With the rapid rate of innovation, digital marketing is changing how we do business. Here’s a quick guide on how it is, and how you can get one step ahead of your competition.
Marketing through the ages
Once upon a time, the journey between marketing and purchasing was straightforward. Back in the middle ages, you would have had to go to a market town and exchange products to buy what you wanted, or a peddler would approach you to sell a product. Fairly straightforward approach.
Then, we saw a rise in consumer culture which put an emphasis on quality, branding, packaging, and advertising. This was the birth of the marketing practices we see today and it was actually exhibited by the Chinese back in 200 BC. Before we only focused on the quality of the product, now style became a deciding factor, thus widening the gap between marketing and purchasing.
Following this, we saw a high level of sophistication in its execution and ability to reach mass audiences in the 18th century, but the boom was nothing compared to what we saw between the 19th and 20th century. We saw an explosion in market sizes due to the improvement of transportation systems. Because of this boom, there was an abundance of product- more competition, giving us even more time to decide whether we should make a purchase or hold on to our wallets.
Now, enterprises have undergone yet another transformational change fuelled by the rapid digitization initiated by the tech industry. So, if not quality, if not style, what gives your business the edge to win customers over?
The way you market.
Online marketing, internet marketing, segmentation, personalization, the list goes on. All of these factors are changing how we do business.
Your business will have to evaluate itself on many fronts of speed, efficiency, and communication. Today’s consumer has graduated from just buying a product to fulfilling a need by buying the product’s identity.
How digital marketing is changing business?
1. The new age marketplace
Marketplaces are back and more diverse than ever. Before, marketplaces were limited to what was in your area, but what if we told you that this marketplace can span across the globe?
Pretty exciting, right? Well, that’s what internet marketing is all about. Your enterprise has the potential to reach people from across the world, but how do we get there?
Let’s go back to the marketplace example. Imagine this- you’re walking through each stall, but you see a swarm of people gathering in one area. Wouldn’t you go there to see what the buzz is about?
The same applies to you, but that crowd is now your website traffic. The higher the traffic, the higher the visibility. Therefore, you have to use digital marketing tools like SEO to your advantage.
2. The focus on content
Because of the faceless nature of digital transformation, consumers are becoming wary of brands that lack identity. People want to feel more connected with the business they’re spending their hard earned money on. So, businesses need to focus on creating a brand identity that no one forgets. And this identity has to radiate through every piece of media you create. It has to come out in social media posts, ad campaigns, email campaigns, your website, etc. Which is why digital marketing prioritizes content. That’s the best way for businesses to connect with your brand.
3. A change of tone
The unique charm of the middle ages was how people-driven business was. The consumer-vendor relationship was based on trust and the charisma of the vendor. As we moved towards print, television ads, and billboards, we lost that connection between the enterprise and the consumer.
But online marketing is bringing it back. Now, marketing is a dialogue fuelled by personalization and conversational marketing. The internet is a goldmine of data that businesses can use to drive effective campaigns tailored to your prospects’ needs.
You now have to make the most of the conversations you have with customers to learn and adapt your marketing messages to suit your audience – and when you tell a good story, you’ll improve sales and acquire more loyal customers.
The future of digital marketing in your hands
KPAC Marketing is a digital marketing venture that provides state of the art digital marketing solutions. We aim to help you create digital presence for small and large-scale businesses to help you maintain and nurture relationships with leads and customers.
Ready to get ahead of your competition? Contact us and we’ll help you get started.