Ever since the internet became popular, people have been innovating on ways to use the wide user base to market their products or companies. Looking at the present, we could say they have succeeded in making the internet the most commonly used medium for marketing. This new form of marketing is known as digital marketing, in simple terms, it is the promotion of products through the internet.
In this article we will look at the growth of digital era over the last decade and how marketing found its place on the internet, the introduction of smartphones to digital marketing, growth of social media marketing, and the role of artificial intelligence in digital marketing.
The Internet, marketing and SEO
When people began adapting the internet into their everyday lives, there arose a new opportunity to market products and services to a fresh set of audience. The people who found ways to market their products through the internet became the early adopters of digital marketing. A few years after the advent of email marketing, search engines like Google and Yahoo made digital marketing a serious opportunity for marketers. Through Search Engine Optimization, they were able to rank their products and services on the first page of search engines, which gave them the advantage of making their products available to customers looking for them online.
The internet was evolving rapidly, so marketers had to keep up to the trends and changes in the field. One of the developments which created a change in digital marketing was the usage of cookies. Cookies were developed to track online activity of users and to help them browse better by showing them relevant results. Soon it was used to track user activities online and show them ads based on their searches. With cookies, digital marketing ads became more specific to the users’ interests and needs.
The advent of smartphones
The era of smartphones began when Blackberry introduced a true and modern smartphone with a number of features which were ahead of its time. Even though Blackberry was a huge success, it was mainly used by professionals because of its complicated user interface. In 2007, the arrival of the iPhone reintroduced smartphones to the mass market. With a simple user interface, the mass market bought into the iPhone. Competition grew for the iPhone and other companies caught up with their own Smartphones. This meant more people were using the internet for longer periods of time. Over the years, smartphones developed drastically in terms of features and apps, it created more digital opportunities. Digital marketing went from computers to smartphones.
The rise of social media
Social media began to gain popularity in the early 2000s. With the introduction of Friendster, social networking went online. In 2003 LinkedIn, the social media site made for business individuals was introduced. A year later, Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. Still the most successful platform in terms of user base, Facebook was a turning point in the field of social media. Over the years, many social media platforms emerged, thus, increasing digital marketing opportunities. In 2010, Instagram was introduced and it soon became a competition for Facebook.
With other social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat being introduced, there was a surge in people with different preferences and people who were not interested in platforms like Facebook were getting roped into social media. The number of people using social media grew adding value to digital marketing.
Artificial Intelligence and digital marketing
Always dubbed as the technology of the future, AI is in the present and an integral part of Digital marketing. The arrival of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, opened up a new revolution in the digital marketing scene. It was equipped with the ability to collect data, analyze it and use it to learn and adapt to perform better. It is being implemented in various fields for the enhancement of speech recognition, problem solving, analyzing data and much more. Although the adaptation of AI was slow, the technology is crucial for Digital marketing. AI is the skeleton which supports digital marketing. It helps analyze data such as age, gender, demographics and other criteria to focus better on target audience in digital ads. The end result is the customers seeing ads on what interests them, which increases the chances for sales. AI helps you influence the choices your customers make, giving you the upper hand in your business.
The opportunities are vast in the constantly evolving field of Digital marketing. Professionals who make a living out of the field have to stay updated on upcoming developments and technologies to be successful in their strategies and therefore, business.
To get your business up and running on the digital front, get in touch with Recco, The Recommendation Company. We are a team of digital marketing experts, creative thinkers, designers, and writers, ready to partner up on digital adventures. Contact us to get started with your digital dreams, give us a call on +91-81971 76242 or send a mail to Arjun@recco.io.