The marketing and advertising landscape is constantly evolving. With the continuous emergence of new technologies and changes in consumer behavior, it’s super important to stay ahead of the curve by staying on top of the latest digital marketing trends.

But, as digital marketers or business owners, it can get a little challenging to catch up with everything happening so fast.

So, to help you get a head start and stay ahead of your competition, we, at Mongoose Media, created a comprehensive list of the top trends in digital advertising that any company should watch out for in 2023.

From advances in AI to leveraging content marketing and influencer collaborations, these strategies have the potential to amp up your marketing efforts and build a winning digital marketing strategy for your business.

So let’s take a deep dive into each one of them and help you become more strategic about how best to capitalize on modern technologies!

12 Top Digital Marketing Trends

Here is a list of the top digital marketing trends with  detailed insights you need to pay attention to in 2023:

1. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

The use of AI and machine learning is probably the most popular trend, which is gaining traction in digital marketing at the moment.

With algorithms controlling what social media posts you engage with, which search results surface, and even determining the ads that appear before your eyes, AI-driven marketing ensures a tailored experience for customers everywhere.

This amazing technology can help organizations optimize their marketing campaigns with predictive analytics and advanced data insights.

Plus, AI can also be used to automate mundane tasks such as content curation, customer segmentation, & personalization to facilitate better engagement with customers.

AI content creation tools such as Jasper, ChatGPT, and Midjourney are already revolutionizing how digital marketers create written content and images at 10x speed.

This is definitely going to be one of the hottest trends in advertising in the coming years.

2. Immersive Experiences

Immersive experiences are becoming an increasingly important part of digital marketing these days as they enable customers to interact with a brand on a more personal level.

Customers today don’t just want to browse through products. Instead, they look for an emotionally engaging experience that adds to their overall satisfaction.

Some of the best tools to offer immersive experiences are:

Virtual Reality – VR helps customers immerse themselves in a virtual environment and see what it would be like if the product was bought.

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Augmented Reality – AR helps customers to virtually experience the product in their own physical environment.

Using AR and VR, marketers can create interactive video ads and pop-up stores where customers can try and interact with products before buying them.

And this is exactly what happens in the metaverse. It’s a virtual world where people have digital avatars, which they can use to interact with other people and visual projections of products, play games, participate in virtual events, and buy or sell virtual assets.

This might sound unreal, but it’s all happening. As a matter of fact, brands like IKEA, Nike, and Amazon are already using AR to offer such virtual product experiences.

Immersive experiences like these create an interactive, real-world-like environment for customers to explore and gain insights about products/services, enhancing the user experience.

3. Content Marketing

Content is said to be “king” and definitely one of the most powerful digital marketing channels for engaging customers and driving conversions.

However, besides increasing engagement and conversion, content marketing is essential for another strong reason: brand awareness.

Did you know that it takes an average user 5 to 7 instances of interaction before they can remember a brand?

This is why it’s important  to consistently create high-quality content that resonates with the target audience and helps them get to know your business better.

Content marketing should be an integrated part of any digital marketing strategy in order to build brand awareness, generate leads, and increase conversions.

In addition to traditional content such as blog posts, emails, and social media posts, marketers should also consider creating interactive content such as webinars, live product reviews, quizzes, and polls in order to increase engagement.

All of these make for an excellent customer experience and build long-term brand loyalty.

4. Chatbots & Voice Assistants

Chatbots and voice assistants are gaining prominence as they help companies provide a more personalized experience for customers.

Chatbots use AI-driven algorithms to provide personalized customer service with automated responses, while voice assistants interact with customers in a more natural way.

Both chatbots and voice assistants help organizations save time and money by automating mundane customer service tasks while providing a more personalized experience for customers.

Doing so, they help customers pass through the sales funnel in a personalized and immersive way, which ultimately helps drive more conversions.

This is why these two have become essential tools of conversational marketing in the modern digital marketing world.

5. Influencer Collaborations

Every day, you see content creators promoting clothes, accessories, tech gadgets, or any other product. Whether it’s an Instagram post, Facebook story, or a TikTok or YouTube video, you will come across such collaborations.

What does it tell you?

It tells you that influencer marketing is an essential part of digital marketing today.

Influencers can help create buzz around a product or service on different social media platforms, attract more people to your website, and drive conversions.

How?

The explanation is simple; customers today are more likely to trust an influencer than a brand when it comes to recommendations.

This is why many brands and organizations have started leveraging influencer collaborations and making them a vital part of their digital marketing efforts.

Besides more awareness, businesses can also use influencer collaborations to get honest reviews from trusted figures in the industry before they launch their product or service.

