IN a wider sense, the marketing world stands marginally
democratised for all practical purposes. Here, we intend to deal with the
impact of some of these, especially ICT, Digital Media, Social Media, SEO, etc,
on our daily lives.
1. ICT
Today’s business world is overpoweringly engrossed in
ICT, an acronym which stands for three simple everyday usage words that
resonantly reverberate right across the entire worldwide web, namely:
Information
Communications Technology.
Nonetheless, other than venturing to express an acronym’s
description, there’s hardly any other collectively acceptable definition of the
term ICT. Why should it be so, many may wish to ask. Well, it’s simply because
the applications, methods and concepts associated with ICT keep continuously
evolving on what is almost a daily basis. Moreover, they happen at such fast
speeds that it’s almost impossible to keep pace with new changes.
A reasonably adequate method of looking at ICT would be
to duly consider all existing usages that digital technology can be put to in
helping organisations, businesses and individuals in the most practical use of
all information available to us today.
Generally seen, ICT covers every product that helps in
storing, retrieving, receiving, transmitting or manipulating information in an
electronically digital form, as for instance in your personal computer, emails,
robotic appliances, digital television, etc. Thus, ICT primarily concerns
itself with storage, retrieval, receipt, transmission or manipulation of your digital
data. More so, what’s significant is that it further concerns itself with the
manner in which these varying uses are put to work in sync with one another as
well.
In the business world, ICT is frequently categorised in
two broad product types:
a) Conventional
technologies that are computer based. These include functions typically
performed by you on your own PC or while making use of computers at work or in
your home.
b) The fast
growing and more recent range of developing technologies associated with
digital communications which facilitate both individuals as well as
organisations in digitally sharing and communicating information.
2. Digital Media
Rather than it’s erstwhile analog form, digital media,
which is another electronic media type, now facilitates digital storage of
data. Digital media generally makes reference to the more technical facets of
transmission and storage (as in your computer networking or hard drives) of
information. This normally includes digital art, digital audio, digital
signage, augmented reality or digital video.
Digital media is broadly described by industry experts as
the ‘inventive convergence of business, technology, science and digital arts
for the overall purpose of education, social interaction, communication, and
human expression’.
With an affluent history of its non-binary status as well
as a phenomenal rise to distinction over the past several decades, digital
media encompasses data conversion and data processing.
2.1 Data Conversion
The procedure transforms data into digital data through
converters, via a ‘digitizing’ process, for either dynamic or static data, or
alternately via ‘sampling’ particularly while converting the digital signal
from an analog signal. Almost all digital media is based upon translation of
digital data from analog data or vice versa, as in digital television, digital
video and digital recording.
2.2 Data Processing
Upon completion of the digitization process, there are
various ways for media to be processed by making use of standard computer
software and hardware or, when performance is crucial, as with digital hardware
of the high-performance variety such as ASIC. Digital processing may generally
include content creation, editing and filtering.
By making extensive use of innovative technology, we live
in what may today be termed as a swift paced era. Television ‘home recording’
has been a prime factor in fast-forwarding this medium increasingly, where
digital programming is instantly downloadable now. This very technology is responsible
for making it possible for broadcasters to employ available digital
technologies for creating channels in their abundance. Service providers are
busy in offering endless ‘on-demand’ options that provide the public with an
opportunity of holding the power to individually select where and when they
wish to hear or watch their media, with no limitations. Digital technology now
enjoins computers and televisions into a single medium.
3. Social Media
The ability to simultaneously use technology and marketing
tools without the need for paying or begging to draw attention is unparalleled.
It’s an age where everyone has the potential to now assemble their own
audience, for selling and marketing to, with no need whatsoever of having to
make any payments to the gate keepers of mass media. And that’s what social
media is all about.
With social media at your doorstep, and with a small bit
of knowledge about using just the right software and tactics, you can now
develop brand awareness as well as access decision makers and influencers in
boardrooms, located in the world’s far corners.
This freedom, which allows you to now take complete
control of any market chosen, obviously carries a price tag. This cost is in
terms of time and complexity. To become fully effectual, you are required to
make effective use of multiple networks, create constant content, and quickly
become a master at managing and monitoring.
It’s never simply multimedia and multiple networks that
you need to keep on your mind; this equally involves getting used to hardware
platforms that may be new to you, as it’s probably where your potential
customers get their messaging from. It’s by no means any longer simply
restricted to TV, radio and print, but has rapidly now proliferated to tablets,
smart phones and laptops as well. To be effectually optimal, understandably
each of these has its own parameters and limitations.
With these new strides in media and technology explosion
there are plentiful trends in marketing that have constantly emerged and that
we need to pay particular attention to, especially if we want our businesses to
be a real success, in every respect.
4. SEO
As commonly conceived, there are two main SEO types. As
colours associated with each SEO or search engine optimisation type tend to
hint, there are evident differences in approach as well as results obtainable
over long term for each of the black hat and white hat SEO types. Though each
of the SEO types has its own individualistic proponents, almost as a universal
rule most websites and companies that have stable, sustainable and long term
ambitions will have a tendency to keep its distance from the darker SEO
assortment.
Among these two SEO varieties, the white hat type
utilises methods and techniques that improve its website rankings on search
engines and are particularly favoured by search engine guidelines, especially
like those of
Google. On the other hand, the black hat variety seeks to fully
exploit any potential weakness shown by the algorithm of a search engine to
attain a website’s higher rankings. Such methods and techniques are naturally a
straightforward confrontation with the guidelines set by these search engines.
The wholesomeness level attributed to the white hat is
much higher, while that of the black hat is extremely low; rather unwholesome
and a complete disgrace when views of those responsible for spam cleaning
result pages of various search engines are to be taken into account. Some
first-rate white hat techniques include campaigns for link acquisition, website
HTML, restructuring and optimisation, as well as content development with high
quality, supported by outreach, manual research and top quality content.
Conversely, the techniques of some from the black hat variety include hidden
links, hidden text, cloaking, keyword stuffing and link spam.
However, aptly named the gray hat SEO, is an area where
majority of companies operating in search engine optimisation prefer to work.
Whether under physical pressure by clients to turn out constructive end results
or by design, many SEO companies strive to deliver positive results and
workable solutions for their respective clients. Commonly, this may be achieved
by employing techniques that restrain such companies from crossing over into
areas of the black hat variety of SEO, although plainly outside those areas
considered as white hat zones.
The role and significance attributed to the marketing
industry and how it performs across the extremities and scope of ICT, digital
media, social media, SEO, multimedia, mobile and search is fast turning into a
prime focus area for many popular brands. Yet, a considerably large number of
companies and businesses fail to grasp the true significance of this somewhat
complex trend as well as the manner in which it underlies nearly all sectors of
digital marketing. To effectively counter such web realities, brand-names like
Coca Cola and others have managed to recognise the fact and have accordingly
changed their respective strategies with time.
A few brands even go to the unimaginable extent of
becoming so unsighted by the glitter of this new fancy toy known as social
media, let’s say Facebook or Twitter, that they are in real terms perfectly
convinced that marketing on such sites is probably everything which needs to
done beyond their everyday marketing routines, a practice they’ve carried out
for decades on end.
In conclusion, content forms a firm base for all types of
digital marketing. It’s the main reason why people view, read and share
content. Therefore, it would be unwise to totally disregard it, especially when
you are making an effort to acquire more knowledge about ICT, digital media,
social media, SEO, etc.
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