Digital marketing involves promoting products or services through online channels that people use on devices like computers, phones or tablets. This can include online videos, display ads, search engine marketing, paid social media ads and social media posts.
Unlike traditional marketing which includes magazine ads, billboards and direct mail, digital marketing is entirely online. Interestingly, television advertising is usually categorized as traditional marketing despite being electronic.
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Did You Know?
Over 75% of Americans use the internet every day. Additionally, 43% go online multiple times a day and 26% are online “almost constantly.” These numbers are even higher for mobile users with 89% going online daily and 31% being online almost constantly.
As a marketer, it’s crucial to leverage the digital world. Establish an online presence through advertising, build your brand and offer a great customer experience to attract more potential customers. A solid digital strategy can help achieve this.
A digital marketing strategy helps you use various online channels such as social media, pay-per-click ads, search engine optimization and email marketing. This allows you to connect with both current customers and those interested in your products or services. With a strong digital strategy you can build your brand, offer an excellent customer experience and attract potential customers.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing, also known as online marketing involves promoting brands to connect with potential customers through the internet and other digital channels. This includes email, social media, web-based ads and even text and multimedia messages. In short, any marketing effort that uses digital communication falls under digital marketing.
Inbound Marketing vs. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing and inbound marketing are often mixed up because they use similar tools like email and online content. Both aim to attract potential customers and convert them into buyers. However, they differ in how they view the relationship between the tools and their goals.
Digital marketing focuses on how different tools or channels can turn potential customers into actual customers. A brand’s digital marketing strategy might use several platforms or concentrate on just one. A company might concentrate on social media and email marketing but overlook other digital marketing strategies.
Inbound marketing takes a broader approach. It starts with the goal, then identifies the best tools to reach the target customers and decides when to use these tools in the sales process. For example, if you want to increase website traffic to gain more leads you might focus on search engine optimization. This would lead to creating more optimized content like blogs and landing pages.
The key thing to understand about digital and inbound marketing is that you don’t need to pick one over the other. They actually complement each other very well. Inbound marketing gives a framework and direction to digital marketing ensuring all your online marketing efforts are aligned and working towards a specific goal.
Why is Important?
All types of marketing can help your business grow but digital marketing is especially important because digital channels are so accessible. As of April 2022, there were 5 billion internet users worldwide.
Digital marketing offers many ways to reach your target audience from social media to text messages. It also has low upfront costs making it a cost-effective option for small businesses.
B2B vs. B2C
Digital marketing strategies are effective for both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) companies. However, the best practices for each are quite different. Let’s take a closer look at how digital marketing is used in B2B and B2C marketing strategies.
- B2B clients usually take longer to make decisions, resulting in longer sales funnels. They value relationship-building strategies. In contrast, B2C customers respond better to quick offers and immediate messages.
- B2B transactions are driven by logic and evidence. Effective B2B digital marketers present clear, fact-based information. On the other hand, B2C content appeals more to emotions, aiming to make customers feel good about their purchases.
- B2B decisions often involve multiple people, so marketing materials need to be shareable and downloadable. B2C customers prefer direct, one-on-one interactions with a brand.
There are always exceptions to the rules. For instance, a B2C company selling expensive products like cars or computers might need to provide more detailed and serious content. Therefore, your digital marketing strategy should always be tailored to your specific customer base, whether it’s B2B or B2C.
Analyze your current audience to develop well-informed and targeted online marketing campaigns. This approach ensures that your marketing efforts are effective and helps you capture the attention of potential customers.
Types
Digital marketing has many specializations, each focusing on different ways to engage with people through digital media. Here are some key examples of digital marketing tactics.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization or SEO, is a marketing tool rather than a standalone marketing method. According to The Balance, it’s “the art and science of making web pages attractive to search engines.”
The blend of “art and science” is crucial in SEO. It’s a science because it involves researching and analyzing various factors to achieve the highest possible ranking on a search engine results page (SERP).
