As of April’ 19, 56.1% of the world’s population has internet access which means around the world, nowadays the way one access information, communicate with one another and carry out our day-to-day chores, are increasingly taking place online. The demand for the digital marketing industry is exploding with a 40% growth rate while other industries are still struggling with a mere growth of 5 to 10%. Have you heard more than 20, 00,000 digital jobs have been predicted by 2023, so “digital marketing’’ is the need of the hour.
There is a hype around the world which is stirring most of the people to know ‘what is digital marketing?’ Why is everyone talking about it currently, we will answer all your queries here and tell you all that you need to know about digital marketing.
In India and across the globe, the term ‘digital marketing’ is not only topping the charts on the internet but also ranking first on print and tv media, thanks to the campaign ‘Digital India’, launched by the Government of India in order to ensure and provide the government services to the citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and by making the country digitally empowered in the field of technology.
So, let’s come straight to the major questions –
What is digital marketing? Why digital marketing is so relevant in the current scenario, or Why you should aim for a career in digital marketing? What are the main types/ components of digital marketing?Let’s start from understanding the basics of digital marketing and then, we can dive head into the types of digital marketing.
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Artificial intelligence and machine learning: These technologies are rapidly changing the way we live and work. Students who have skills in AI and machine learning will be well-positioned for success in the future.
Digital marketing: The world of marketing is increasingly digital, and students who have skills in digital marketing will be able to reach a wider audience and connect with potential customers.
Cloud computing: Cloud computing is a major trend in IT, and students who have skills in cloud computing will be able to work with some of the most cutting-edge technologies.
What is digital marketing?
The marketing of products or services through a variety of digital channels through search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc, social media (Facebook, twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc), email, and mobile applications to connect with current and prospective customers, refers to as digital marketing.
Why digital marketing matters or why is it so relevant in the current scenario?
The Digital 2019 report by HootSuite and We are Social reveals that the average internet user spends more than a quarter of their life online that is, on an average, a person spends 6 hours 42 mins each day by remaining online and mobile devices remain to be the most popular mode for connecting to the digital world. We are not very far from spending every waking hour on electronic devices soon and that’s why digital marketing is more important and significant than ever before.
Why you should aim for a career in digital marketing?
Do you know India’s unemployment rate rose from 6.71% in March’ 19 to 7.6% April’ 19, the highest since October’ 16, according to the data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Joblessness among educated, skilled individuals is rising sharply. Marks and degrees don’t guarantee placements in today’s world. India produces 15 lakh engineers for $2 trillion economy but nearly 80% of engineering graduates remain unemployed. With over half of the world’s population using the internet, it’s no wonder that the demand for highly skilled digital marketers is growing.
Digital marketing careers were almost non- existent ten years back. In fact, internet users in March’ 19 were 56.8% as compared to 23.8% in March’ 09. With the growing demand for digital marketing services, there are enormous opportunities for everyone be it marketing and advertising professionals, entrepreneurs, government service professionals, and students. Digital marketing is the shining beacon of hope that exploits your creativity and awards you with benefits that a 9-5 job has to offer. Digital marketing is the next big thing with almost every product and service taking the digital route to advertise. With the industry reaching new heights every day, there is a demand for innumerable intelligent and creative heads. And if you think you have the abilities,
Here are some reasons as to why you should secure your career in digital marketing:
Firstly, it challenges your creativity, that is, digital marketing agencies are in dire need of people who can think out of the box and whip out innovative ideas in a jiffy’s notice. My job is too monotonous and robotic, said marketer ever. Secondly, a place that welcomes everyone, that is, a digital marketing agency consists of a variety of people ranging from a web developer, graphic designer, social media executive to content writer, SEO expert.
Are you a social media addict who can’t sleep without engaging with the latest trends? Time to become a social media executive! Are you a voracious reader who is instilled with an undying passion for writing?
Get on board as a content writer. If you are strong in art, creativity is your life and Photoshop is your forte, then get ready to become a graphic designer, Digital marketing is a sector that is truly inclusive of a varied range of talent and specialities. Thirdly, digital marketing is here to stay, that is, men may come and men may go, but marketing stays on forever. Marketing or branding has never been out of business in history. As long as there are people consuming products, there will always be a need for marketing and advertising. Digital marketing has also emerged as one of the high paying sectors of the country. Fourthly, be a part of the digital revolution, that is, digital marketing has revolutionized marketing and advertising in today’s world. It has managed to uproot traditional marketing strategies and conquer the world. With more and more brands looking up to social media to SEO to propel their products into success, Digital Marketing is officially The Next Big Thing! Demand for digital marketing services is at an all-time high and the greatest obstacle to meet digital marketing demand is to acquire the proper skills. Lastly, work, play, eat, repeat, that is, one spends most of the day in their workplace and it is important to be in an optimistic environment that can catalyze your creative juices and help you achieve the best possible results.
