In our current day and age, there is no denying that marketing has moved into the digital world. It is, therefore, one of the best ways for companies to reach out to their customer base and increase brand awareness. However, this means that to improve your chances, you need to understand the different digital mediums through which you can execute your marketing strategies.
Being familiar with the different types of digital marketing will optimise your chances of success, and give you the upper hand when investing time, effort and money. So we’re here to shed light on them!
The exact number of different types of digital marketing differs depending on who you ask, which is no surprise. After all, the digital world is constantly changing and evolving, making it an evergreen process of learning and adapting.
That being said, we’ve put together a list of what we consider to be the seven pillars of digital marketing, to give you an all-encompassing understanding of the basics:
Content marketing
Content is at the core of all marketing, there’s no avoiding it. But when we talk about content marketing, we’re referring to all the different types of content that you can develop, with the specific aim of using it in marketing campaigns (which are carried out through different digital channels).
The good news about content being the main type of digital marketing is that it isn’t hard to implement. It can be as simple as writing a blog post! However, if you want to extract as much potential as possible, we recommend you invest in content development experts who will create compelling content, not only written but visual too.
Content marketing is particularly useful for informing and influencing a target audience, as well as establishing brand authority within the relevant industry.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital form of digital marketing that helps your target audience find you, through the optimization of how your website ranks on search engines. It helps your site rank higher on search, so that organic traffic is increased, and your brand exposure grows.
Most people will use online search engines such as Google to find what they’re looking for. So making sure your brand is listed as one of the first things to turn up when they search for something relevant, is one of the best ways to promote engagement.
There are plenty of online tools that can facilitate the implementation of SEO techniques and strategies within your marketing. Although it might seem like a daunting investment, the benefits are undeniable.
Social media marketing
This type of digital marketing has experienced a huge boost in recent years, becoming one of the most popular forms of business advertisement and client engagement. The reason is simple: people of all ages use various social media platforms on the daily.
Over time, consumers have increased their social media usage from merely sharing and connecting to making it a primary source of information, and now using it to make purchases online. This has turned it into a great opportunity for businesses all around the world, not only to increase brand awareness but to sell their services and products.
The best social media platforms for digital marketing are Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and X (formerly known as Twitter). However, it’s important to remember that this type of digital marketing requires a more hands-on approach to interacting with the customer base.
PPC
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a type of digital marketing that involves the use of paid ads, throughout different platforms and mediums. The cost varies depending on the platform, as well as your traffic targets and the number of competitors doing the same.
The biggest PPC platform is Google Ads. Through its use, your advertisements can place above organic search results, giving you the upper hand to increase brand visibility, and in turn, customer engagement.
Although it always requires paying (much as the name implies), there are all sorts of rates and platforms available for this, and the boost in visibility can make it worthwhile.
Email marketing
Email marketing entails exactly what it hints at, sending emails. Through this type of digital marketing, businesses create email lists from their customer base and target audience, and then send out relevant information, along with incentives, offers, and more.
When utilising this strategy, it’s vital that you respect communication preferences, and that you don’t spam your email lists with irrelevant or repetitive content. It’s also important to consistently revise and update the list so that the recipients are relevant, or else all the effort will be wasted on poor potential.
It should also be noted that in order to maximise email marketing, it is often advised to use email marketing software. There are plenty of options available, and they will not only make the process more efficient but will also provide you with invaluable insights such as email open rates and click-through rates.
Mobile marketing
It’s fair to say that almost every adult has a smartphone. So why not utilise this as a marketing opportunity? Mobile marketing does that, in a similar way to email marketing, by targeting potential or existing customers through text (SMS).
Open rates on mobile smartphone texts are often incredibly high, meaning it can provide businesses with a huge boost in visibility. However, it can sometimes be seen as quite an aggressive or invasive method, so it should be considered carefully.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is sometimes better known as influencer marketing. It utilises third-party influencers and organisations to promote and advertise a business, benefiting from their pre-established online presence and ability to influence the relevant target audience.
This is becoming an increasingly popular type of digital marketing, with many social media influencers receiving compensation in exchange for promoting certain services and/or products throughout their profiles.
The type of digital marketing that you implement within your own business should depend on your specific needs and targets, as well as the type of audience and customer base you cater to. In most cases, the best approach is to utilise more than one type of digital marketing strategy, as this increases your potential results, and achieves an overall digital cohesion of your business’s presence and activity.
Just remember, the digital world is in constant evolution!
If you’d like to learn more about digital marketing, take a look at the It Works Blog. Alternatively, if you’d like to find out about our services, get in touch today!