What Is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a branch of marketing that involves promoting services and products through digital technologies used at all stages of consumer interaction. It differs from Internet marketing in that it uses the World Wide Web and offline tools (smart gadgets, POS terminals, etc.).
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Digital marketing services are particularly in demand in the B2B and B2C segments. Advanced digital capabilities allow you to reach a maximum number of target customers and establish effective interaction with them, ensuring this approach’s high performance.
The History of Digital Marketing: How Did Online Marketing Begin?
At one time, digital was possible without internet marketing. An example of this is the pioneers of this direction, the company SoftAd Group (now ChannelNet). In the mid-80s, they developed an unusual advertising campaign for several car manufacturers.
The idea was the following: the reader had to cut out a special insert and send it by mail. In return, they would get a free test-drive and floppy disk with advertisements of various car brands. So the company used the digital medium in conjunction with offline promotion tools. And the term “digital marketing” (or “digital marketing”) itself began to be used in the ’90s.
What Online Marketing Consists Of
You can devote an article to each of the tools and channels of digital marketing. So we’re not going to take them apart in detail but rather list the most common types of digital marketing:
- Digital TV and online radio;
- Advertising in applications, messengers, and online games;
- SMS and MMS mailing;
- Advertising on interactive and outdoor LED screens, self-service terminals;
- SEO and SEM – search engine marketing on the web;
- PPC advertising, banners, and teaser advertising;
- Social Media Marketing (SMM);
- Email marketing;
Few companies can afford to do everything at once, but most often they don’t need to. The choice depends on the goals of the business and / or the approach of the agency that leads the project. Also, you can’t forget about managing the company’s reputation in all sources that mention it. The view on digital and the effectiveness of different channels can vary, so we asked the opinions of several experts in the field.
There are many tools in digital marketing, which can be divided into 3 main groups:
- Paid resources: all the manifestations in the digital for which a company has to pay;
- Owned resources: websites, pages in social networks, which the business owns and can manage;
- Earned media – free or acquired communication channels.
Key Digital Marketing Tools
Digital marketing includes all ways, means and events which allow informing masses to attract the attention of potential customers to a company, brand, service, or product. More often, several tools are used simultaneously, allowing to cover a maximum target audience and achieve high efficiency of promotion. The list of tools depends on the marketing campaign’s goals, the stage of its implementation, the target audience’s characteristics, the promoted product, etc. The main tools of digital marketing are the following.
- PPC advertising. It consists of placing ads (text, graphics and/or links) on thematic sites.
- SEO-promotion. Its purpose is to raise the advertiser’s site in the issuance of thematic requests, for which search engine optimization and others are carried out.
- Banner Advertising. The placement of graphic banners offering a product/service is carried out on third-party thematic resources.
- Advertising windows. This is a way of online advertising which involves showing pop-up advertising windows on the thematic areas.
- Television advertising. It is noticeably more expensive in comparison with Internet advertising but allows to cover the maximum audience of different age groups.
- Radio advertising. This is also quite an expensive but effective way to convey your offer to a wide audience.
- Native advertising. It consists of publishing “natural” materials (reviews, expert opinions, etc.) on third-party resources, pushing to purchase goods/services.
- SMS mailings. Advertising messages are sent to subscribers of cellular operators.
- QR-codes offline. This method is often practiced to motivate people to install applications or use other digital products or services.
- Viral advertising. It involves the creation of content (often multimedia) with catchy or provocative content so that users themselves will spread it online (share it on their blogs, with friends on social networks, etc.).
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Digital marketing can also use other tools based on digital technology: from a promotional offer during the installation of programs to an email, or a melody used to keep callers on the line. Traditional tools such as newspapers or flyers, if they contain a QR code in the ad (i.e., involve the use of digital technology), are also digital marketing.
Channels of Digital Marketing
Internet. This channel involves using any devices with access to a global network: laptops, tablets, PCs, smartphones, etc. Advertising (search, contextual, banner, teaser, etc.), creating diverse content for passive or viral promotion (videos, text articles, etc.), promoting products and services on social networks, publishing expert opinions, performing search engine optimization.
Digital television. It gradually ousts analog TV from the market and becomes more and more integrated with the global network. The most common format for digital marketing on digital television is the creation of short videos broadcast during commercial breaks. In some cases, tickers and other features are also practiced.
Local networks. These include various local “associations” of computers. This may be a corporate network within one office, local networks in individual houses, city districts, etc.
Mobile gadgets. These are cell phones and smartphones. The most common way to promote through mobile devices is to send SMS messages with an advertising offer. It can be carried out both on the client base (i.e., the number of people who have already used services or purchased goods from this company) and on independent sets of phones. Other tools, such as WOW-calls, branded offers, advertising in third-party programs can be used through a mobile gadget channel.
“Smart” gadgets. This includes a variety of smart devices: watches, scales, fitness bracelets, etc., which have a WI-FI connection to the Internet. For promotion, it is possible to use branded applications and other tools.
Interactive displays. They can be installed in fitting rooms, cafes, and restaurants, on POS terminals, charging machines, etc. Interactive displays also include digital banners installed for advertising purposes. Through this channel, predominantly video clips are distributed. Pop-up ads are also actively used.
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Digital-art. This channel involves the use of any works of art, which can be broadcasted or created using modern digital technology.
Social media. They are used to run viral ads, “independent” opinions and publications, discussions, creation, and maintenance of thematic groups. Contextual or banner advertising can also be broadcast in social networks.
How to Start Digital Marketing Career
You can easily start a digital marketing career without any hesitation. Just begin online digital marketing courses and obtain the profession you’ve always dreamed of! You can study online without leaving your home! Also, online courses consist of up-to-date information which will be useful right from the start of your work. Digital marketing online courses allow you to obtain any digital professions you want. Just don’t hesitate to start studying digital marketing online now!
