6 Essential Digital Topics for 2018

It is no secret that the world is changing, and technology is taking the lead. In 2018, we saw everything (or at least) going digital - entertainment, health, real estate, banking, and even currencies. However, understandable, we also saw some minor challenges - load-shedding being one of them.

With everything turning digital, it means companies are also jumping online to market their businesses. Also, to endure the difficulties of digital marketing, brands needed to keep up with the latest trends.  Successfully reaching one’s target audience is no longer just putting out traditional ads. These days, social media is the new arena of digital marketers, as 3.3 billion people are active social media users.

According to data compiled by Satista, 24% of the 5,700 global marketers who were surveyed revealed that social media has been an important part of their marketing for the past five years.

To keep up with the ever-changing scene, digital marketing experts need to stay abreast with the evolving tech trends. Social media marketing companies have been working tirelessly to research consumers and what makes them engage with brands. This includes trying to find the best online solutions that will cater to clients’ end-users’ needs in the easiest and most cost-efficient way possible -be it by developing new technology or adapting to trends.

Without any further adieu, here are some of the digital marketing covered topics in 2018.

Zero Moment of Truth: The future of digital marketing

Many moons ago - 8 years to be specific - Google introduced the world to a new marketing concept: the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).

According to the search engine, this concept was initially based on understanding the importance of marketing and how it can be quite useful to both new businesses looking to break into the world of online marketing and established companies looking to grow their online presence.

Google defines the ZMOT as the exact moment when a consumer has a need, intent or question that he or she would like to address through an online search. Instead of using pre-digital methods, today the same consumer would use his or her smartphone to search the product online, compare prices, customers reviews, YouTube videos, ask his friends on Facebook, forums, etc., and all of this is done at the Zero Moment of Truth.

The benefits of having an effective marketing agency

As we have seen over the past few years there has been more than just a shift in marketing from traditional to digital approaches. The primary reason for such a shift is the fact that digital marketing approaches not only allows businesses, regardless of any size, to adopt strategies that can be tracked easily but to also have a high rate of return on investment (ROI) when compared to the traditional approaches.

If you have been speculating with your marketing costs and wish to have a better rate of conversion, now is the time you hired a digital marketing agency to do all the work for you. Perhaps you are wondering what can they do for you, here are a few good reasons as to why you need to hire a qualified digital marketing company.

Investing in social media marketing

As the topic on social media marketing continues, the interactions on social media have changed rapidly.

Companies - big and small - post their products/services on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram among other social platforms, sometimes even without spending a dime and generate huge revenues from it.

It is, however, not true to say that social media marketing is entirely free.

The truth is that you will sometimes have to invest in an expert social media manager, hire social media influencers to advertise your products, and even sponsor ads as a way of making a social media app make your products more visible online.

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

Believe it or not, but the debate between traditional and digital marketing was also something most talked about. Whether digital marketing is overpowering and surpassing traditional marketing or not. Many think that for the most part, digital marketing has taken over and traditional marketing barely exists, if at all.

Alas, over the last year or so traditional marketing had fallen nearly 160%   while in the same time frame expenses for digital marketing increased over 14%. Are there any real advantages to using digital marketing over traditional means? And what is the big difference between these two anyway?

Online presence impact for your business

In the world influenced by trends, as we know it today, it’s no secret that some trends rather came and went so fast.

But, however, there is one trend that seemed not be going anywhere, anytime soon in 2018, as it keeps on evolving and changing the way we do and see things. This bespoke trend is non-other than ‘Online Presence.’

In a world where over 170 million people use social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, to mention a few, on a regular basis every working professional/company is expected to be familiar with at least the core tenets of online presence.

App Development Checklist for Businesses

Last but not least, app development. Considering the fact that mobile app user engagement rates have increased rapidly over the past few years it's no surprise that everyone's working on an app. According to Forbes, Apple's App Store has generated over $70 billion in revenue for developers ever since the App Store was started in 2008.

Many businesses are now turning their heads towards the app marketplace to increase their client base. It’s easy to predict that the future lies in mobile. Businesses, small and large, are quickly realising the importance of maintaining and carrying business online and have started to build applications to engage with consumers through their gadgets. Successfully developing an app is challenging enough, but businesses must also navigate the confusing app approval process.