Possibly the most important thing to remember is that digital marketing is always changing, that is truly the only constant. What’s more, it is taking over as the only real type of marketing. Digital marketing not only offers more direct messaging to your specific target markets but it also allows you to track your customers. You can find out exactly why a specific customer bought a specific product or signed up for a specific service at the precise time that they did so. You can see where most of your customers come from and why. You can determine how they came into contact with your company and you can harness this information to create more opportunity.

As a business owner or even someone who is only just entering the job market, understanding modern marketing is a big boost to your skillset. There is a variety of marketing courses out there. You could sign up for a digital marketing course or a short marketing course or even a marketing MBA. This will give you a better understanding of how modern business works. The defined lines between marketing and business operations have become blurred.

Marketing is business. Most business owners and even executives in massive corporations have a say in the company’s marketing strategies and rollouts. You can simply no longer distinguish between profitable business operations and marketing strategies. Nowadays, they have become part of the same plan. There is something extremely attractive about a potential employee who has a degree in commerce or business science or even the likes of public relations but who has an additional qualification in marketing.

While studying a digital marketing course will stand you in excellent stead in the professional world, in as little as a year from now things might have changed. Digital marketing goalposts are always shifting, sometimes only slightly and other times new technology brings with it massive leaps in marketing. You need to stay abreast of all changes. Because the industry is an ever-evolving one, there is a lot of literature out there that unpacks the various different aspects of marketing.

Whether you decide to take the plunge and study a marketing course or not, stay relevant by reading about successful marketing strategies and tactics that work. The following three books offer a keen insight into modern marketing for all different types of companies.

The Content Formula: Calculate the ROI of Content Marketing & Never Waste Money Again, Michael Brenner and Liz Bedor

This book focuses on the ROI (Return On Investment) of content marketing. How to define it, what the expected outcomes should be and within what time frames.

Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing, Robert Rose and Carla Johnson

Robert Rose and Carla Johnson are world-renowned marketing experts and together they’ve created a book that focuses on how businesses need to evolve their marketing approach. This book is a guide on how to set up better marketing practices in your business.

Google Analytics Breakthrough: From Zero to Business Impact, Feras Alhou, Shiraz Asif and Eric Fettman

Google Analytics is a major player in any marketing department. Just about everyone on the marketing team and every business owner or executive makes use of this tool. This book is filled with explanations on how to maximise Google Analytics and it will guide anyone, from the beginner to the digital strategist on how to harness the power of the information that Google Analytics offers.

Digital marketing has blown the lid off traditional marketing. However, keeping up with digital marketing trends can be tricky as the landscape is forever changing. What’s more, you need to find the right digital marketing strategy for your company. And, just when you think you have found what will work for you, you might find that there is something more out there to better achieve your mapped out goals.

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