How Digital Marketing Is Changing The Way Websites Thrive Online

You may have noticed that this, er, internet thing is here to stay. That may be a sentence that may make sense to a slightly older generation. For the younger generations—even those born in the 90s—the internet is a given. We are quite used to getting just about anything done from a laptop. We get our work done online, we pay bills online, we buy products online, we sell products online, we market ourselves online (think social media)… heck, we even order our meals online! Needless to say, the average person spends quite a few hours of their day in front of a screen, be it their computer or mobile phone. In fact, according to some scary statistics, people use their phones a lot of the time even when they’re driving. The average driver looks at their phone for about 3.5 minutes in a 1-hour car trip—which significantly increases the chances of a traffic collision, but it’s not the main point we’re trying to make here. The point we’re trying to make is that even in, well, life-or-death situations, there’s an almost 4% chance that the average person will have a digital device in their hand. So with all this in mind—the copious amounts of time that people spend interacting with digital devices—it’s no wonder that digital marketing is changing the way websites thrive online. But how is it exactly that digital marketing is changing the way websites thrive online? To answer this, let’s get a quick overview of what digital marketing is, and see how its role in the marketing world has been growing for over 100 years!

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing, in a nutshell, is advertising executed via digital channels. Although we talked about the internet a lot—and a good deal of digital marketing today does depend on the internet—digital marketing is any sort of advertising of goods and services that are delivered through any kind of an electric device. In fact, the first “digital marketing” attempt happened over 100 years ago, back when the radio was invented. SEO guru Neil Patel notes how quickly this new digital medium was used for advertising! Because, of course, when companies find new ways to sell things, they jump right on them like a dog on practically anything come mating season. So, as soon as they got the radio to reach the general public, digital marketing was born. The first case of digital marketing via radio—whether intentional or not—was the broadcasting of an opera performance at the Met. And it worked pretty well, too! Do you know what people did after hearing the broadcast? They bought tickets. For the Opera. So, digital marketing is any sort of advertising through a digital channel, be it online or offline. This includes TV, radio, internet websites, social media, mobile and computer apps, email, search engines, and any other digital channels that may appear in the future. As people spend more time on digital devices than ever before, digital marketing has thus become the main way in which websites advertise and thrive—both through being marketed and marketing other products on their pages.

Digital Marketing is THE Marketing Strategy of Today

Billboards still take up the visual space of cities and highways. However, today, billboards are kind of a waste of money in terms of building a marketing strategy. Remember that info on drivers and mobiles? Well, even if the driver looks at their phone every now and then, what are the passengers doing? Very few of them are looking out the window. Most are looking at their phones. The average American spends about 11 hours of their day on electronic devices. Considering the fact that people are awake about 16-18 hours of the day, this means that people spend more than half of their waking time on electronics. So it only makes sense that digital marketing is the primary way to reach broader audiences and create potential customers. Without further ado, let’s look at some of the ways in which digital marketing is changing the way websites thrive online.

3 Ways That Digital Marketing is Important for Websites

1. Contact with Customers In Their Own Environment

As of 2019, the average internet user has about 7 social media accounts. Over 90% of American adults under 65 visit their social media accounts at least once a month. And really, you probably know from your own social circles that most people are on social media every day. This means that marketing on social media is most likely to reach the desired target audience. Due to Facebook’s nosy algorithms, Facebook users are exposed to customized ads, targeted to their taste, based on their Google searches and a plethora of other factors. Plus, the frequent use of social media profiles has influenced companies and websites to move customer support and customer care to social media channels.

2. Gives Smaller Businesses Better Opportunities

Digital marketing costs a fraction of the price of, say, a billboard. This gives smaller businesses a fighting chance in marketing their products to a wider customer base. The same goes for websites. There are a number of resourceful digital marketing strategies, such as getting backlinks via PBNs, otherwise known as a Private Blog Network, which can improve their ranking for a low price. PBNs help websites’ online exposure by linking their network of websites to another main website.

3. Custom Advertising

Remember how we talked about nosy Facebook and Google algorithms? Well, as much as we sometimes feel like they’re invading our privacy, they also do help get products advertised to the appropriate audience. While a TV ad may not draw our attention, sponsored content on Facebook may. This is because a potential customer’s search history, among other things, allows the algorithms to place custom advertising that fits their interests perfectly. Did you Google yoga classes online and have been getting yoga mat ads since? That’s algorithms at work. Digital marketing allows for the parceling of huge demographics to smaller, more specific niches that have an interest in a particular product.

Conclusion

Customized ads, better engagement with customers, and better growth opportunities for smaller businesses are just some of the ways digital marketing is changing the way websites thrive online. Just like the online landscape, digital marketing is continuously evolving, from the first radio broadcast to the sophisticated algorithms currently being used by targeted online ads. Are you ready to adapt to the current digital marketing trends?