Digital marketing is a part of marketing that uses digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media platforms to promote products and services.
It has greatly changed how brands and businesses use technology for marketing since the 1990s and 2000s. As digital platforms became more included in marketing plans and daily life, and as people increasingly used digital devices instead of visiting physical stores, digital marketing campaigns have become more common, using combinations of methods. These methods include search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, campaign marketing, data-based marketing, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, email direct marketing, display advertising, e-books, optical disks, and games. Digital marketing also extends to non-internet channels that provide digital media, such as television, mobile phones (SMS and MMS), callbacks, and on-hold mobile ringtones.
The use of non-internet channels separates digital marketing from online marketing.
History
Digital marketing effectively started in 1990 when the Archie search engine was created as an index for FTP sites. During the 1980s, the storage capacity of computers had already become large enough to store big amounts of customer information. As a result, companies started choosing online methods such as database marketing instead of relying on limited list brokers. These databases allowed companies to track customers' information more efficiently, changing the relationship between buyers and sellers.
In the 1990s, the term digital marketing was introduced. The first clickable banner ad, the "You Will" campaign by AT&T, launched in 1994. Within the first four months, 44% of all people who viewed the advertisement clicked on it. Early digital marketing efforts mainly focused on simple HTML websites and the growing practice of email marketing, which enabled direct communication with consumers.
In the 2000s, with increasing numbers of internet users and the introduction of the iPhone, customers began searching for products and making decisions online instead of consulting a salesperson, which created a new challenge for the marketing department of a company. Additionally, a survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2000 showed that most retailers had not yet registered their own domain names. These challenges encouraged marketers to find new ways to integrate digital technology into marketing strategies. At the same time, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, introduced by Google AdWords in 2000, allowed businesses to target specific keywords, making digital marketing more measurable and cost-effective.
The mid-2000s saw the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), and Twitter (2006). These platforms changed digital marketing by allowing direct and interactive engagement with consumers. In 2007, marketing automation was introduced as a response to the rapidly changing marketing environment. Marketing automation is the process where software is used to automate traditional marketing activities. It helps companies to segment customers, launch multichannel marketing campaigns, and provide personalized information for customers based on their specific activities. In this way, users' activity (or lack of activity) triggers a personal message that is customized to the user on their preferred platform. However, despite the benefits of marketing automation, many companies are still struggling to use it properly in daily operations.
Digital marketing became more advanced during the 2000s and 2010s, when the increase of devices capable of accessing digital media led to rapid growth. Statistics produced in 2012 and 2013 showed that digital marketing continued to grow strongly. With the development of social media in the 2000s, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, consumers became highly dependent on digital devices in their daily lives. Therefore, they expected a smooth user experience across different channels when searching for product information. This change in customer behavior improved the variety of marketing technology.
Digital media growth was estimated at 4.5 trillion online ads served yearly, with digital media spending increasing by 48% in 2010. A growing portion of advertising comes from businesses using Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) to customize ads for internet users, but OBA raises concerns about consumer privacy and data protection.
Non-linear marketing approach
Nonlinear marketing, a type of interactive marketing, is a long-term marketing approach that is based on businesses collecting information about an internet user's online activities and trying to be visible in multiple areas.
Unlike traditional marketing techniques, which involve direct, one-way messaging to consumers (through print, television, and radio advertising), nonlinear digital marketing strategies focus on reaching potential customers across multiple online channels.
Combined with higher consumer knowledge and the demand for more advanced offerings, this change has forced many businesses to rethink their outreach strategy and adopt or include omnichannel, nonlinear marketing techniques to maintain proper brand exposure, engagement, and reach.
Nonlinear marketing strategies involve adapting the advertising to different platforms and tailoring the ads to different individual buyers instead of a large general audience. Some studies show that consumer responses to traditional marketing approaches are becoming less predictable for businesses. Research shows that many online consumers study products and brands online before visiting stores or making purchases. It is also estimated that more than half of consumers research products on social media. Businesses often rely on individuals showing their products positively on social media and may adjust their marketing strategy to target people with large followings to generate such responses. In this way, businesses can use consumers to promote their products or services, reducing company costs.
Brand awareness
One of the main goals of modern digital marketing is to increase brand awareness, which is the level to which customers and the public recognize and are familiar with a specific brand.
Improving brand awareness is important in digital marketing, and marketing in general, because it affects brand perception and consumer decision-making. Brand awareness is often seen as a key factor in buying decisions, as it represents the main reason for including a brand in the consideration set. It can also influence how consumers assess risk and their confidence in purchase decisions due to familiarity with the brand and its features.
Recent trends show that businesses and digital marketers are focusing more on brand awareness, giving more importance to building brand recognition and recall than in previous years. Studies show that a large number of marketers have worked on improving brand recognition, and many now believe that increasing brand awareness is more important than directly increasing sales.
Increasing brand awareness is a focus of digital marketing strategy for several reasons:
- Growth of online shopping, with more people using the internet to search, compare, and buy products
- The influence of digital interaction on customer behavior
- Preference for familiar brands when making decisions
- The growing impact and use of social media, where users follow and interact with brands
Online methods used to build brand awareness
Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO techniques are used to improve the visibility of business websites and brand-related content for common search queries. Its importance is linked with the growing impact of search results and features like snippets and local SEO on customer behavior.
Search engine marketing (SEM)
SEM, also called PPC advertising, involves buying ad space in visible positions on search results pages and websites. Search ads have a positive effect on brand recognition, awareness, and conversions.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is known for continuous interaction with consumers, focusing on content creation and engagement. It includes real-time monitoring, analysis, and management of marketing activities using tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social, allowing marketers to adjust strategies based on feedback.
Content marketing
Content marketing focuses on personalized content such as blogs, articles, videos, and social media posts to improve brand recall and engagement.
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