When optimizing a web page for search engines today the most important elements to consider are:
- Quality of content
- Level of user engagement
- Mobile-friendliness
- Number & quality of inbound links
Besides these elements you also need to focus on technical SEO. This involves the back-end aspects of your site such as URL structure, loading times and fixing broken links. Improving your technical SEO helps search engines better navigate and index your site.
Using these factors strategically makes SEO a science but the unpredictability involved turns it into an art. The ultimate goal is to rank on the first page of search results. This makes it easier for people searching for queries related to your brand to find your products or services.
While there are many search engines, digital marketers usually focus on Google because it is the global leader in the search engine market.
In SEO, there isn’t a strict formula or consistent rule for achieving high rankings on search engines. Google and other search engines frequently update their algorithms, making it impossible to predict exact outcomes. Instead, you should closely monitor your page’s performance and adjust your strategy as needed.
Content Marketing
The quality of your content is crucial for an optimized page. SEO plays a significant role in content marketing which focuses on sharing relevant and valuable content with a specific audience.
Marketing is telling the world you’re a rock star. Content Marketing is showing the world you are one. – Robert Rose
Like any marketing strategy the goal of content marketing is to attract leads that eventually become customers. However, it differs from traditional advertising by offering free value through written materials, such as:
- Blog posts
- E-books
- Newsletters
- Video or audio transcripts
- Whitepapers
- Infographics
Content marketing is essential and the statistics back it up:
- 84% of consumers expect companies to create entertaining and helpful content.
- 62% of companies with at least 5,000 employees produce content daily.
- 92% of marketers believe their company values content as an important asset.
While content marketing is highly effective, it can be challenging. Writers need to create content that ranks well in search engine results while also engaging readers, encouraging them to share it and interact further with the brand. Relevant content can build strong relationships throughout the customer journey.
To create relevant and engaging content it’s crucial to identify your audience. Who are you trying to reach with your content marketing? Once you understand your audience, you can decide on the type of content to create. Content can take many forms including videos, blog posts, printable worksheets and more.
No matter what type of content you create it’s important to follow best practices. Ensure your content is:
- Grammatically correct and error-free
- Easy to understand
- Relevant & interesting
Your content should also guide readers to the next stage, whether it’s scheduling a free consultation or signing up on a page.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing involves driving traffic and building brand awareness by engaging people in online discussions. You can use it to showcase your brand, products, services, culture and more. With billions of people active on social media platforms, investing in social media marketing can be very beneficial.
The most popular platforms for social media marketing are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with LinkedIn and YouTube also being important. The best platform for your business depends on your goals and audience. For example, if you want to find new leads for your FinTech startup, LinkedIn is a good choice because many industry professionals use it. However, if your B2C brand targets younger consumers, running ads on Instagram might be more effective.
Social media marketing is popular because it involves active audience participation. It is the most used content medium for B2C digital marketers at 96% and it’s also growing in the B2B sector. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 61% of B2B content marketers have increased their use of social media this year.
Social media marketing provides built-in engagement metrics that help you understand how well you’re reaching your audience. You can choose which interactions matter most, whether it’s shares, comments or clicks to your website.
Direct purchases may not be the main goal of your social media strategy. Many brands use social media to start conversations with their audience rather than push for immediate sales. This is common for brands targeting older audiences or offering products and services that aren’t typically bought on impulse. It all depends on your company’s social media marketing goals.
To create an effective social media marketing strategy follow these best practices:
- Create high-quality and engaging content.
- Respond to comments and questions professionally.
- Develop a social media posting schedule.
- Post at optimal times.
- Hire social media managers to enhance your marketing efforts.
- Understand your audience and know which social media platforms they use most.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a type of digital marketing where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on your ads. Instead of paying a fixed amount to continuously run ads, you only pay when people interact with them. How and when people see your ad involves more complexity.
One of the most common types of PPC is search engine advertising. Since Google is the most popular search engine many businesses use Google Ads. When a spot on a search engine results page (SERP) becomes available, an instant auction takes place. An algorithm prioritizes each ad based on several factors including:
- Ad quality
- Keyword relevance
- Landing page quality
- Bid amount
PPC ads appear at the top of search engine result pages based on factors above whenever someone searches for a specific query.
