Digital marketing: what it is and the main promotion channels

The advisability of creating and implementing a competent marketing strategy in business does not raise any questions today. Thanks to digital marketing, the involvement of multiple channels for the promotion of the brand and the company as a whole helps the business to grow, acquire more regular customers and receive an increase in income. Let’s analyze in detail what digital marketing is, how it works and how to make it effective for your project.

What is digital marketing

Digital marketing is a combination of various methods for promoting goods and services. Its channels are the interaction of companies with their target audience through search engines, social networks, e-mail, SMS, advertising on television, radio and others. Depending on the characteristics of the audience, a list of digital marketing channels is selected. Sometimes novice marketers confuse digital marketing and internet marketing, although they really are close concepts. To understand the differences, let’s talk about them below.

It is worth noting that the audience is very wide when promoting through the Internet. Including due to global digitization and active use of smartphones by users from preschoolers to the elderly.

According to statistics, as of April 2024, there are 5.44 billion Internet users worldwide, or 67.1% of the world’s population. It is interesting that of this total number of people, 5.07 billion, or 62.6% of the population, are users of social networks.

And the last argument why you should use digital marketing tools: digital marketing statistics 2024 indicates that the expected revenue in the global market from digital advertising is $602.25 billion.

As a result of the company’s presence on the Internet and active promotion with the help of digital marketing, the company has much more opportunities to receive a large number of new audiences and customers every day and increase the pace of development. In addition, it is digital marketing that allows you to analyze the effectiveness of advertising strategies quickly and accurately and adjust it for greater effectiveness.

Key differences between digital marketing and Internet marketing

Digital marketing changed traditional advertising in newspapers when people began to actively use the Internet to search for goods and services. Therefore, it is now the main way of promoting the company’s brand and products. Offline advertising changed to online and moved to the creation of advertising campaigns on Facebook, the launch of targeted advertising on Instagram, contextual advertising and SEO promotion in the most popular search engine, Google.

The difference between digital marketing and Internet marketing is small: the former includes all known digital channels for promotion, and the latter is one of its key areas.

With the help of digital marketing, it has become more possible to attract the attention of the target audience, show users personalized content and build more effective communication. Internet marketing is simple and understandable for visitors and easy to implement if the business owner has certain knowledge.

The main channels of digital marketing

There are many ways to promote with the help of digital marketing, because over time, the points of contact of potential customers with the company became more and more. Of course, each advertising channel has advantages and disadvantages, so it is clear that there is no single right solution for any business. You should also not try to use all available digital marketing channels, because this can create chaos and become an unnecessary expense from the project budget. And it will not bring the desired result at all.

The main channels of digital marketing are:

• social networks;
• websites;
• applications for smartphones;
• television;
• advertising on interactive screens;
• POS terminals;
• embedded native advertising in games on PlayStation, XBox and others.

Which of these methods the promotion specialist chooses depends on the company’s communication strategy. Next, we will analyze in more detail all the main channels.

SEO marketing

Search Engine Optimization is a list of certain actions that help, although not very quickly, but reliably and for a long time to bring your site to the TOP of Google. And users usually go to a search engine to solve their question, so such promotion is one of the first channels to pay attention to. A site is considered interesting for the search engine if a number of works have previously been carried out with it.

The specialist conducts external and internal optimization of the web resource in order to advertise it in a high-quality manner.

1. Internal optimization is:

• niche and competitor analysis;
• collection of a semantic core with popular keywords;
• creating an intuitive site structure and URLs of page names;
• optimization of tags and metatags for each page;
• writing and placing interesting and useful texts, unique photos, pictures and videos on the resource;
• checking the technical condition of the site: whether all buttons, links, forms, etc. are working correctly;
• optimization of the loading speed of all elements and the resource as a whole;
• checking the correct indexing of the shopping cart, searching on pages and other necessary elements.

2. External site optimization is carried out after internal optimization and includes:

• general support of the company’s and brand’s reputation, including various online activities;
• placement of quality links to your site from other web resources related to the topic, which, in turn, are reliable and do not raise questions about their ranking in search engines;
• engaging users to communicate with company representatives, providing reviews and feedback after purchasing a product or using a service.

The main difficulty in promoting with helpSEO is the frequency of changes in Google’s algorithms, which are sometimes very difficult to follow in time.

We know only a part of the rules that this search engine uses to deliver search results to Internet visitors. And we can use this experience, our own work and regular analytics to improve the site’s performance.

