Very little was known about digital marketing prior to the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. For those that believed in the internet, they saw an effective online presence as nothing more than having a website with some words and a picture or two. From the early 2000s, businesses took a step further to proactively market their latest products and services digitally - though usually one-directional - through techniques such as mass emailing.
Rise of smart devices
These methods may have worked then, but smart devices have disrupted the technology scene ever since the first iPhone was launched in 2007. Today, consumers are less inclined to check their emails on the go; instead, they access social networks such as Facebook and are exposed not just to the pages they've liked, but also whatever's trending in their social circles. Based on the assumption that an individual and his/her friends share similar interests, efficiency is increased when a product or service is marketed in such a manner via social media. Just in case you’re wondering, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of digital marketing.
Reaching the correct audience
In any business, it is crucial to be able to reach out to the correct audience. By doing so, the effectiveness of marketing initiatives are increased tremendously. Through digital channels, marketers today can choose from a vast array of demographic options such as age, location, interests etc. Such abilities are likened to precision bombing in a military sense as opposed to carpet bombing that is reflective of traditional marketing.