Today marks 10 years that LionShark Digital Marketing has been in business (great job team!), and during that time we have seen significant shifts in the digital marketing space.
Where are we now and what does that mean for your online marketing?
Where are we now and what does that mean for your online marketing?
We’re going to provide a high-level overview to answer those questions.
How Did We Get Here?
Like any other industry, a steady march of progress forward was interrupted by what can only be described as a full sprint ahead when the pandemic hit. But that rapid change was only an acceleration of what was already underway and what has continued to evolve naturally since. So, for as much as that period affected the digital marketing world at large, the biggest leaps forward we have seen have happened organically as the way people use the internet has changed incrementally over time.
The changes in digital marketing strategy and methodology over the last decade can be broadly credited to advancements in technology, a widespread global innovation mindset, and shifts in user expectations. These have combined to create ripples of change across how companies get found, what kinds of messaging they are expected to offer, how they communicate, where shopping occurs, what a referral looks like, how customers receive products, and virtually every other aspect of every customer touchpoint along the way.
Okay, okay, so everything’s changed. But what has changed the most in digital marketing?
The 6 Biggest Changes
An Explosion of Content
Billions of pieces of new content are created every day, a number that continues to grow year-over-year. And over the last decade, video has continued to carve out a larger and larger share of that content pie. The last decade has seen an absolute explosion of content, spearheaded by the prevalence of social media posts, videos, blog articles, email marketing, and podcasts.
These days, if you’re not in the content game, you’re way behind. But if you’re in the bad content game, you’re even further behind. To do content well, you need to create something of value for your audience that will stand out in the ever-increasing white noise of the content landscape.
Increasing Paid Search Costs
Paid search (pay-per-click or PPC) used to be available to advertisers of all sizes (although, like most other marketing approaches, larger advertisers clearly had the upper hand). As PPC rates have continued to climb, the little guys have largely been squeezed out. While the barrier to entry remains low, the ongoing cost required to keep ads running regularly and bringing in qualified leads is often too high for smaller advertisers to be competitive.
So, while PPC was once pitched as the cost-effective marketing alternative for small businesses looking to compete with their larger, better-optimized competitors, SEO (search engine optimization) has become far more appealing to smaller businesses these days than ever before.
SEO Becoming More Logical and Less Magical
Thanks to Google’s ongoing algorithm changes SEO has become far less mystical than it was a decade ago. (I never thought I’d be thankful to Google for messing with search results but look at me now!) A decade or two ago excelling at the organic search game meant having a team of marketers that were going to keep up with every nuanced Google change to look for opportunities to game the system by using Google’s own preferences and policies against itself. However, Google’s algorithm updates are typically more logical now, aiming to prioritize unique, well-written, long-form content over the junk it’s swimming in, somewhat leveling the playing field between small companies and big business. As a result, SEO these days is more about doing the right things right and less about playing the game like a well-studied master.
Having the right talent on your team is still always going to be incredibly important, but it’s not the “be all end all” anymore because you don’t need a secret playbook to win. Anyone can produce quality content if they have the time and skills needed to succeed at doing so.
The Rise of Data Analytics
Of course, as the business landscape has gotten more competitive and the cost of online marketing has continued to rise across the board (either in the case of PPC rates or in the case of labor rates to employ skilled digital marketers, or both!) knowing what the return is on your investment has become even more important. Enter data analytics!
Now, data analytics is by no means new. But what is new is the fact that over the last decade there is now data analytics built into everything! Every marketing platform for every kind of marketing function has analytics embedded, and the kind of data tracking and analysis it offers isn’t anything to write off. In many cases, the tracking and reporting that marketing platforms use these days is a simplified version of the same functionality that larger dedicated data analytics and visualization platforms can provide. Why? Because it’s often powered by the big names in data and just white labeled for the companies utilizing its brain to expand their own offerings. As a result, the best marketers will have a significant degree of tech savvy when it comes to utilizing these types of data tools because they are now an integral part of their roles.
