You’re probably wondering what exactly digital marketing is, right? You’ve heard of it, you know that it involves using the internet to promote your business, but you’re not sure how or why. Well, I’ve got some good news for you: Digital marketing isn’t a mystery!
There are dozens of different types of digital marketing out there and many of them can help your particular business grow.
That’s why we created this list of 16 types of digital marketing. We wanted to demystify the ways that businesses can use the internet and other online platforms to promote themselves and sell their products or services to new customers.
By choosing which types of digital marketing are best for your company and focusing on those options specifically (rather than trying every type!), you’ll see far better results than if you try to do everything at once and end up with a half-hearted result in each category.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Explore a comprehensive list of 16 effective digital marketing strategies. |
| 2. Understand the diverse approaches available to engage your target audience. |
| 3. Learn how each type of digital marketing can contribute to your business goals. |
| 4. Gain insights into the importance of adopting multiple strategies for a holistic approach. |
| 5. Discover the potential of integrating various methods to create a powerful marketing mix. |
| 6. Consider the unique benefits and challenges associated with each digital marketing type. |
| 7. Get inspired to tailor your digital marketing efforts to match your brand and audience. |
| 8. Embrace innovation by staying updated on the latest trends in digital marketing. |
| 9. Realize the significance of data-driven decision-making for successful campaigns. |
| 10. Plan your digital marketing strategy with a balanced combination of these 16 types. |
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you make money by selling someone else’s products. In some cases, you can even do it without having to pay for advertising or other forms of promotion.
You might be thinking that affiliate marketing isn’t really digital marketing because it doesn’t require much in terms of technology.
However, there are many ways you can use digital tools to improve your chances of success with this strategy. In fact, some companies will require their affiliates to use an interface specific to them when promoting their product(s).
So why should someone choose affiliate marketing as part of their digital marketing strategy?
While not all businesses have the resources available for paid advertising on search engines and social media channels like Facebook or Twitter.
Affiliate programs provide a low-cost way for anyone interested in starting an online business venture but don’t have time (or money) invested already!
Exploring response rates and understanding your marketing message’s impact is essential for effective digital marketing. Learn more about it in our article on What Coffee Shop Response Rates Tell You About Your Marketing Message & More.
2. Online Customer Support
It’s a simple fact that when people have problems with your product or service, they don’t just go away. They complain to friends and family, write negative reviews on review sites, and generally make life difficult for you in every way possible.
If you want to avoid this problem (and who doesn’t?) you should proactively address customer issues through online customer support channels such as social media and email support.
This not only demonstrates that you genuinely care about your customers but also gives them an opportunity to provide valuable feedback on their experiences with your brand so that in the future, it can be improved upon.
3. Content Marketing
The third type of digital marketing you should be doing is content marketing.
Content marketing is a great way to build trust and authority with your audience, as well as build a relationship with them.
It’s also a great way to educate your audience.
Content marketing can also help you build your brand, especially if you curate other people’s content or create valuable original pieces of content that will attract readers who would otherwise not have found out about the brand or product in question.
And last but not least, it can drive traffic for free (and boost conversion rates).
Just like observation and inference are crucial in scientific research, a similar approach applies to marketing research. Find out more about the scientific method in our post about Observation, Inference, and Testing: The Scientific Approach to Marketing Research.
4. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a great way to reach your target audience, establish your brand and get people talking about it. It’s also a great way to build relationships with customers and potential clients by interacting with them on social media.
Social media is one of the fastest-growing methods for reaching consumers in their busy lives, so it can be a valuable tool for any business looking to grow its customer base.
There are many types of social media platforms that businesses can use to promote themselves and interact with customers:
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your customers. It’s also a great way to increase customer loyalty and promote repeat purchases.
Email marketing can help you build a valuable database of customers, who will likely become loyal to your brand if they receive regular updates from you with useful information that interests them.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate new business because it allows for personalization based on previous purchases or behavior. You can also include special offers in your emails, which makes them feel more like incentives than unwanted promotions.
In order for email marketing campaigns to be successful, they must be personalized so make sure that each recipient gets an email that relates directly back to their needs and interests!
6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engines. SEO is a great way to drive traffic to your website, but it’s not a quick fix.
It’s more of a long-term tactic that requires you to make changes to your content and website architecture over time.
