History and Evolution of Digital Marketing

Over the last decades, the marketing department has had to keep up with technological
advancements. To keep up with these changes, the marketing professionals are using digital
technologies to reach out to a large customer base. Businesses no longer use traditional
marketing agencies to reach out to target customers. Introduction of the internet, big data, and
smartphone technologies have influenced marketing resulting devices.
Digital marketing involves • The use of the internet or Electronic media To promote the
company's products and services. Electronic devices like tablets, mobile phone, PC, and other
digital mediums are used to market the products over the internet.
E-MAIL marketing SOCIAL MEDIA marketing CAMPAIGN CONTENT marketing using
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES Marketing channels like SEO • Content Marketing, Social Media,
Email Marketing, And Mobile Marketing are used to generate traffic for the business.
How The Internet Has Revolutionized Digital Marketing Digital marketing was introduced back
in 1990 after the introduction of search engines which was commonly referred to as Archie. The
web 1.0 platform enabled internet users to search for information over the web but couldn't share
the information over the web. Back then, web indexing wasn't (Archie) much used since the web
hadn't evolved.
In 1993, digital marketing achieved his first milestone through the introduction of clickable
banners. Later HotWired Company purchased banner ads to advertise through the web. This
marked the beginning of the online advertisement. In 1994, Yahoo established the first search
engine and people started using the Yahoo search engine to look for information on the web.
After a year of its launch, more people were using Yahoo to access information. Companies
started optimizing their web pages to increase their rank in the search engine. Amazon E-
commerce site was established in 1994 whereas eBay site was established in 1995.
Increased use of search engine optimization led to the launch of other search engines like
HotBot, Alexa, and LookSmart in 1996. During this time, marketing professionals started using
Search engine optimization, SEO to ensure their website content appears on the top results of the
searched information. SEO techniques like keyword stuffing and backlinks were commonly used
to increase site rankings.
In 1998, Google was established. This is another search engine Company and over the years, it
has become the most popular search engine across the globe. Google started penalizing sites
using backlinks and keyword stuffing to create traffic with the establishment of the Google
Google algorithm. YAAoo! During the year, Microsoft launched MSN search engine msn
whereas Yahoo introduced Yahoo web search. The year 2000, saw the wipeout of the smaller
search engines. Many internet startup companies were also closed down. Businesses which took
time in studying the market leverage on the use of the internet to improve their businesses.
Google established AdWords in 2000 to help marketers in advertising their products and
services. The google ads became a major player in the digital marketing world and improved
sales of businesses. Web 2.0 was also established which opened many doors for digital
marketing channels. Interactive websites were also established which enabled marketers to
publish dynamic content and allow the target audience to interact with the site. 2001 led to the
birth of the first mobile marketing campaigns. In 2002, the Linkedln professional network was
established to help business interact with other business associates and target audience. C)
The Launch of MySpace social network site in 2003. After a year Gmail, Google Docs, and
Facebook went live. The new sites opened doors for promoting companies' products and services
online. Many companies took advantage of the new social network site to create awareness of
their products and services. You Tube was launched in 2005 to fill the gap between creating and
sharing videos. In 2006, the search engine traffic increased to 6.4 billion in a month. Twitter and
Ms. Live Search were also launched. The Amazon's e-commerce sales also reached $10 billion.
In 2007, various web streaming services like Hulu were established. Tumblr social network was
also established increasing the number of channels digital marketers can use. iPhone smartphone
was also established by the Mobile Giant Apple leading to an increase in mobile marketing
campaigns. To keep up with competition, Google launched real-time search engine results in
2009. Google AdWords and AdSense cost-per-click advertising techniques became more
popular. The Google algorithm started to target ads based on customers search making it the
most used digital marketing scheme.
The year 2010 saw the launch of WhatsApp and Google Buzz. In 2011, Google launched
Google+ and Google Panda to facilitate page optimization. People connect and interact with each
other through Google+. In 2012, companies increased their budget for social media marketing
campaigns by 64%. Social media sites like Facebook and Myspace were commonly used by
businesses to promote and engage the target audience. Yahoo acquired the Tumblr platform in
2013.
2014 saw the increased use of a smartphone in accessing the digital technology. More people
downloaded Facebook messenger app to connect rather than using PC to access Facebook. More
Facebook ads and Linkedln were customized for mobile use. At the same year, Facebook also
acquired WhatsApp mobile app. In 2015, more digital technologies evolved. The Snapchat
application launched its own discover feature to enable users to connect with more friends and
followers. Facebook also introduced Instant articles as well as the launch of wearable tech.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, You Tube, Twitter, and Reddit are the most commonly used
social media networks in 2017 and 2018. There over 3 billion Facebook users daily and business
leverage on the use of these sites to reach to a wide customer base. The cookie technology has
become a popular tool in digital marketing technology. Every website store some information
about each user's browsing history. A cookie is a piece of code left in the user's browser once
they visit a certain website. The cookie enables the website to remember certain information
about the user based on the last time they visited the website. The recorded Cookies information
play an important part in digital marketing as marketers use them to track users browsing habits.