A True Omnichannel Experience
A decade ago, “omnichannel” was a hot buzz word to describe the way consumers could take various purchase steps across multiple channels as a part of their buying journey. But, back then, when marketers used it what they really meant was that some parts of the buying process could occur in one place while others could occur elsewhere. For instance, research might happen online and then the purchase was made in-store or research could happen on the company’s website and then the purchase could occur through a reseller site like Amazon. Subsequently, companies looking to master omnichannel needed to have a presence spanning all these touchpoints, aligning their efforts across them all. But these days, omnichannel encompasses the vast array of nonlinear touchpoints that occur before, during, and after a sale.
A modern digital marketing approach must account for various channels simultaneously, aligning their capabilities with the company’s messaging to weave otherwise disparate elements into one cohesive strategy seamlessly. The astronomical challenge posed here is one reason why so many companies are leaning so heavily on AI integrations in their digital marketing approaches.
The Pervasiveness of AII
If you had told me ten years ago that AI would be responsible for today’s biggest leaps in finance, HR, and law, I never would have believed you. Nor could I have fathomed that it could produce songs, create art, or write as well as today’s college students. And yet, here we are! As AI continues to take the world by storm it’s hard to remember that we are still in the earliest of days with its capabilities. AI functionality is going to continue to grow more powerful and demonstrate greater utility across all marketing functions to help businesses achieve their goals.
Key Takeaways
Thinking about how digital marketing has changed over the last decade may be a little overwhelming for companies that just don’t have the resources to stay on top of every new trend. But the important thing to remember is that while the landscape will always be in flux, the foundational elements will remain essential no matter what changes around them.
It will always be important to connect authentically with your audience to build connection, rally around an offering that people can’t help but to love, and listen to the feedback you receive along the way. These truly are the keys to success, and regardless of what the marketing look like to support them, these will never become unimportant. When you need to make tough decisions about where to spend budget dollars or devote manhours, prioritize the activities and avenues that will best support these key principles.
When you need a digital marketing company to oversee your content strategy, please reach out to us! We have extensive experience implementing and overseeing SEO efforts, creating and promoting optimized content, and aligning sales and marketing efforts across organizations in many different verticals. Let us put our expertise to work for you! Find out more today about what we can offer and start a conversation around what working together might look like!
Like any other industry, a steady march of progress forward was interrupted by what can only be described as a full sprint ahead when the pandemic hit. But that rapid change was only an acceleration of what was already underway and what has continued to evolve naturally since. So, for as much as that period affected the digital marketing world at large, the biggest leaps forward we have seen have happened organically as the way people use the internet has changed incrementally over time.
The changes in digital marketing strategy and methodology over the last decade can be broadly credited to advancements in technology, a widespread global innovation mindset, and shifts in user expectations. These have combined to create ripples of change across how companies get found, what kinds of messaging they are expected to offer, how they communicate, where shopping occurs, what a referral looks like, how customers receive products, and virtually every other aspect of every customer touchpoint along the way.
Okay, okay, so everything’s changed. But what has changed the most in digital marketing?
The 6 Biggest Changes
An Explosion of Content
Billions of pieces of new content are created every day, a number that continues to grow year-over-year. And over the last decade, video has continued to carve out a larger and larger share of that content pie. The last decade has seen an absolute explosion of content, spearheaded by the prevalence of social media posts, videos, blog articles, email marketing, and podcasts.
These days, if you’re not in the content game, you’re way behind. But if you’re in the bad content game, you’re even further behind. To do content well, you need to create something of value for your audience that will stand out in the ever-increasing white noise of the content landscape.
Increasing Paid Search Costs
Paid search (pay-per-click or PPC) used to be available to advertisers of all sizes (although, like most other marketing approaches, larger advertisers clearly had the upper hand). As PPC rates have continued to climb, the little guys have largely been squeezed out. While the barrier to entry remains low, the ongoing cost required to keep ads running regularly and bringing in qualified leads is often too high for smaller advertisers to be competitive.
So, while PPC was once pitched as the cost-effective marketing alternative for small businesses looking to compete with their larger, better-optimized competitors, SEO (search engine optimization) has become far more appealing to smaller businesses these days than ever before.