Email marketing

Yes, it is still relevant, despite the fact that many consider this method outdated and ineffective. However, it is worth noting that email marketing, SMS and push messages work only if they are sent to an interested audience, and not to a “cold” base. In order to get an email database of “warm” subscribers, you need to place relevant offers on the site: leave your email address, register, etc. For other methods, phone numbers are collected on occasion.

In the mail, you can send a welcome letter to potential customers, and to existing ones – informative newsletters about news on the blog, promotions, special offers of the company and other useful information that can attract attention and encourage the user to buy.

PPC marketing

Pay per click in translation from English – advertising with payment per click. This method of attracting the target audience is fast, effective, but not economical. It is an extremely important element of digital marketing because users see advertisements in the first search results and, more often than not, click on them. In this way, the business owner gets the target audience quickly, and with a competent website design, he easily converts potential customers into real ones.

PRC allows you to be in the TOP of Google for relevant queries without using SEO. Also, PRC advertising is relevant for social networks, for example, Facebook and Instagram, but here it has a different name – targeted.

SMM marketing

As we have already mentioned, most Internet users choose social networks for recreation, communication with friends, sales and purchase of goods and services. Therefore, this digital marketing tool is very effective in building warm relationships with customers, building a high level of trust and maintaining constant communication with the audience.

There are two other benefits you get from developing your company’s social networks.

1. Accurate understanding and customization targeted advertising specifically for the target audience. In the settings, you enter pre-analyzed data on gender, age, income, place of residence, hobbies, pains and desires, other parameters of the potential client’s portrait. With such settings, the result in the form of the number of subscribers and sales will only please you.
2. Possibility of cost optimization. By correctly setting up advertising cabinets in social networks, you get comprehensive statistics and results of launching advertising campaigns. This, in turn, makes it possible to quickly adjust the promotion strategy and improve results.

Note that advertising in social networks is simple at first glance. Setting up campaigns should only be done with experience and very good analytical skills. Otherwise, an accidental “budget drain” is not excluded, so seek help from experienced specialists if necessary.

Content marketing

The method of promotion means attracting the attention of the target audience with the help of content. These can be:

• texts on the website and blog;
• videos that will make it easier for visual people to perceive information;
• podcasts for audio users;
• webinars;
• cases;
• infographics for better visual presentation of information;
• statistics;
• e-books, instructions, checklists and more.

It is these types of content that allow potential customers to learn as much as possible about the brand, values and goals of the company, special offers and advantages over competitors.

Pay attention – the content should be interesting and useful first of all, and not just sell. Both users and algorithms won’t be happy with blatant constant advertising, so strike a balance by adding informative and entertaining content to what sells.

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate digital marketing or affiliate marketing is the promotion of products in various ways with the involvement of other people who will receive a reward for this. The partner advertises your product or service and receives income when potential customers take a targeted action, which is discussed in advance between the parties.

Affiliate marketing requires four parties:

• product manufacturer or advertiser – the one who provides the product for promotion;
• a partner is a person who tells about all the advantages of the product to a wide audience and encourages them to take action (subscription, purchase, leaving contacts, etc.);
• client – directly the user who came to the target page through ads on social networks, a search engine or after viewing native advertising;
• the partner network is an intermediary platform between the participants of the process, which guarantees the transparency of cooperation, receives its profit, which is the difference between the money received from the producer and payments to the partner.

The price of the advertised product is the same for buyers as it is for the manufacturer of the product or service provider, and the settlement with the partner involves paying him a percentage of the sale of the advertising customer. In general, affiliate marketing helps to earn more, regardless of additional costs, because after such advertising, a new audience will learn about the product, which will buy it or notice it in the future.

There are two main types of affiliate marketing:

1. Referral. New customers are attracted by existing satisfied customers, who do so in exchange for a discount offered by the seller or any other bonus that can be used during the next purchase.
2. Affiliate. Here, the company agrees to cooperate with affiliates – people who are not related to the product and receive a reward for promoting it.

Influence marketing

One subtype of affiliate marketing worth paying attention to is influencer marketing. It involves promoting with the help of opinion leaders on social networks. Along with quality websites, they inspire trust among internet visitors. It is worth looking for influencers and conducting collaborations on favorable terms for both parties.

