An advertising campaign or any sales strategy will not reach its full potential for success if it is not accompanied by a good digital strategy. For this reason, we invite you to read this article on what digital marketing is and what it does for brands.
Looking back to 1995, digital marketing was just a glimmer of light, as only a small canada mobile number portion of the world's population used the Internet. But all this changed with the rapid expansion and popularization of the network of networks .
According to data published by the World Bank , Internet use in Latin America continues to grow and the percentage of users is approaching 80% of the population.
In this increasingly connected world where online communication is here to stay, it is practically mandatory for companies and professionals to master the concepts of digital marketing.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the set of strategies and actions carried out on the Internet to support the marketing of a brand or product. Its objectives are to attract the public, convert them into customers and build loyalty through digital channels.
Some elements developed by digital marketing to achieve this are SEO optimization, online advertising (SEM), email marketing, presence on social networks, content marketing, influencer and mobile marketing, and e-commerce.
Origin of Digital Marketing
In the 1990s, the first version of the Internet reached the general public. The version known today as Web 1.0 was different from the one we use in 2023. For example, users were limited to simple searches, as they did not have the option to interact.
You can compare this version to a reference library, but with little or no opportunity for feedback from you. Previously, users were passive consumers of content.
In this context, digital marketing came into being, looking very much like its parent, traditional marketing based on unilateral communication (company-consumer).
In 1993, Internet users began to have the ability to interact with advertisers on the web. For example, they could click on an advertisement. However, it was not until the 2000s that digital marketing began to take its current form.
Digital Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing
In the era of Web 2.0, communication has evolved. Technology has made it possible for anyone to create and publish content on the Internet.
Social media has enabled unprecedented interaction between people and online content. In this context, digital marketing emerged as a new way to reach consumers .
Web 2.0 opened the doors to direct interaction between companies and the public. Traditional marketing, focused on delivering one-way messages through television, radio or the press, found itself at a disadvantage when faced with the possibilities of digital media.
It is not by chance that traditional media entered the digital world, but it is part of their strategy to remain part of the lives of millions of consumers.
If we compare both types of marketing, digital marketing has advantages, such as the possibility of measuring indicators in real time, focusing its reach on the target audience, personalizing messages, optimizing resources and quickly adapting to changes.
Although traditional media was very effective for years, they have now migrated to the digital world to maintain and improve the connection with their consumers.
Web 3.0, Web 4.0… The Internet continues to advance and its updates generally seek to provide the best experience to the public, so knowing it and connecting with people will continue to be a pillar of digital marketing.
Startups and solopreneurs, for example, can benefit greatly from digital marketing, as it doesn't require a huge budget. But it's not just about its lower cost.
Digital marketing is useful not only to get noticed and sell, but to engage with the public and cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship.
For this reason, from small entrepreneurs to the most recognized companies, they use platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Thanks to digital marketing, it is easier for any company to expand its market from local to national, and even internationalize, with minimal communication investments.
Digital Marketing Basics
To understand digital marketing, you need to understand some basic terms. We present them to you below.