Since the launching of the Internet, online platforms have had a tremendous impact on the marketing industry. It has been a game changer in terms of how companies advertise their products and services. But because new marketing tools are constantly being developed, it’s important that companies update their marketing strategies on an ongoing basis. This can be done by keeping an eye open for the latest marketing software, tools and other gadgets that benefit marketing professionals.

The thing to keep in mind is that many marketing professionals have developed systems, tools and strategies to launch their marketing efforts on their own. But now with the availability of so many diverse technology-based marketing tools, marketing professionals can take advantage of all of these options. When thinking about the overall traditional and digital marketing mix, digital marketing provides more of an influence on the general public.

One of the reasons digital marketing technology is important for your business is that it provides multiple ways to gain exposure through digital media platforms. The most common include the following listed below. 

1. A Well-designed, Well-functioning Company Website

One of the first things that should take place is to develop a well-designed, well-functioning website that allows your audience to get the information they need about your business. Because our attention span is so short and we have so many other online options, it’s important for business owners to be aware of CDN, short for Content Delivery Network. CDN ensures that web pages download and responds faster so it’s more accommodating to your customers. Companies that neglect to address this area will find that visitors will leave their web site within only a few short seconds.

Your web site should also be designed so it's mobile friendly. Why? Because roughly 50% of searches performed on mobile devices result in a purchase. Speaking of searches, this brings me to my next point, which has to do with SEO, described in more detail in the next section.

2. Search Engine Optimization

SEO, short for search engine optimization is important because it allows your company to rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP). Search engine optimization requires a specialized skill set. The process allows your content to be optimized in a strategic manner using keywords as well as analytics to monitor rankings and other online search activities. 

In order for your website to survive, it must remain up-to-date with relevant keywords so that it can continue to be in alignment with the latest trends within your industry. Some of the technology that’s available to streamline this process consist of website security, pages that load quickly, and immediate access to popular news sources within your industry. A well-trained SEO agency can assist you with this effort and provide you with the results you expect for your specific industry. If you have your own marketing team within your business, using an agency for these type of digital efforts can alleviate a lot of pressure and stress from their workload so that they can focus on other more immediate matters. 

3. Customer Relations Management

Once your website has been launched, you'll begin to notice that you will have several visitors as a result of your lead generation efforts. But what should you do with all of your new contacts that you've generated and acquired over time? Implement a CRM system. 

CRM, short for customer relationship management is an online tool that allows business owners to organize their contacts. In doing so, they can synchronize your marketing efforts, offer technical support, generate and process sales along with other customer relationship management options. It’s a great way to stay on top of all of the leads that you acquire so you'll know what to do with each one. You will also be able to use your leads to build a list and begin marketing to them accordingly.

4. Technology Used to Streamline Branding Efforts

Branding is another key critical component of marketing your business. You can use online techniques to brand your business using a variety of tools and techniques to assist with the process. But before we go into that, lets address the fact that you first need to make your brand unique and different from other brands before it’s placed in the marketplace. Your brand needs to be memorable and appealing to the eye. What that means is that your brand should be associated with vibrant memorable colors when creating a logo and other visual aids. This is important because people have a tendency to remember a brands' logo and other visuals images more so than other means. In fact, 90% of our brain is influenced by visual aids, which improves the conversion rates and increases sales.

Now concerning the technology that you can use to enhance your brand, many websites also have the ability for visitors to leave comments. This is a great way for you to obtain social proof. Having social proof on your site significantly enhances trust. You can take advantage of the different comment management tools, software programs and platforms that are available online. 

Although most blogs have software that provides guest with the ability to leave comments, the comment management software can help you manage and analyze these comments in a whole new way. They provide information such as citations and mentions, analysis of interactions as well as a collection of other useful items.

5. The Use of Technology to Manage Multiple Social Media Platforms

Many companies have accounts on a wide variety of social media platforms. In fact, they often post repetitive information across different social media platforms. Meaning they often say the same things on various platforms. To streamline this process, there’s technology available that allows marketers and business owners to make one post that is shared across multiple social media platforms. That way you won’t have to sign into each account individually to post the same information multiple times. Companies that make this technology available consist of sites such as:

- SproutSocial

- Hootsuite

- Zoho

- Salesforce 

- IFITT

6. Tracking and Analytics

When business owners have content on the web on various platforms that is a part of their overall marketing strategy. It’s extremely important to track and analyze which marketing tools and techniques yield the greatest return for every marketing dollar spent.

The last thing you want to do is continue to spend money on marketing efforts that are not performing very well. For example, if you are spending advertising dollars on a platform such as SnapChat, but discover the majority of your target audience spends most of their time on Facebook and YouTube, then it would be practical to discontinue advertising on SnapChat and the other way around.

Not only can your tracking and analytics track the overall performance of your business, but it also allows you to read reports on a regular basis and make decisions based on the responses that you receive. It also allows you to come up with new systems and strategies based on the changes in the marketplace and on new social media platforms that have been launched as well. Not only does your tracking and analytics track the overall performance of your business, but it also allows you to read reports on a regular basis and make decisions based on the responses that you receive. It also allows you to come up with new systems and strategies based on the changes in the marketplace. It’s a great way to stay relevant and plugged into what ’s going on with your audience regarding how they make purchasing decisions.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to communicate with your customers. This marketing strategy allows you to send ongoing bits of information that is valuable to your customer. For example, you can send monthly quarterly or annual newsletters, updates and resources about what’s taken place in your customer’s industry and more. There are a wide variety of tools available that allows you to develop and distribute emails directly to your customers.

8. Using Technology to Stay on the Cutting Edge in General

In order for companies to remain relevant, it’s important for them to use the latest, cutting edge technology and marketing tools in the industry. Not only will this allow them to streamline their marketing efforts and process it systematically, but it also allows them to remain competitive. Remember, your customers are looking for the best, most convenient way to make a purchase, and sites that make this process easier for them are the ones who will likely win them over.

Having a company that has technology integrated into your day-to-day systems will allow you to improve, manage and evaluate the performance of your marketing efforts.

To that end having the latest most cutting edge marketing tools will also allow you to stay connected with your current customers and potential customers in a way that customers expect. It suggests that your company is relevant, competitive and can deliver quality products and services based on the look, feel and functionality of your overall web presence.