Digital Marketing is the marketing of products and services through the use of digital devices. It is a powerful tool for companies to build their brand image and reach out to their customers. People spend a considerable part of their waking life online, with research suggesting that individuals spend an average 11 hours each day on their electronic devices. Digital marketing is an ideal means to reach such a captive audience.

Types of Digital Marketing

There are two types of digital marketing, viz. pull digital marketing and push digital marketing.  Pull digital marketing, also known as inbound marketing, encourages the consumers to visit the business. Websites are an example of pull digital marketing. Push digital marketing or outbound marketing conveys marketing information directly to the customers, as evinced in the case of SMS and email.

Trends in Digital Marketing

Video: Videos are ideal marketing tools as people love to watch videos on the internet. Videos are gaining immense popularity due to the proliferation of video streaming sites such as YouTube and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Mobile: Mobile is a huge media platform in contemporary times, given the fact that the mobile phone has moved beyond its humble origins to become an all-encompassing device in today’s society. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of maximizing the online visibility of websites and content in search results on Google and other search engines. These search engines determine the free traffic that appears in a search result. 

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM refers to the paid traffic that is generated from search engines. Google Adwords is the commonest search engine marketing as Google is used to the maximum extent.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

PPC advertising is a marketing method wherein the marketers pay for each click on a website link. PPC ads are common across search engines and social networks and appear in the feed of the targeted social media users.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the building and nurturing of relationships by sending regular email updates. Interactive emails facilitate a direct access to emails without the need to open another page, making it possible for customers to add items to their purchase carts and perform other functions right from their inboxes. 

Future of Digital Marketing

AI

AI is primed to make a mark in digital marketing by means of voice and face recognition, and digital assistants. Chatbots are set to become tools of choice for digital marketers to engage in real conversations with their consumers. Facebook is already developing a bot to integrate into its messaging service and others are likely to follow suit.

Personal Digital Assistants

Think AI-driven personal assistants, and Alexa and Google Assistant spring to mind. These assistants allow companies to connect with people on a 24/7 basis, and these will only become more sophisticated and replicated in the course of time. 

Digital is truly ubiquitous in every walk of life. It is to the credit of many brick-and-mortar businesses that far from being impervious to the winds of change, they are taking to the digital world with gusto by seeking the help of digital agencies.