What is Digital Marketing? [A Simple Explanation for You]
What is digital marketing? If you are confused, you are not alone — it’s a loaded term. Small businesses make up 99.9% of businesses in the United States and I’ve got a feeling that many of them including the ones in McDonough and Henry County are scratching their heads when it comes to understanding how to use online techniques to attract customers
Although online marketing is intimidating, as a small business, it is your friend. I have started a “what is” campaign to help you understand marketing in in the modern digital world. It is a powerful weapon for businesses of all sizes.
What is Digital Marketing?
To put it simply, digital marketing is the process of marketing your business on digital devices. Neil Patel, one of the most brilliant persons in digital marketing, has a detailed breakdown of digital marketing in his blog post, “Digital Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide.” It is worth the read.
Offline Marketing Versus Online Marketing
Digital marketing is divided into two categories: offline and online.
Offline Digital Marketing
Although offline marketing includes paper brochures and flyers, this post is focused on the digitized audience. If you use offline techniques to market to your customers, it means you are not using the internet. It means that you are most likely using technology such as television, radio, and digital billboards.
In his blog post, Neil Patel breaks down offline marketing into these four categories:
- Enhance offline marketing (example: electronic menus at the restaurants that allow you to order and pay)
- Radio marketing
- Television marketing
- Phone marketing
Online Digital Marketing
Chances are online marketing is (rightfully) your focus. You more than likely promote your brand online in some capacity (such as social media). If you promote yourself on the internet, then you are a digital marketer. Congratulations! When promoting your business by reaching people on the Intenet via their digital devices, such as their cell phone, tablet or laptop. Other types of online digital marketing include:
- Content marketing: creating, publishing and sharing valuable content to attract, nurture, convert, and keep customers. It is the heartbeat of online marketing.
- Email marketing: provides a way to directly engage with your audience.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): the process of getting unpaid traffic to your content when people search online for information.
- Search engine marketing (SEM): using paid advertising that appears on the search engine results page such as Google or Bing.
- Pay-per-click advertising (PPC): it’s an advertising model where you pay if someone clicks on your ad. Also known as cost-per-click or CPC.
- Social media marketing (SMM): promoting brand awareness using social networks.
- Affiliate marketing: earning commission on the internet by promoting someone else’s products.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is here to stay. Even if you have someone else managing your marketing, familiarize yourself with it.
Please share and comment so that I know whether this “What Is” campaign is helping you. In the meantime, if you need an entrepreneurial coach, consultant or a freelance writer, contact me. I provide both telephone and face-to-face services. Subscribe today to valuable tips, specials, blog notifications, and free templates. Scroll down on the homepage to subscribe today.
