Digital marketing has become the predominant form of marketing today. However, with this digital space becoming more and more complex, it's easy to get lost and not know where to start with your brand.
This is why we've created this short digital marketing course—to help advertisers understand exactly what they need to know in order to be successful in this ever-changing landscape.
In this post, we'll cover digital marketing fundamentals, including various organic marketing and paid advertising options. We'll also discuss the different digital channels that are available to advertisers today, such as social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization.
So whether you're just starting out in digital marketing or you're checking if there's something and you'd like to polish your digital marketing skills, this digital marketing fundamentals crash course is for you. Let's dive in!
What do you mean by Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the process of using online channels to promote or market products and services. It involves the use of various digital tactics and strategies to reach and engage customers.
The key objective of digital marketing is to help businesses achieve their marketing goals by building brand awareness, generating leads, and driving sales.
Digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses a variety of online marketing activities. These activities include search engine optimization (SEO), social media advertising/marketing, email marketing, paid advertising, and more.
How has digital marketing become the dominant form of marketing?
Digital marketing has become the dominant form of marketing today for a few reasons.
First, digital media are now widely used by consumers. In fact, according to one study by Forrester, companies estimate that at least half of their sales and growth come from online channels.
Second, digital marketing is effective. It can help businesses large and small to achieve their marketing goals by reaching a larger audience more efficiently than traditional marketing methods.
And finally, digital marketing is versatile and can be adapted to meet the needs of any business.
Digital Marketing can be broken down into two main approaches: organic marketing and paid advertising.
What is organic marketing?
Organic marketing, also known as unpaid marketing, is the process of using online channels to promote a product or service without paying for placement.
Some examples of organic marketing tactics include SEO, content marketing, social media promotion, and email marketing.
Organic marketing can be an effective way to reach customers and build brand awareness. However, it can take time to see results, and the results may not be as immediate or tangible as with paid advertising.
What is paid advertising?
Paid advertising is the process of using digital channels to promote a product or service by paying for placement. In short, it is paid media.
Some examples of paid advertising tactics include pay-per-click (PPC) ads, display ads, and social media ads.
Paid advertising can be an effective way to reach customers and generate leads quickly. However, it can be expensive, and the results may not be long-lasting if you stop paying for placement.
Why Is It Crucial to Learn Digital Marketing Fundamentals?
Digital marketing is a complex and ever-changing landscape. It's important for advertisers to stay up-to-date on the latest digital marketing trends and best practices so that they can be successful in this competitive space.
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Better Digital Presence
The strength of your digital presence relies on your ability to execute digital marketing tactics correctly and efficiently. In order to stay relevant and ahead of the curve, it's important for advertisers to have a strong understanding of digital marketing fundamentals.
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Continuous Improvement
In addition, digital marketing is constantly evolving, which means that what works today may not work tomorrow. That's why it's important to continually test and experiment with different digital marketing tactics to see what works best for your business.
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Adaptable
Finally, as we mentioned earlier, digital marketing is versatile and can be adapted to meet the needs of any business. Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, there are digital marketing tactics that can be customized to fit your unique needs.
11 Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Now that you have a better understanding of what digital marketing is, let's take a closer look at the digital marketing fundamentals that are used to promote products and services.
The most common online marketing strategies include:
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the strategy and process of improving the ranking of a website on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
The primary objective of SEO is to improve the visibility of a website so that it shows up as the top result of search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be done by optimizing the website content, structure, and metadata for keywords that are relevant to the business.
It also includes establishing your website as an authority in your chosen niche. You can do this through great website content and efficient outreach activities to encourage users to trust you and other websites to link to you.
SEO can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but it is one of the most important digital marketing tactics for driving organic traffic to a website.
2. Search Engine Marketing
If you don't have the time and expertise to rely on SEO, you can always opt for Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which is commonly referred to as Pay Per Click Marketing.
SEM allows you to place ads on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
When a targeted viewer clicks on your ad, you are charged a predetermined amount per click (PPC).
The advantage of SEM is that you can see results quickly. It is also a very effective way to reach customers who are actively searching for your product or service.
However, the disadvantage to promoting in Google Ads, Bing Ads, and more is that it can be expensive and you may not see the same results if you stop paying for placement. It's important to carefully research which keywords are most relevant to your business and target them accurately in your PPC campaigns to make sure you are getting your money's worth.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing is the method of crafting and distributing high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience.
The goal of this marketing style is to attract and engage customers by providing them with valuable and informative content. This can be done via blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, and more.
Content marketing tactics can further be improved with the use of native advertising, which is much like a paid version of content marketing (although that's not entirely it, but one of its derived functions).
Content marketing is a necessary digital marketing tactic for building relationships with customers and increasing brand awareness.
The downside to using content marketing is that it can be time-consuming. It's important to produce content on a regular basis that is high-quality and relevant to your target audience.
4. Social Media Marketing
Also known as SMM, this is the process of using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and TikTok to promote a product or service.
SMM can be used to generate leads, build relationships, and increase brand awareness. Some businesses use SMM as a way to connect with their customers and provide customer service.
Just as we discussed above regarding the two approaches to digital marketing, SMM can be done in two ways: organic and paid.
Organic social media marketing means gaining popularity through manual methods of reaching your customers and getting followers. The other method involves social media advertising. For more information on the most popular social media advertising platforms, have a look at these guides we made:
- Comprehensive Guide on Social Media Marketing
- How to Advertise on Facebook
- How to Advertise on Instagram
Social media marketing is a powerful digital marketing tactic that should be included in any digital marketing strategy.