6. Live Video/Streaming

Live streaming is yet another powerful form of digital marketing and a hot trend in the digital advertising world.

Streaming live content allows brands to engage with their customers in real time and build a strong connection with them. Plus, it also helps customers get answers to their queries and encourages more conversations around the product/service.

Brands can stream live content on various social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This can be in the form of product demonstrations, Q&A sessions, webinars, interviews with industry experts, and more.

But why is it recommended?

Because the algorithm of most social media platforms pushes live content to its news feed and ranks it higher than older content.

This means it will be easier for brands to reach their target customers with live content.

And it’s not just all in theory.

Live commerce is a whole new industry that has gained huge traction in China and is slowly spreading to other regions.

In 2023, the total live commerce market in China is projected to cross $700 billion.

Imagine the impact you can have if ecommerce brands add it to their digital marketing activities.

7. Email Marketing

There may come a hundred new trends in digital advertising, but email marketing is the “never-gonna-die” classic digital strategy.

Even today, in 2023, it remains one of the most effective ways to reach customers and promote products/services.

Why? Because it’s a more direct marketing tool as compared to other tools like Google ads, sponsored posts in social media feeds, or TV ads.

Emails are highly targeted and personalized messages.

This is why businesses (especially ecommerce businesses) use email campaigns to build relationships with customers, announce new product launches and upcoming sales, offer content upgrades, and send other personalized messages.

It is a cost-effective way to reach out to existing and potential customers, build long-term relationships, and drive more sales.

8. Omni-present Social Media Marketing

No doubt, social media has become an integral part of digital marketing.

However, just a few years ago, only Facebook was the key platform for brands.

But now, many businesses are focusing on developing an omnipresent social media marketing strategy.

This means they now try to be present on every social media platform. From Instagram to Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and even Pinterest, businesses have started creating their presence on all these platforms.

This omnipresence helps brands ensure that their content reaches a wider audience and is visible in multiple places. This increases brand awareness, encourages more customer engagement, and helps increase conversion rates.

9. Short Form Video Content

It’s no surprise that video content has become one of the most popular forms of digital marketing.

But what’s different today is the type of videos being created. Users no longer want to watch long videos and instead wish to consume content in short bursts.

This is why TikTok rose to fame and became the most popular app in 2019 and 2020.

TikTok’s popularity moved businesses towards creating short, eye-catching videos for social media marketing. These videos range from product/service demonstrations to funny skits and even customer testimonials.

However, what happened afterward is even more interesting.

After the meteoric rise of TikTok, Facebook and Instagram introduced “Reels,” and YouTube launched “Shorts.”

Why?

Simply because short videos are effective; they are great for grabbing the attention of viewers, quickly conveying a message, and engaging customers in an interactive way.

So, short video content is a hot digital marketing trend, which is here to stay!

10. LinkedIn

This might come as a surprise, but LinkedIn is now one of the most important platforms for marketing teams.

It is no longer a site for job hunting, business to business collaborations, or data collection. In fact, it has become a hub for individuals and businesses to share digital content in the form of short posts, blog posts, images, and videos.

Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and business profiles can use the platform to post relevant content and reach out to their target audience, build relationships with potential customers, and generate leads.

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Plus, you can direct all of your followers to your website and get free organic traffic.

So, if you have not yet started using LinkedIn for digital marketing purposes, now is the time to do it.

It’s definitely going to be one of the top trends in advertising in the near future.

11. Voice Search

With voice search becoming increasingly popular, digital marketers need to factor this in while creating their marketing strategies.

Voice search is, essentially, the process of using voice commands to search for something on the internet.

For example, if you wanted to know about a local restaurant, you would say something like, “Find me a good restaurant near me,” and the voice assistant would display the best results based on your query.

This has now become one of the most popular ways to search, and businesses must create strategies that include voice search optimization.

This means optimizing your content, website, and other marketing materials for voice search. This will help you appear higher in the results when someone uses voice search to look for something that your business offers.

12. Inclusive Marketing

Finally, there is the concept of inclusive marketing, which is becoming increasingly important for businesses.

Inclusive marketing refers to creating content and campaigns that are sensitive to people of all backgrounds and cultures, regardless of gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, age, or race.

This is important because it allows businesses to create content that resonates with a wider audience and reach out to customers who may have felt excluded in the past.

Furthermore, it helps create an environment where everyone can feel included and accepted, which can be beneficial for businesses in the long run.

So, these are some of the most promising 2023 trends in digital advertising that businesses should look out for.

Remember, these trends will not be the same for all businesses. You should take the time to analyze your own business and create strategies that are tailored to its needs and goals.

