Digital marketing then and now: How much has changed in the past 10 years?
Well – putting it simply – a LOT!
Newspapers were just at the beginning of their decline, the iPhone was only on its first model, and Instagram didn’t even exist. As a public relations agency, at Harvey & Hugo it’s our job to stay up to date with all the changes in the world of media and marketing and share the latest trends with our clients.
So, here’s a whistle-stop tour of how the world of digital marketing has changed over the last decade…
Social media
From the design to the functions and use, our favourite social media platforms have gone through a world of changes since 2010. Twitter was the new kid on the block, Instagram and TikTok were nowhere to be found, and Facebook looked like this:
(Image courtesy of Shareaholic)
Gone are the days of using it as just a simple way to stay in touch with friends and distant family. In 2020, social media is a place where Joe Bloggs can turn into a worshipped influencer and businesses can begin to bloom. Platforms now form an integral part of digital marketing strategies, offering brands an unparalleled opportunity to reach out to customers and share their story.
With 3 billion monthly users worldwide – a number which is constantly growing – social media certainly won’t be leaving any marketing plans in the future.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
If we’d asked you what SEO meant 10 years ago, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have had a clue. Now, it’s a term that every marketer and every business owner needs to be aware of.
In 2010, Google wasn’t equipped to battle keyword stuffing, where content creators load webpages with keywords in an attempt to manipulate rankings. But after a 2011 platform update, the practice of SEO began, and marketers rejoiced.
The update began to reward companies for value and frequency, giving the top rankings to those who published good, regular content. A safe, secure website will also cause trust and ranking to rise, boosting SEO as it does.
Content marketing
The way brands share content is not the only thing to have changed – the types of content shared has evolved dramatically too, partly due to the way we consume it. We’re much more mobile-focussed compared to 2010, with a multitude of apps and platforms to choose from, so it was inevitable that content would need to keep up with that.
Considering you can barely stir for them now, only a decade or so ago podcasts and brand-created videos were few and far between. When thinking of content ideas, we now have to cater for people on the go. As humans, we’re much busier than ever before and we want content that can be consumed quickly and easily. Enter podcasts, short videos, and quick-fire blog posts.
But it’s important to remember, quality always matters.
Digital PR
Since we started sharing stories and building brands almost 11 years ago, PR has evolved considerably, and it’s important that we stay up to date with innovations in the digital PR world.
With advancements in social media, blogging, and technology in general, journalists no longer need to wait for a press conference to get information from a brand – it’s right there at their fingertips.
By sharing news through a range of outlets such as our own social media platforms, website, self-upload news sites, as well as the traditional press release distribution, we can guarantee a story reaches further than ever before.
If you’re looking for a PR and marketing agency to bring your brand into the next decade, throw us a bone…
