Although today no company understands its success without its presence on the Internet, the truth is that digital marketing was a complete stranger only a few decades ago. The 80s served to start the foundations of what would be the digital world that we know today. The main advance in those years was a tool known to all and that is none other than the personal computer. However, this type of marketing dates back to the 90s after the popularization of the Internet. We tell you the beginnings of digital marketing and its evolution to this day.
what is the digital marketing?
The world is getting faster and faster, it’s getting more and more connected and users are getting more and more demanding. For this reason, digital marketing has become essential for companies that want to succeed. There is no doubt that the Internet revolutionized the industry and marketing techniques had no choice but to transform to adapt to the world of connectivity.
In its early days, online marketing was based on 1.0 web pages and was nothing more than the transfer of advertising from traditional media to the first web pages. The companies totally controlled the message and limited themselves to exposing it to the audience. But soon the revolution came. A frenzy of technological development allowed the massive introduction of a higher level internet. Web 2.0 was born and, with it, the marketing 2.0. From that moment, it began to be possible for all users to share information easily thanks to social networks, forums or platforms. The Internet stopped being just a channel for seeking information to become a community.
In short, we can define digital marketing as any action carried out on the Internet to promote a brand or product. This involves the use of various online channels, such as web pages, social networks or email, in addition to real-time monitoring of the results. Currently, it is one of the main strategies for approaching and relating to potential customers.
The beginnings of digital marketing
In 1993 the arrival of a new invention opened the doors to a completely unknown universe: the Internet. Everything began to change from that moment on. And the way companies engaged with customers was no exception. Shortly after the Internet finally saw the light, the first digital communications between companies and users began to be established, through the email .
In addition, the first websites with a .com domain began to appear, in turn causing the birth of seekers such as Yahoo, Ask and a little later Google, to provide the user with easier access to the entire environment and information that had been collected on the Internet to date.
Likewise, before the arrival of 2,000 the world SEO entered the scene. The websites were already able to position themselves in the first positions of the search engines thanks to the optimization. And also in those years the concept of blogging .
Marketing 2.0 evolution in the 21st century
The evolution of marketing 2.0 was unstoppable. Already entered the 21st century, the first platforms appear that offer tools to make digital marketing more effective. We talk about the first services of Web Analytics and the first management systems paid advertising The most popular being those provided by Google.
Although, without a doubt, the arrival of social media like Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace in the first years of the new century it brings about the real change. This represents a before and after in the way in which communications between company and client are established. In addition, along with the consolidation of blogs, there is a change in focus that is much more personalized and more directed to the real needs of the client.
February 2005 is another date to keep in mind. This is when it arises Youtube, the most popular platform to share content in video format and completely free of charge. Companies soon discover their potential and do not take long to start publishing their first commercials, generating greater interaction and traffic, in terms of commercial content.
Evolution is constant over time and new social platforms appear such as Twitter or Amazon, one of the most relevant electronic businesses today. The content of the websites begins to be fundamental for companies and they realize that digital marketing is the best way to grab user attention and increase conversion .
In the last seven years and to this day, technological advances are crucial to allow the integration of new formats, such as 360º virtual videos. The sharing economy , with platforms like Bla Bla Car, Airbnb, Uber ,etc.
Digital Marketing Trends
As you have seen, from their beginnings of digital marketing it does not stop evolving. We review some of the trends that will be key for any company that wants to grow online.
- Storydoing: Brands no longer just pretend to be able to tell a story, now they want users to get involved so that they can live their own experience. You have to know what you want to tell, what you want to provoke in the users and what you want to achieve with this.
- The shoppable TV: After the revolution that streaming has had, the new trend that digital marketing will have is going to be buying through television. There are many formats that exist for this, and in the coming years the trend will increase.
- Programmatic advertising: The main advantage of this type of advertising is that instead of having to personalize each medium where you want to advertise, the purchase of these advertising spaces is automated through technology. It allows a brand to connect with the right consumer at the right time and in the right place by displaying related ads.
In all this time, Internet marketing has undergone a digital transformation, aimed at improving the customer experience and always providing extra value compared to the competition. This, together with the advancement of technologies, has led to more information for the client and more resources for companies, as far as the evolution of digital marketing is concerned.
