There was a time when digital marketing itself was a new subject. Today that situation is gone, and every company knows that this is the way to improve its presence in the market. Innovations in technology are happening faster than one can follow. Customer behavior and interests are becoming more unpredictable. It is necessary for those aspiring for a marketing job to know the latest trends in this field.
But before we dive into the subject, let us see why it is essential to adopt digital marketing. Modern marketers may know the importance of this method of promoting a brand. But this will enlighten those planning to join digital marketing courses online about the tremendous job opportunities for professionals in this subject.
Reasons Why Digital Marketing is the Future
Everyone is Active Online
It is not an exaggeration when we say that almost everyone is online. Someone who is attending a digital marketing course in India is sure to agree with this. With the wide availability of the internet and the huge increase in mobile phone users, almost everyone has access to online shopping. People find it easy shopping from their mobile phones. People don’t just shop on the internet. They use social media to find out about various brands and their features.
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The basic rule of marketing is that you go where your customers are. This is the reason why most companies focus on online marketing. The public has learned the comfort and benefits of online shopping. They get access to a broader selection from manufacturers across the globe. Customers can shop for their needs at their convenient time without bothering about whether shops are open or not. Anyone can access company websites and find out all details about an item and the company that makes it.
Reach is Unlimited
There are no boundaries in the virtual world. A company’s website can be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world. This gives businesses an unlimited reach without any physical assets anywhere. Firms in small towns across India can get access to customers anywhere on the globe. This increases the possibility of selling goods to a much wider audience than that is possible with traditional marketing. Firms can expand their area of operations to more cities without opening a branch or having salespersons in those places.
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A company only needs to have good internet marketing capacities and efficient delivery methods to cater to customers in different locations. They can avoid fighting for a small section of the public with competitors and sell where there is less competition. Digital marketing tools help in reaching the target audience quickly. A student of the digital marketing online course in India can tell you that companies with minimal infrastructure and workforce are selling goods to many customers in various countries.
Better Returns than Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing is done through print or out-of-home advertisements. There is no way for companies to know whether these are reaching the right audience. The amount spent on publicity is very high, but the results may not be as expected. This is because there was no way to focus on the target audience or know how effective each marketing campaign was. Digital marketing provides organizations an opportunity to focus their efforts on the correct audience. Companies attract people who are already in need of the product.
There is no doubt that one must be able to know how effective a marketing campaign was. With traditional marketing, one had to wait to see the change in sales volumes to know if a campaign was successful. The MICA digital marketing course teaches how easy it is to know the results of marketing efforts in this method. Various tools allow marketing experts to understand how much of their message was consumed by the public. It is also easier to know the reactions to an advertisement as people can directly communicate with the company.
Better Customer Engagement And Interaction
Marketers know that the best way to ensure success for your marketing efforts is to engage with customers. This helps companies to know what exactly people desire from a product. When there is an opportunity to interact with customers, companies can explain the features of their products or services in a better way. Digital marketing methods like social media platforms prove to be very effective in communicating with customers and earning their trust. Those who have purchased a product voice their opinions on these platforms.
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Experts who have completed the XLRI digital marketing course can manage a company’s social media account and ensure excellent engagement with people. Websites are also an ideal place to engage customers. Most websites have chatbots that can provide answers to many basic questions that prospective buyers may have. Visitors can also contact the company through their portals and get their doubts cleared. Online marketing makes it easy for customers to take the next step towards buying a product.
Win Customer Trust And Loyalty
Winning customer trust is very important for every brand. Without this, it is not possible to improve their sales or their brand image. Online marketing helps to build confidence in a brand. People develop trust in an item if they see it repeatedly on different online platforms. SEO is a digital marketing method that brings a company’s website to the top of the search results. Those who see the company name regularly on top of the page will naturally develop confidence in it.
Customer loyalty is another important asset for a brand. Loyal customers help to spread the company’s name. Marketing experts who have passed a digital marketing online course in India know that there is no better way to promote a product than word-of-mouth advertisement. Loyal customers can bring more buyers than any other form of publicity. Firms can earn their loyalty through regular communication and discount offers. Remarketing with special offers will ensure that a customer will not shift loyalty to competitors.
