Digital marketing

Digital marketing is a component of marketing that uses digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media platforms to promote products and services.

It has significantly transformed how brands and businesses use technology for marketing since the 1990s and 2000s. As digital platforms became increasingly incorporated into marketing plans and everyday life, and as people increasingly used digital devices instead of visiting physical shops, digital marketing campaigns have become increasingly prevalent, employing combinations of methods. These methods include search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, campaign marketing, data-driven marketing, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, e-mail direct marketing, display advertising, e-books, optical disks and games. Digital marketing also extends to non-Internet channels that provide digital media, such as television, mobile phones (SMS and MMS), callbacks, and on-hold mobile ringtones.

The extension to non-Internet channels differentiates digital marketing from online marketing.

History

Digital marketing effectively began in 1990 when the Archie search engine was created as an index for FTP sites. During the 1980s, the storage capacity of computers was already large enough to store large volumes of customer information. As a result, companies started choosing online techniques such as database marketing rather than relying on limited list brokers. These databases allowed companies to track customers' information more effectively, transforming the relationship between buyers and sellers.