Most of the Digital Marketing Agencies in India strive to maintain a healthy, casual work culture with flexible timings, super friendly and helpful seniors, informal dress code, fun environment where work seems like play, one never gets tired. So, to all the confused minds out there, digital marketing is an extensive field with endless opportunities and countless advantages. And the best thing about this line of profession is that you do not need a degree, or prior knowledge to make a career out of it. All one needs is a hint of ambition, a good amount of creativity and the capacity to learn and think differently. It’s time to dive our head into the types of digital marketing.
Types of digital marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) It is the process of growing your online visibility in non- paid (organic) search engine results. SERPs or search engine results pages appear to the user after they search for a given set of keywords using a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing. Different user receives different results page based on keywords, user’s location at the time of searching, and their browsing history. The channels that gain from SEO include websites, blogs, and infographics. SEO includes various factors from keywords within your content to links to your website around the web. There are a number of ways to approach SEO in order to get qualified traffic to your website.
Those include :
On page SEO
This refers to the steps you take on your own website to boost your SEO, by researching for keywords for their search volume and rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs)
Off page SEO
This refers to the relationships you make and the actions you take offline for your website to power SEO. The number of publishers that link to you, and the domain ‘authority’ of those publishers, affect how highly you rank for keywords that are valuable to you. By networking with other publishers, writing guest posts on their websites and linking back to your own website, and gaining external attention and you can earn the backlinks you need to rank your website higher on all the right SERPs.
Technical SEO
This type of SEO focuses on the backend of your website, how your pages are coded. Structured data, image compressing and CSS file optimization are all types of technical SEO that can increase your website’s loading page, an important ranking factor in front search engines like Google.
Search Engine Marketing or Pay Per Click (PPC)
It is a method of driving traffic to your website by paying the publisher every time your advertisement is clicked. One of the most common paid search platform is Google Ads, which enables you to pay for top slots on Google’s SERPs at a price ‘per click’.
Other channels where PPC can be included are :
Paid ads on Facebook
Twitter Ads campaigns
Sponsored messages on LinkedIn
Social Media Marketing In today’s scenario, social media is a crucial part of your marketing strategy. People use social media not only to watch videos and click selfies but also to find, research and make themselves aware of a brand before engaging with them. Social media gives you the freedom to connect with your customers in a more intimate way and from this interaction, you can acquire a customer’s valuable feedback that allows you to improve your service, product and so on. When you post quality content using social media you’ll gain more leads, increase brand awareness and drive traffic for your business.
The mediums you can use in social media marketing includes : Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Snapchat Pinterest
Content Marketing
This term refers to the quality piece of content, you deliver to your users for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic growth and lead generation, and customers. This content can be anywhere online be it blog posts, articles, eBooks, infographics, tweet, a YouTube video on your website all comprise content marketing. Keep your audience in mind as you create your content and always remember what your customers are interested in, that will dictate the subject of your content. Sales are not always the most important thing but engaging and educating your customers to build trust, equity, and recognition. Creating quality content and staying relevant helps you stand out and boosts your SEO.
Affiliate Marketing
It refers to the process of paying for conversions. It is a type of advertising where you receive a commission for promoting someone else’s products or services on your website. Many e-commerce websites and bloggers use affiliate marketing.
Email Marketing
It allows you to update your email subscribers about your company on a regular basis. This creates a relationship unlike any other type of digital marketing. If your email provides value to your subscribers you gain brand trust and brand loyalty, as a result. It can be used to promote content, event, discount, as well as to direct people towards the business’s website.
Influencer Marketing
It is among the newer types of digital marketing. Influencer marketing uses people with an extensive online reach to advertise their products or services to drive traffic and sales to them. It is very popular on social media channels such as Instagram and Snapchat. Instagrammers with large followings are hired by companies to promote their brand by posting a few photos with their product. Companies now hire influencers where they take over the company’s Instagram or Snapchat accounts for a day to drive the influencer’s following to the company’s channels.
Mobile Web Marketing/ Mobile Phone Advertising
As smart phones are turning out to be an inevitable part of our lives, it is important for advertisers to convey their ads conveniently. From SMS to MMS to applications, there are various methods to channelize effective mobile marketing. This SMS advertising can prove to be an asset for local reach and can prompt your customers to use SMS to receive coupons, updates and special offers from your company.
Digital PR
It is the method of securing online coverage with digital publications such as blogs and other content based websites. It’s almost like traditional PR but in the online arena. The channels you can use to maximize your PR practices are :
Engaging with online reviews of your company
Engaging comments on your personal blog or website
Developing a relationship with the press using social media
Offline Digital Marketing
Digital marketing strategy is not accomplished with online digital marketing alone but one should consider and execute some type of Offline marketing to reach their goals. Radio marketing, television marketing, and phone marketing fall in the category of offline digital marketing.
Clear Your Doubts
The top digital marketing courses to pursue are SEO, Content Marketing, Pay Per Click, and Social Media Marketing. The need for SEO specialists and content marketers continues to grow, and so does that for PPC ads and social media marketers.
"Yes, you can get a Google-certified digital marketing course that is recognized all around the world. You can work in the fields of SEO, social media, and Google Ads after receiving the certificate. "