Digital marketing is critical for any modern business who wants to remain competitive online. More and more businesses are investing in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, but just how comprehensive should it be?
There are many different types of digital marketing, and if you are unsure what they are and if you should focus on one or more at once, then this article is for you…
What Are The Different Types Of Digital Marketing?
Below are some of the primary digital marketing methods to keep an eye out for:
1.) SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process by which you work to raise up your pages in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
This is an organic process – you cannot simply pay to be at the top (see SEM below).
Search engines like Google use algorithms to determine how relevant your page is to a user’s query, and SEO can help you tick the boxes you need.
SEO involves keyword research, publishing high-quality content and so much more.
If done right, you will not only appear higher in the SERPs, but in a way that will increase your conversions too.
Very few users will look beyond the first page or so of results, so SEO really is an essential type of marketing.
Any digital marketing agency worth their salt will tell you that SEO should play a huge role in your broader digital marketing strategy.
2.) SEM
SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, on the other hand, involves paying for an ad to appear at the top of the SERPs.
This form of marketing is also referred to as Pay-Per-Click, which as it suggests is where you have to pay each time your ad is clicked on.
SEM is an excellent type of marketing as it can produce instant results unlike SEO, which takes time.
However, once you stop paying for your ad to appear, it won’t, and you will be right back where you started, lower down in the rankings and with no organic traffic to speak of.
It can also become quite expensive, and people generally prefer to use organic links over ads. So while SEM is a great way to get your product out there fast, it is a better idea to use it in conjunction with SEO.
3.) Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is one of the fastest growing types of marketing there is. Facebook alone has around 3 billion regular monthly users, that’s over a third of the world all gathered in one place.
If you want to target customers where they spend a lot of their time, this is an excellent approach.
You can use both organic and paid methods with social media marketing. The goal is to engage with your target audience, to gain their interest and attention, and to create leads and conversions.
This form of marketing works to draw customers in to you and is extremely effective, though it does require a lot of time and attention to get it working optimally and sustainably.
4.) Content Marketing
Content marketing is really at the heart of most forms of marketing. By creating valuable content that engages, educates and evokes a response, you can build brand awareness, gain leads and sales, and indeed bolster your SEO efforts.
Content marketing allows you to sell your brand and your products and to showcase why you are the authority.
Traditional forms of marketing don’t work quite like they used to. People are more likely to zone out or even get annoyed when obvious ads are pushed on them.
However, using a modern inbound approach with an emphasis on creating high-value ‘people-first’ content, you’ll have a much easier time converting those clicks into customers.
5.) Email Marketing
Email marketing has been around longer than most other forms of digital marketing, but it is no less effective.
As you’d expect, with this kind of marketing you engage with customers (both existing and prospective) through email.
There are so many ways that you can use email marketing to engage customers.
You can send cold-outreach, offer promotions, contact people who abandoned your website with products in their cart with discounted offers, or simply provide weekly updates with high-value info.
6.) Video Marketing
As its name suggests, video marketing is the practice of using videos to reach your target audience and promote your company or product.
Videos are a terrific medium for engagement. People are more likely to watch a video than to read pages and pages of dense text (though written content is still hugely important – so don’t write it off).
You can make educational videos, how-to videos, ads, webinars, product reviews, podcasts, and so much more.
7.) Affiliate And Influencer Marketing
With both affiliate and influencer marketing, you forge a relationship in which you both benefit, and both get paid.
Influencer marketing is a hugely powerful new type of marketing that can be tapped into today.
Influencers can be movie stars, musicians or former unknowns that have amassed huge numbers of followers that you can pay to advertise your product.
Be warned, picking the biggest influencers can get very expensive. The best way to utilize this form of marketing is to go for the ‘micro-influencers’.
These people still have up to 100,000 followers. You will pay less, and people are actually more likely to be influenced by people they can relate to.
Affiliate marketing works by using links to encourage customers to head to your or your affiliate’s website. This traffic is checked and when a sale occurs, a commission is paid.
You should always screen your affiliates and influencers carefully to make sure they fit in with your brand identity before you commit to these strategies.
8.) Mobile Marketing
The balance has shifted away from desktops and laptops to mobile phones being the device that people most use to access the internet.
This means that digital marketing and website accessibility must likewise increase the focus on mobile use and marketing.
This can come in many forms, from SMS messages to in-app ads and more. Game creators and ad developers often partner with businesses to display their ads where more people will see them than ever before.
This is still a growing form of digital marketing, and you can do a lot with it with the right expertise and strategy.
Should You Focus On Just One Or All Of Them At Once?
So, now we have looked at the key types of digital marketing, should you focus on just one? The answer is a resounding no.
You don’t have to use each and every one, though you will have a more comprehensive and well-rounded strategy if you do.
Many of these forms of marketing work beautifully when combined. For example, you cannot craft the perfect SEO strategy without awesome content marketing.
Just as your well-strategized social media marketing will likely involve video marketing and influencer and affiliate marketing to boot.
It is true, however, that trying to focus on all of these types of marketing at once can be overwhelming.
Each one demands a level of knowledge and expertise, but also time and effort for it to become impactful for your business.
If you are struggling to create a cohesive marketing strategy for your company, or would like someone else to put all of their expertise and time into your digital marketing so you don’t have to, consider hiring a digital marketing agency instead.
That way, all of these requirements can be handled under one banner and with the greatest efficiency.
If you had to pick one, start off with SEO and get that organic traffic following to your website as quickly as possible.
Once you’ve established a sustainable ROI you can then start ramping up your other marketing efforts and take your business to even greater heights!