History of the Internet and Digital Marketing
The internet is something that we take for granted as the majority of us cannot remember the way things were prior to its existence! Since the inception of the World Wide Web in 1989 by Tim Berners Lee; the internet and the world of technology has seen a dramatic change. In 1990, just 0.5 percent of the world's population had access to the internet. Now, there are 4.33 billion Internet users which amounts to a global internet percentage of 59%, with people online for everything from watching videos, find details, search for new recipes, download audiobooks, and writing review and purchasing new clothes and food items. A majority of people consume digital content on a daily or daily basis. Digital marketing can be able to reach large and specific viewers.
The Digital Marketing Institute refers to digital marketing as "the usage of electronic channels in order to promote or market products or services to specific consumers and companies.'
There is a debate about the date when digital marketing 'began when email in its initial form began in 1965. However, the invention online is with no doubt the biggest technological advancement that has shaped digital marketing as well as its future.
To commemorate National Internet Day which takes every year on the 29 day of October In celebration of National Internet Day, we look back at the development of internet technology and the way that digital marketing has changed over time.
The Invention of the Internet
While Tim Berners Lee is the most well-known person related to the creation of the Internet, there were others who were in the process. While the term "internet" was created in the year 1990, the initial prototype for the internet actually began in the 1960s, through the development of ARPAnet which utilized packet switching, which allowed several messages to be transmitted through a single server. Technology continues to expand and evolve, with a system of networks created in 1983 which helped shape the present-day internet. Tim Berners Lee actually invented the World Wide Web in 1990 and rather than the Internet. The internet did however help popularize the internet and shaped the future of our lives and shaping in the present.
We can't forget this pivotal moment in the history of marketing via digital media; the advent of the cookie. A tiny text tile that is created by a site that allows it to recognize the user's actions throughout the session. The information gathered from these cookies was used to study consumer behavior, and gave us insights into how businesses can be able to better market and reach their consumers.
History of Search Engines and SEO
One of the first engines to pop on the scene was Archie and it was back in the year 1990. In contrast from the search engines we use nowadays, Archie searched File Protocol Sites (FTPs) to build an index of files that could be downloaded. It wasn't until 1994 that Yahoo was introduced to the scene, with WebCrawler shortly after (or AOL as it is now) when it was acquired by the company in the year 1995. It wasn't until 1998 when the most popular search engines like MSN and the famous Google began to be introduced, with the first person to search Google to be Gerhard Casper.
Search engines provide a range of possibilities for those seeking to buy an item or an answer to a query. They're the perfect source to turn to when you're looking for answers. In the beginning the process of having your site be listed on search engine results pages was pretty straightforward. With very little competition on internet, it was relatively easy to rank for your desired phrases through overstuffed keywords as well as excessive tagging and purchasing backlinks that included spam. Today, there's a range of sophisticated algorithms used together with a myriad of ranking factors which determine which pages or contents will be ranked. It wasn't until 2006 that the number of users using search engines saw an actual increase with 6.4 billion users in a single month.
Today, search results pages give users the most comprehensive knowledge and details and information. Google trying to provide the most appropriate answer and information to the query of the user and the reason behind it. There are 3.6 billion searches occurring each day on Google the users are expected to get answers to all the questions they'll need, be it review or directions. The way that people search continues to change, while searches have become more lengthy and more complicated. In the last couple of years, search results that focus on the top have increased by more than 50% while local searches that do not include near me have grown faster than similar searches that incorporate near me, as users are expecting Google to show them locations that are close to their geo-location.
Today, search engine result pages are filled with everything from paid advertisements organic results, highlighted fragments, map results including news stories, images answer boxes videos knowledge panels, podcasts and more! To be successful in SEO today, digital marketers must be more efficient and put clearly defined strategies in the right place.
Paid Advertising Developments
In the early days advertising on the web was similar to an online directory. You could put your company's name on the directory for a fee to show up in the search results. It wasn't until 2005 that paid-for advertising began to take off after the introduction of the Google Advertising Professional programme. Facebook and LinkedIn have adopted the same model in 2005, however it wasn't until the years 2010 and 2012 the time that Twitter and Instagram each offered pay-per-click advertisement possibilities on their respective platforms. Beginning in 2020, Whatsapp, a messaging application Whatsapp will also attempt to get a piece of the pie, offering businesses the ability to advertise through the app and another channel which can be used to communicate with your customers.
