Top Digital Marketing Types
Quick Navigation
- 11 Types of Digital Marketing
- SEM
- SEO
- PPC
- Content
- Viral Videos
- Social Media
- Influencers
- Radio
- TV
- Mobile
In the past couple of decades, digital marketing has grown exponentially. Companies now hire different types of digital marketers to help with their branding efforts. Social media specialists, content writers, SEO specialists, graphic designers, and many other web professionals work together to create digital marketing campaigns. Here are 11 forms of digital marketing your team can use to reach more consumers.
SEM
SEM stands for search engine marketing. It consists of search engine optimization and pay per click advertising. Through unpaid and paid advertising methods, you can reach more people through their search queries. SEM is all about understanding how major search engines, like Google and Bing, rank websites. The higher your website ranks, the more likely it is that people are going to click on your link. More website traffic can lead to more brand awareness or even sales.
SEO
SEO is the unpaid method of search engine marketing. By optimizing your web pages, you can reach more users through search results. Brands do this through a variety of methods. An important one is the use of keywords. By including specific words or phrases in your website content, search engines may pull your page when a user searches those keywords. HTML tags, such as your title tag and meta description, can also improve your SEO. The idea is that by publishing high-quality content on a regular basis, more people will visit your website and learn about your brand.
PPC
PPC is a paid search engine marketing method. You can build ads that appear at the top of search engine results. These ads should be based on keywords and other phrases that may capture a user’s interest. Unlike links that rank highly from SEO, paying for ads pushes your links to the top of a search engine results page. With PPC, you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. Google clearly marks that it’s an ad, which may influence whether someone decides to click on it.
Content
Content writing is a huge part of SEO. By publishing high-quality articles, blog posts, eBooks, guides, case studies, and other written content on your website, you can gain a following of visitors. Brands typically write about topics that interest their target audience. For instance, if you sell video games, your blog may be about the best gameplay strategies. The goal is to anticipate what types of content your audience is looking for and provide them with it. Along with users finding your website through search results, you can share your content via social media and email.
Gathering an email list is a great way to generate leads. By sending emails to customers and prospects, you can inform them about your latest sales and announcements. Many brands also create newsletters that give consumers valuable information, often linking back to content on the company’s website. As email marketing platforms become more sophisticated, you can create email campaigns that send specific emails based on a user’s actions.
Image via Pexels by Vlada Karpovich
Viral Videos
A viral video is one that spreads rapidly on the internet. Gangnam Style, Charlie Bit Me, and Lazy Sunday are all examples of videos that went viral, gaining millions or even billions of views. Brands have gotten wise and hopped on the viral video bandwagon, creating interesting videos that cause quite the buzz. By partnering with popular content creators or YouTubers, brands can create entertaining videos that also advertise their products.
Social Media
Brands are taking to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to connect with their followers. These major social media platforms give you the chance to share interesting content and engage with your target audience. You can also use them to create sponsored posts or ads to reach even more users. Many brands use social media to market their products, show their personality, and even give a glimpse into their company culture.
Influencers
While the influencer marketing strategy gained attention on Instagram, you can now see influencers on almost any type of digital marketing. Influencers are people who have a large following of users who are interested in their lifestyle. Brands pay them to post sponsored content. The idea is that if the influencer likes a product, their followers might as well. This falls into the category of affiliate marketing, which is when an influencer shares links to a brand’s website.
Radio
Although radio was originally considered traditional marketing, much of this medium has gone digital. Music streaming platforms, like Spotify and Pandora, are great ways to target specific demographics. You can even reach people based on their specific music tastes. Radio ads are your chance to put an actual voice to your brand and reach many people at once.
TV
Like radio, television has also gone digital. Even if you don’t want to pay for an ad slot during prime time television, there are plenty of other places to advertise. For instance, the emergence of streaming services has allowed brands to better target their ads. Although Netflix doesn’t have commercials, you often see sponsored programming on it. The same is true for Hulu, although this platform also has plans where users need to watch commercials.
Mobile
Mobile advertising is any type of marketing you might see on a smartphone or tablet. Brands can reach consumers through mobile websites and apps. Many free apps are backed by ads and commercials. When advertising on mobile devices, brands need to consider how people are using these devices. People are often on the go while they use their devices, meaning that they might not necessarily have their sound on to hear the ad. Likewise, brands need to fit their ads on a smaller screen. All of these factors should be considered when making an ad.
Although your brand doesn’t necessarily have to use every form of digital marketing, using a combination of these forms can help you reach more consumers. The key is to understand which channels you can use to reach your target audience. Before diving into research, get to know these types of digital marketing in-depth.