While this digital marketing strategy is pretty effective, there are downsides to using SMM. First, it can be very time-consuming. Creating high-quality content, engaging with customers, and monitoring social media platforms takes a lot of effort.
In addition, social media platforms are constantly changing, which means you need to be regularly updating your strategies to stay up-to-date.
The key to avoiding such pitfalls is by hiring ad management platforms like Brax who will take care of social media content posting and ad management for you. Book a free demo today so you can see how Brax can help you.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is the strategy of sending marketing messages to potential and current customers through email.
Email marketing can be used to promote a product or service, build relationships, generate leads, or increase brand awareness.
The principal advantage of email marketing is that it is relatively inexpensive and easy to set up. It is also a very effective way to reach a large audience quickly. The best way to find your audience is by encouraging them to sign up for your email newsletters while they are on your website and browsing through your pages.
However, the disadvantage of email marketing is that it can be difficult to stand out in a crowded inbox. It's important to create catchy and attention-grabbing subject lines, as well as compelling content that will make your recipients be enticed enough to open and read your emails.
6. Influencer or Affiliate Marketing
Influencer marketing is the tactic of working with digital influencers to promote your product or service.
Affiliate marketing is a style of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards an affiliate for each successful sale made as a result of their marketing efforts.
Both influencer and affiliate marketing can be done through blogs, podcasts, and email. For influencer marketing, the most popular platform is social media.
Sneak a peek at our article on TikTok Influencer Marketing to find out how it's done and how to find an influencer for your brand or product.
The main advantage of influencer marketing is that it allows you to reach a larger audience than you would be able to through traditional advertising methods.
It is also a great way to build relationships with digital influencers who can help promote your brand.
The disadvantage of influencer marketing is that it can be difficult to find quality influencers who are relevant to your brand and who have a large enough following to make a difference.
Affiliate marketing can be an effective way to generate sales, but it is important to find affiliates who are relevant to your products or services and who have a good reputation.
7. Video Marketing
Video marketing is the process of creating and publishing videos to promote a product or service.
There are many different types of videos that can be used for marketing purposes, including product reviews, how-to videos, and customer testimonials.
You can see how effective videos are at conveying information—so much that video-based social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram have boomed in usage over the past couple of years.
The main advantage of video marketing is that it is a very effective way to reach a large audience quickly. Videos also have a high engagement rate, which means they are more likely to be watched all the way through.
The disadvantage of video marketing is that it can be expensive and time-consuming to produce quality videos. It's important to make sure that your videos are well-produced and provide valuable information or entertainment to viewers.
8. Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is the process of using online channels to reach consumers through their mobile devices.
There are many different types of mobile marketing, including text messages, push notifications, in-app advertising, location-based services, and mobile-centric ads.
Advertisers found the need to separate mobile marketing from other digital marketing channels because it has been found that users respond differently to mobile-focused marketing as compared to desktop-based marketing. So it's like online advertising for mobile users.
The main advantage of mobile marketing is that it allows you to reach a large audience very quickly. Additionally, mobile devices are always with the user, which means they are more likely to see your ads or messages.
The disadvantage of mobile marketing is the possible navigation concerns when your pages are not mobile optimized. You can even be penalized by Google if your mobile website does not pass their standards.
9. Display Advertising
Display advertising is a type of online advertising that uses images, text, videos, and most commonly, banners to promote a product or service.
Display ads are typically found on content-based websites, social media platforms, and mobile apps.
They are usually served by an ad network, which is a company that connects advertisers with websites and digital platforms where their ads can be displayed.
The advantage of display advertising is that it allows you to reach a large audience quickly and easily. Additionally, display advertising is very flexible and can be customized to target specific audiences.
The disadvantage of display advertising is that it can be expensive, especially if you are working with a large ad network. Some users find display ads to be intrusive and annoying. As a result, many users have developed banner ad blindness.
10. Native Advertising
Speaking of banner ad blindness, there is one surefire way to advertise on websites without being overlooked by your target customers, and that is through native advertising.
Native advertising is a form of digital advertising that is designed to look like the content of the website or app where it is displayed.
This type of advertising has become increasingly popular in recent years because it allows advertisers to seamlessly integrate their ads into the websites and apps where they are displayed.
The advantage of this strategy is that native advertising is very effective at reaching customers because it blends in with the other content on the website or app. Additionally, native advertising typically produces higher click-through rates than traditional display ads.
The disadvantage of native advertising is that it can be expensive and time-consuming to produce high-quality ads. Additionally, some people find native advertising to be deceptive or misleading.
11. Local Marketing
Local marketing is the process of using online channels to reach consumers in a specific geographic area.
There are many different types of local marketing, including online directories, SEO, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and social media advertising.
Local marketing is often used by businesses that have physical locations, such as retail stores or restaurants.
The main advantage of local marketing is that it allows you to target a very specific audience. Additionally, local marketing is often less expensive than other digital marketing channels. If you utilize free channels such as Google My Business, you may not need to spend any money on marketing at all.
The disadvantage of local marketing is that it can be time-consuming to set up and manage all of the different channels. Also, some local businesses find it difficult to compete with larger national brands when it comes to digital marketing.
Another disadvantage of local marketing is that it can be difficult to scale up your campaigns if you want to reach a larger audience. Additionally, some digital channels, such as online directories, may not be available in all geographic areas.
Don't Wait Long! Get Started with Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is an essential part of any modern business. If you're not already using digital marketing tactics, now is the time to start. By implementing the digital marketing strategies we've discussed in this article, you'll be well on your way to growing a successful online presence for your business.
If you need some guidance, don't hesitate to reach out to us. Our team is happy to help you get started with digital marketing and achieve your business goals.
