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What is Digital Marketing? 

June 20, 2022

Digital marketing. It’s one of those phrases which gets said often but most people don’t really know what it means. Is it the latest viral Stranger Things meme or is it those helpful online guides telling you everything from cooking to cats? 

Well, I can tell you this…it can be both! Now, not every business will need guides and not all businesses fancy a spicy meme but what does your business want?  

Digital marketing which can also be called online marketing is a phrase referring to all marketing efforts that take place on the internet. 

It can cover many forms such as social media (yes, that can include a good meme) to email marketing, website SEO and strategy. In practice, any marketing which uses electronic devices is digital marketing. 

Digital marketing is usually compared to ‘tradition marketing’ methods which are not found on the internet, this could include billboards and flyers. There are differences between digital marketing and traditional marketing, other than the obvious which we will cover later. 

Read on to find out about the different types of digital marketing, what the difference is between digital marketing and traditional marketing, and how digital marketing can benefit your business… 

Types of Digital Marketing 

As previously mentioned, there are many different forms of digital marketing to ensure that you can reach all audiences depending on your marketing needs. Many people will use multiple, if not all, of these types of digital marketing on their business journey, so let’s take a closer look: 

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) 

Search engine optimisation, also known as SEO, is the way in which you can get your website found online. By improving and optimising your SEO you can drive more traffic to your website and therefore generate more sales (no one’s going to be complaining about that!). 

SEO includes many factors which you need to consider including: 

  • Mobile-friendliness 
  • Keywords 
  • Backlinks 
  • Meta descriptions 
  • Headings 

The main reason is to rank higher on Google, the algorithm is like a living organism which is always changing which makes it important to monitor the success of your website and make SEO changes accordingly. Click here if you want to find out your SEO ranking now. 

Content Marketing  

We love creating articles (blogs), posts, quotes, and top-notch content to deliver to your audience through your website, email campaigns, and social media. 

Did you know that 90% of digital marketers who used content marketing in 2021 have continued to invest the same amount in 2022? 

Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand, with SEO perfectly complementing your content. Using these forms of digital marketing in sync will ensure that your content reaches the right people and your ideal clients. 

Email Marketing 

Email has been with us for some time, but do not underestimate the power and reach of regular email marketing campaigns. 

With current digital technology, you can make your email marketing campaigns completely unique to your business and reach your clients in their own inboxes. 

Small business? Try including your customers’ names in the subject line to make it personable. 

Quirky brand? Don’t be afraid of emojis and puns! 

When in doubt, play on current events! Here in the UK, we have just dealt with a heatwave turning sunbathing into sun-baking! Use current affairs in your email and subject line to intrigue your customers. 

One of our last email campaigns which got our HIGHEST open rate was titled “DO YOU HAVE TOO MANY POINTS OF ENTRY? 😉” 

Email marketing software allows you to create personalised marketing campaigns which then can automatically be sent to your mailing list/s and then will collect analytics such as the open rate. Many websites, such as Mailerlite,  are drag-and-drop editors which means you can create interesting emails without having technical knowledge! 

Social Media Marketing 

Today, social media is used by the majority of the population and most businesses for good reason. Social media marketing is the way in which you can drive traffic and build brand awareness by engaging your audience online. 

The main social media platforms which businesses should utilise, depending on your specific audience, are: 

  • TikTok 
  • LinkedIn 
  • Pinterest 

Social media marketing is becoming more popular every day with it being the most popular form of B2C marketing at 96%! Social media marketing involves audience participation and is therefore a great way to connect with your audience through posts, videos and even MEMES. Depending on your targeted platform, many have built-in engagement metrics which allow you to track how well your business is performing. 

Your main goal of social media marketing may not to create a direct impulse purchase. If your target audience is older or if your product/service is not appropriate for impulse purchases then you may focus on building a community, starting the dialogue and being informative. 

Pay-per-click Marketing (PPC) 

PPC marketing is when you post an ad on a platform (such as social media) and pay every time someone clicks on it. 

The complicated part is how and when people see your ad. On Google, for example, the algorithm will prioritise ad slots based on many factors such as ad quality, keyword relevance and page quality. 

PPC campaigns are built towards goal conversions such as signing up for a newsletter or making a call. You can choose your target goal conversions which you can then track to see how well your campaign is performing. 

What is the Difference between Digital Marketing and Traditional Marketing? 

Digital marketing and traditional marketing are both valid forms of marketing, but they serve different purposes.  

Traditional marketing focuses on media such as magazines and newspapers whereas digital marketing looks at websites and social media. Some businesses utilise both forms of marketing, but it often depends on your business. 

Digital marketing has overtaken traditional marketing in effectiveness and cost so let’s take a deeper dive into the benefits of digital marketing… 

Benefits of Digital Marketing 

It is no secret that digital marketing is becoming more and more popular in this technological age. People are using the internet more and more often so it only makes sense that your marketing should take place there too.  

Making the switch to digital marketing over traditional methods can be scary, especially if you have a tried and tested method which is no longer working the same so let us tell you a few of the many benefits of digital marketing: 

  • Broad reach. Think of posting a flyer through a door, that piece of information is only able to be viewed by the people in that house. Now imagine posting an ad on Facebook using the same information, which is going to be seen by more people? Marketing your business digitally also enables your customers to share your business with others with ease. If you know your business relies on referrals, then digital is the way to go. 
  • Measurable results. One way in which digital marketing excels over traditional marketing is that you can measure digital marketing. You can view how many people open your email campaign, how many people purchased your product on any given day, where people have landed on your website and more. This allows you to change your marketing strategy as and when you need to so that you get maximum results.  
  • Personalisation. You can’t personalise a billboard but you can personalise an email campaign! No matter the size of your business, you want your customers to feel important and valued and the best way to do this is through personalisation. Simply including your customer’s name in an email campaign shows that thought has gone into that content to tailor it to that audience.  

Who are CREATIVE in TiME? 

We are a digital marketing and business advice agency. We audit, advise, mentor and manage your marketing requirements underpinned with business advice and support capabilities. CREATIVE in TiME specialise in SEO (search engine optimisation) and expert business advice. 

We specialise in being your partner on your business journey, and our customers appreciate having access to director level, manager at level and team level expertise in business and marketing without the need to employ all levels at great cost to your company. 

If you would like to find out more about the individuals at CREATIVE in TiME then click here to see what our team is all about and put some faces to this work! 

By Andrea Warner

Award Winning Business builder, Marketing guru, franchise creator, 20 years of business experience in B2C and B2B, Networking Queen. Brings humour and laughter to every meeting. Why wouldn’t you?

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