We are a society driven by digital technology. Such is its impact that there are countries where citizens don’t have running water, but own smartphones. Digital marketing has an incredible influence on people’s interactions, work, purchases and life habits.
As such, companies today need to have a firm grasp on how to utilize the digital universe to maximize their brand awareness and impact. In this blog, we look at 9 of the biggest ways that digital marketing has changed and keeps changing the way businesses and brands operate.
1.) Instant Communication
Interacting with potential customers today can be like spinning a roulette wheel. The roulette ball represents the company’s marketing message, which will spin and bounce as the wheel turns before finally landing on a space (i.e. a customer). Social media acts as the wheel itself, and it allows companies to interact with people in a public venue, providing a channel to promote products, services and transparent messages.
One–on-one messaging and private chat groups are on fire right now. Facebook messenger has 900 million global users, and studies have shown that teenagers now spend more time on messaging apps than they do on actual social networks. To tap into this burgeoning market, savvy companies are introducing methods of connecting with, and marketing to, potential clients through these kinds of applications.
2.) Content Overload
Just how much content is distributed via social media and messaging apps? The answer is huge, so huge that it has been given the term content shock. Every 60 seconds 3.3 million people make a Facebook post, and 29 million messages are distributed via WhatsApp. That means that marketers have their work cut out if they’re going to get their message and brand noticed by the people using these applications.
3.) Droves of Data
Modern technology allows marketers to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about their customers. However, companies need to know how, where and when to use that data. Some of the best ways to achieve this are: • Knowing which metrics are most important to company success • Knowing which customer channels are going to pay off • Having employees with the analytic skills to process data • Creating content that is personalized and customer focused
4.) Demands Transparency
In today’s digital world, customers want to know about the companies they interact with and purchase from. In order to build loyalty brands need to be transparent and demonstrate their personality online and the company’s ethos. This is particularly relevant when it comes to food products with consumers wanting to know exactly what’s in the things they eat.
5.) Fosters Intimacy
Businesses can learn an enormous amount about potential customers based on data they can gather. The smart companies are using this data to create extremely personal marketing messages, and the younger generation is eating it up.
6.) A New Breed of Influencers
Social media and video outlets like YouTube have enabled ’regular’ people to become incredibly influential. Companies no longer need to hire celebrities to endorse their products in order to get millions of people interested in their product or service.
7.) Playing Catch-Up
Digital technology changes at an incredibly fast pace; often overnight. Relentless in its pace, these changes require employees across departments to be agile, work collaboratively and most importantly keep up to date with development so they have the skills to adapt and use these changes to the company’s advantage.
Continuing education provided as and when employees need it is a great way to achieve this. By upskilling a workforce in the latest and most relevant technologies, strategies and techniques, employees can be proactive in knowing what is coming down the line and understand how their brand can use these changes to their advantage.
8.) Encourage Innovation
This new landscape has forced brands to be innovative using new ways to reach out and engage with their customers. In the face of disrupters, many sectors have had to be creative and take initiatives that enable them to compete. Take the financial sector for examples, faced with stiff competition from PayPal and Google Wallet, financial institutions needed new ways to engage with and influence customers.
9.) Made Brands More Human
We are a society driven by digital technology. Such is its impact that there are countries where citizens don’t have running water, but own smartphones. Digital marketing has an incredible influence on people’s interactions, work, purchases and life habits.
As such, companies today need to have a firm grasp on how to utilize the digital universe to maximize their brand awareness and impact. In this blog, we look at 9 of the biggest ways that digital marketing has changed and keeps changing the way businesses and brands operate.
In conclusion, the bottom line is that if a brand wants to be successful now and in the foreseeable future, they need to invest in a kind of “cultural radar” by keeping abreast of evolving technology and platforms along with investing in digital talent that can understand the customer journey and interpret relevant data to form informative insights. Those brands that can adopt and adapt will surge ahead of their competitors.
Infynno Solutions is a growing startup based in Ahmedabad providing IT services to digitalize your ideas. Web & Mobile application development, CMS development, Cloud Development, E-commerce development, UI/UX development.