In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, we have witnessed a staggering transformation over the past few decades. It’s overwhelming to think that only 25 years ago only a fraction of the world had access to the internet, using it only for simple web searches and the odd email. Present day it has become part of everyday life!
The first ever search engine “Archie”, named after the word archives, was typically used to search FTP files at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The internet is a very different place than it used to be, there are now over 5 billion web users around the globe and that number is only going to continue to grow.
From the early days of email marketing and banner advertising, digital marketing has undergone a massive transformation. Marketing companies now use social media, Google adverts and SEO (search engine optimisation) to promote their client’s products and services. Here at Fresh Digital, we have seen first-hand how the industry has changed and evolved. We are so proud to be at the front of these developments helping our clients stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of their online presence.
THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERNET.
Back when the internet first began businesses were quick to test out how they could use it as a potential marketing tool. Digital marketing began with simple email campaigns after businesses realised they could reach the masses via their inbox, rather than the outlay of money through things like printed banners and newspaper articles.
Of course, email marketing has come a long way since then. This is down to the advances in marketing automation software; businesses can now target who and where they want their emails to go. Here at Fresh Digital, we use email campaigns on behalf of our clients. MailChimp is a software that allows us to personalise emails to send to recipients on a mass scale. We use it to create digital newsletters for our clients to update their recipients on what they’ve been up to and what they plan to do.
Flashback to 1991, we saw the first website go live, Tim Berners-Lee created the first site for the European nuclear research agency. On the website, people could find out how to create web pages and learn about hypertext (coded words or phrases that link to content). However, compared to now these early websites were typically more digital brochures providing basic information about a company’s products or services. Whereas in 2023 businesses use their website as one of the most critical tools in their digital marketing campaign. It allows companies to showcase their portfolios, sell products and interact with their consumers.
THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
In the mid-2000s, social media started erupting, and with it came a whole new world of marketing opportunities for businesses. Social media platforms like Facebook, Myspace and YouTube changed the way we communicated and interacted with people.
In the early days of social media advertising, the majority of businesses simply used the platforms as a way to broadcast messages to a wider audience. However, it quickly became apparent that social media could be used for far more. Adding the addition of business accounts and pages allowed consumers to reach all the information they needed in one location. Along came the option to integrate shops, music and advanced content allowing them to continue to reach an audience they may never have previously.
If you think back to the last time you interacted with a brand on social media, chances are it wasn’t just a one-way conversation you were able to give your feedback and engage with the company.
IT JUST KEPT GROWING.
The late 2000s saw the rise of another essential digital marketing tool, SEO.
Search Engine Optimisation is something we prioritise here at Fresh Digital when creating websites. SEO allows a business to appear higher within search engine results, on platforms such as Google and Bing, making it easier to find a business. Internet users took this and ran with it. What began as an easy way to improve your website visibility turned into a complex world of backlinks, keywords and Google penalties. But this is where we can help!
THE PRESENT DAY.
Today digital marketing is a creative world of endless possibilities and is a far cry away from TV ads and printed leaflets. Don’t get us wrong, TV commercials and leaflets are good forms of advertising. However, in an ever-growing digital world, we encourage everyone to grow their online presence and recognise the current trends.
We now live in a world where marketing can be analysed and adapted to suit specific businesses’ needs and add a touch of personalisation to the work you put out to the world. By analysing your customer’s behaviour you can gain valuable insights into what they want and need and use this information to resonate with them.
Covid-19 created a dramatic increase in online shopping, a trend many businesses jumped onto. As a marketing agency, we ourselves saw a dramatic increase in the number of clients wanting E-Commerce websites. This allowed businesses to sell their products online and again their reach and visibility grew massively.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for marketing especially within Fresh Digital, ensuring we stay ahead of the ever-changing digital world.
If you are interested in seeing how we use marketing to increase your brand visibility, contact us today and we can help develop a data-driven marketing campaign.
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