SEO can be tricky, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. There are many factors at play when it comes to ranking well on search engines like Google and Bing and they’re constantly changing!
That said, there are some core principles that will help anyone get started with SEO:
Understanding different types of marketing research can enhance your digital marketing strategies. Dive deeper into this topic by reading our guide on The Different Types of Marketing Research.
7. Paid Search Advertising
Paid search advertising, also known as PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, is the process of buying keyword phrases and ads on search engines like Google.
When a user searches for your business’s name or products, you’re featured in their results based on the keywords you’ve purchased.
Paid search advertising can be set up quickly and easily through your existing digital marketing toolkit, which means it’s an excellent option for new businesses looking to build brand awareness and increase leads without spending much time or money up front.
If this sounds like something that would benefit your business, we recommend using AdWords by Google as there are no setup fees for new accounts!
Once you’ve created an account with AdWords, all that remains is deciding what audience will be interested in seeing this content (i.e., who will actually click through to purchase from us?).
You can do so by defining custom audiences based on past interactions with other channels such as email marketing or social media ads these people have already demonstrated interest in our company so they’re likely more ready than average customers!
In addition to targeting specific audiences with relevant information about our brand material (i.e., product descriptions).
These paid listings also contain call-to-actions encouraging users who’ve landed there through organic searches but don’t yet know who we are before visiting our homepage.
This helps get them closer to converting into paying customers while simultaneously boosting shareability among non-affiliated groups within social media channels.
8. Video Marketing
Video marketing is a great way to get your message across in an entertaining and engaging way. It can be used to promote your brand, products or services, increase your search engine ranking, increase your social media presence and more.
The best part about video marketing is that it’s very affordable compared to other forms of digital marketing like radio or print advertising. How do you know if video marketing is right for you?
If you are looking for ways to improve customer engagement then doing this will definitely help with that goal because when people see themselves on camera they feel like they are being heard by the company and this increases their loyalty towards said business.
Video content has been proven to increase search engine rankings as well as traffic from social media sites because videos rank higher than text blog posts in Google Search results which means more shares!
9. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a great way to reach your target audience. Influencers can be bloggers, vloggers, social media personalities, or even celebrities. The key to influencer marketing is that an influencer has enough authority and influence over the people you want to reach.
Influencers are not only great at getting your brand in front of their followers but also helping you build the relationship with those followers and encouraging them to buy from you.
Conducting thorough market research is vital for successful digital marketing campaigns. Learn how to do it effectively with our step-by-step guide: How to Conduct Market Research in 14 Easy Steps.
10. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
PPC, or pay-per-click, is a type of advertising where you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. As an online marketer, it’s important to understand how PPC works and why it’s so valuable to your business.
Here are some basics:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website content so that search engines like Google can rank it higher in their results pages.
A good SEO strategy will help increase traffic to your site and drive more sales from customers who come in through organic searches for products or services relevant to yours.
SEM refers specifically to the use of paid ads on search engines like Bing or Google but unlike SEO, which provides free exposure for sites with high page rankings on those sites’ algorithms (aka “organic” listings).
SEM ads don’t appear until after you’ve already searched for something specific (like “shoes”). In other words, when you click paid ads instead of clicking organic options first;
This might mean more competition since many more people would have clicked organic options before they do this).
11. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Conversion rate optimization is the process of improving the percentage of visitors to your site who perform a desired action. The goal of conversion rate optimization is to improve your website’s landing pages and increase their ability to convert users into leads or sales.
This can be done through A/B testing and multivariate testing, which are staples in any digital marketing strategy. CRO focuses on optimizing elements like call-to-action buttons, form fields, layout and design, pricing or lead generation content.
12. Virtual Reality (VR) And Augmented Reality (AR) Content Marketing
Virtual Reality (VR) content is a step above anything you’ve ever seen. It immerses users in a virtual world, where they can interact with objects that don’t physically exist.
Augmented Reality (AR) content is similar to VR in that it adds an element of interactivity to the user experience, but instead of completely immersing them in an alternate reality, AR overlays digital images on top of real-world environments.
13. Podcasting/Viral Podcasts Marketing
In this article, I’ll be going over the basics of podcasting and viral podcasts.
