Introduction to Digital Marketing

We live in a super-connected world these days and as such, advertising and marketing are no longer the same animals they once were. This is especially true due to the rise of social media, which has changed how businesses communicate with potential and existing clients.

So what exactly is digital marketing and what does it encompass? Basically, it’s a collective term which is used where marketing meets internet technology and other forms of new media.

Digital Marketing includes:

1. Social media marketing

• Social media marketing: this has risen hugely in popularity and there are now countless dedicated agencies scattered around the web which promise to help with it. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn are all examples of social networks which can be used as a part of your marketing efforts, although they are far from the only ones.

Social media marketing allows two-way communication between a company and consumer in a way that wasn’t previously seen and it’s safe to say that it has changed business approach to marketing as now, the consumer holds the power.

It’s also based on one of the most effective forms of advertising; word of mouth.

Social media means that communication can be a lot more targeted and personalized than other forms of marketing, as companies get the chance to receive feedback from customers daily.

It’s also useful for making content ‘go viral’, something which can help to strengthen a brand very quickly. It’s brand personality that makes social work so well, as if this is done correctly, across the board, then it can boost engagement considerably.

2. Search Engine Optimisation

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): is a means of optimizing the content of a website in order to gain better placement on the Search Engine Results Page (SERPS). A variety of techniques are employed to achieve this and it’s not a job for amateurs really as there are many pitfalls that could have Google frowning on your site.

SEO includes:

• Keyword research and usage, on-page and off (within HTML)
• Link building /outreach blogging
• Content delivery
• Site structure
• Analytics

This is not an exhaustive list, but it does give an indication of how much work is necessary in order to optimize a site.

3. Search Engine Marketing

• Search Engine marketing (SEM): is similar to, but incorporates, SEO and uses many of the same techniques as a part of that. The main difference between the two terms is that SEM also includes paid online advertising models, such as pay-per-click (PPC).

PPC advertising models are those such as Google Adwords and Bing, which only require payment when the ad is clicked through to the target website. SEM also requires keyword analysis as the words and phrases used in the ad and site and these need to be monitored carefully to reflect the market and current search engine rules.

Whilst it can be said that SEM encompasses all kinds of digital marketing, it’s more commonly thought of in a narrower niche, to describe paid models.

4. Content Marketing

• Content marketing: is a technique where content is produced and distributed with the intention of providing relevant, interesting content to attract and engage a particular audience that a business is targeting. The creation of useful content is a way of developing communication with the customer in order to drive engagement and customer action. Content can mean anything from blogs to videos and whitepapers tend to work well using content marketing techniques too. The goal is to win customer loyalty and retain it.

5. Email Marketing

• Email marketing: remains a very effective tool, despite claims that it isn’t as important as social these days. Modern email marketing is just beginning to evolve so that it can be linked to a database in order to personalize it, so that individual groups of customers can be sent mail based on previous purchases and interests.

Additional Channels

• SMS marketing: is also highly effective and rising in popularity, due to the fact that many of us no longer go anywhere without our cell phones. This ‘always-on’ aspect means that when SMS marketing is used, it’s highly likely that the customer will at least read the text.

• Video marketing/video infographics: is again becoming hugely popular and it’s likely that we’ll see an even bigger move in its direction this year as more and more businesses begin to recognise the potential it has. People take in more information when watching video and are more likely to engage, so it’s certainly worth looking at.

Whilst image-based infographics are already hugely popular, making these in the form of a series of frames for video is beginning to really take off in the digital marketing space too.

Watch Out for the next article in which we shall discuss how digital marketing can help your business. 

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