Not sure what your business really needs? This social media certificate can help bring clarity.

Or, work with an expert and experienced digital marketing team to help make the right decisions for your business.

Either way, make sure to stay up-to-date with the latest digital marketing trends and capitalize on them while they’re still hot.

The post Top 12 Digital Marketing Trends in 2023 You Should Know appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Did you know that the compound annual growth rate in the digital marketing industry is projected to be 13.9% until 2026? The market is expected to reach $786.2 billion by that time frame. 

This shows the importance of staying on top of new developments and adapting strategies accordingly — especially if digital marketers want to take advantage of the growth in 2023. 

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, keep reading to equip yourself with the right tips to slay your digital marketing game and stay ahead of the curve. 

1. Follow industry leaders and influencers

Industry leaders or influencers in digital marketing are individuals who have established themselves as thought leaders in their fields, and have earned a large following due to their valuable insights and expertise.

To identify the right ones to follow, start by doing some research. Look for those with a track record of accurately predicting trends and providing valuable insights. You can search for keywords related to your industry on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Even a simple Google search can do the job!

Once you’ve identified potential influencers, it’s important to follow them across various platforms, including their social media, blogs, and even podcasts. This will give you a well-rounded view of their insights and perspectives. You can also use tools like Feedly or Flipboard to create a customized news feed of content from your favorite influencers.

Another great way to engage with influencers is by commenting on their content and participating in their online communities. By adding value to the conversation, you can build relationships with influential figures in your industry and stay on their radar. 

Finally, tools like Hootsuite or Buzzsumo can help identify influencers and track their content. Hootsuite allows you to monitor social media conversations and track specific keywords or hashtags, while Buzzsumo provides insight into content that’s trending in your industry.

Pro-tip: Looking for some influencers to get started with? Here are some of our favorites:
Neil Patel — known for his expertise in SEO and content marketing 
Gary Vaynerchuk — known for his expertise in social media marketing 
Rand Fishkin — founder of Moz, recognized authority on SEO and content marketing.
2. Attend digital marketing conferences and events
Whether you’re looking to build your skills, explore new marketing strategies, or connect with like-minded professionals, attending industry conferences can be an invaluable experience. 

Conferences and events also offer exposure to new marketing strategies, tools, and technologies. You can learn about the latest trends and best practices in digital marketing, as well as gain hands-on experience.

To find relevant conferences and events, research conferences in your specific niche and choose ones that align with your interests and goals. 

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Once you’ve chosen a conference, plan your schedule to make the most of your time. Be sure to attend workshops and breakout sessions to learn about specific topics in depth. One other thing: take advantage of networking opportunities to build relationships and exchange ideas with other attendees and presenters.

Pro-tip: Some popular digital marketing conferences include: 
Social Media Marketing World
Content Marketing World
MozCon
3. Collaborate with other professionals and brands 
Working with other professionals and brands in your industry allows you to learn from their experiences and gain new insights into marketing strategies and tactics.

Here are some collaboration tips to keep in mind: 

Identify potential collaborators who share your target audience and marketing goals. Look for businesses and individuals who complement your brand and its values. 

Develop a mutually beneficial partnership. This could include co-creating content, cross-promoting each other’s products or services, or collaborating on a joint marketing campaign.

Building relationships is key to successful collaborations. Take the time to get to know your collaborators and understand their businesses and goals. Be sure to communicate clearly and work together to establish shared objectives.

Use social media to connect with potential collaborators, share each other’s content, and promote joint initiatives.

Measure and analyze the resultsof your campaign. Conduct website audits and track key metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and sales, and use this data to optimize your future collaborations.

A great example of a successful digital marketing collaboration is the #LikeAGirl Campaign partnership by Always and Girls on the Run.

Source: Beloved Brands

The popular feminine hygiene brand amplified the success of its viral 2014 marketing success by teaming up with Girls on the Run in 2019 to support the National Access and Inclusion Initiative. Over $750,000 has been donated over the last two years, shining a philanthropic light on Always’ brand image. 
4. Join industry organizations and groups
Joining industry organizations and groups can provide many benefits that can help you stay ahead of the curve. 

You can gain access to exclusive industry information and resources, such as primary research and reports that can help you stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices.

There will also be opportunities to network and build relationships with other professionals in your field. This can be especially valuable for freelancers and entrepreneurs who may not have as many opportunities to connect with others in their industry.

To identify the right organizations:

Research industry organizations and choose ones that align with your interests and goals. 
Attend events and participate in committees to build relationships and gain exposure for your work.
Volunteer to help with events or initiatives to build your skills and experience.