Provides A Level Playing Field
There are various disadvantages for new and small companies. They will not have the financial power to set up a lot of branches or employ a large sales force to promote their products. Many companies may not even be able to stock more variety of items due to funding limitations. Large corporations can easily set up offices in different locations and expand their businesses quickly. This discourages many new entrepreneurs with novel ideas from coming into the business. But digital marketing is changing all this.
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With very limited cash availability, entrepreneurs can set up companies and become successful. New businesses can attract a huge section of the target audience using digital marketing methods. Many online companies operate even without an office. All they need is a computer and space to stock their products. A MICA digital marketing certificate holder can help business people market their products at very affordable costs. Digital marketing methods are helping them do this.
It is quite evident that the way forward for businesses is digital marketing. Those who aspire to enter a career in marketing must specialize in this subject. Programs like the XLRI digital marketing course offered on platforms like Talentedge can arm such job aspirants with the skills needed for this job. However, it is essential for those already working and those planning a career in this field to keep abreast of the latest developments and trends in online marketing.
Top 25 Trends In Digital Marketing That You Must Know About
No professional can today ignore technological developments because they have become part and parcel of every business. But for a marketing professional, it is all the more critical because they must attract people who adopt every new technology as soon as it appears. Keeping pace with these advancements is essential to keep the brand ahead of competitors. One may learn some of them when they attend digital marketing courses online. It is also crucial to keep reading the latest content on the subject to remain updated.
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Optimizing With Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has become such a common term today that one hears or reads about it every day. It is a technology that has found use in various general and business applications. Even without being aware of it, we may be benefiting from it in multiple ways. Companies are indeed exploiting its capabilities to the maximum in all their functions.
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The use of AI for optimizing chatbots is widespread. This technology is also being used increasingly in content creation. Companies must know what keywords are most suited to bring up pages similar to theirs. This will help in optimizing for the right keywords. At digital marketing courses in India, one can learn how marketers can use AI to optimize content with the right keywords and subtopics.
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Use Of Increasingly Intelligent Chatbots
Anyone who surfs the net knows about chatbots. They are those small message boxes you see mainly on the right corner of websites. They help customers find a lot of details about a company’s product or services. Most of the chatbots are programmed to answer a wide variety of general questions about the organization. Companies are looking at those that can appear more human and intelligent.
The most significant advantage of chatbots, according to users, is that it allows them to attend to other jobs while finding items they wish to buy. Unlike a voice call, interacting with chatbots doesn’t need a person’s complete attention. The digital marketing online course in India teaches that companies are hugely benefited because they don’t need to engage humans who can be used for more creative work.
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Personalizing Communication
Any company that wants to stand out must personalize everything it offers to its target audience. It is not just content that organizations are personalizing. More and more firms are offering personalized products based on a buyer’s purchase and browsing habits. They use AI to find out their customers’ preferences and tailor their communication and incentives accordingly.
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It has been found in studies that almost all customers like personalized marketing communication. Many people are also annoyed with generic advertising. Many OTT platforms that stream movies find out their customers’ preferences and provide recommendations based on that. Students of the MICA digital marketing course learn that the trend is likely to continue for a long time.
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Using The Power Of Video Marketing
Video marketing has been a trend for quite a few years now. Experts opine that it is likely to continue as being one of the top marketing tools for a long period in the future too. People are increasingly watching ad videos that pop up on social media platforms. Watching a video is the best way to understand the working of any product.
An important reason for the shift to video advertising is the migration from big screens to mobile phones. It is not easy to read long-text content on small screens. Video content can communicate the same message irrespective of the size of the screen. People can understand what is being shown even if they don’t know the language. The XLRI digital marketing course gives much importance to teaching video marketing.
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Spreading Brand Awareness With Influencers
Companies know that people place more trust in customers’ opinions than in their advertisements. This is why there is increased use of influencer marketing now. As the social media platforms get populated with more people, this type of marketing works very well. Influencers can be celebrities. But the present trend is to use those who have used the product and have a good following on social media.
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Companies use people who have a lot of followers among their target audience. They are regular people who use products and talk about their good features. Customers are more likely to believe these people than what the company says. AI is helping companies to find the right influencers for their products. This also helps to identify fake followers and avoid such accounts.
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Messaging Customers Directly
If you believe that social messaging apps are only used for communication between people, it is a misconception. One will be surprised at the number of companies using these services to send business messages to existing and prospective customers. The substantial increase in the use of these apps has prompted companies to utilize these services to promote their brands.
