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Digital Marketing & Advertising: Where Are Advertisers and Audiences?

Written by Amber Rhodes | Feb 8, 2021 1:06:00 PM

đź“– This post is part of a blog series overview of The Digital Marketer's Almanac 2021, an essential guide for every marketing professional. 

There was a time not so long ago that digital marketing trailed behind “conventional” and “traditional” marketing in all its glory. 

Today the term “marketing” is pretty much synonymous with digital marketing, and “digital marketing” can encompass so many advertising types and platforms. With so many moving parts to digital marketing, it can be hard enough just to keep up with the day-to-day tasks as a marketer. It’s even harder to take a moment to look at trends from a bird’s eye view. 

So what exactly has been happening in the digital marketing sector? Turns out...kind of a lot. Let’s check it out!

Mobile Advertising Spending Is on the Rise

In the USA alone, the number of adults who began using mobile devices for the internet almost doubled, prompting advertisers to throw more of their moolah towards the small screen. Currently, mobile ad spend is approximately around $199 million. By next year it is expected to grow by 24%. 

Source: Statista

Actionable tips for marketers:

  • Don't skimp on mobile-friendly and mobile-first user experiences.
  • Your organic and paid social content should be created with mobile users in mind. 
  • Try testing out SMS marketing. You know that browsers are on their phones already—catch their attention in a different way. 

Distribution of Digital Advertising Spending

Digital ad spend in the U.S. is projected to increase by >13% by the end of 2021 and by >33% by the end of 2023. From a short term analysis of this projection, we can predict that ad buying will become more competitive and more expensive on the top platforms. However, with more social media platforms, features, and competition cropping up every month, we can also infer that options for digital advertising will continue to increase as companies try to reach buyers where they hang out online. 

Source: DataReportal

However, this is not a surprising surge that will calm down once the rounds of quarantines are lifted for good. Digital advertising spend exceeded the likes of TV and print 3 years ago. Even in 2018 where marketers could not predict a pandemic, they were sure about the upward pattern of digital spending. If anything the pandemic has only accelerated the predicted growth patterns.