Since the turn of the century, the world of marketing has changed, and as the world turns more digital, more emphasis is placed on digital marketing. What exactly is digital marketing?
To be specific, think marketing tactics that cater to online marketing, such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and mobile marketing. It requires the talents of web developers, web analysts, graphic designers, copywriters, public relations professionals, and so on and so forth. As the demand for digital marketing tactics rises, new jobs are created – see: content strategists. The digital marketing industry is on the rise, and we don’t see it declining anytime soon.
Digital Marketing, the cool guy everyone wants to know.
Just how popular has digital marketing become? Well, you can go to college and major in the subject now, so there’s that. It makes sense. The customer journey is much different than it was pre-2000. Everyone’s on the internet.
People use websites for information, for commerce, and for entertainment. To find those sites, people rely on search engines. People pay more attention to their email than their snail mail. Social media has taken over in a big way. Blogs have become trusted news sources. And with smartphones, anyone can find anything they want or publish anything they want, from anywhere in the world.
The digital space is swarming with consumers, so it’s imperative to use digital platforms to reach your markets. Without a good looking, functioning website, you’re nobody. If you don’t exist on social media, you might as well not exist. If you’re not found in search engines, you’re not found IRL (in real life). All this means one thing. It’s never been more important to stand out.
For some, this shift in promoting your business can seem like a nuisance, yet this change really should be looked at as an opportunity. Yes, as a business owner, there’s so much more you’ll need to keep up with now, but hear us when we say it’s easier than ever to boost your brand awareness. Why pass up the opportunity to gain exposure for your brand? Enter the modern-day digital marketing agency.
Staying ahead is better than keeping up.
If you’re wondering if digital marketing is right for your business, the answer is yes. We promise we’re not biased! The fact of the matter is, if you aren’t incorporating any sort of digital marketing to your overall marketing plan, you will simply be behind.
Digital marketing is still a new discipline. The rules and demands for traditional marketing and print advertising don’t necessarily apply. New marketing strategies are developed every day, specific to digital space, and with web analytics, it’s easier to find out what’s working and what’s not. Results are not just quantifiable in sales anymore.
The digital world will continue to evolve. Just think: before we had wireless internet and mobile devices, mobile apps didn’t exist. That wasn’t that long ago. Now, mobile apps can be a huge part of your digital marketing plan, depending on your product or service. Digital marketing agencies make sure you evolve with the times.
Should you hire a digital marketing agency?
Now that you know what digital marketing is and why these specialty agencies are popping up, you might be curious about hiring one yourself. The answer to this question will revolve around three factors:
Time: Do you (or your team) have enough time to skillfully implement digital marketing tactics?
Resources: Do you (or your team) know how to skillfully implement digital marketing tactics and do you have the tools to do so?
Money: Do you have enough money to hire an in-house with digital marketing skills and to acquire the tools necessary to implement the tactics?
If you answered “no” to any of the questions above, you may want to consider how hiring an agency could benefit you. Hiring a team of experts can save you time and, in the long run, money. Because the industry is rapidly developing and changing, that means your strategy should be as well. The trade-off (depending on who you ask) would be not having your own team you can closely manage in-house. However, in the end, it’s all about return on investment.
Good Digital Marketing Agencies vs. Great Digital Marketing Agencies
A good digital marketing agency will make sure your business is found on the internet, but a great digital marketing agency will make sure you look your best when you are found. You don’t want to be wearing your pajamas when cameras show up at your door, right? That’s where branding comes in. Great digital marketing agencies offer branding with their services, and likewise, great branding agencies offer digital marketing services.
The digital world can still look better. Too often, we see new brand websites launch, and we don’t think they’ve created enough differentiation from other brands, and isn’t that the main goal of a brand? We’ve found that having your brand stand out online is the most important digital marketing tactic of all.
The best digital marketing agencies also know a thing or two about marketing automation. It’s important to keep your brand top of mind and any seasoned marketer knows how to manage your presence with marketing automation tools. While it’s true that the internet is still young, it is undoubtedly a crowded space. To have a digital presence is to be consistent and persistent. Your brand needs to be active on all of your digital marketing channels.
Marketing automation tools allow marketers to have more control over the efficiency of all of their digital marketing activities: social media, email, digital media, and advertising. With the help of these tools, marketers know when and how to reach your audience without inundating them with your brand message. The best marketers also know when too much automation is a bad thing. It’s important to not set and forget your marketing campaigns because it’s never a good look for your brand when your marketing automation backfires.
The Bottom Line
It’s clear that with the advancement of technology and time spent on the internet by consumers, digital marketing is here to stay. Marketing agencies have risen to the occasion in filling the gap for online marketing needs as the world has begun to shift. It’s not a question of whether one should include these tactics into their marketing plan, but how? The sooner you develop a strategy around how to reach your customers on the internet, the sooner you’ll start generating more business.
