Digital Marketing is an umbrella term used for marketing over the internet apart from traditional retail marketing. Consist of many techniques i.e Search Engine Optimization(SEO), Social Media Marketing(SMM), Search Engine Marketing(SEM), Email Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Web Analytics, etc…
History of Digital Marketing
The development of digital marketing is inseparable from technology development. One of the key points in the start of was in 1971, where Ray Tomlinson sent the very first email and his technology set the platform to allow people to send and receive files through different machines. However, the more recognisable period as being the start of Digital Marketing is 1990 as this was where the Archie search engine was created as an index for FTP sites. In the 1980s, the storage capacity of the computer was already big enough to store huge volumes of customer information. Companies started choosing online techniques, such as database marketing, rather than a limited list broker. This kind of databases allowed companies to track customers’ information more effectively, thus transforming the relationship between buyer and seller. However, the manual process was not so efficient.
In the 1990s, the term Digital Marketing was first coined, With the debut of server/client architecture and the popularity of personal computers, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications became a significant part of marketing technology. Fierce competition forced vendors to include more service into their software, for example, marketing, sales and service applications. Marketers were also able to own huge online customer data by eCRM software after the Internet was born. Companies could update the data of customer needs and obtain the priorities of their experience. This led to the first clickable banner ad being going live in 1994, which was the “You Will” campaign by AT&T and over the first four months of it going live, 44% of all people who saw it clicked on the ad.
In the 2000s, with more and more Internet users and the birth of iPhone, customers started searching products and making decisions about their needs online first, instead of consulting a salesperson, which created a new problem for the marketing department of a company. In addition, a survey in 2000 in the United Kingdom found that most retailers had not registered their own domain address. These problems made marketers find digital ways for market development.
In 2007, the concept of marketing automation was raised to solve the problem above. Marketing automation helped companies segment customers, launch multichannel marketing campaigns and provide personalized information for customers. However, the speed of its adaptability to consumer devices was not fast enough.
Digital marketing became more sophisticated in the 2000s and the 2010s when the proliferation of devices’ capable of accessing digital media led to sudden growth. Statistics produced in 2012 and 2013 showed that digital marketing was still growing. With the development of social media in the 2000s, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, consumers became highly dependent on digital electronics in daily lives. Therefore, they expected a seamless user experience across different channels for searching product’s information. The change in customer behaviour improved the diversification of marketing technology.
Digital marketing is also referred to as ‘online marketing’, ‘internet marketing’ or ‘web marketing’. The term digital marketing has grown in popularity over time. In the USA online marketing is still a popular term. In Italy, digital marketing is referred to as web marketing. Worldwide digital marketing has become the most common term, especially after the year 2013.
Digital media growth was estimated at 4.5 trillion online ads served annually with digital media spend at 48% growth in 2010. An increasing portion of advertising stems from businesses employing Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) to tailor advertising for internet users, but OBA raises concern of consumer privacy and data protection.
What all are the Digital Marketing Tactics?
- Website Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization(SEO)
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing(SMM)
- PPC Advertising
- Email Marketing
Is Digital Marketing Paid or Free?
Digital Marketing consists of Paid & Organic(Free) both efforts.
Is there scope in Digital Marketing as Career?
Digital Marketing industry is the fastest growing industry in the current world. It plays an important role for every business no matter whatever it is Celebrity, Media, Brand, Agencies, Cafes, Politicians, E-Commerce, B2b & B2c etc…
Having a career in the field of digital marketing, Is the great scope and never-ending opportunities. Just to keep you alive in the field of Digital Marketing person should never stop giving up on learning and reading new updates, trends, and algorithms as the market grows, It keeps changes. As the word, Digital itself is a ocean of soo much. So be pro-active never miss an update and there is nothing which can stop you being a good Digital Marketer.