Pro-tip: Examples of industry organizations and groups include the following: 
American Marketing Association
Interactive Advertising Bureau
Content Marketing Institute
5. Experiment with new marketing techniques and technologies
Experimenting with new marketing techniques and technologies can help you reach wider audiences and engage customers in new ways.

However, when identifying the new tools and methods at your disposal, it’s important to choose the ones that align with your brand’s goals and audience. 

For example, if you’re targeting Gen Z, you might experiment with video formats on growing social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels to reach that audience.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

A great way to do this is by experimenting with new tactics on a small scale to test their effectiveness before growing. You can do this through A/B tests on your website, by running a small ad campaign on a new platform or by testing a new content format to see how it performs before investing more resources.

Examples of new marketing techniques and technologies that digital marketers can experiment with include AI tools like ChatGPT, virtual and augmented reality and voice search optimization. 

If a new marketing trend or technology doesn’t work out, be prepared to pivot your strategy and try something new. 

Experimentation involves taking risks, and not every experiment will be successful. The key is to learn from your failures and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
As we move into 2023, it’s important you look out for exciting emerging trends in the year ahead, like AI and machine learning, social commerce, the rise of the ‘creator economy’, and focus on customers’ personalized experiences. 

By keeping up with the latest trends, you can ensure your brand’s success in the fast-paced digital landscape. So let’s get out there and embrace the future of marketing!

The post How To Keep Up With Marketing Trends In 2023? 5 Tips For Digital Marketers appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

The recent turn of events has digitized business operations throughout the world. Business leaders from various industries are using technology to run their commercial ventures. 

Businesses are extensively leveraging digital marketing to up their game. With the increasing advancements in this area, it is evident that this trend will continue to thrive as we move into 2023. 

Let’s learn more about digital marketing and its successful trends. 

What Is Digital Marketing?

Are you an entrepreneur looking for ways to expand your business? If yes, you should incorporate the progressing idea of digital marketing in your branding strategy. 

Digital marketing uses technologies and online avenues to promote your products and services to people beyond your service area. Also known as internet marketing, this process uses digital communication to spread brand awareness and increase sales.

According to a Forrester report, digital marketing spending by companies will reach $146 billion by 2023. With the existing and new digital marketing trends in 2023, you can prepare yourself to take your business to phenomenal heights. 

Exploring 7 Effective Digital Marketing Trends in 2023

Out of plenty of business strategies, a wise entrepreneur will always opt for the ones that are lucrative for his venture. Some of the top digital marketing trends that will be effective for your company in the long run include;

1. Real-Time Messaging Remains Effective 

Personalizing the sales is the secret to making your customer choose your products and services. You can achieve this by real-time messaging with your potential customer. Several chatting platforms can help you in getting to know your customers better. 

You can create a customized sales strategy for every customer using their data from the chat between you and them. It spikes the chances of a successful sale as your customer will think that the product or service is exclusively designed for them. 

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2. Attract Users Through Video-Based Content

Everybody loathes the idea of reading long texts on websites. However, people are attracted to moving graphics as they provide more information in less time. Thus, it is ideal to incorporate video-based content in your digital marketing strategy to make the user stay longer on your webpage. 

Videos are captivating and successfully capture the attention of the user. Use engaging videos to make the audience stop and stare at your webpage. It is an excellent way to promote your business by including the top selling points in your video. 

3. Influencer Marketing Continues to Gain Popularity

We engage with the stories and posts of our favorite celebrities and influencers daily. So, why not use their extensive social media reach to create a buzz about your business?

Consider the trendy idea of influencer marketing if you want to attract maximum customers to your business. This idea involves social media marketing, using socially influential people and organizations to market your products and services. 

The innovative idea of marketing your niche through influencers has recently become the talk of the town. It is because influencer outreach is far better than traditional marketing, which elevates the chances of affordably acquiring more customers. 

All you need to do is hire an influencer who belongs to the same niche as your business and has a substantive following so that your brand’s message can reach maximum people. Following that, you can strike a deal with them to promote your brand in return for adequate money or complimentary products and services from your brand. 

4. Email Marketing Nevers Falls Out of Fashion 

Email marketing is one of the oldest yet most compelling digital marketing trends. 82% of B2B marketers say that using email newsletters is still their go-to method for brand promotion. 

Have you ever wondered why this method is still relevant when we have more functional and practical social media communication methods today? A prime reason is that content often fails to reach people through social media as it is heavily filtered. However, such is not the case with emails – they convey your message directly to the user without the threat of being brushed aside due to privacy and filters. 

