The Digital Marketing World

Social media marketing is one of the most intriguing and challenging subjects.  We see how businesses, big or small, all use a form of social media marketing, whether they have a Facebook page, an Instagram page, or a blog. All of these different methods play a role in social media marketing. The more you have out there, the more you remind your audience that you exist. There is a lot of competition and we need to keep finding various ways of meeting consumer needs. With evolving technology, we find that many people spend a big portion of their time on their smart devices. Though traditional media is not dead, the marketing sector must keep creating. It is easy to simply post a picture on a social media site for marketing purposes, but is that enough? The challenging portion to this is keeping your audience engaged and interested. The great part about this is that there are resources available to you at no cost to help maintain and attract. I found Google Analytics to be a helpful tool. Of course, if you want more fancy options, you opt to pay for those services, but you don't always have to. Google Analytics keeps track of your progress and provides you with data so that you can make improvements to your site. Consumers now days like to be involved and share their use of services or products. Creating communities and allowing your audience to participate in your business improvements and endeavors will result in greater success. This is a great way of engaging your audience and letting them know that you listened and you delivered.    

Another important factor is the developing and maintaining of an effective website. With any product or service, it is always important to identify who you are trying to serve, your target audience. Designing a website takes a lot of work, but it is important to keep your consumers in mind. You want to keep the site simple and easy to navigate. There is nothing worst than having an overwhelming site where you just don't know where to look or how to search for things with quick results, that easily turns people away. You want a site that is easily readable and can be operated on different platforms. Most importantly, the design should correspond with the site's objectives and target market (Roberts & Zahay, 2013). While digital marketing keeps evolving, we have to keep in mind that things may change in the next five to ten years. I don't think digital marketing will be leaving us any time soon. The collection of data and tracking behavior has served us well. It allows companies to analyze and deliver emotional content that will connect with their audience. The use of social media has allowed consumers to engage and provide feedback, which evolves into customer loyalty. You want to keep doing what works for your target audience and your business, it is a team effort.

References:
Roberts, M.L. & Zahay, D. (2013). Internet marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.