These social media chat apps provide excellent media for sending personalized messages. It has also been found that most customers prefer companies that communicate directly with them. It helps them also clear their doubts and get quick answers to queries. Those attending digital marketing courses online learn how to exploit the immense power of these messaging apps.
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Optimizing For Visual Search
Have you seen something that was so attractive that you had to buy it immediately? Don’t worry. All you need to do is to click a picture and use various apps to find out where it can be purchased. Visual search is becoming more popular as social media apps like Pinterest make it easy for people to search for a product. Its Lens feature allows you to upload an image and search for sellers.
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Google Lens is another feature that enables visual search. It is now easy to search for fashion, beauty, home decor, and food segments using this feature. Companies must make their sites optimized for visual search to get more visitors. People find this way of searching easier than typing. One can learn about visual search in the digital marketing course in India.
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Being There During The Micro-Moments
Marketing experts define micro-moments as those instances when a customer is ready to make a decision. This could come in the form of searching for directions, knowledge, or advice. They may seek guidance to shop to buy something. They will look for information about products or want to know which product to buy. Companies that can be present with the customers at such moments benefit from a sale.
Marketing experts believe that these moments are very critical, and companies must try and make use of them. Customer behavior and purchase patterns can be unpredictable, making it essential for companies to be with them to push for a decision. The digital marketing online course in India is the best place to learn how to identify such moments.
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Exploiting The Power Of Voice Communication
Nobody wants to type searches anymore. With mobile phones becoming the primary device for searching anything on the internet, there are more voice searches. There is also a steep increase in the number of homes with smart speakers. Apps like Alexa, Google, and Siri are providing more accurate answers now than before. This is another factor that drives the increase in voice search.
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Companies are optimizing for voice searches. Many brands are going beyond answering common questions in voice searches. They provide personalized services through smart speakers and are succeeding at getting closer to the customer. One can soon find the smart speakers providing answers and sponsored messages relevant to the query. Students learn about this technology at the MICA digital marketing courses.
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Using Stories To Exploit FOMO
FOMO is a word heard more often today in marketing circles. It expands to Fear Of Missing Out. It is a real phenomenon that many people experience, and marketers are only too happy to use it. Many of the young customers fear that they may be missing out on some exciting offers or discounts.
The story is a feature that most social media platforms have. It can be called in various names. But all of them are short videos that disappear after a specific period. Social media users upload such videos to show off some of their activities. Companies can also make use of these to promote products. The XLRI digital marketing course teaches how to make such videos to get maximum impact.
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Push Notifications For Better Response
More and more companies are using browser push notifications. It is observed that people prefer to read such short messages instead of reading emails. The younger audience prefers to engage with as few touch points as possible. The current regulations regarding privacy have already affected the impact of email marketing. Push notifications are an excellent alternative.
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Browser push notifications are becoming more sophisticated. There is an increased level of personalization with these short messages. Push notifications that are triggered by user behavior help to re-engage with those who have left a purchase halfway. Students learn in the digital marketing courses online that these help recover revenue lost due to cart abandonment.
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Content Is Always The King
Whatever trends may come and go, but the content will always be the marketing tool that will bring maximum organic traffic to a site. Good content is one of the critical factors for getting better page rankings. Many companies have reported that people trust them better because of the excellent content they provide on their sites. Small businesses with informative blogs attract more people to their sites.
Content marketing has many other benefits. It is much more economical than outbound marketing. It also generates much more leads. Good content provides long-term benefits at lower up-front costs. Technologies like AI are helping marketers create content that can have a much higher impact. Those studying a digital marketing course in India will learn how to create content that will convert more leads.
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Shopping From Social Media
It is no secret that social media has become the best tool for marketers. Companies are using these platforms to reach out and engage with prospective customers. But even if someone is attracted by the publicity and decides to buy the item, the person must go to the seller’s site and make a purchase. The latest trend in marketing is to shorten the funnel and make it easier for people to buy items.
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Social media apps like Instagram are now making it easy for people to buy products. One can purchase the selected items on the app itself without searching for the company’s website. Marketers feel that this will make buying simpler and prevent any change of mind by the customer. Marketing aspirants can learn more about it at the MICA digital marketing course.