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5. Get Smart with Artificial Intelligence 

Modern digital marketing trends are all about using smart demeanors like Artificial Intelligence to grow your business. AI marketing stores data of your potential customers to help you make automated and informed decisions in milliseconds. 

AI observes your audience, economic trends, and other aspects affecting your marketing strategy. It uses data analytics to ensure you target the right pool of customers at the right time. Several brands use AI for effective marketing and have already started to reap its extensive benefits. 

6. User-Generated Content Is Growing 

User-generated content refers to any online material created by someone not representative of your brand. These people can be your customers, brand loyalists, employees, or anyone. User-generated content includes customer reviews or ratings and back stories about the brand that employees share. 

Using user-generated content is a brilliant emerging concept in digital marketing. It shows the positive aspects of the brand, posted by people who have no direct connection to your business. 

7. Consider Outsourcing To Marketing Agencies 

Digital marketing is a vast field that comprises various innovative digital trends. It is challenging to incorporate all the emerging trends at a time by yourself; therefore, a constructive approach to expanding your business would be to hire a competent digital marketing firm.

Obtaining professional digital marketing services would boost your business in a limited time. The right digital marketer will use different innovative techniques and the latest marketing trends to increase awareness of your business worldwide. 

Assessing The Importance OF Digital Marketing

Several reports have shown that 55% of marketing in businesses worldwide has gone digital. The remarkable effect on businesses through digital marketing has increased its use in the world’s major industries. 

Let’s see some of the many gains of using digital marketing in businesses;

1. You can get global reach for your business by using digital marketing
2. Digital marketing phenomenally increases your chances of sales as it adopts a more personalized marketing approach with each customer
3. There are lower costs and manpower required to conduct internet marketing. As a result, it is a suitable option for startup businesses
4. You can use multiple strategies and forums to market your products digitally. This offers a variety of customers, which expands your business in less time
5. Digital marketing techniques are easy to learn and apply
6. The results of digital marketing are much faster than traditional marketing strategies
7. Using technology to market your niche allows you to know your customers better so that you can improve your products and services accordingly for them
8. Digital marketing offers optimization and analysis. This provides you with strategic insights into your performance, which can help to perfect future business operations. It also makes you aware of your mistakes so you can fix them quickly

In A Nutshell 

Digital marketing is thriving in the business arena and will continue to do so in the years to follow. It offers an exceptional global reach to take your business to unprecedented success. The existing and emerging digital marketing trends have entirely transformed the way businesses used to operate. 

The post 2023’s Digital Marketing Trends for Small Business appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

The Haps

1. COVID – We are still at the height of a pandemic, the findings of the Delta and Gamma variants have led multiple countries back into lock down to prevent the spreading. Two members of the Ugandan team were detected with the Delta variant. Yet the show goes on, putting members of every country involved at risk. Though it looks like if Japan chose to cancel the Olympics for this, they would owe the International Olympics Committee around $30 billion. 

2. Cable – With Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBOMax, and more who needs an expensive cable subscription? We can now stream almost anything we want, at any time, we as a society have evolved past the need for cable television. NBC chose their brand new streaming platform, Peacock, as the sole provider to stream the Olympics. Having partnered with someone more reputable, like HBOMax which gathered 2.3 million viewers for the premier of Wonder Woman 1985, they could have had a more reputable clientele to watch. 

3. Simone Biles – Simone Biles calls for a mental health day while the world watches. Simone Biles takes daily prescription ADHD medication, Ritalin, which is illegal in Japan. Biles filed for a Yakkan Shoumei, an “important certificate”, and was permitted her medications in Japan. But this call opened a world wide discussion on the mental health of our athletes, and subsequently took the best gymnast in the world out of the game, both of which could cause a decline in viewers. 

4. No Live Viewers – This ties back into number one, we are still in the middle of the pandemic and want to reduce the spread, but this should only positively affect the box office numbers here. If people aren’t AT the olympics, those same people should at least be tuning in at home? The hustle and bustle of the live audience at the Olympics is almost half of the fun, so we understand why people could be less interested. 

5. Politics – Nowadays everything is political, with COVID and the state of the world this is to be expected. There are protests in Japan about hosting the event in the first place. The Japanese Government is cutting off athlete speeches that get too political, but the driving force here is that everyone watches the Olympics. Even Republicans watch the Olympics, even Democrats watch the Olympics, not allowing the athletes to make the viewers feel either way could be keeping more viewers than it is driving away. 

What Does It Mean for Marketers? 

As a Marketer, if you’re planning on helping put on an event, consider the political realm it’s happening in. Our biggest issue with this event is that we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic. It’s affecting everything from ticket sales to the event, to the mental health of the athletes. An event that was once such a huge success across all fields, is now holding on by a thread to get views.

