In 2021, Digital Marketing is a bigger industry than ever. In the wake of the pandemic as millions of businesses have moved online, digital marketing is the tool that separates the wheat from the chaff, giving businesses the edge they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive online marketplace.
Any organization regardless of size type or location needs to be continually adapting and developing its digital strategy to ensure that they stay relevant and are able to reach and locate its consumers. With daily updates and changes in trends, it’s virtually impossible for every business to both run their operation and keep up to date with the latest in digital marketing. That’s where digital marketers, like us here at VCS, come in. We are the experts whose knowledge can be leveraged to your advantage. Being able to work with the current trends may also prove vital in achieving online marketing success.
The History of Digital Marketing
The term Digital Marketing was first used in the 1990s. The Web 1.0 platform allowed users to find the information they wanted but did not allow them to share this information over the web. Up until then, marketers worldwide were still unsure of the digital platform. In 1993, the first clickable banner went live, after which HotWired purchased a few banner ads for their advertising. This marked the beginning of the transition to the digital era of marketing. Because of this gradual shift, the year 1994 saw new technologies enter the digital marketplace. The very same year, Yahoo was launched, receiving close to 1 million hits within the first year. This prompted wholesale changes in the digital marketing space, with companies optimizing their websites to pull in higher search engine rankings.
Over the years users began to interact with other users and businesses. Labels like ‘super information highway’ began to be applied to the internet. As a result, information flow volumes –including channels utilized by digital marketers- increased manifold, and by 2004, internet advertising and marketing in the US alone brought in around $2.9 billion.
Products marketed digitally are now available to customers at all times. Statistics show that posting on social media is the top online activity in the US. The average American spends 37 minutes a day on social media. 99% of digital marketers use Facebook to market, 97% use Twitter, 69% use Pinterest and 59% use Instagram. 70% of B2C marketers have acquired customers through Facebook. 67% of Twitter users are far more likely to buy from brands that they follow on Twitter. 83.8% of luxury brands have a presence on Pinterest. The top three social networking sites used by marketers are LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Why Digital Marketing?
It’s almost impossible to survive in this mobile and internet age where digitalization has taken over in almost all fields. It is impossible for a business to succeed without digital marketing services, irrespective of its size. In fact, smaller businesses need digital marketing strategies in order to gain visibility and even grow faster.
Without the best and current digital marketing strategy, your business may end up losing to its opponents. This will bring about the lack of potential sales and as well as online sales opportunities.
What do Digital Marketers Do?
Digital marketers offer a wide variety of services that span the breadth of available interactions on the internet. To sum up, however, there are the most commonly offered services:
Marketing
Digital marketing services include conception, management, and maintenance of everything from one-off to full-service marketing campaigns. Agencies will offer expert services for B2B, B2C, and eCommerce businesses.
Here at VCS, we look at your company as a whole to pinpoint the solution your brand needs. Marketing is a crucial element of any brand strategy, and here at VCS, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Partner with us to tailor a winning strategy for your business. With a demonstrated history of client achievement, our strategies are proven to work. Partner with an agency that gets your business results- simple as that.
Website Design
Web design refers to the design of websites that are displayed on the internet. It usually refers to the user experience aspects of website development rather than software development.
A web designer works on the appearance, layout, and content of a website. Appearance, for instance, relates to the colors, font, and images used. Layout refers to how information is structured and categorized. A good web design is easy to use, aesthetically pleasing and suits the user group and brand of the website. Many web pages are designed with a focus on simplicity so that no extraneous information and functionality that might distract or confuse users appears. As the keystone of a web designer’s output is a site that wins and fosters the trust of the target audience, removing as many potential points of user frustration as possible is a critical consideration.
SEO
SEO services are services typically offered by an SEO agency that helps your company succeed in search engine optimization. With SEO, your business wants to increase its visibility in search results on search engines like Google and Bing. You specifically focus on search results related to your company, products, services, or industry.
Other popular services offered by digital marketers are Social Media Management, eCommerce as well as hosting and maintenance of websites. To learn more about these services and what exactly is offered, head over to our services page to learn more.
Digital Marketing is the tool set that can and will allow your business to succeed. Get in touch with one of our consultants to discuss your digital marketing strategy and get started with a free 30-minute call to discuss your business’s digital marketing needs.