To start, let’s define what a podcast is. Podcasting is digital audio content that can be subscribed to on your phone or other media player and listened to at any time. Some examples include:
- Car Talk- A popular radio show that was turned into a podcast in 2005
- This American Life- An award-winning show with episodes focusing on different themes each week (productivity, real estate etc.)
Podcasts are an amazing way for businesses to get their name out there because they are free for users and can easily be shared with friends/family members through social media channels like Facebook or Twitter.
They also provide companies with insight into how people use their products through reviews from listeners of the shows! If you’re interested in creating your own podcast check out www .audacity .sourceforge .net/downloads where there will be instructions on how to do so!
14. Local Listings And Online Directory Management
If you’re trying to get your name out there and increase your online visibility, then local listings are a great way to start. You can use them as a way to increase your local search engine optimization (SEO) as well.
Online directories such as Yelp and TripAdvisor are also good ways for businesses to gain exposure. These sites feature reviews from users that can help potential clients make informed decisions before they even set foot inside of your business.
There are many directories where you can list yourself online, but here’s the important thing: if the directory isn’t going to have an impact on getting more customers into your store or restaurant, then don’t waste time filling out their forms and paying them money!
Make sure that whatever directory platform you choose is actually going to help drive in customers before signing up for it!
Simplify your approach to online marketing research with our comprehensive guide: Marketing Research Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Online. Discover practical steps to optimize your digital marketing efforts.
15. Mobile Apps Promotion In App Stores & Search Engines
Mobile apps are an increasingly popular way for consumers to interact with businesses and brands. For example, in 2018, it was reported that mobile app downloads increased by 30%, and revenue from mobile ads increased by 43%.
Promote your app on search engines. If you want to increase the number of installs for your mobile app, then consider promoting it through search engines (e.g., Google or Bing).
This can be done through PPC campaigns or SEO optimization tactics such as landing page optimization and keyword research.
Promote your app on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram & Twitter using hashtags related to its functionality or other keywords that would help people find it easily if they were looking for similar products/services online.*
16. Digital Advertising In Gaming Platforms And Virtual Worlds
Gaming is a big industry, and can be a great way to reach your target audience. It’s also a good way to reach your target audience. In fact, it’s an even better way to reach them and it’s not just because the game itself is fun and engaging; it’s because they’re already there!
People love playing games so much that they’ll do almost anything within the confines of their favorite virtual worlds or online gaming platforms (or both). So why not leverage this passion by advertising in these spaces?
Use digital ads on gaming platforms and virtual worlds like Facebook or mobile apps like Candy Crush Saga these are places where people already spend hours every day.
And if you advertise effectively, you’ll see results quickly: That sweet spot between entertainment and sales will start paying off immediately when users engage with what you’ve got to sell.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you to learn some new marketing techniques that you can use in your own business.
Remember, these are just a few examples of the many types of digital marketing available to small businesses today so be sure to research and experiment with different strategies before finding the right fit for your company!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on the various types of digital marketing:
Types of Digital Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide Short Description: Dive into a comprehensive guide that explores the diverse landscape of digital marketing strategies and their applications.
Explaining the 16 Types of Digital Marketing Short Description: Get a clear and concise breakdown of 16 different digital marketing methods, each explained in detail.
Exploring Different Types of Content Marketing Short Description: Learn about various content marketing strategies and how they can be effectively employed to engage your target audience.
FAQs
What are the key benefits of digital marketing?
Digital marketing offers numerous benefits, including increased brand visibility, wider audience reach, better targeting options, measurable results, and the ability to adjust campaigns in real-time.
How can I choose the right digital marketing strategies for my business?
Selecting the right digital marketing strategies depends on your business goals, target audience, budget, and industry. It’s essential to analyze these factors and tailor your approach accordingly.
What is content marketing, and why is it important?
Content marketing involves creating valuable and relevant content to attract and engage your target audience. It’s important because it builds brand authority, fosters customer trust, and drives organic traffic to your website.
How does social media marketing contribute to business growth?
Social media marketing enables businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, drive traffic, generate leads, and even increase sales. It’s a powerful tool for fostering customer loyalty and engagement.
What is the significance of data analytics in digital marketing?
Data analytics plays a crucial role in digital marketing by providing insights into consumer behavior, campaign performance, and market trends. It helps marketers make informed decisions and optimize their strategies for better results.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