Consider the channels on which it will be played, most people have completely foregone Cable Television, if this is the primary platform for your event will it be a success? If the Olympics views going down by 42% is considered a success, then perhaps this is your ideal platform. If not, consider suggesting other platforms.

Will your primary demographic be left or right? If both affect your market, maybe banning protests on the podium is a good move for you. Marketers can take this event and learn from the IOCs mistakes.

The post What Happened to Olympic Viewership in 2021?!? appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Imagine your marketing efforts led to a $3 billion contract for your company. What would that campaign look like? Would it be full of Super Bowl ads, massive postcard mailing campaigns, TV commercials, billboards, and magazine spreads?

Would the message be conceived by a genius of marketing methodology, a pillar of the advertising industry who crafted a message so perfect, so undeniably inventive and clever that no decision maker could refute it?

OR… would it be some goofy engineer with a twitter account, a genuine interest in his company’s objectives, an aggressive and highly public development strategy, and a willingness to share information (both good and bad) with the world?

To the consternation of every old-school marketer in the business, it’s the latter.

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, beat out both a modern tech titan (Blue Origin owned by Jeff Bezos) and an aerospace/tech powerhouse (defense contractor Dynetics) to win a contract for NASA’s new lunar lander. This was a feat so offensive to the competitors that they’re contesting the decision (could you imagine doing that publicly when you lost a bid?!?).

How could a relatively new company beat their billion-dollar competitors? Yes, the bid was more affordable, but I think the decision has just as much to do with SpaceX/Elon Musk’s understanding of the new world of marketing as it does with the bid itself. 

This new world has less to do with marketing channels and more to do with a holistic approach to marketing, business development, experience, and transparency. To put it simply, marketing has become genuine.

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New Marketing Doesn’t Look Like Marketing Anymore

Marketing has changed and the shift has been monumental. It goes beyond a simple evolution in marketing methods or channels. Using social media, email marketing, remote meetings, and online advertising is different from physical mailings, TV ads, billboards, and in-person conventions, but the change goes much deeper than that.

For many years the term “digital marketing” has referred to the specific online platforms used for advertising and promotion—but it’s time to grow up. After 2020, businesses have realized that failing to succeed at “digital marketing” means that they aren’t really marketing at all. 

To be clear, we’re not saying that traditional, “offline” marketing is gone, or even less significant than it has been in the past. We’re saying that the days of separating online and offline marketing from each other are over, and that strategies that employ segregated marketing approaches are much less effective than a more holistic approach.

Thanks to advances in technology, societal shifts in information propagation, and an involuntary leap toward online communication and remote working, modern businesses must now integrate their marketing approach to include all forms of marketing. 

Further, that approach should be weighted toward the most effective and efficient methods with all subsequent methods used as support. Even so, all methods need to promote a centralized theme that reflects how the modern world consumes information.

The difficulty with this approach is that each marketing method (especially online marketing methods) have their own unique “language” that must be spoken in a genuine voice, or else they will be ignored and possibly scorned (probably scorned for platforms like Reddit).

Just like any system that needs to address a maturing global environment, complexity in marketing strategy has increased, and modern marketing leaders must create ways to evolve with it. Here we describe how modern marketing addresses today’s environment and customer, and how an integrated marketing methodology is the only way to adequately serve both.

The Last 20 Years Have Been Interesting…

Before we delve into the specific ways that businesses can reach potential customers with an integrated marketing approach, we need to understand how the current environment came to be.

There were several pivotal events that have occurred since the year 2000 that have shaped the current marketing landscape. These events were not necessarily momentous when they occurred, but have since changed the way businesses market themselves, and have created unique industries, professions, and companies to serve them.

The current marketing environment can be explained with four key developments: tech monetization, internet speed and accessibility, remote working and live streaming, and the editorialization of marketing.

Tech Monetization

It may be hard to remember a time when digital ads weren’t a “thing,” but if you’re over 25 years old, you probably can. 

In 2007 Facebook Ads was launched. The new service promised “a completely new way of advertising online,” and surprisingly, they weren’t exaggerating. Marketers now have more access to levels of demographic and visitor detail than they had ever had before.

Even so, some large businesses still don’t even understand how they work. 

One of our Scalable employees, Erin MacPherson, worked in marketing at MTV Networks in 2007 when Facebook Advertising emerged. She remembers company leaders calling a team all-hands meeting where they explained what Facebook was, why it was going to be important and why they were going to be investing in training the team on Facebook. She remembers thinking there was no way that a website where college students planned parties could ever serve as a true, professional marketing tool.

