How Digital Marketing Changed Advertising Strategies

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOW WE GOT HERE

400,000 B.C. Campfires were invented. Shortly thereafter, people started sitting around campfires and telling each other stories.

1450 The printing press made the mass distribution of ideas practical.

1450 The printing press made the mass distribution of ideas practical. And advertisers started complaining their names weren’t big enough.

1760 The Industrial Revolution created mass markets for goods and services.

1949 Doyle Dane Bernbach was founded, ushering in a new era in advertising to better sell those goods and services.

  revolutionized the look and feel of advertising.

1981

And then digital advertising was born…

…and things got complicated.

The Internet connected the world.

Everyone in the world got connected to everyone else in the world.

Then these things took over everything.

Everyone rediscovered Content Marketing.

And all we ever wanted was for someone to tell us a good story.

It’s painfully clear…

…advertising has changed.

How The Marketing Funnel Changed

Strategists have tinkered with the marketing funnel ever since Elias St. Elmo Lewis invented it in 1898. Whatever the customer journey is now, it’s a lot more complicated.  

“Every single attribution model is flawed. They all presume somehow decisions can be attributed to one thing. More likely a thousand.” – Tom Goodwin, Strategist The marketing funnel, now…

Strategists have tinkered with the marketing funnel ever since Elias St. Elmo Lewis invented it in 1898. Whatever the customer journey is now, it’s a lot more complicated.  

…looks more like a strawberry.

Now, as consumers progress down the marketing funnel, they are introduced to more options—rather than fewer—while they investigate a brand.

What this means to you.

10 different touch points before making a major buying decision.

They look on

They look on

They look on

They look on

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"86% of senior-level marketers agree that it's important to create a cohesive customer journey across all touch points and channels.”  

- The State of Marketing Leadership

American respondents said they often research products online (63%), and look up reviews (63%). The takeaway for retailers are that they can’t afford to ignore their consumers online. Browsing and research is extremely important to consumers who often do the research legwork online before going to their local retail outlet.   - Nielsen survey

Consumers are far more active looking for information that will sway their opinions of your brand. Be sure the answers to their questions are easily found online. SEO assets so consumers don’t need to look hard. If the competition’s information is easier to find, they could easily steal them away. 

People don’t move through the funnel in a linear manner anymore. The customer journey is a zigzag path. In the middle of the funnel, consumers will be introduced to more options.  

During this active evaluation phase, you win them over or lose them to the competition with a stronger digital presence. Influence here is critical. It’s why digital budgets are going up in 2015.  

People don’t move through the funnel in a linear manner anymore. The customer journey is a zigzag path. In the middle of the funnel, consumers will be introduced to more options.  

Brands must be well represented where your customers are evaluating you. This extends well beyond the brand’s website. Digital marketing has swollen the middle of the funnel.

After spending the lion’s share of your budget on broad awareness, it’s easy to lose a qualified lead as they assess your brand’s digital footprint.

Digital influence is more important than ever. Not just a “nice to have,” but a requirement.  

@JohnstonMike4MikeJohnston

 

COMING SOON

How Digital Marketing Changed Advertising StrategiesPart Two: The Diffusion of Innovation Model