SEO Becoming More Logical and Less Magical
Thanks to Google’s ongoing algorithm changes SEO has become far less mystical than it was a decade ago. (I never thought I’d be thankful to Google for messing with search results but look at me now!) A decade or two ago excelling at the organic search game meant having a team of marketers that were going to keep up with every nuanced Google change to look for opportunities to game the system by using Google’s own preferences and policies against itself. However, Google’s algorithm updates are typically more logical now, aiming to prioritize unique, well-written, long-form content over the junk it’s swimming in, somewhat leveling the playing field between small companies and big business. As a result, SEO these days is more about doing the right things right and less about playing the game like a well-studied master.
Having the right talent on your team is still always going to be incredibly important, but it’s not the “be all end all” anymore because you don’t need a secret playbook to win. Anyone can produce quality content if they have the time and skills needed to succeed at doing so.
The Rise of Data Analytics
Of course, as the business landscape has gotten more competitive and the cost of online marketing has continued to rise across the board (either in the case of PPC rates or in the case of labor rates to employ skilled digital marketers, or both!) knowing what the return is on your investment has become even more important. Enter data analytics!
Now, data analytics is by no means new. But what is new is the fact that over the last decade there is now data analytics built into everything! Every marketing platform for every kind of marketing function has analytics embedded, and the kind of data tracking and analysis it offers isn’t anything to write off. In many cases, the tracking and reporting that marketing platforms use these days is a simplified version of the same functionality that larger dedicated data analytics and visualization platforms can provide. Why? Because it’s often powered by the big names in data and just white labeled for the companies utilizing its brain to expand their own offerings. As a result, the best marketers will have a significant degree of tech savvy when it comes to utilizing these types of data tools because they are now an integral part of their roles.
A True Omnichannel Experience
A decade ago, “omnichannel” was a hot buzz word to describe the way consumers could take various purchase steps across multiple channels as a part of their buying journey. But, back then, when marketers used it what they really meant was that some parts of the buying process could occur in one place while others could occur elsewhere. For instance, research might happen online and then the purchase was made in-store or research could happen on the company’s website and then the purchase could occur through a reseller site like Amazon. Subsequently, companies looking to master omnichannel needed to have a presence spanning all these touchpoints, aligning their efforts across them all. But these days, omnichannel encompasses the vast array of nonlinear touchpoints that occur before, during, and after a sale.
A modern digital marketing approach must account for various channels simultaneously, aligning their capabilities with the company’s messaging to weave otherwise disparate elements into one cohesive strategy seamlessly. The astronomical challenge posed here is one reason why so many companies are leaning so heavily on AI integrations in their digital marketing approaches.
The Pervasiveness of AII
If you had told me ten years ago that AI would be responsible for today’s biggest leaps in finance, HR, and law, I never would have believed you. Nor could I have fathomed that it could produce songs, create art, or write as well as today’s college students. And yet, here we are! As AI continues to take the world by storm it’s hard to remember that we are still in the earliest of days with its capabilities. AI functionality is going to continue to grow more powerful and demonstrate greater utility across all marketing functions to help businesses achieve their goals.
Key Takeaways
Thinking about how digital marketing has changed over the last decade may be a little overwhelming for companies that just don’t have the resources to stay on top of every new trend. But the important thing to remember is that while the landscape will always be in flux, the foundational elements will remain essential no matter what changes around them.
It will always be important to connect authentically with your audience to build connection, rally around an offering that people can’t help but to love, and listen to the feedback you receive along the way. These truly are the keys to success, and regardless of what the marketing look like to support them, these will never become unimportant. When you need to make tough decisions about where to spend budget dollars or devote manhours, prioritize the activities and avenues that will best support these key principles.
When you need a digital marketing company to oversee your content strategy, please reach out to us! We have extensive experience implementing and overseeing SEO efforts, creating and promoting optimized content, and aligning sales and marketing efforts across organizations in many different verticals. Let us put our expertise to work for you! Find out more today about what we can offer and start a conversation around what working together might look like!
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