But alas, she made herself an account.

It was less than a year later when there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that a college social platform certainly could and would move the needle in business.

Advertising on all social media and search engines changed the online landscape from one purely dedicated to the sharing of organic content to a controlled, monitored, and targeted environment of promotional information.

Internet Speed & Accessibility

Unsurprisingly, speed matters when it comes to marketing. The types of media and where they appear is completely dependent on how fast they load online, and fortunately, that speed has been increasing. Increased speed means that improved graphics and videos can load faster, leading to a richer experience for viewers.

Speed and accessibility was what led to the creation of “digital marketing” in the first place. The original term was used to describe the use of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, paid search advertising, Search Engine Optimization, paid social media ads, social media marketing in general, content marketing, and email marketing. Thanks to increasing internet speed and mobility, these “fringe” methods went from being a small part of overall marketing plans to substantial (and sometimes even exclusive) marketing methods.

More than that, potential customers can now interact with content on multiple platforms. The use of interactive quizzes, infographics, surveys, polls, calculators, assessments, ebooks, emails, and webinars are now part of the mix.

Remote Working & Live Streaming

Many people now recognize that remote working has changed the workplace, but few truly understand how it has changed life in general. From savings in travel time to decreases in physical workplace cost to the reduction of in-person conferences, remote working has made an impact on everyone’s lives. Further, remote meeting isn’t just for work; the use of telemedicine has been increasing for the last decade and received a massive boost in the last few years.

Remote working, also known as telecommuting, increased 159% between 2005 and 2017 according to an analysis done by Global Workplace Analytics. It’s now estimated that at least 1 in 4 employees are now working remotely.

Editorialization of Marketing

Everyone has known that “content is king” for quite a while, but nearly all marketers are starting to take it seriously. According to Aberdeen Strategy & Research, 56% of best in class companies are using content to support their marketing campaigns. Further, up to 80% of those companies have an active content marketing initiative. 

What does this mean for your marketing efforts? It means that your high-class competition is pursuing customers through indirect, informative content rather than directly promotional marketing efforts. Any company that is failing to establish a knowledge-database of informative information that is useful to their potential customers are falling further and further behind.

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Customer’s in the 2020’s

How have all of these developments shaped today’s customer? The answer is, massively… but not in the ways anyone expected. Let’s examine how each of the developments influenced the customer experience.

Swamped with Ads

Back in 2007 Yankelovich, a market research firm, conducted a study that estimated that the average person sees up to 5,000 ads every day. Given that speed and accessibility to the internet has increased substantially, it’s not a reach to imagine that number increasing 2 to 5 times. Conservatively, let’s say the average person now sees 10,000 to 25,000 ads a day.

Ads are now so numerous that customers can hardly see them anymore.

Increasing Time Online

Everyone is online a lot. Since 2011, the daily time spent online per capita worldwide increased from 75 minutes (43 minutes on desktops and 32 minutes on mobile devices) to 192 (37 minutes on desktops and 155 minutes on mobile devices). 

That’s an increase of 156%, and let’s be real, we all spend WAY more than 3 hours a day online. As we’ve become more “digital” by spending more and more time online, it only makes sense that we’d be exposed to more ads.

Customer Experience Expectations

The biggest difference between consumers of yester-year and consumers in the 2020’s is their need for a unique and pleasurable customer experience. Rather than basing every purchasing decision on individual products or prices, the modern consumer is becoming more and more loyal to brands they enjoy.

A survey of 1,920 business professionals conducted by SuperOffice showed that almost half (45.9%) believed that customer experience was the number one priority of their business. This is for good reason; a good customer experience contributes to repeat business, an increased willingness to pay higher prices, and an increase in impulse purchases.

What Marketing Means Today

Now that we have an understanding of how we got here and where we need to go, it’s time to talk about SpaceX again. As I stated in the beginning of the article, their ability to snag a huge $3 billion deal had as much to do with their marketing as it did with their bid.

Here are 3 ways that SpaceX employed the most successful version of “marketing” that will be used in the 2020s.

A Holistic Approach to Marketing

Just like all aspects of life these days, information is connected, and so should your marketing strategy be. How do you create a complete, integrated marketing approach that includes online and offline methods? Here’s the trick, you stop separating online and offline into different categories. It’s JUST marketing.

The old way of integrating all methods (online/offline) together looks like this: hook a viewer offline, then point them online for conversion. But a truly holistic approach doesn’t distinguish between the two and simply incorporates both into each step of the conversion process.