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Marketing In Multiple Channels
Omnichannel marketing was in the news much in the near past, and it will continue to be one of the leading trends in marketing. In this process, a company keeps in touch with the customer at multiple points. Marketing is done through social media, apps, blogs, and email. Such continuous exposure to a brand is sure to yield better results than advertising through a single channel.
Though this is highly beneficial, companies must ensure that the message they communicate through all these channels is the same. Customers must not get confused by seeing different messages on different platforms. AI can help greatly in understanding customer behavior and personalizing such messages at an individual level. The XLRI digital marketing course is the best place to learn more about omnichannel marketing.
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Enhancing Experience With Augmented Reality
While VR gets everyone excited with science fiction ideas, AR quietly gains market share by allowing companies to enhance customer experience. Companies have been experimenting with this technology for quite some time now. Experts feel that more organizations will adopt augmented reality to provide a richer experience to their customers. Digital marketing courses online teach students the growing use of this technology.
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Augmented reality allows customers to see how the products look on them or in their homes without actually buying them. In fact, they don’t even have to move from their homes. All you will need is a smartphone and the company’s app. Cosmetic product manufacturers can enable customers to see how they look with makeup items without actually applying them.
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Using Analytics To Evaluate Leads
It is not enough to acquire leads. Companies must engage with them all through the purchase journey. This is the only way to make sure that these leads convert. But not all leads are equally valuable to a firm. This is where lead scoring is used. There is a growing trend for scoring leads using predictive analytics so that companies can spend more effort on the most valuable ones.
Predictive analytics also helps to find patterns in past sales history. The marketing teams can find out which campaigns have worked well by using analytics. This science also helps in identifying the correct customer segment that will bring the best returns. Companies can use such information to implement their marketing activities more beneficially. Attending a digital marketing course in India will help you learn analytics in detail.
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Informing Customers Of Businesses Near Them
Companies can benefit from informing customers when they are near an outlet of the firm. This can increase the chances of people buying from the shop. Geo-fencing is a method used for marketing based on where people are at the moment. This type of marketing is very useful for those products that need people to visit a physical shop for purchase.
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This type of marketing is especially beneficial for products that customers use when traveling. Fuel companies can inform customers about the availability of petrol pumps near them. Hotels can also send notifications to people when they are close to any of their branches. This can greatly improve repeat purchases from loyal customers. One can gain expertise in this by attending a digital marketing online course in India.
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Using Content Created By Customers
Most people will believe what someone like them says more than what a company claims. This is why many firms are now encouraging their customers and prospects to create relevant content and post on the company’s social media pages. Many clothing companies offer incentives for customers who pose with dresses bought from them. This publicity is more valuable than any advertisement.
Most of the public likes to see ordinary people in different dresses rather than seeing shapely models in them. It helps to know if these attires are suitable for anyone. Companies can gain a lot of new customers by using this method. There is an increasing tendency for organizations to use user-generated content on their sites. The MICA digital marketing course teaches how effective this type of publicity is.
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Big Data And Deep Learning
Data is fast becoming the most valuable asset for any company. There are a lot of insights that can be gained from analyzing their past history. But this needs expertise, and that is what companies are now seeking to acquire. It is not just internal data that is useful for marketing. There is a huge amount of information in the market that can be tapped for optimizing marketing campaigns.
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Certain areas that can certainly provide insights are social media data, documents, and texts, clickstream media, etc. Using such information about prospective customers can help companies create more personalized messages. Students of the XLRI digital marketing course learn about this in detail. It will also tell them a lot about a person’s online activities, which organizations can use for marketing.
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Achieve Zero Position
Those who are new to digital marketing will be surprised to see everyone racing to be at zero position instead of at the top. But then, this is the top place on a search engine results page. Also known as featured snippets, it is a way of spreading your brand awareness without the customer having to visit your website. But there is also a flip side to it.
Those who get all the information from the featured snippets may never visit the company’s website. Marketers must be careful enough to optimize so that the website can achieve this position without sharing all information. This will force the visitor to click on the link and reach the website. Digital marketing courses online can make you skilled enough to optimize for the zero position.
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Building Brand Trust
People are now spoiled for choice in any product. There is too much to choose from, and customers are confused about which is the best one. The increased number of brands also makes it difficult for people to place complete trust. Marketing experts must ensure that their online efforts build trust in the products they represent.
