The line between marketing and advertising has blurred, with tech giants like Google and Facebook investing heavily in marketing technology platforms.

As a whole, marketing budgets are shifting online. In 2019, 96% of marketers plan to increase their budgets in order to invest more in digital marketing. Only 4% intend to reduce their budgets. That is why marketers are looking to other forms of media to complement their digital spending.

PPC Management Software

Pay-per-click (PPC) management software is a type of online marketing software that allows advertisers to set up, manage, and measure ad campaigns on multiple platforms, such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads. PPC stands for “pay per click”, which means you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. You can target specific interests and demographics based on a variety of criteria, which means you can be very precise in your messaging.

This software provides comprehensive ad management tools, such as automated bidding, real-time reporting, and more. One of the distinguishing factors of PPC management software is its integration with other systems – such as email marketing, web analytics, and marketing automation. This integration makes it much easier to track and analyze campaign performance, as well as to retarget potential customers for up to three years after their initial engagement with your product or service.

Display Advertising

Traditional display advertising, such as radio and TV ads, are still extremely effective, but online display advertising has evolved to become more sophisticated. And that is causing its prices to rise.

Many of the top display advertising platforms, such as Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, provide sophisticated tools for creating targeted ads and automated bidding, which significantly increases their value. They also integrate with other platforms, such as email marketing and Facebook’s social graph, for even more performance. For instance, Google AdWords can help you determine the optimal bidding strategy for a particular product or service based on its relative desirability in relation to other offerings in your niche.

Video Creation Software

Video is undoubtedly the most popular type of content on the web, with 62% of internet users watching videos on websites and apps, compared to only 35% reading articles, and 13% engaging with social media posts. That makes video an essential part of any marketing strategy.

However, creating high-quality videos can be complex and costly. That is why many businesses look to video creation software to automate the process and save money. Some of the more prominent solutions in this space include Vidyard, Bonjoro, and TwentyThree.

Video creation software simplifies video editing for business users, allowing them to focus on content strategy, messaging, and performance, while letting the software handle the technicalities of video production.

Web Analytics

Just like any other marketing channel, the web is constantly changing, evolving, and improving. That makes web analytics even more important, as you can no longer rely on one metric to determine the success of a campaign.

Web analytics platforms, such as Google Analytics and Omnify, provide in-depth insights into how people interact with your site, whether that is through web traffic or social media. These platforms collect data through cookies, which are small bits of information that websites store on your computer or mobile device.

Web analytics platforms are essential for measuring the performance of your digital marketing campaign, and determine how well you are resonating with your target audience, as well as how effective your strategy is. For instance, you can use Google Analytics to determine the type of content your visitors are engaging with the most, or which social media platforms your audience is most active on.

Content Marketing

In the past, the line between marketing and content marketing was clearly defined. Marketing was responsible for gathering audiences and engaging with them online, while content marketing developed and shared quality content to attract, retain, and connect with these audiences.

However, as the digital landscape has changed and the lines between marketing, sales, and content creation have blurred, so has the definition of content marketing. Today, content marketing is more important than ever, whether you call it marketing or communication or both.

Content marketing is a form of online marketing that focuses on creating and distributing high-quality content to attract, engage, and convert customers. While marketing traditionally focused on advertising and brand building, content marketing aims to engage audiences through stories, videos, infographics, and other types of engaging content.

The goal of content marketing is to create and distribute engaging content that helps drive online traffic to your website. You can use content marketing to establish thought leadership, build credibility, and earn trust by creating high-quality content that is both educational and entertaining.

Email Marketing

As a marketing channel, email marketing is neither as glamorous nor as expensive as some of the other online marketing channels discussed here. But that does not mean it is any less important.

You can use email marketing to send promotional messages to existing and potential customers, and even gain new members to your email list. Marketers use email lists to segment their audiences, and build credibility with potential customers. To keep your email list top of mind, you can use automated drip campaigns that send occasional emails to your audience, or trigger emails when they take a certain action, such as making a purchase or viewing a specific website.

Marketing automation tools like HubSpot and Marketo make it easy to set up email campaigns – from building the email list to segmenting it, to sending out personalized emails with tailored content and offers, to analyzing campaign performance and refining your strategy.

Social Media Marketing

Like many other marketing channels, social media marketing is a mix of art and science, with a lot of trial and error involved in building an audience, engaging with your followers, and determining which platforms to use for the maximum impact.

Social media allows you to communicate with your audience, whether you have 100,000 followers or 100 people following your page. This open platform allows you to connect with potential customers, conduct research, and track performance, all while having a greater impact than ever before. And with the right tools, such as Hootsuite or SproutCore, you can manage all your social media accounts from one place, engaging with your audience, building credibility, and growing your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is an important part of any digital marketing strategy, as it involves getting your articles, news stories, and other content to appear on the first page of search results for relevant keywords. Not just any keywords, but ones that are tied to an interest group, niche, or theme, which makes your content more relevant to potential customers.

SEO requires continuous research and testing to discover the best keywords and combinations of keywords to use, as well as the perfect match for your targeted audience’s interests, needs, and questions. The SEO landscape is always changing, with Google creating algorithms, and business owners finding new ways to game the system.

Back in the 1990s, SEO was all about link building – creating and distributing high-quality content to gain authority in your niche and raise your search rankings. But things have changed – as Google has become the world’s largest search engine, with over 60% of all searches conducted on Google.com. So, if you want to succeed online, you need to evolve with the times, and take advantage of the newest SEO tactics.

Online Influencers

In the past, a celebrity’s mere presence in social media would attract thousands of fans and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations. Now, with Influencers marketing, you can actually pay these influential figures to promote your product or service. Online influencers work with brands to gain credibility, build awareness, and generate sales among their audiences.

Like most other forms of online marketing, Influencers marketing is very cost-effective, as you only pay per conversion, and you can target the right audience with specific influencers, such as a fashion, lifestyle, or foodie influencers, whose niche is highly likely to be interested in, and inclined to promote, your product or service.

However, not all influencers are created equal, and you must understand the differences between high-quality and low-quality influencers, as well as the benefits and limitations of each.

The Evolution of Online Marketing Products

The above discussion should give you a good idea of the various ways businesses are using the internet to market and advertise their products. As you can see, the digital landscape is changing, and traditional marketing channels have shifted to digital forms. Even print publications have invested heavily in online marketing platforms, which provide better reach and higher engagement rates.