Information Technology
By definition, information technology (IT) is the technology that involves the development,
maintenance and use of computer systems, software, and networks for the processing and
distribution of data.
Put more simply, the most encompassing interpretation of information technology would be
anything related to computers or computing technology. Computing technology includes
hardware, software, networking, and internet interactions.
A company with an excellent IT framework or one that employs excellent IT technicians finds it
easier to build, adjust and deploy a management information system.
Even though IT can (and must) be directed toward specific ends, its general scope is unfocused
outside of computing processes. Conversely, MIS begins with a focused purpose; it addresses the
needs of business management. IT supports and informs the methods of reaching MIS objectives.
What is Marketing Technology and Martech?
Marketing technology, also known as MarTech, describes a range of software and tools
that assist in achieving marketing goals or objectives. When a marketing team utilizes a
grouping of marketing technologies, this is known as their marketing technology stack .
MarTech has become a staple in digital marketing campaigns, but can also be used to
optimize marketing efforts across any marketing channel.
Essentials of Marketing Technology
Which technology is best for marketers to invest in is heavily dependent on who they are
marketing to. For example, does your organization market products to other businesses (B2B) or
to consumers (B2C)? Although your organization’s market has a sizable influence on which
martech will be most effective, all marketers should consider implementing the following
technologies:
Marketing Attribution Software
As John Wanamaker (1838-1922), a famous US merchant said, “Half the money I spend on
advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” Over a century later, this dilemma
has not been solved for many companies. Outdated attribution models or failing to account for
both offline and online successes are causing companies to miss out on opportunities.
Partnering with the right marketing attribution software can help solve this issue.
Email Marketing
In his book, Perennial Seller, Ryan Holiday discusses the importance of email and cultivating
those relationships directly with customers. Since emails are not dependent to algorithm changes
or what’s trending, it’s one of the best platforms to reach a target audience . Consider this: In a
recent survey, more than 50 percent of US respondents admit to checking their email more than
10 times per day. Email is an effective way for brands to reach to customers.
Content Management System
This technology is able to power both your website and blog. With 88 percent of
consumers researching products online before purchasing, investing in a quality website is
a necessity. Your website is the backbone to the rest of your digital strategy, since
marketing and advertising customers will drive consumers there.
Customer Experience Software
This part of the marketing technology stack should focus on making the customer’s
interaction with your brand better, whether that be by testing out which messaging is the
most effective or personalizing their experience. This includes software involved in A/B
testing.
Customer Relationship Management Software
This is more common for B2B companies that focus on lead generation, but these
platforms can help your company manage leads. CRMs can determine where leads are in
the funnel, and assess opportunity levels
Predictions for Marketing Technology
Over time, marketing technology will continue to evolve and become more crucial in
modern marketing campaigns. However, martech will need to adapt to a shifting marketing
environment. Here are some trends that marketers should be aware of before investing in
martech:
Shrinking Marketing Budgets - Gartner now predicts that budgets are leveling off for
marketing departments. This will require companies to justify their marketing ROI and
spend.
Focus on Retention - It costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than to keep an
existing one. Marketers will begin shifting their focus to not only gaining new customers,
but on developing client relationships.
Importance of Understanding Marketing Spend – According to Gartner’s Marketing
Technology Survey 2018 , only 18 percent of marketers understood what multitouch
attribution (MTA) was in 2016. In 2018, this number increased to 52 percent, with
respondents noting that they used MTA to measure ad effectiveness. However, MTA is
limited to only proving online value. Since marketers are under constant pressure to prove
ROI on all channels, marketers will need to adopt unified marketing measurement .
More Innovation - There is an interesting dichotomy between established enterprise
software companies investing in cloud based solutions versus up and coming start-ups.
This uptick in competition will lead to more innovation in marketing. Additionally, with
the emergence of IoT and continuing development in AI marketing , marketing technology
companies will be able to provide clients with more robust solutions to help marketers
speak directly with their audiences and establish ROI.
Marketing Technology Challenges
Implementing, maintaining, and optimizing your organization’s martech is not a simple,
streamlined process. Rather, organizations should prepare to overcome a few key
challenges before they can fully realize the benefits of marketing technology.
Selecting the Right MarTech Platform
Choosing the right platform is difficult since selecting a platform is more than finding the
right technology - it extends into finding the right partner. Integrating a new system is
often a challenge, and the process of working with internal and external stakeholders to
roll out technology can create unexpected hiccups.
Changing Company Culture
For many organizations, changing the way marketing functions can be a big challenge.
Working with colleagues to get them trained on new platforms and workflows provides a
hindrance to day-to-day activities. As Peter Drucker said, “culture eats strategy for
breakfast.” Unfortunately, changing the company culture to utilize martech can often be a
formidable obstacle for companies.
Processing Too Much Data
There’s a lot of data in today’s marketing environment. Ciphering through data to
determine what is and isn’t important could be a sizable challenge for your organization.
Selecting the right vendor and working together with data scientists to help analyze the
vast amounts of data can help steer your marketing department in the right direction.