But before starting such cooperation, do the following:

1. Research and describe your target audience as specifically as possible to yourself and the thought leader. This should also include triggers that encourage potential buyers to take the necessary action.
2. Allocate a budget that you can give to the blogger as a commission for advertising. Usually, popular opinion leaders already have a set price, so you only have to choose influencers who are suitable for both the quality of their followers and the level of payment.
3. Pay attention to the presence of a positive advertising experience with the chosen blogger. Influencers usually charge a hefty price tag, so take your time and do a good job of researching all the information you can about a potential influencer. A plus will be not only reviews, but also the results of past campaigns in numbers.
4. Track clients from blogger with UTM link. Such a small trick helps to understand where exactly a potential customer came to your site and what actions he takes on the resource.
5. Conduct regular analytics on affiliate digital marketing results. Statistics will help calculate the cost of one customer and profitability this investment from the general advertising budget.

Collaborations with bona fide popular bloggers give a big increase in audience and take digital marketing in the company to a new level.

Inbound marketing

Inbound digital marketing is a promotion strategy that focuses on creating content that is known to be interesting and useful to a potential customer and engage them in an interaction. By statistics, with the right strategy and implementation, inbound marketing can be an invaluable asset to any business. This type of marketing generates 54% more leads than traditional paid marketing and costs a business 61% less than a weekend.

Internet marketers focus on creating useful content in various formats that can be useful to the target audience. Informative articles, guides, instructions, videos, photos, infographics and other types of content corresponding to the overall marketing strategy of the brand are added to the materials.

It is with the help of inbound digital marketing that specialists create situations when users independently come to web resources and buy goods, use the services of specialists.

Content demonstrates the seller’s expertise, builds trust, increases company awareness, and helps build long-term, trusting relationships with potential customers.

Mobile marketing

Mobile digital marketing is extremely popular right now because the majority of active Internet visitors use mobile devices. Attracting the target audience takes place through SMS, social networks, mobile versions of sites, various applications and games.

Every company should pay special attention to attracting mobile marketing, because the share of mobile traffic is growing every year.

Therefore, with competent promotion, you need:

• make an adaptive site that will look good and have clear functionality on any device, not just for a computer or laptop;
• create an adaptive design for email newsletters;
• order and improve mobile applications for your products.

The weight of mobile marketing will only increase, so now is the time to either start or be more active in this direction.

Video marketing

Texts are studied by many users, but a large proportion choose the video format, and sometimes much more often. High-speed mobile networks allow you to watch long videos on YouTube and short videos on social networks, the most popular of which are now Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Product promotion using video can include:

• demonstration and brand videos;
• coverage of events in the company;
• interviews with specialists and authoritative figures in your niche;
• educational videos;
• reviews of satisfied customers;
• advertising animated videos showing all the advantages of working with your company;
• video in 360° and VR format, other.

All video materials that you will publish on the Internet must be of high quality and carry a meaningful load so that they are interesting to watch and share with friends. Even infomercials in the future allow you to increase the return on investment.

Outbound or offline digital marketing

Unlike inbound marketing, outbound marketing includes offline channels for engaging the target audience. Using this traditional, slightly aggressive type of promotion, business owners get the opportunity to reach a large number of potential customers and have a number of advantages:

• to gain greater recognition and loyalty to the brand;
• present your product to a very large new audience, among which there will definitely be potential customers;
• to be exactly the company that will be mentioned when they need to buy something, because it is “on the ear”.

For example, when a person needs a detergent, he will prefer the one that is constantly played in television commercials, because it is the one that comes to mind first.

Let’s analyze the most relevant outbound marketing methods used by companies.

TV marketing

Television advertising has been an important channel of promotion for many decades, so if your product is aimed at a more mature audience, it is worth paying attention to it.

Of course, most of the middle-aged middle-aged population is less trusting of TV advertising and spends much less time in front of it. But the older generation still trusts the information that is broadcast there, so don’t discount this method of digital marketing.

Given the fact that viewers mostly tune in to digital TV, setting up ads requires:

1. Set up an advertising campaign on popular platforms, so that the services automatically insert advertisements between films and programs.
2. Know your audience and create interesting content that meets their needs.
3. Adjust ads and analyze results.

There are the following advertising formats: standard advertising blocks that are added between content (Video Ad Break), static advertising images that are displayed on the screen during broadcast (Overlay), a picture that is in a separate window during the display of the main content (Picture in Picture).

Radio marketing

Radio, as a rule, is loyally perceived by listeners, and advertising on it does not cause negativity. Promotion specialists consider this channel relevant for local product promotion.

Between songs and conversations, radio presenters add short advertising inserts that draw attention to a certain product or service. Radio marketing is cheaper than TV marketing, so it sometimes makes sense if your target audience listens to the radio.

