The term digital marketing refers to the use of digital channels to market products and services in order to reach consumers. This type of marketing involves the use of websites, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other similar channels. Digital marketing became popular with the advent of the internet in the 1990s.
Digital marketing involves some of the same principles as traditional marketing and is often considered a new way for companies to approach consumers and understand their behavior. Companies often combine traditional and digital marketing techniques in their strategies. But it comes with its own set of challenges, including implicit bias.
How Digital Marketing Works
Marketing refers to activities that a company uses to promote its products and services and improve its market share. It requires a combination of advertising savvy, sales, and the ability to deliver goods to end-users if it’s going to be successful. Professionals, known as marketers, take on these tasks either internally (for companies) or externally with marketing firms.
Corporations traditionally focused on marketing through print, television, and radio. Although these options still exist, the internet led to a shift in the way companies reach consumers. That’s where digital marketing came into play. This form of marketing involves the use of websites, social media, search engines, and apps—anything that incorporates marketing with customer feedback or a two-way interaction between the company and its customers.
Increased technology and newer trends forced companies to change their marketing strategies. Email became a popular marketing tool in the early days of digital marketing. That focus shifted to search engines like Netscape, which allowed businesses to tag and keyword stuff to get themselves noticed. The development of sites like Facebook made it possible for companies to track data to cater to consumer trends.
Smartphones and other digital devices now make it easier for companies to market themselves and their products and services to consumers. Studies show that people prefer using their phones to go online. So it should come as no surprise that 70% of individuals make buying decisions (usually on their phones) before they actually hit the purchase button.
Sources and Receivers
Advertisers are commonly referred to as sources, while members of the targeted ads are the receivers. Sources frequently target highly specific, well-defined receivers like McDonald’s did with shift workers and travelers.
The company used digital ads because it knew these people made up a large segment of its late-night business. McDonald’s encouraged them to download the Restaurant Finder app, targeting them with ads placed at automated teller machines (ATMs), gas stations, and websites that its customers commonly frequented.
Types of Digital Marketing Channels
As noted above, marketing was traditionally done through print (newspapers and magazines) and broadcast ads (TV and radio). These are channels that still exist today. Digital marketing channels have evolved and continue to do so. The following are eight of the most common avenues that companies can take to boost their marketing efforts. Keep in mind that some companies may use multiple channels in their efforts.
Website Marketing
A website is the centerpiece of all digital marketing activities. It is a very powerful channel on its own, but it’s also the medium needed to execute a variety of online marketing campaigns. A website should represent a brand, product, and service in a clear and memorable way. It should be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to use.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-per-click advertising enables marketers to reach Internet users on a number of digital platforms through paid ads. Marketers can set up PPC campaigns on Google, Bing, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook and show their ads to people searching for terms related to the products or services.
These campaigns can segment users based on their demographic characteristics (such as by age or gender), or even target their particular interests or location. The most popular platforms are Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
Content Marketing
The goal of content marketing is to reach potential customers through the use of content. Content is usually published on a website and then promoted through social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, or even pay-per-click campaigns. The tools of content marketing include blogs, ebooks, online courses, infographics, podcasts, and webinars.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is still one of the most effective digital marketing channels. Many people confuse email marketing with spam email messages, but that’s not what email marketing is all about. This type of marketing allows companies to get in touch with potential customers and anyone interested in their brands.
Many digital marketers use all other digital marketing channels to add leads to their email lists and then, through email marketing, they create customer acquisition funnels to turn those leads into customers.
Social Media Marketing
The primary goal of a social media marketing campaign is brand awareness and establishing social trust. As you go deeper into social media marketing, you can use it to get leads or even as a direct marketing or sales channel. Promoted posts and tweets are two examples of social media marketing.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing, and the internet has brought new life to this old standby. With affiliate marketing, influencers promote other people’s products and get a commission every time a sale is made or a lead is introduced. Many well-known companies like Amazon have affiliate programs that pay out millions of dollars per month to websites that sell their products.
Video Marketing
YouTube is one of the most popular search engines in the world. A lot of users are turning to YouTube before making a buying decision, to learn something, read a review, or just relax.
There are several video marketing platforms, including Facebook Videos, Instagram, and even TikTok to use to run a video marketing campaign. Companies find the most success with video by integrating it with SEO, content marketing, and broader social media marketing campaigns.
SMS Messaging
Companies and nonprofit organizations also use SMS or text messages to send information about their latest promotions or give opportunities to willing customers. Political candidates running for office also use SMS message campaigns to spread positive information about their own platforms. As technology has advanced, many text-to-give campaigns also allow customers to directly pay or give via a simple text message.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in Digital Marketing
Another key point to remember is that digital marketers use key performance indicators (KPIs) just like traditional marketers. KPIs are quantifiable ways that companies can measure long-term performance by comparing them to their competition. This includes corporate strategies, financial goals and achievements, operational activities, and even marketing campaigns.
The following are some of the most common KPIs that marketers can use to help companies achieve their goals:
- Blog Articles: Marketers can use this KPI to figure out how many times a company publishes blog posts each month.
- Clickthrough Rates: Companies can use this KPI to figure out how many clicks take place for email distributions. This includes the number of people that open an email and click on a link to complete a sale.
