Digital marketing is an umbrella term for any form of marketing that involves the internet and an electronic device. Digital marketing involves an array of digital channels including email, social media and paid search. With the ability to capture and use data, digital marketing provides businesses with a wealth of insights and better audience segmentation compared to traditional marketing.
That's a far more complicated question than it sounds - mainly because it requires us to define "traditional marketing". I know that sounds picky, because we all know that "traditional marketing" is everything except digital marketing. But from my perspective, digital marketing is actually a subset of ... expand
That's a far more complicated question than it sounds - mainly because it requires us to define "traditional marketing". I know that sounds picky, because we all know that "traditional marketing" is everything except digital marketing. But from my perspective, digital marketing is actually a subset of traditional marketing - it's just grown into huge prominence (with good reason). It's never going to 'replace' traditional marketing.
Let me explain - traditional marketing has always been about establishing an optimal marketing mix. It's about reaching your target audience through the most appropriate channels - TV, radio, direct mail, print media, PR, etc... But in the past couple of decades we've added a huge swathe of additional potential channels - web sites, eDM, social media. And not just to push out advertising, but to truly engage with your audience.
So in one sense traditional marketing has just been radically expanded.
However, if I understand your question rightly, I suspect you're really asking if old marketing/advertising channels are becoming less and less relevant.
Again, I would argue that "it depends". Horses for courses. When you take a look at the advertising that's on TV these days, most of the big brands are still there. For those with the budget and the appropriate audience, mass media can still be a valuable part of the marketing mix.
But there's an increasing number of smaller businesses who are now able to compete against bigger players and reach an audience on much smaller budgets than was (is) required for mass media advertising. So we now have a much greater level of marketing activity across the entire spectrum of businesses.
I certainly believe that digital marketing is an imperative for virtually every business these days, whereas older/mass media advertising formats are not as universally applicable. It's also much more accessible no matter how large or small your business is. In sheer numbers, there are a lot more marketing/advertising consultants/agencies/providers competing for your digital marketing business than there is for other forms of marketing/advertising.
But I don't believe that most of the 'traditional' advertising channels are of any less relevance today (with the exception perhaps of advertising in niche market magazines - these are typically struggling to maintain circulation of their print editions and the audiences are largely moving online). Radio, TV, loyalty programs, PR, event marketing, etc... all continue to be an essential part of the marketing mix for numerous businesses IF they are targeting those audiences and have appropriate budgets. We just need to understand how much exposure each of these channels will actually get.
This Complete Guide to Digital Marketing is a great resource for anyone looking to learn what digital marketing is all about.
Whether you’re a new business wanting to grow your online presence or an advanced digital marketer looking to refresh your skills, this guide shows you what’s what in the world of digital marketing.
The essence of marketing has always been about understanding and connecting with the right audience—at the right time and in the right place.
And where are we spending a lot of time nowadays?
You know it: the internet.
While this isn’t very surprising, what might surprise you is the amount of time we’re spending online. According to the latest Digital 2019 report, we spend 6 hours and 42 minutes online every day—which equates to 100 days every year.
The internet has changed how consumers interact with businesses and purchase products, and it’s safe to say that marketing your business online is a pretty big deal.
Let’s get into it.
Digital marketing, online digital marketing, internet marketing… we’ve all heard of these buzzwords, but what exactly does digital marketing mean and how does it work?
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is an umbrella term for any form of marketing that promotes or sells products and services through online and digital channels such as email, search engines, social media and mobile apps.
In a nutshell, the definition of digital marketing is simply marketing designed for today’s world. With the ability to capture and use data (and many other great things the Internet provides), digital marketing offers businesses with a wealth of insights and better audience segmentation compared to traditional marketing.
If you’re new to digital marketing, it can feel a bit overwhelming to learn about the various digital channels and tactics used to market businesses online. So, we’ve broken things down to see how digital marketing works.
What is the difference between online and digital marketing?
Digital marketing and online marketing are often used interchangeably, but there’s little difference between the two. Online marketing is simply a sub-category of digital marketing that refers to marketing delivered through the internet.
Digital marketing refers to any marketing that requires an electronic device and encompasses a much broader range of digital channels. Don’t worry about using the wrong term, there’s only a subtle difference.
How is digital marketing different from traditional marketing?
Marketing has evolved over time to find better ways to connect businesses with their audience. Think about the last time you purchased something important…
No matter what it was, the chances are you began your search online to research and compare the best options available.
It’s not a case of digital being better than offline marketing because both are important when they’re used in the right ways. Do you know the saying about putting your eggs in one basket? The key is to explore a mixture of different marketing techniques to find what works best for your business.
Here are some of the key distinctions between digital and traditional marketing:
Digital Marketing
Traditional Marketing
Using digital channels and devices such as online marketing, social media, emails, search engines, mobiles, digital TVs and radios.
Using traditional channels and methods such as newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, posters, telephone or telemarketing, door-to-door marketing, events, outdoor billboards, TV and radio.
Easier to accurately measure the reach, effectiveness, ROI and other metrics. You can find data in real-time too.
More difficult to accurately measure the reach, effectiveness, ROI and other metrics.
Cost-effective to advertise. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads can start from a few cents per click.
Less cost-effective to advertise especially for TV and radio advertising.
More opportunity for interaction with the targeted audience and personalisation for the audience.
More limited in interaction with the targeted audience and may lack personalisation for the audience, especially for print, TV and radio.
Easier to receive feedback over digital channels
Harder to receive feedback over traditional channels and tools.
Easier to automate, especially social media, email and other online marketing.
Harder to automate.
How does digital marketing help small businesses?
The simple truth is that all businesses can benefit from digital marketing, regardless of the size, industry or what it sells. That being said, there’s even greater potential for startups and small businesses to leverage digital marketing.