Billboard marketing

Advertising on billboards is an effective additional marketing tool. If you place information about your product on an electronic billboard, it will definitely be noticed. Separately, you need to mark the shields that have the function of sound accompaniment.

Advantages of digital marketing

The most important advantage of online marketing is the possibility of targeted advertising for users who are already interested in your product. And also, the availability of digital marketing for every business.

Compared to traditional marketing, digital allows:

• without very large investments, get global coverage and work even outside of your country, if the features of the product require it;
• analyze advertising campaigns in great detail and constantly improve conversions;
• it is extremely easy to get accurate data on how potential customers react to advertising, interact with the site and content, at which stage they refuse to complete the purchase process;
• set up effective interaction with customers through communication, receiving feedback, and as a result increase brand loyalty; today, advertising is not only about money, but also about attitudes towards people;
• personalize advertising, if the database is connected to a web resource – for the user, individual appeals are always pleasant;
• build a long-term impact on users thanks to high-quality interesting content in the form of useful articles, videos and images that can go viral – this way you will already get advertising without advertising, because users themselves will share interesting things;
• gradually increase the number of sales and increase your income.

With a competent marketing strategy and the use of various Internet marketing tools, it is quite possible to implement all this.

How to create an effective digital marketing strategy

Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for every business, because it can be at any stage of development. However, we will look at an example of how it can look like.

Let’s say you want to develop an online store of children’s toys. To achieve the set goal, we prescribe the necessary steps.

Step 1. We determine the exact goal and the point to which we must reach in a certain period. It is the development of the strategy, its subsequent adjustment and scaling that will give the desired result.

Step 2. We write a detailed portrait of a potential buyer. Without knowing who your client is, what his preferences, problems, goals and socio-demographic parameters are, we will not be able to move forward.

Step 3. We analyze direct and indirect competitors. We collect information about their pros and cons of submitting on the Internet, we note for ourselves which promotion nuances can be borrowed and which can be improved. These will be your growth points and a way to differentiate your product from others.

Step 4. We choose digital marketing channels that will help promote the brand.

• First of all, we order the creation of a convenient, fast and visually attractive website with a wide catalog. We take into account all the stages that the client goes through, from the first visit to the resource to paying for the product or signing up for services.
• We start working on SEO promotion web resource, gradually increasing the volume of incoming traffic.
• We connect contextual advertising, which the first time will bring many new customers and allow the brand to become recognizable.
• We add social networks, because today’s young mothers often look for products for babies there. SMM can become the main channel of traffic and sales, but still, it is a secondary channel, and a relevant site should not be forgotten. We remember that SMM marketing makes the relationship between the store and the client warmer and stronger. In our case, such relations will promote “word of mouth” among mothers and save the advertising budget.

We continue to develop and fill the site and social networks with useful content, and at the end we will receive a constant increase in the level of income.

What is a digital agency and what does it do?

No one person can know everything, and in the case of promoting a business online, you need a whole team of specialists who will help you do it correctly and quickly.

Digital agency with a full range of services has in its staff narrow-profile specialists with relevant experience of working on projects. They help the business owner withstand a high level of competition and keep track of all the innovations that appear in large quantities or not every day. And also to improve the strategy and interaction with potential customers in order to obtain a high level of income.

A digital marketing strategy involves a long list of what specialists need to do. To perform this work qualitatively, you need to have a considerable pool of knowledge, and here it is very important to contact an experienced team that guarantees the result.

Among the services of the marketing agency, you can see:

1. Strategic: marketing research, competitor analysis, implementation sales funnel, maximum process automation.
2. Marketing: generation of high-quality content, setting up and conducting advertising campaigns, external and internal SEO promotion, PPC advertising, brand promotion in social networks (including partner digital marketing), implementation of email marketing and a number of actions for effective mobile marketing.
3. Development of digital platforms: creation and full maintenance of a web resource.
4. Design: user site testing, design development, animations.
5. Consultancy: providing one-to-one consultations or more extensive ones on management and analytics of digital marketing channels selected for promotion.

The list in different agencies can be both wider and narrower. Therefore, be sure to check the availability of all the services you may need before starting work.

To summarize

Universal method brand promotion does not exist on the Internet. Digital marketing is a vast field that has the potential to create unique working strategies to achieve the ambitious goals of a business owner.

When contacting a digital agency for help, remember the need to make a responsible choice, familiarize yourself with all services, cases and reviews. Then the result will be a well-spent budget, daily sales growth and constant scaling of the business.