What is Digital Marketing and How Does it Work?

Marketing has always been about building real connections with customers in the right place at the right time. For that, you should be able to meet them where they are already spending a lot of their time – the internet. According to Pew Research, “constant” internet usage among adults has increased by 5% within the last few years.

The current marketing trends show that the way people shop and buy has really changed in the past few years. HubSpot Research says 77% of consumers research about a brand online before engaging with it. That is to say, offline marketing is not as effective as it once used to be. Enter digital marketing – the miracle of technology that has helped many businesses around the world to flourish.

So what is digital marketing? How does it work? Find the answers to these questions down below.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing, also known as online marketing, is any form of marketing that occurs on the Internet. It is a means of attaining business goals through the aid of digital channels by promoting the business’s products and services. Some of the popular strategies of Digital Marketing include

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Pay per click advertising (PPC)
• site marketing
• content marketing
• Social Media Marketing (SMM)
• email marketing
• affiliate marketing

How Does Digital Marketing Work?

Digital marketing makes use of different strategies to reach the key goal – generating traffic. Let’s assume digital marketing as a company and the strategies used are the employees of the company working in various departments. Now, all these employees work towards attaining a common motive, which is the successful running of the business. In a similar way, different digital marketing strategies work together to generate traffic, build brand awareness and transform leads into loyal customers.

That being said, let’s explore the details of the major digital marketing strategies that we’ve mentioned earlier.

1. Search Engine Optimization

The first thing you do, every time you need to purchase something, is search it on the Google search engine. When the results are delivered, customers usually find what they are searching for on the first or second page of Google search.

That’s where SEO can help. Making the business website SEO-friendly is one of the crucial steps in digital marketing. It takes quite some time to generate organic traffic to the business website. But if you don’t want to spend money to appear on Google search engine’s first page, SEO is the way to go.

1. PPC advertising

Simply put, every time a user clicks on your displayed advertisements, you cough up some money; it’s called pay per click. It’s the easiest and most effective way to increase traffic to your website. Although the traffic generated through the PPC method is not considered organic, it’s an important tool as SEO takes time to bring in organic traffic.

1. site marketing

An average buyer spends a significant amount of time on your website before making the decision to purchase. Your responsibility is to offer an amazing user experience in order to keep them on the website for longer. They should be able to find information about desired products and services easily.

While building the website, consider the site’s design, graphics and overall layout. Ensure it’s mobile friendly as that’s where you’ll find most of the customers these days.

1. content marketing

Content marketing is all about promoting the business by interacting with your customers and persuading them to make a purchase. There are various forms of content marketing including blog posts, videos, social media posts, testimonials, podcasts and infographics. All of these can be part of your digital marketing campaign to build brand awareness among your customers.

1. Social Media Marketing

With the ever-growing number of social media users across the world, social media is the best platform to reach potential customers about your products and services. With access to all the consumer’s behavioral data, you will be well-equipped to build a successful marketing plan. Social media can also be used to run ad campaigns, create engaging and creative content, and could even become viral.

1. email marketing

Email marketing is the most preferred way to communicate with your customers who are satisfied with your services and have chosen to subscribe to the business updates. This way, email marketing helps in making your customers repurchase your products and services. Businesses usually send weekly newsletters and promotional offers about their products and services.

1. affiliate marketing

This strategy involves having a brand ambassador for your business who can help to engage with potential customers and recommend the products and services of the business for a commission or pay. Most businesses reach out to influencers and famous individuals in the digital marketing world and pay them for promoting the business to a larger audience.

Figuring out the world of digital marketing can be a bit overwhelming and what we’ve discussed so far is just the tip of the iceberg. If you wish to be informed more, there are several digital marketing certification online courses that can provide in-depth knowledge about digital marketing strategies and tools.

Interesting Related Article: “Best Digital Marketing Trends of 2022“