If you’re reading this, I assume you’re already aware of the fact that the world has changed and that digital marketing is now an integral part of any business’ marketing strategy.

The growth of digital marketing is something to behold. Back in 2005, online marketing strategies were considered a novelty. People were still figuring out the nuts and bolts of SEO and content marketing. The field was in its infancy and largely consisted of some trial and error. In 2019, the game has totally changed.

What was once considered a fringe practice is now commonplace. Major brands like Red Ventures, HubSpot, and Marketo have all recognized the power of marketing through the digital channels. SEO, content marketing, email marketing, and social media marketing are now firmly established as core components of a successful marketing strategy.

Traditional marketing methods like radio and TV ads, magazine spreads, and billboards are being supplemented by digital methods like search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, and paid social media campaigns.

Why The Growth Of Online Marketing Is So Amazing

The most obvious and perhaps most significant factor behind the growth of online marketing is simply time. It wasn’t long ago that marketers had to contend with a lack of attention spans, along with the limited time that people had to devote to their day-to-day lives. In 2019, that all seems like a distant memory.

Thanks to the ever-increasing ability to track digital marketing metrics and analyze the results of online campaigns, brands can now perform real-time A/B testing, identifying which versions of a website, social media content, or adverts perform the best.

Real-time results allow brands to quickly adjust their strategies and optimize their results, taking the drudgery out of long-term planning and ensuring that they’re always changing and adapting as needed. Additionally, the growth of mobile marketing has meant that consumers have an unprecedented level of access to online content. For marketers, this presents an opportunity to gain access to a potentially worldwide audience and engage with them at any given moment through their smartphones.

How Is Online Marketing Different From Traditional Marketing?

As mentioned above, the advent of digital marketing has ushered in a new era of marketing. Gone are the days when advertisers could depend only on a few established publications to reach their audience. In 2019, the world of online marketing is vast, varied, and ever-changing, making this form of marketing highly adaptive and reflective of consumers’ constant search for new ways to accomplish personal tasks and gain access to information.

Broadly speaking, online marketing is the process of gaining interest and engaging with consumers through digital channels. Traditional marketing, on the other hand, is considered to be any effort that creates awareness of a brand or product among consumers. It typically focuses on limited broadcast media like radio and TV ads, which are then supplemented by printed publications and billboards to reach a wider audience.

It’s also worth distinguishing between traditional and digital marketing when it comes to the measurement and assessment of the success of any given campaign. With traditional marketing, advertisements are generally assessed on a cost-per-acquisition basis. In other words, advertisers pay for the cost of an ad campaign (i.e., what they paid for media placements) and then evaluate the results of that ad campaign based on the number of people who actually click on the ad or make a purchase after viewing it.

In the world of digital marketing, advertisers track numerous metrics that estimate the success of an online ad campaign. Metrics like clicks, page views, conversion rates, and the number of customers generated through social media are just some of the numbers that advertisers track to get a better understanding of the effectiveness of their campaigns.

The Basics Of Effective Online Marketing

If you’re interested in getting started with online marketing, here are some important things to keep in mind.

• Target the right audiences.
• Create compelling content.
• Use the right platforms.
• Measurement is key.
• Don’t get discouraged.
• Have fun!

Learn More About Online Marketing Through Online Courses

There are now numerous established universities, such as the Northwestern University School of Commerce, that offer accredited online courses in digital marketing. Students who complete these courses gain valuable knowledge and can leverage that knowledge to become successful digital marketers.

Additionally, there are now a variety of free resources available online that give digital marketers the knowledge they need to become better strategists. For example, the Google Ads Academy offers a free, comprehensive guide to digital marketing, providing students and educators with the information they need to get started.

The growth of online marketing is something to behold. Back in 2005, online marketing strategies were considered a novelty. People were still figuring out the nuts and bolts of SEO and content marketing. The field was in its infancy and largely consisted of some trial and error. In 2019, the game has totally changed.