrival of the Internet and the development of the Web 1.0 platform. With the launch of the first web browsers in the early 90s, personal use of the Internet skyrocketed. The sellers came in right from the start.
In 1991, Computer Literacy, a Silicon Valley bookstore, began selling books to local consumers over the Internet. Amazon quickly adopted the idea in 1995, with the slight change that they would sell books to people anywhere in the country, helping to create a modern e-commerce. Affiliate marketing, one of the most lucrative types of digital marketing options, involves partnering with an online retailer who promotes their products or services on their website. No matter how you cut or dice it, the reality is that there is no limit to what your business can achieve when you have a solid digital marketing strategy in place.
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online based digital technologies, such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Before the Internet, during the 1950s and 1960s, marketers began to collect information (research) about the interests, habits and demographics of their customers, which allowed customers to feel more involved in the buying process, which is when inbound marketing began to take shape. This obstacle was solved by companies like Marketo, Act and Pardot when they introduced marketing automation platforms. The new digital era has allowed brands to selectively target their customers who might be interested in their brand or based on previous browsing interests.
Although the first desktop publishing programs of early PCs caused a surge in print marketing in the 1980s, computers were little more than a glorified typewriter. An important consideration today when deciding on a strategy is that digital tools have democratized the promotional landscape. Ultimately, big data enabled companies to track patterns of human behavior, create accurate marketing efforts, and even offer predictive analytics. A good digital marketing strategy has become the cornerstone of the success of many brands and businesses.
Data-driven marketing has gained enough momentum for several companies to emerge that specialize in leveraging this technology, such as Domo, Oracle and Optimove. SEO improvements have made keyword stuffing and backlinks with spam a thing of the past, paving the way for real value and good content to become the new style of marketing. Digital marketing strategies may include the use of one or more online (omnichannel) channels and techniques to increase brand awareness among consumers. Undoubtedly, social media has become the latest game changer in marketing over the past decade, something that brands can't overlook.
In addition, partnering with a digital marketing agency can help you grow your online presence and build lasting connections with your customers.