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Google is also refining its search algorithms so that only completely genuine content is considered for the ranking. This means that companies must post content that is both up-to-date, accurate, and useful for the customer. This is the only way to build trust in a brand. Those who attend a digital marketing course in India know how important brand trust is.
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Assuring Privacy In Marketing
There is an increased awareness about the misuse of personal information. People are worried about sharing their details lest someone may misuse them. Another reason for not sharing personal details is that marketers will use it to bombard them with messages that may not be relevant to the person.
Marketers rely on getting such information for their campaigns. But they must also ensure people that the details they hold are sourced with the person’s knowledge. People must feel confident that the information they share will be safe with the company. One can learn about privacy matters in a digital marketing online course in India.
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A Need To Improve Website Security
Website security is another matter that is as serious as privacy. Customers must feel confident that their activities are private and that there is no security risk in remaining at the site. There are so many hacks and stealing of personal details happening that people are wary about staying on sites they don’t trust.
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When people leave the websites without browsing thoroughly, companies cannot share all information with the visitors. Increased bounce rates can also affect page ranking because it is one of the parameters that Google considers. MICA digital marketing courses teach that website security should become a top priority for marketers.
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Long-Form Content Improves Trust
By reading the content on a website, visitors decide how much the company knows its business. This improves trust in the brand. A short post cannot prove expertise in the subject. This is why the trend now is to post longer content on company portals. Google also gives preference to long-form content when ranking a site.
It is observed that content that is at least 3000 words long attracts maximum traffic. It also gives writers an opportunity to prove their in-depth knowledge of the subject. Detailed content can also attract more backlinks. Long-form content answers all queries a customer might have. Attending digital marketing courses online can help in writing excellent content.
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Write For Your Target Audience
Now that we know content is crucial in digital marketing, it is also necessary to understand whom one should write for. It may be easy to create long content on any subject under the sun. But does it answer the queries raised by the target audience? Google is also interested to know whether a site is relevant to a user’s intent.
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AI is helping search engines understand the intent of its users and deliver results to satisfy them. Writers must not be content with adding the necessary keywords to the content. They must also include related terms, questions, and phrases so that the site ranks for the correct user intent. Creating such content is easy for those attending a digital marketing course in India.
FAQs of Digital Marketing Trends
Q. Why is social media marketing important to a business?
Ans: Social media has made it easy for customers to communicate with their favorite brands. The digital marketing online course in India teaches how it can help companies engage with people in a more effective manner.
Q. How can companies measure the success of social media marketing?
Ans: The success of any online marketing campaign is measured by the number of qualified leads it can generate and how many of them become customers.
Q. Which social media platforms are important to a firm?
Ans: Different demographics are active on different social media platforms. Companies must see where their target audience is more active and focus their activities on those platforms.
Q. How important is YouTube for marketing?
Ans: Videos have become an important marketing tool. The MICA digital marketing course teaches its students that YouTube is the best platform to upload brand promotion and how-to videos.
Q. What are the common social media marketing mistakes?
Ans: A major mistake is being irregular in posting. Another common omission from businesses is not responding to customer queries.
Q. Is email marketing still relevant to businesses?
Ans: Email marketing is certainly the best way to communicate directly to a customer. There is no doubt about whether the person will see it or not.
Q. How can a business develop an email subscriber list?
Ans: The best way to develop subscribers is to offer them incentives for sharing their email ids. The offer can be made on the site or on social media pages.
Q. What is content marketing?
Ans: Content marketing is a way to engage with customers and earn their trust by providing valuable information that focuses on their needs first.
Q. How often should businesses post new content on their sites?
Ans: There can be no clear answer to this. There must be at least two posts in a week. There is no upper limit for this. The XLRI digital marketing course teaches how companies can re-purpose content to increase frequency.
Q. Are keywords still important in content marketing?
Ans: Despite a relaxation in using the exact words or phrases, it is still very important to use the keywords as they are in the content.
Wrapping Up
Knowing the current trends in digital marketing is crucial for those in the profession. It is also equally important to see that you keep up with the changing processes and new technologies because customers are very quick in adopting them. Digital marketing is a continuously evolving process, and that necessitates one to be always abreast of new developments.
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