- Conversion Rate: This measure focuses on call-to-action promotional programs. These programs ask consumers to follow through with certain actions, such as buying a product or service before the end of a promotional period. Companies can determine the conversion rate by dividing successful engagements by the total number of requests made.
- Traffic on Social Media: This tracks how many people interact with corporate social media profiles. This includes likes, follows, views, shares, and/or other measurable actions.
- Website Traffic: Marketers can use this metric to track how many people visit a company’s website. Corporate management can use this information to understand whether the site’s design and structure contribute to sales.
Top 10 Advertising Blogs You Must Follow Now
Understanding current trends in the ad world can give you a competitive edge, whether in marketing, customer experience, public relations, or social media. Staying up to date can also help you avoid a costly advertising failure. If you’re not sure where to start or you need a few more quality resources, we’ve compiled the best blogs to help you succeed with your next ad campaign.
- Adland
Adland, the respected elder in the room, has been editorializing and curating the ad game since 1996, an eternity in the land of the skinny tie and martini lunch. That’s all the more remarkable when you consider the site is powered by donations and its contributors aren’t paid. The outlet boasts it has the “world’s largest Super Bowl commercial collection,” but the real reason to surf Adland’s decades’ worth of content is for its mix of advertising news; its database of print, radio, and TV ads; and the spotlight it puts on some of the strangest marketing efforts you’ll ever see.
- Ads of the World
Visiting the Ads of the World website is like perusing a virtual advertising museum, with quite possibly the most comprehensive archive of ads anywhere. The site, which calls itself the “largest creative advertising community on the internet,” recently got a makeover and now offers users the opportunity to create their own personal landing page, where they can make a “watchlist” of ads they want to view. With categories like “Creative Typography in Advertising” and “Great Minimalist Ads,” it’s impossible to walk away uninspired.
- Adweek
Adweek is a must-read for any professional in the advertising industry. The print publication was founded in 1979, and the brand launched its own blog network in 2015. Its offerings include AgencySpy, which promises to illuminate the “ad agency world from the inside.” In addition to its articles, Adweek regularly hosts events, such as its annual Brandweek Summit, but also provides webinars on B2B and B2C topics so business owners can learn advertising tips and tricks from the comfort of their own homes.
- Amazon
You most likely think of Amazon as a destination for online shopping rather than a place to get advice. But its ads blog is all about “empowering and inspiring advertisers both on and off Amazon with advertising insights, industry trends, and analysis from marketing leaders.” You can learn how to use Amazon’s own services, like Amazon Marketing Cloud, or get platform-agnostic advice, such as “2023 ad buying tips for marketers.”
- IDEO
IDEO is a global design agency with a history dotted with recognizable innovations – from designing the first manufacturable mouse for Apple in 1980 to creating an entire school system in Peru from the ground up. Their blog, playfully named “The Octopus,” helps you navigate society, technology, and education all from a designer’s perspective. Its “Creative Tips + Tools” section promises “practical resources for bringing creativity into your life and putting it to work.” You can learn about visual storytelling (a key component of advertising), prototyping, and more.
- MarketingProfs
Are you thinking about spending four years of your life and $200K on a marketing degree? If it’s proficiency and not the piece of paper you’re after, bookmark MarketingProfs instead. It is a fantastic resource designed to teach just about every content and digital marketing facet while following emerging trends. All contributors are industry influencers vetted for expertise, and adding your name to the list of more than 600,000 current members is free.
- Microsoft
Regardless of whether you’re a Mac or Windows user, Microsoft’s advertising blog has something for you. Scour the top “native advertising creative ideas,” or learn how to pull off holiday-themed campaigns. Sure, some of the content is tied to Microsoft’s own advertising solutions and products, but there are plenty of helpful insights shared each week – even an Apple fanatic will find them valuable.
- Moz
Moz is an industry leader in SEO, but its blog content runs the gamut with one goal in mind: improving readers’ online marketing skills so that they can increase sales. The blog covers nearly 40 topics, from marketing psychology to e-commerce. Find out how to design inclusive content for your advertising pictorials or how to take advantage of social media trends. The site’s co-founder, Rand Fishkin, used to do a video blog post every Friday that was a favorite of digital marketers and prominent ad agencies. Moz continues in that vein today with its “Whiteboard Friday” series.
- Oracle
Oracle offers a suite of blogs on different subjects, including customer experience, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and, yes, advertising. There are more than a dozen in all, a reflection of the breadth of Oracle’s services. Its advertising blog is further broken down into sub-topics: audiences, campaign optimization, campaign planning, context, CPG (consumer packaged goods), culture, DMP (data management platform), industry insights, measurement, and retail. The content is a mix of case studies, practical advice, and explainers, with helpful information for entrepreneurs just starting out, business owners looking to scale, and longtime executives who want to stay on top of innovations in the advertising space.
- Seth Godin
In marketing circles, Seth Godin is so well-known that most people refer to him as simply Seth. But, if brevity is the soul of wit, then Godin, an author of nearly two dozen books, is one seriously witty guy. Most of his blog posts about publishing, entrepreneurship, marketing trends, or digital marketing are only about 300 words – but that doesn’t stop Godin’s posts from being thought-provoking and poignant for marketers and everyday people alike. No wonder the blog receives 600,000 visitors every month.
