Here, on the cusp of 2016, it’s hard to imagine digital marketing as a fringe or niche aspect of marketing. Such a time did exist, and with 2015 coming to a close we have fully and completely moved past that transient epoch.
“Digital marketing has moved into the mainstream, as 98 percent of marketers affirm that digital techniques are merging into the larger marketing operation,” Yvonne Genovese, group vice president of Gartner for Marketing Leaders, said in Gartner’s CMO Spend Survey 2015-2016.
This normalization of digital marketing is an aspect of direct marketing that we’ve tracked heavily at Direct Marketing News, particularly through our compilation eBook series. Here, I’ve highlighted 10 quotes from five of this year’s top DMN eBooks dealing with digital marketing. Find one that resonates? Click through for more insight on the topic.
“Social media isn’t always, well, social. Marketers can get so wrapped up in likes and retweets that they lose sight of the fact that social is meant to establish meaningful connections through two-way conversations.” – Elyse Dupre. How to Win at Social Media Marketing.
“Four out of five marketers will increase their spends on digital this year and the preponderance of them (45%) will focus on social media marketing as their biggest area of opportunity.” – Direct Marketing Association’s “2015 Statistical Fact Book.” Baking Digital Into the Mix.
“Content marketing provides a safe haven to build awareness when legal or commercial considerations put conventional advertising channels off limits.” – Jason Compton. Content Marketing By the Book.
“Predictive analytics isn’t a new concept, but the exponential growth of technology has infused it with even more power. With the right data, marketers can gain an incredible edge. Even better, they can capitalize on predictive analytics to deliver truly customer-centric marketing. But first, marketers must confront predictive analytics’ sobering realities.” – Perry Simpson. Data is the Backbone of Marketing.
“Though consumers have always been the central focus in successful marketing, the power technology has granted them has led to unprecedented autonomy.” – Perry Simpson Plug Into Marketing Technology.
“Airbnb. Kickstarter. Task Rabbit. Uber. All of these companies have been hailed for being innovative or disruptive. What do they know that you don’t? Don Scheibenreif asked that question of attendees during his keynote at the Gartner Customer 360 Summit. His answer: They know that technology and customer experience are almost inseparable.” – Ginger Conlon. Baking Digital Into the Mix.
“Rather than continuing to operate siloed feedback loops, the time has come for marketers to embrace an omnichannel mind-set and apply insights from every interaction to the entire customer relationship.” – Jason Compton. Data is the Backbone of Marketing.
“More than twice as many consumers use social media as the primary channel for making comments (8%), questions (7%), and complaints (6%) over problem resolution (2%). Forty-seven percent of people plan to use social media next year the same or more than they currently do as a customer service channel.” – Natasha Smith. .
“As much as marketers may want it all, there’s only so much technology that any one company can buy—and, frankly, only so much that they really need. The result: Not surprisingly, different types of marketing technologies are growing at different rates, as well as being funded to varying degrees.” – Ginger Conlon. Plug Into Marketing Technology.
“Producing quality content is important, but it’s only half of the battle. Distribution is also essential. ‘You really, as a marketer, can’t get a return on investment with a content asset until it reaches its intended audience.’” – Chris Schraft, president of Time Inc. content solutions, the content marketing arm of the media company. Content Marketing By the Book.
