Essay Sample about Digital Marketing

Digital marketing has evolved and became a major influence on American consumers. The advertisements that are seen online, on television, and on the radio for Americans are all forms of digital marketing, but there are even so many more. The influence of digital marketing has expanded through the 2010s with social media becoming a more influential part of people’s lives in the screen-heavy society we live in today. Content, television, social media, and radio are all channels of marketing and are the ones that will be focused on in this essay. The evolution, effectiveness, and value of these channels are important in the process of digital marketing.

Content marketing is the continuous process of planning, creating, publishing, distributing, and sharing content. The goal is to connect the company’s brand with the audience and get them to interact with the business. Content marketing has grown so much in the last ten years. The amount of people who have a smartphone is one of the reasons why. There were no smartphones in 2010.  Now, over 80% of adults have a phone that can search the internet and experience content marketing. An example of content marketing is a company’s website. A company website with interesting visuals and valuable content can set a company apart from the competition. For example, a clean, clutter-free website is much easier on the eyes of the user and allows for more viewing time and interaction within the website. Amazon’s website, for example, is one of the top-grossing websites and provides a very sleek and easily maneuverable interface within their website.  A website’s marketing strategy may include publishing blog posts, running a contest or giveaway, and optimizing your website to be found using a search engine (Steimle). Other examples of content marketing include books and podcasts. These forms of content can indirectly promote your business through a large audience and create a community that can be marketed to. For example, an author could start a podcast to talk about just about anything. This would attract their current fanbase along with new listeners who would just be interested in the topic the author may be talking about. Even if the author doesn’t directly talk about the books they have written, new listeners may look up the author because of the podcasts and the author’s books may interest them. Another example of content marketing is the next topic, social media marketing.

Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that involves creating and sharing content on social media networks in order to achieve your marketing and branding goals (“Social Media Marketing for Businesses.”). Social media use has grown exponentially through the last 20 years. In 2008, Facebook had 100 million users, now Facebook has over 2.3 billion users. This big platform is a great setting for digital marketing. In fact, 72% of U.S. adults use social media. This creates a big market for companies to advertise on and promote their products. At first, social media’s main purpose was to connect with colleagues, family, and friends. Now it’s become a place for businesses to create and cultivate a strong social media presence. Companies use the space to increase brand awareness, develop and nurture relationships with customers, and learn from competitors. With the rising popularity of online platforms like social media, traditional marketing media(television, radio, and newspaper) have had their marketing impact lessened. In 2018, the total revenue created from social media marketing in the U.S. was $107.5 billion compared to $70.9 billion for television and $17.7 billion for newspapers (“The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go next?”). One way businesses use social media to market their products is through influencers. Companies pay influencers to endorse and mention their products to their large following. These endorsements are especially popular on TikTok and Youtube as video-forward content makes it easier to endorse products and services. Influencers that are selected to promote their products usually have high engagement. Social media engagement consists of the various ways users respond to a post. This includes likes, comments, and shares. These are ways businesses can see how well they are marketing through social media. Another way businesses market on social media is through advertisements. This allows companies to reach an audience that isn’t directly following them. On the expansive platform, you can create target audiences based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, and more(“What Is Social Media Marketing?”). Social media is a great tool for marketers to pinpoint who they want to reach and to create an organic following. Another way marketers reach large audiences is through television. 

Television, before the online boom, was the biggest platform for digital marketing. Television, for decades, has transformed Americans’ lives and culture. It also serves as a powerful medium for messaging and advertising. In the early 1950s, advertisers were spending about $85 million on TV advertising, but within a few years, less than a decade, that figure was over $1 billion. When businesses got a hold of the television as a way to market their products, they were able to market to the housewife, and at that time, housewives were the ones to make purchasing decisions. The television commercial eventually became an art form. It became less of an interruption and more of the overall entertainment experience. Still today, in the United States, television advertising consistently delivers companies the highest rate of investment of all media advertisements. The success of a television advertisement is dependent on how often an advertisement is shown, how many people watch the advertisement, and the level of engagement it produces. The biggest time for television marketing is during the Super Bowl. This is because of the large audience that the event produces. This creates a big demand for advertising space during that time, causing Fox to charge $5.6 million for a 30-second slot during commercial breaks. Businesses buy this on-air time during “upfront season”. The upfront season is an advance selling season in the spring where marketers can buy commercial airtime for the upcoming seasons. Time slots between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. used to be prime targets for advertisers, but with the emergence of digital advertising, it has taken a step back. Still, networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox make upwards of $8-11 billion in advertising revenue for their primetime viewing this year. Another way for advertisers to invest their money is to advertise on streaming platforms such as Peacock, Hulu, and HBO Max (Zipin). Before television, the best way to market products was through radio.

In its first days, the radio was used just for the news. With time, businesses started to advertise through commercials via the radio. Two types of radio commercials include live reads and produced spots. Live reads are read live on air from personal knowledge or from a script. Produced spots are commercials in which the advertiser is recorded with jingles, dialogues, and background music. The benefit of marketing on the radio is that most stations have a specific audience based on the content that the station produces. This allows marketers to advertise on stations that would reach the audience that the business wants to market to. For example, if Ford wants to advertise a new farm truck, they may look into advertising on a farm town local radio station. This would reach the consumer that would buy the farm truck. This is a benefit that a marketer gets when they use radio instead of a more broad method in television. Another way radio is a valuable resource for marketers is its cost-efficiency. It is much cheaper to air a radio commercial than a television commercial that uses many more resources and people to produce. Another way radio is effective is the fact that it is very available. Every car and phone has a built-in radio and every day people switch on the radio on their drive back from work. The radio reaches thousands of people a day when they can’t reach the internet or television (Sengupta). Even though there have been many advances in digital marketing, radio still is a very effective way to market products and services. 

In conclusion, digital marketing has evolved and became a major influence on American consumers. Content, television, social media, and radio marketing have all evolved over time and influenced consumers ever since their invention. Different channels have different advantages for the marketer and their effectiveness has varied over time. The value of digital marketing and the number of people online who are exposed to advertisements and commercials is at an all-time high.