Each PPC campaign has one or more target actions called conversions that viewers should complete after clicking an ad. Conversions can be transactional, like making a purchase or non-transactional, like signing up for a newsletter or calling your office.
You can track your chosen conversions through your digital marketing channels to see how your campaign is performing.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a digital strategy where you earn money by promoting someone else’s business. You can be either the promoter or the business being promoted but the process remains the same.
Affiliate marketing operates on a revenue-sharing model. If you’re the affiliate you earn a commission for every sale made through your promotion. If you’re the merchant you pay the affiliate for each sale they help generate.
Some affiliates focus on promoting products from a single company often through a blog or third-party site. Others work with multiple merchants.
Whether you want to be an affiliate or find one the first step is to connect with the other party. You can use digital platforms designed for affiliates and retailers or join a single-retailer program.
If you’re a retailer working directly with affiliates make your program attractive by providing the necessary tools for success. This includes offering incentives for good performance along with marketing tools and pre-made materials.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is a type of digital marketing designed to blend in with its surrounding content, making it less obvious as advertising.
This approach was developed in response to consumers’ skepticism towards ads. Since consumers know that ads are paid for, they often view them as biased and tend to ignore them.
A native ad avoids bias by providing information or entertainment first, downplaying its promotional aspect.
It’s important to label your native ads clearly with terms like “promoted” or “sponsored.” If these labels are hidden readers might engage with the content for a while before realizing it’s an ad.
When consumers know what to expect they will trust your content and brand more. Native ads should be less intrusive than traditional ads but not deceptive.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves partnering with an influencer—someone with a large following like a celebrity, industry expert or content creator—in exchange for exposure. These influencers often endorse your products or services to their followers across various social media channels.
Influencer marketing is effective for both B2B and B2C companies looking to reach new audiences. However, it’s crucial to partner with reputable influencers since they represent your brand. Choosing the wrong influencer can damage the trust consumers have in your business.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation uses software to run digital marketing campaigns making advertising more efficient and relevant. This allows you to focus on creating strategies instead of handling tedious and time-consuming tasks.
Marketing automation might seem like a luxury but it can greatly improve engagement with your audience.
Statistics show:
- 90% of US consumers find personalization appealing.
- 81% want brands to understand them better.
- 77% of companies see the value in real-time personalization but 60% struggle with it.
Marketing automation helps meet these personalization expectations by allowing brands to:
- Collect and analyze consumer information.
- Design targeted marketing campaigns.
- Send and post digital marketing messages at the right times to the right audiences.
Many tools use customer engagement (or lack thereof) to decide when and how to reach out next. This real-time customization lets you create individualized marketing strategies for each customer without extra effort.
Sid Web Solutions’ marketing automation allows you to engage with your audience through behavior-based automations, transactional emails, date-based automations & more.
Email Marketing
Email marketing involves sending a promotional message and hoping your prospect clicks on it. However, executing it well is more complex. You need to ensure your emails are wanted by having an opt-in list that:
- Personalizes the content in both the body and subject line
- Clearly states what kind of emails subscribers will receive
- Includes an email signature with a clear unsubscribe option
- Integrates both transactional and promotional emails
You want your prospects to see your emails as valuable not just promotional. Email marketing is a highly effective technique with 89% of surveyed professionals naming it their most effective lead generator.
Email marketing can be even more effective when combined with other digital marketing techniques like marketing automation. This allows you to segment and schedule your emails to better meet your customers’ needs.
If you’re considering email marketing, here are some tips for creating great campaigns:
- Segment your audience to send relevant messages to the right people.
- Ensure your emails look good on mobile devices.
- Create a campaign schedule.
- Run A/B tests to see what works best.
Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is a strategy to engage with your audience on their mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This includes SMS and MMS messages, social media notifications, mobile app alerts and more.
It’s essential to optimize all content for mobile devices. According to the Pew Research Center 85% of Americans own a smartphone so creating content for both computer and mobile screens can significantly enhance your marketing efforts.
