The Only Surefire Way To Tame the Digital Marketing Beast

The Only Surefire Way To Tame the Digital Marketing Beast

By Jessy SmulskiNov 15 /2018

Decades ago, marketing was containable. We had a finite number of channels—print, radio, TV, direct mail—and the strategies and tools required to manage these channels were comprehensible. Then, the Internet came along and let marketing out of its cage. Like water to a gremlin, marketing entered a rapid, sporadic state of growth and eventually developed into the monstrosity of channels, tools, tactics, strategies and standards you see today. Wrangling the marketing beast can feel a lot like lassoing Godzilla, but that doesn’t mean digital marketing success is impossible. You may just need a little extra help holding onto the ropes.

Organizations can succeed with a small, specialized team and strategic, targeted efforts, but gaps in their skill sets, tactics and capabilities are inevitable. These gaps are largely to blame for why:

  • Nearly 78 percent of businesses are not satisfied with their conversion rates.
  • Another 63 percent of organizations are still struggling to generate traffic and leads.
  • Some 40 percent cannot prove the ROI of their marketing efforts.

The only surefire way to tame the beast and harness its power for the betterment of your brand is to partner with a digital marketing agency.

Partnering with a digital marketing agency is like acquiring an elite army with tactical training, an arsenal of martech tools, and the skills to execute plans with remarkable precision. The vast majority of organizations simply cannot afford to bring all of this in-house:

digital-marketing-strategies

The Value of an Agency Partnership

According to a recent study, 50 percent of businesses already outsource part of their digital marketing efforts to an agency. Another 32 percent plan to outsource efforts this year, and this percentage is expected to continue climbing. What do these statistics tell us? That the decision to outsource marketing efforts is no longer a matter of “whether,” but of “how much” and “when.” On the short list, a digital marketing agency will:

  • Help you identify and fill gaps in your strategy that weaken your digital presence.
  • Provide access to a suite of martech tools (and professionals who know how to use them).
  • Fortify your marketing team with experts in key marketing concentrations.
  • Offer an outside perspective to elevate your team’s collaborative ideation.
  • Analyze marketing efforts to strengthen strategies.
  • Keep a pulse on the latest marketing trends and changes.
  • Eliminate the costly risk of hiring the wrong people or investing in the wrong digital marketing tools.
  • Advise your team on best practices and strategies to address new and existing marketing trends.

The Marketing Monster in 2019

The marketing monster will continue to disrupt the digital marketing industry well into the future. Some trends are expected to shake up strategies as soon as this year! An agency partnership will help your business prepare for:

Screen-less Search Behavior

Smart speakers and voice assistants are completely changing the way audiences search for products and services. Between 2008 and 2017, voice queries increased by 3,400 percent, according to HubSpot. No doubt, this trend will have a lasting impact on mobile and content marketing strategies.

An Internet Brimming With Video

According to Ascend’s State of Content Marketing Report, 64 percent of marketers name video as the most difficult form of content to create. Unfortunate, considering that, by 2021, video will account for 82 percent of all IP traffic. At this rate, one or two videos a year won’t cut it. You will need full-scale support and enhanced video capabilities, such as virtual and augmented reality, to compete for your audience’s attention.

The IoT and Wearable Technology

We have more than 23 billion connected devices worldwide. This number is expected to billow over the next several years, surpassing 30 billion by 2020. That’s more than four times the world population! From a marketing standpoint, we will need to get creative about how to deliver content across new platforms with limited interfaces.

The marketing monster is a real beast, but it doesn’t have to be. Protect your brand, marketing dollars and future by joining forces with a digital marketing agency. We know exactly how to transform daunting trends into dangerously competitive advantages for your business. Need proof? Check out our stats.

Download How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy

Jessy Smulski
The Author

Jessy Smulski

Jessy turns everyday industry talk into simple, insightful, humanized conversation. Often described as bold, empathetic and charmingly sarcastic; her writing style reflects her personality and reads like a friend telling stories over supper. When she isn’t writing, you can find Jessy backpacking the Midwest, snowboarding the Rockies, or capturing life through the lens of her camera.
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