The changing face of technology in online marketing

Picture this: You log on to a website, an attractive banner with a smart one-liner catches your attention and the curious netizen that you are, you press the ‘Know More’ button and get so engaged in the subsequent message/animation/video that plays before your eyes, that you forget all about the purpose of your visit to the previous site!

Hasn’t this happened to you? Once, at least? Well, that’s the latest face of online marketing for you.

Emails: The early days

From drab emails to really interactive ones, online marketing has come a long way from its initial days. E-mailers were in themselves a great marketing tool. You just needed to have your brand (if you were a trusted one) on the mail and you were sure to be read. But like with everything that gets too popular, marketing mails soon started becoming a nuisance. Thanks to stuff such as spam filtering, one was spared the headache of deleting mail by agonizing mail.

In spite of all this, emails were and still remain a great online marketing tool. The good players, who have an eye for innovation always present matter in a way that is exciting yet non-preachy. From simple and succinct letters to fancy photoshop snapshots with text to flash messages to animation to live videos, a good approach always works well.

Games, Videos, What not!

But emails were just not enough. You might have a good message but what if it gets lost in the clutter? And so we started having ads everywhere. We have small flash banners, questionnaires, games and what not! It’s a giant leap from the terse emails, if you think of it. Videos are also the in-thing these days. From small ads to a detailed overview of the company and its services, just about everything is covered. 

Search Engine Marketing

The best way to promote websites, Search Engine Marketing which makes use of Search Engine Optimization, Paid Placement, Contextual Advertising and Paid Inclusion, gained popularity in no time and there was a sudden buzz for SEO experts and  content writers who could provide keyword rich content. It helped websites improve their visibility on search results pages. Google AdWords, Yahoo!Search Marketing and Microsoft adCentre emerged as the largest SEM vendors and still continue to be so.

SEM is a powerful Online Marketing tool and corporates are well aware of the fact. In a world driven by deadlines and tight schedules, chances of a user moving on to the second or third page of the search results are next to zilch. Hence, companies today maintain frequently updated websites with as much information as possible. This is a healthy trend since it is beneficial not only to the advertiser but to the user who logs in for information too.

Social Media: The latest buzz

And the latest online marketing frenzy can be seen on social networking websites. And why not, when it is such an effective medium? When technology itself has helped us open a plenty of doors to the world of networking and information, it would be insane to turn a blind eye to it. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and a horde of other such sites are a great way to make your presence felt in the enormous online world.

There is no doubt about the fact that we will, in the future, witness another wave of online marketing that will soon turn into a rage. There will be more ads that catch your fancy and which have the power to lead you to action. And to get there, one has to keep experimenting and innovating. So why not try out newer ways of doing things in untapped avenues? Come what may, technology will give you its full support. Interested in leading the pack? Start working on a fresh strategy right away, for online marketing is here to stay!

The Importance of Arabic Language in the modern world

The significance of Arabic cannot be underestimated in the modern world. It is the official language of over 20 countries and there are about 300 million speakers of Arabic across the world. Most of the Arabic speakers are concentrated in the Middle East. People around the world revere Arabic, since it is the language of the Holy Koran. Hence Muslims, all over the world consider it sacred. 

The Arabic language gained importance as a result of the spread of Islam in the 7^th and 8^th centuries. During this period the Arabic came into contact with the European languages and enriched them. Even though little changes took place in the Arabic language during the last century, it got refined with new words and technological terms during the last century. 

It is written in the golden pages of history that Arabs have contributed immensely to the advancement of science, medicine, and philosophy. The valuable knowledge of the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine cultures was preserved for the world through the Arab libraries. Arabs have also made significant contributions in literature, mathematics, navigation, astrology, and architecture. Knowledge of Arabic will help us to explore this vast body of knowledge in their original form.

In today’s world, Arabic is of utmost importance due to the economic significance of the oil producing Arabic countries in the global scenario. Learning the Arabic language can open doors to employment in the oil and travel industry. Knowing the Arabic language can help us find a career  in a variety of fields such as  journalism, business and industry, education, finance and banking, translation and interpretation, consulting, foreign service and intelligence etc. 