SpaceX took this concept to interplanetary levels (literally). Rather than simply creating ads offline and pointing them online, they managed to integrate online and offline product development events and updates, public relations, brand partnerships, and traditional online and offline ads into one cohesive approach.

The best example of this holistic approach to marketing is the launch of a Tesla Roadster into interplanetary space using a Falcon 9 Heavy rocket. The car was used as a ballast rather than sending a much more expensive payload (like a billion-dollar satellite) during the high-risk test. But much more than that, the launch was used as a showpiece for both SpaceX and Tesla.

Needless to say, everyone tuned into the 2018 launch. While rocket launches are fun to watch (let’s face it, as long as there are no people onboard everyone enjoys a good explosion), who cares about a test launch?

By using a Tesla promotional partnership, they made the launch sexy, memorable, and interesting. This offline event then led to thousands of blog posts, videos, articles, press releases, and pictures that were then shared millions of times online.

Transparent Business Development

The old adage “you only get one chance to make a first impression” isn’t necessarily true anymore. Since the internet has made all information more public than ever, both people and companies tend to be more forgiving than they used to be. Combine that with 20 years of fairly detailed information featured on millions of websites, and you have a modern view of “forgiveness” and therefore no reason to hide failure (or at least some failure).

SpaceX rockets go boom sometimes. Lovingly referred to as “rapid unintentional disassembly,” SpaceX has a history of public failures. Elon Musk’s objective to build reusable rockets required landing, and that didn’t always go to plan.

During development, failures included parachute testing failures, ocean test failure, drone-ship failures, and ground pad failures. All of these amounted to millions upon millions of dollars of sunk cost, and each failure was recorded and shared publicly. 

Most recently, SpaceX has been developing the SpaceX Starship. This ambitious project led to the securement of the $3 billion contract mentioned at the beginning of this article. Believe it or not, as of the writing of this article they haven’t successfully landed the thing at all! 

Prototypes SN8, SN9, SN10, and SN11 were all destroyed due to various failures. Even so, they won the bid. The fact that they have been rapidly, publicly developing their system may have had an enormous impact on the win.

How can this translate in your business? Rather than hiding developments (even failures) until after you believe your product/service is 100% complete, you could be using them as content for your ongoing marketing campaigns.

While the method of sharing the information will be largely dependent on your business types, you can expect to gain the following benefits by using this approach:

• Significant Content Generation Without Additional Resources
• Genuine Connection with Viewers Who Can Become Fans/Subscribers of the Process
• Ongoing Feedback from Potential Customers/Investors/Owners
• Enhanced Internal and External Communication Regarding Company Status
• Free Advertising Through Media Exposure and Coverage

Community Interaction & Advocacy

I’ve long been an advocate of encouraging rampant fans to get involved with brands. Not only do they consume your products and services, they can become marketing services in and of themselves.

Case in point, SpaceX has been consistently featured on YouTube channels dedicated to their ongoing operations and development. These channels have subscribers totaling in the millions and freely provide coverage. Here is a short list of them:

Scott Manley

SUBSCRIBERS: 1,250,000

Everyday Astronaut

SUBSCRIBERS: 974,000

LabPadre

SUBSCRIBERS: 177,000

Marcus House

SUBSCRIBERS: 302,000

Some businesses would shy away from this type of coverage because they can’t control the narrative. This is not the way to be a modern marketer. SpaceX has shown that inviting the community in can make all the difference in free coverage.

Elon Musk went as far as to invite Everyday Astronaut YouTube Channel owner Tim Dodd to interview him at the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica Texas. The video garnered 2.9 million views and over 127 thousand likes.

What led to this extraordinary level of free publicity, viewer interaction, and widespread awareness? Here are a few key aspects of SpaceX’s community management.

• Constant Interaction with Fans by Top-Level Executives via Social Media
• Encouragement of Information Sharing by Leaking Development Details
• Invitations and Interviews for High-Level Fans
• Free Sharing of Product Details via Website & Downloadable Materials
• Visitor Interaction Through Mostly Unattainable Public Quoting System (https://www.spacex.com/rideshare/)

Your Marketing in the 2020’s

You may be thinking to yourself, “Sure, a billion-dollar company can pull this off, but what about me?” 

The beauty of today’s marketing is that most methods are available to any company and most are fully scalable. To implement them doesn’t require more money, it requires more skills to execute effectively. Better yet, the more you do them, the more you’ll be capable of growing with them as they evolve over the 2020’s.

That’s where DigitalMarketer comes in. The first step to growth is knowledge, and you can start here.

The post It’s Just Marketing: You Can Stop Using the Word “Digital” Now appeared first on DigitalMarketer.