Graduating with a degree in computer of science was still a bit of a novelty in the midwest in 1984. It was easy to find a software development job if you took the time to look, interviewed well, and were willing to travel. In fact, some software design specialists would find themselves choosing between one of three, maybe four, jobs right after graduation. Writing code for the automatic teller machines, state lottery systems, and system monitoring software made for a career that was varied and busy.
Perfect for travel and being out of the town as often as three of every four weeks, college graduates could make great salaries and visit places around the world on the company’s expense. And even though these software development specialists were writing code that was keeping the fault tolerant banking and payment systems around these world up and running, many of programmers started their first job without owning their own personal computer. As a generation who may have started recording code on magnetic tape in their junior high school classrooms, they had to rely on their teachers to take these tapes to large banks after hours to run the programs. For some, the chance to practice writing programs would not not be available to them in high school and they would have to blindly declare computer science as a major with barely an idea of what that might entail.
Fast forward 35 years and these same software development people are now project managers across the country. they may have started in the Midwest, but success and experience gave them opportunities throughout the country. and while 35 years ago these software development experts may have been speaking a language few understood, today the access to platforms that make coding seem user friendly means that tasks like website design are available to the general public.
Retired high school teachers can select between a variety of web design platforms to create sites that are unique and specific. Car detail specialists can upload photos to their websites to show results of their latest efforts. Whether users want to develop a site to advertise essay coaching services or promote their service of helping car owners make paint and body repairs, online marketing efforts help advertise to potential new customers.
Social Media Marketing Is More competitive Than Most People Imagine
Although the ability to create web sites is now available to all levels of users, this availability is also problematic. Because everyone can create a website, a blog, and social media platforms, everyone does. This translates into a digital world that is flooded with images, products, and designs. In fact, 80% of today’s consumers indicate that they do ?a lot? of online research before making any major purchase decisions. Furthermore, 46% of today’s consumers indicate that they also count on social media when making these purchase choices. A crowded digital market makes for a very competitive digital market. And while competition can be great for the consumer, it can be a rough time for the business.
In Frank Turner’s book Cheaper Easier Direct: How to Disrupt the Marketplace and Create Your Own E-Commerce Empire, the author explains how the Dollar Shave Club and other similar companies have been able to completely upset an everyday task like the morning shave. As the traditional major companies like Schick and Gillette contend with a start up company that markets and delivers directly through the internet, other entrepreneurs wonder if they can dream up the next big thing that could propel them into internet marketing success.
Without a professional software development team, however, event hte next big thing could get lost in the cloud that is today’s digital world. Although the digital platform of many websites allows anyone to learn the basics, experts argue that it is becoming increasingly important for companies to work with digital marketing consultants so that individual company websites can stay ahead of the trends of what everyone else is doing.
The average buyer today indicates they consult as many as 11 websites before ever making a purchasing decision. If your product or service is going to get noticed, you may have to invest in the $180 billion digital advertising market.