With the growing importance of Middle East in the International affairs there is a shortage of people who are well versed in Arabic language and culture in the West. Apart from this, numerous business opportunities are available in the Arabic world as a result of the expansion of markets. Studying the Arabic language will give you a cutting edge in your endeavor towards becoming an international businessman oriented towards the ever-growing Arabic market. Arabic language has played an important part in shaping the Islamic future in the world of globalization and conflict of civilization.

Is social media beyond Facebook?

With its widespread popularity that has not seen a low since its inception, Facebook is without doubt the best tool of social media marketing. It is so popular that it is perceived as the be all and end all of social media. The truth however, is that despite being one of the best social media, there are sites that can be as effective as Facebook when it comes to social media marketing.

The question that might pop up in your mind when you think of online marketing outside the context of Facebook may be, ‘If not Facebook, then what?’ The key lies in thinking beyond the conventional modes and you will realize that you were aware of the answer well enough. 

Start by thinking of the websites you always frequent and (Tada!) you will know where and how to begin. Google, for instance, is a site any user cannot do without. In fact, it all begins right there. It is one of the most effective online marketing mediums. Pack a punch with the right keywords and content and you are sure to get desired results.

The wisest way to go about it is by identifying the target groups and capitalizing on sites that are popular among these groups. For eg, a message meant for a tech savvy person should appear on forums where technological discussions take place. The best way to get at youth would be social networking sites like Facebook. One must also keep in mind the target geographical area. It would prove pointless to advertise on sites that are banned in a lot of places.  

Blogger and Wordpress are the two most popular blogging sites these days. The advantage blogs have over other social media can be their disadvantage as well. That is, people serious about blogging are ones who love to read and write about a wide range of subjects. They are generally well-read and to draw their attention to your advertisement can be a challenging task. Dubious content doesn’t go well with anyone, especially the well-read group. However, a good strategy can work really well on blogs.

Twitter, the micro-blogging site is another arena. It is very effective; thanks to the time people spend on it. Since people log on to ‘tweet’ several times a day, your message gets the benefit of high visibility. Twitter has immense potential as a marketing medium which can be tapped to the advantage of the marketer.

One must also not forget the popularity of Youtube, ebay, LinkedIn, Amazon, Yahoo, MSN, Rediff and the hundred other sites that are still popular with the masses. So, if you are thinking of expanding your marketing activities, start by thinking beyond Facebook!

Content is King; Don’t underrate it

Content is a crucial team player in digital marketing which has been ignored by many. Content is a strategic asset to every digital marketing program you undertake. Content determines the scope, progress and efficiency of the digital marketing program you undertake. During the brief history of digital marketing, content has evolved from being one of the final considerations in the digital marketing program to the central player.

Many people have the wrong notion that SEO content writing is all about stuffing your copy with the maximum keywords, without considering the quality of content. It will be the worst mistake you will ever make in digital marketing. We should always use unique and quality content to take our website up in the search engine rankings. Trust me; it is the most obvious way to leverage the web. Google just loves unique content and does not care a bit about duplicate and repetitive content. 

The most important thing to do in digital marketing is to update your content frequently. It will definitely bring more leads to boost up your business. Fresh content is an inevitable part of every digital marketing program. Great content is one that provides a positive user experience and the search engines will definitely rank better content on top of their page rankings. 

Quality Content results in conversations and conversations help you to engage with people. It is this engagement with people that will drive you to the top of the world of social media marketing. Thus developing a unique content strategy is the key to the success of your digital marketing program. 

The first step in developing a content marketing strategy is to understand the unfulfilled needs of the customers. The second step is to develop the content with the mindset of a publisher. Social media marketers should think more like a publisher rather than the sales people. The content should be inspiring and engaging. Fascinating, entertaining and educational content will drive people to your social media pages. Hence, we should develop a content marketing strategy that can powerfully meet all the challenges put forward in the field. 

If great content is developed as a part of your marketing strategy then your job is almost finished. After all, content marketing is an art of understanding the needs of your customers and delivering it in the most fascinating way. We should never underrate the role played by content in digital marketing .It has been truly said that “content is king” in the virtual world.