What Is Digital Marketing?

As consumers thriving in this fast-paced digital era, we look things up before making a purchase. Be it before buying a new smartwatch, an item of clothing, or even a pair of tweezers, we Google it first. On average, we spend 4-5 hours on our mobile phones, scrolling away through social media posts, browsing apps, etc. Our purchasing decisions are no longer just need-centric, as are highly influenced by all the information, advertisements, and content that we consume on a daily basis. Such is the power of digital marketing. 

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the use of digital channels like social media, email, mobile apps, SEO, etc., to market or promote goods and services for consequent purchase and consumption. In simple words, it is a form of marketing that optimizes advertising through electronic devices. 

Traditional forms of marketing like newspapers, billboards, etc. are being taken over by digital marketing tools as they are not only more cost efficient but also have a far wider reach over a short period of time. 

The concept of ‘digital marketing’ was first used in the early 1990s. When the first clickable banner went live in 1993, HotWired, which was the first commercial online magazine launched in 1994, purchased banner ads for their promotion. This was the beginning of what was to follow in the years to come- the birth of Yahoo, Google, MySpace and so much more, which eventually went on to define the digital age.

Digital marketing strategies

Like any other form of marketing, digital marketing aims at reaching customers- either to create brand awareness or to make them purchase goods or services. Thus, there are multiple digital marketing strategies in place to render the brand’s efforts in establishing and maintaining a digital presence effective. To implement these strategies, digital marketing consultants or freelance digital marketers first assess the brand’s goals vis-a-vis all its online channels.

Listed below are some of the most effective digital marketing strategies:

Influencer marketing- This is the process in which businesses engage with known personalities or social media influencers to promote or market their brand name and products, using the influencer’s profile and reach. For example, if a brand approaches an influencer with 100k followers, with every piece of content the influencer creates around the brand, 100k people stand to be influenced by the influencer’s recommendation and make a purchase based on that. 

SEO (search engine optimization)- SEO is the process of using keywords and phrases related to the brand to improve the website’s ranking on the search engine. In simple words, the more the keywords, higher the ranking, which directly corresponds to more traffic on the website. In fact, most of our top search engine results are often manipulated by SEO. 

Content marketing- Content marketing is all about increasing a brand’s engagement with consumers with the help of mostly content, like blogs, videos, graphs, and the like. Although such content is intended to indirectly affect sales, it is mostly informational.

PPC (pay per click)- PPC is a form of online advertising, in which brands bid on ad triggers or specific keywords that would make their ads pop up above the organic listings. Now if a user clicks on the advertisement, the brand pays the search engine for that click. Thus, brands only pay for the results, and not the ad space. 

Email marketing- Email marketing is targeted not only towards retaining existing customers, but also at reeling in the potential ones. The idea here is to encourage repeat purchases, by reiterating the brand’s ideologies, offers, and other valuable information in the form of daily email blasts. 

Social media marketing- Social media marketing aims at creating brand awareness and generating interest among customers by using one or more social media platforms, depending on the target audience and their choice of platform.

It is the job of a digital marketer to not only tailor these strategies as per the needs and goals of the brand, but also to dig deeper into the consumer’s psyche to understand their decision-making and consumption patterns. If you are an experienced freelance digital marketing expert, we have the right platform for you. Whether you are looking for a digital marketing freelance job or you represent a digital marketing agency,  your search ends today, right here at Hireon.