Benefits
Digital marketing is popular because it can reach a large audience. Additionally, it offers several other advantages that can enhance your marketing efforts. Here are a few benefits of digital marketing.
Geographic Reach
When you post an ad online people can see it from anywhere (unless you limit it geographically). This helps you expand your business’s market reach and connect with a larger audience across various digital channels.
Cost Efficiency
Digital marketing reaches a wider audience at a lower cost compared to traditional marketing. Traditional methods like newspaper ads and TV spots have high overhead costs and less control over targeting the right audience.
With digital marketing you can create a single piece of content that continuously attracts visitors to your blog. You can also set up an email marketing campaign that sends targeted messages on a schedule which can be easily adjusted as needed.
Overall, digital marketing offers more flexibility and better customer contact for your ad spend.
Quantifiable Results
To determine if your marketing strategy is effective you need to know how many customers it attracts and the revenue it generates. This is difficult with non-digital marketing strategies.
Traditionally, you might ask each customer, “How did you find us?” However, this doesn’t work in all industries and surveys often don’t provide complete results.
With digital marketing tracking results is easy. Digital marketing software and platforms automatically monitor the number of desired conversions such as email open rates, website visits or direct purchases.
Easier Personalization
Digital marketing lets you collect customer data in ways offline marketing can’t. This data is often more precise and specific.
For example, if you offer financial services and want to send special offers to people who have viewed your products online you can tailor your campaigns to their interests. You might create one campaign for young families interested in life insurance and another for millennial entrepreneurs considering retirement plans.
Without automated tracking, gathering all that data would be overwhelming. You’d need to sift through countless phone records and customer profiles and you’d have no way of knowing who read the brochures you sent out.
With digital marketing all this information is readily available at your fingertips.
Connecting with Customers
Digital marketing allows real-time communication with your customers and more importantly it lets them communicate with you.
Consider your social media strategy. It’s great when your audience sees your post but even better when they comment or share it. This creates more buzz and visibility for your product or service as more people join the conversation.
Interactivity also benefits your customers by increasing their engagement. When they actively participate in your brand’s story, it creates a sense of ownership and can lead to strong brand loyalty.
Convenient Conversions
Digital marketing allows customers to take action immediately after seeing your ad or content. With traditional ads the best immediate result is usually a phone call which isn’t always convenient.
With digital marketing, customers can click a link or save a blog post and move along the sales funnel instantly. They might not make a purchase right away but they’ll stay connected with you, giving you more opportunities to engage with them.
Strategy
Starting with digital marketing can be challenging for small businesses and beginners. However, you can create an effective strategy to boost brand awareness, engagement and sales by following these steps.
Set Goals
Setting SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely—is essential for any marketing strategy. Focus on goals that will drive your strategy forward rather than keeping it stagnant.
Identify Audience
Before starting a marketing campaign identify your target audience. This group shares similar attributes like age, gender, demographics or buying behavior. Understanding your audience helps you choose the right digital marketing channels and tailor your campaign content.
We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in. – Craig Davis
Create Budget
A budget helps you spend money effectively to achieve your goals avoiding overspending on channels that may not deliver desired results. Consider your SMART goals and the digital channels you plan to use when creating your budget.
Select Your Digital Marketing Channels
There are many digital marketing channels to choose from, like content marketing and PPC campaigns. The channels you select should align with your goals, audience and budget.
Refine Your Marketing Efforts
After your campaign ends analyze the data to see what worked well and what needs improvement. This helps you create better campaigns in the future. Digital tools and software can provide this data in an easy-to-view dashboard.
Growth
Digital marketing should be a key part of your business’s overall strategy. It allows you to stay in constant contact with your customers and offers unparalleled personalization through digital data. The more you embrace digital marketing the greater your company’s growth potential.
Your website is the center of your digital ecosystem. Like a brick-and-mortar location, the experience matters once a customer enters, just as much as the perception they have of you before they walk through the door. – Leland Dieno