The most prominent digital advertising company is Google with a whopping 70% market share. Amazon second with 12.9 percent of the total digital advertising budgets going to Google. Google continues to change and grow in the future and is expected to continue to evolve and develop with machine-learning and automation expands. Automating paid advertising lets businesses and digital marketers to connect with their customers faster and more efficiently than manual processes. It is thought that it will help us to be more efficient since routine tasks can be automated. Google's automated capabilities comprise smart bidding as well as smart creatives with more than 50% of Google investment being made through a fully automated bidding process, while smart creatives enable greater personalization throughout the entire customer journey.
The Rise of Inbound Marketing
We can't write a post on the evolution and historical background of digital marketing, without mentioning the concept of inbound marketing. Before the advent of the internet in the 50s and 60s marketers began to collect data (research) about their clients' patterns, interests and preferences, which allowed customers to be more engaged throughout the buying process. This was when the concept of inbound marketing began to form. The days of marketers would have to cold call their customers to garner their attention. The approach to Inbound Marketing is a customer-centric approach and has is beginning to take shape.
The rapid growth of Inbound Marketing is due to the internet in significant extent in conjunction with other channels on the internet where content can be distributed to potential customers and clients in a more gentle manner - encouraging customers instead of pushing customers to take advantage of the service of a company or buy an item. The year 2004 was the first, that Hubspot was established with Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah and David Meerman Scott with the platform that enables businesses to treat their customers like individuals rather than numbers and names of an inventory.
In the end the approach to inbound marketing lets businesses provide informative content to their customers at various stages of their buyer's path. This method allows customers to go across the funnel, or flywheel to ensure that they receive the most personalized and relevant experience they can get. A recent study suggests that this method is 62% cheaper than traditional channels for marketing and generates triple the amount of leads.
Acceleration of E-commerce
Another area that is growing rapidly is online shopping. Prior to the advent online, people could visit local stores to shop. Online shopping has provided consumers with greater options in the way we shop. With consumers seeking out products faster than ever before, and with more options than ever before. In recent years, a few e-commerce stores offer same-day delivery. Companies have to adapt to this change and make sure that shopping online is as easy and as smooth as it can be. There are some indications that the first online transaction occurred more than 40 years ago, the first authentic online transaction took place in 1994, when the company sold of the Sting CD. Amazon and Ebay begin their launch shortly after in 1995, and PayPal launched in 1998, making it much easier for consumers to buy online. The advent of the internet and the development of mobile payment processors, as well as paid ads through social and search has allowed e-commerce to expand at a rapid rate. It's estimated that by 2021 the number of digital buyers will reach 2.14 billion buyers of digital goods around the world.
When they shop online these days, shoppers shop on different channels and utilize different devices prior to making purchases. To win business, organizations must be attentive to this and develop an omnichannel approach that makes the buying experience seamless across offline and online channels.
Development of Social Media
Social media came into the spotlight around 2003. It opened new ways that businesses can reach their customers and influencing how we interact with each other in the online world. The moment that MySpace and Facebook became available in 2003 and 2004 respectively, it was the beginning of a new era in digital. Social media enabled people to interact to businesses, and allowed users to be active participants using their voice, and even create content that users created.
These platforms have been utilized by over two-thirds of Internet users, and with Facebook and Youtube being the main players in this market , with Facebook with 2.6 billion people and Youtube with 1.9 billion active users. Generation X and millennials Gen X generation are most likely to utilize social media, and with it being difficult to stand out from the crowd of social media, it's crucial to know how users utilize these platforms in order trying to reach out to audiences via social. It was a latecomer in 2010, but Instagram has continued to increase in popularity in recent years, with one billion users who use the platform each month, with more users using Instagram for relevant and easy-to-access content, such as videos.
Video Marketing
It is impossible to write a blog about digital marketing trends without mentioning videos. In a world where 50% of people looking to watch more videos for businesses and brands, understanding the importance of this channel. Videos are highly engaging and can help brands provide information and information in a straightforward to digest way. It was introduced in 2005. Youtube is now the second largest social media platform, demonstrating how vital it is for companies to include video content in their marketing strategy in order to reach customers and to know where they're. Businesses that use video content see an increase of 41% in traffic, while the 92% mobile users who enjoy watching videos continue to share the videos with their friends.
In 2020 (which is right around in the future) it is predicted that by 2020 80percent of companies are creating and using videos in their marketing strategies. If you're a digital marketing professional be sure to stay in the forefront of technology by using these video marketing best practices.
The Future of Digital Marketing
Although there are some key moments in the history of digital marketing and the internet that were not covered in this article It is easy to observe that digital marketing, technology, and the internet have progressed a lot since 1990 , and continues to develop each day as we witness the development of machines learning, automation, artificial intelligence, and conversational marketing to mention just some strategies.
