Same same...but different?

So, you've got your product, service, million dollar idea ready, this is the best idea since sliced bread. If only people just knew about you! You have a marketing plan right.....right? You've thought about digital marketing, everyone is doing that so it should work, just create a few pages on Meta, and LinkedIn, you're hip and trendy, so even TikTok! Except, is this the full picture, are you doing your marketing strategy justice by focusing solely on Social channels?

So what is digital marketing and social media marketing? The terms “digital marketing” and “social media marketing” are often used interchangeably, even by people who work in these industries. The difference between the two is simple: Digital Marketing is an umbrella term, it includes all types of marketing activities. Social Media Marketing is one aspect of digital marketing which primarily focuses on the use of marketing on social media platforms. Basically, digital marketing usually denotes the use of several online marketing channels.

So, what exactly is digital marketing?

Digital marketing typically includes, but is not limited to SEO, Email Marketing, Content Marketing, Analytics & Social media. Digital marketing essentially is about implementing a mix of digital marketing channels to accomplish the following goals:

• Sales growth.
• Building Brand awareness
• Developing a relationship with your audience
• Add Value: Implement inbound marketing strategies that will cause customers to seek you out
• Promote your brand, product or service
• As well as various other outcomes.

Of course, you don't need to implement all available digital channels to achieve your desired results. It is recommended to instead create a customized mix of channels that fit your brand, message, audience, and budget. Not all your channels are going to have the same impact. Ideally, your digital marketing strategy will be specifically crafted to best deliver your message or call to action as effectively as possible on that channel. Because of the different responses on different channels, it is suggested that multiple strategies are implemented, tested, optimize, tested again and measure which strategies are working the best for your business. Then you can drop the marketing channels that are not delivering a satisfactory ROI or growth rate.

What exactly is social media marketing?

Social media marketing focuses solely on marketing strategies distributed across social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, and many more.

Just like a digital marketing campaign, it’s not necessary to include all social channels in a marketing strategy. When choosing which social media platforms to use, we need to consider the social media channels that best express your brand, and message, give you optimal visibility, and allow customers to engage with you the most.

The social platforms chosen will also highly depend on your target audience. We do see somewhat of a generational divide between platforms, so it's extremely important to consider who your audience is and mould your message to that audience. For example, Gen Z users on Facebook are dwarfed by the number of Millennials using Meta. But, what if you want to reach both? That's not a problem, however, how you deliver your content, and what your message is will most likely need to adapt across the platforms, unfortunately, one size does not fit all.

Usually, a social media marketing strategy includes:

• Customer engagement
• Follower analytics
• Collaborations with industry influencers
• Giveaways and contests
• Attention-grabbing content
• Organic and paid marketing

Compared to other types of digital marketing, many companies and brands can experience a quicker response from their social media campaigns.

So why focus on other aspects of Digital Marketing?

Social media marketing sounds ideal, and it is great, which is why almost everyone uses it. however, it shouldn't be your only focus, for a few reasons:

• It can be time-consuming
• Conversion rates aren’t always high
• Compared to your site, you don’t own your data
• You will find yourself following a strict set of guidelines

With the other aspects of digital marketing, such as SEO, PPC, email marketing, banners, etc., you’ll find that there are advantages that you can’t get from social media. Many of these digital marketing techniques bring users to you instead of you seeking them out as you might on social media. This is referred to as inbound marketing. Another advantage is that you own your data by utilizing inbound marketing via your website.

While it may take longer to reach your audience, incorporating multiple types of digital marketing channels into your strategy not only will help you build a comprehensive marketing funnel, it will help you reach a wider audience. Ultimately, while social media marketing is important, it is a small part of a much wider strategy to reach and engage with your audience.