Digital marketing is one of those terms that’s shrouded in confusion and seems to mean something different to everyone.
It’s also been made to seem way more complicated than it actually is, which is a shame really, as it’s really pretty straightforward.
And that’s why in this article we’re diving in head first to uncover what exactly is digital marketing, and how does it all work?
What Is Digital Marketing?
So what is digital marketing?
Well, as simple as this is gonna sound…
Digital marketing is just marketing, using digital tools.
And marketing is nothing more than communicating value to your customers.
So…
Digital marketing is therefore communicating value to your customers using digital tools.
That’s it.
So now that we’ve got that covered, the real question is what digital tools are available, and how do they differ from traditional marketing tools?
Traditional VS Digital Marketing
The first thing to do is understand the difference between traditional, and digital marketing.
Traditional marketing relies on tools and mediums like:
- Newspaper
- Radio
- TV
- Magazine
- Billboards
- Direct mail
- And any form of print really.
Digital on the other hand is made up of tools like:
- Search engine marketing
- Social media
- Content marketing like blogging, articles, or online video creation
- Email marketing
- And online pay per clicks advertising.
When you’re talking about traditional versus digital marketing, you’re talking about the tools more than the strategy behind them.
And more accurately, you’re talking about which form of media you’re going to use to communicate your message on, a traditional one, or a digital one?
Does Traditional Marketing Work?
So does traditional marketing work?
Absolutely, when done well and strategically designed and executed on, traditional marketing can still provide good results.
But, and this is a pretty big but, when compared to digital marketing, more often than not traditional simply doesn’t have a chance.
This is because digital marketing on average is more cost effective, efficient, and allows you to measure, monitor, analyze, and test at a much better and much faster rate.
The key to maximizing your marketing budget and results is to first leverage all available digital options, and then start looking at alternative traditional opportunities.
The Future Of Digital Marketing
As consumer media consumption trends continue to shift dramatically away from traditional and towards more and more digital content, there will be a time in the near future where we no longer refer to it as digital marketing and simply call it what it is… Marketing.