Digital marketing provides small businesses with cost-efficient ways to highlight their expertise, authenticity and unique business offering. The number of potential customers a small business can attract online is much larger than the customers they could attract locally, or via traditional and expensive channels like newspaper adverts.
Digital marketing levels the playing field and provides equal opportunity for small businesses. By having an online strategy, the market isn’t restricted to large corporations. Small businesses can compete with established businesses by engaging with targeted audiences through digital channels.
Digital marketing gives small businesses the channels and tools to build brand awareness from the get-go. It can be difficult getting your brand out there in the early days of business, but by delivering on what you promised and sharing this via social media and testimonials, you’ll nurture relationships and turn loyal customers into brand ambassadors.
What are the benefits of digital marketing?
Having a strategic digital presence can help your business in many ways. Here are just a few of the benefits:
Digital marketing is cost-effective with higher ROI. With a range of paid and organic channels to choose from, you don’t have to have a huge budget to market your business to potential customers. To advertise on the Google search engine, businesses should expect to pay an average of $1 - $2 per click at a minimum.
Digital marketing is measurable. When you invest time and money into a marketing campaign, it’s important to know if your strategy is working and driving results. Every digital marketing channel and campaign has an analytics system that allows you to monitor key metrics including impressions, clicks, shares, conversions, and much more. If a campaign isn’t working, you can make changes as you go.
Digital marketing allows you to reach people at the beginning of the customer journey. Consumers are increasingly researching and looking for products and solutions for their needs online. Consumers actively seek to learn and educate themselves, and by establishing a strong online presence you can direct them to your product or service to provide them with all the information they need.
What are some examples of digital marketing?
There are many types of digital marketing or digital marketing channels. Here are some examples of the most effective digital marketing channels:
Email Marketing
Email Marketing allows you to segment your customers into different groups based on their preferences and where they are on their customer journey. Email marketing is a great way to send personalised content to drive engagement and traffic, update customers and build brand loyalty.
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing uses social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram to build brand reputation and sell or promote a product or service. Social media marketing is a cost-effective way to create brand awareness, increase inbound traffic and create higher conversion rates.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM promotes a business or website by increasing its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is achieved through paid and unpaid efforts.
Search Engine Optimisation
SEO allows businesses to grow the quality and quantity of traffic to their website by improving the organic search ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves making changes to website design and enriching content with relevant keywords and phrases so that it is user-friendly and aligns with user intent.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing involves the creation and distribution of online content such as blogs, articles, social media posts and videos to targeted audiences. It is a strategic way of leveraging brand awareness, attracting and retaining customers and generating leads and sales.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC marketing is an online advertising model that allows you to buy visits to your site, as opposed to driving traffic organically. A paid ad is visible at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) and a business is only charged when a user clicks on the ad.
Online Public Relations
Any form of PR is concerned with conveying a particular image about a brand or business. Traditionally, this involves newspapers, magazines and establishing relationships with large corporations. Online Public Relations, or Digital PR, takes place via the internet and involves dealing with social media platforms, online forums discussions and blogs.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is an online advertising model whereby a business pays a commission to a third-party to generate sales, traffic or leads to its products or services.
Video Marketing
Video Marketing involves using video to promote a brand, product or service, and according to Wyzowl State of Video Marketing Survey 2020, 92% of marketers say that video is a key part of their marketing strategy. Why? Because consumers love watching videos. Good video marketing is engaging, builds credibility and encourages consumers to share with their networks.
Digital Advertising
Digital Advertising is a form of advertising that uses the internet to deliver promotional adverts and messages to consumers. This can be achieved through email, social media platforms, websites, search engines and affiliate partnerships.
Every business is unique, and the most effective channels will be different for all businesses. A recent study by Ascend2 shows which channels digital marketers think are most successful.
The key to effective digital marketing is to create a seamless customer journey across all of the channels you use. It’s a bit like a puzzle - by integrating digital marketing channels like websites, SEO, mobile ads and social media to work towards the same objectives.
And how do you do that? With a digital marketing plan or strategy.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a series of planned actions using digital channels that help you achieve marketing-related goals across all stages of a customer’s journey, from brand awareness to converting prospects and retaining customers.
A digital marketing strategy is based on thorough market research and data insights into customer channel behaviour and marketplace activity. A digital marketing strategy should ultimately align closely with your business goals and purpose.
What is a digital marketing campaign?
A digital marketing campaign is a multi-parted and coordinated set of actions that are factored into a digital marketing strategy. A digital marketing campaign is objective-based and its assets can be easily measured to track how well it is performing. However, a truly successful campaign is much more than nailing the metrics. It should tell a story and evoke an emotional response from the audience.
Because the digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, creating a digital campaign is an opportunity to put your creative hat on and engage with your customers in ways that will make your business stand out from the crowd.
Some digital marketing campaigns have been so powerful in their messaging that they have become catalysts for social change, such as Sephora’s We Belong to Something Beautiful campaign that furthers the conversation around creating a more inclusive beauty space.
How do I get started in digital marketing?
So now you know the fundamentals of digital marketing, you may be wondering how to get started.
See our Q&A section below or ask a question and get an answer from an expert digital marketer.
Or you can simply post a project, and we will introduce you to the best matching local digital marketer who can help.
FAQ
How much does it cost to hire a digital marketing agency?
Digital marketing agencies base their fees on an hourly or monthly retainer basis. Hourly fees are usually for smaller or one-off projects, while a monthly retainer is more common for ongoing work.
The hourly rate for digital marketing agencies ranges between $75 to $250 depending on the project requirements, marketing channels being used, etc. A monthly retainer is likely to cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000+.
