What Is Digital Marketing And What It Is Not?

The term digital marketing has been around for 100 years but recently became popular around early 2000.

It is now one of the most used and misused buzzwords around the world.

You may not believe this but the first digital marketer is an Italian inventor and electrical engineer named Guglielmo Marco.

Guglielmo Marco is credited as inventor of radio and he shared 1909 Noble Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun for their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy.

While radio took over a decade to reach the mass, the creators quickly realized that they can use radio to sell.

In January 13, 1910, the world’s first ever public broadcast was done in New York City.

People used earpiece to listen to the broadcast in several locations around the city.

And guess what?

People bought an opera show tickets by listening to radio advert.

Digital marketing was born.

The first digital marketing was done without internet.

No Google, no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and even no website and email.

The reason why I went all the way back in history to help you understand digital marketing is because I don’t want you buy into the notion that digital marketing only involves internet.

Time and again, many are misled into believing the lie that digital marketing is only done online using internet.

The Financial times succinctly defined the term digital marketing as;

“Marketing of products or services using digital channels to reach consumers. The key objective is to promote brands through various forms of digital media. Digital marketing goes beyond internet marketing to include channels that do not require use of internet.

Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet.

The best digital marketers in the world know digital marketing goes beyond internet and therefore leverage different channels that are relevant to easily reach their target customers.

Two Pillars of Digital Marketing

The reason why most people are confused about digital marketing is because most don’t know the two core pillars of digital marketing

The two pillars of digital marketing are;

1.   Online marketing

2.   Offline marketing

Any form of marketing products or services that involves electronic devices both on and offline is called digital marketing.

Now that you understand what digital marketing is, let’s dive further into helping you understand why all the fuzz about the term.

What is Not Digital Marketing?

I had this very frustrating but rather interesting experience with a sales representative from the multi-level marketing company called Aim Global, that’s taking PNG by storm.

He did a cold pitch to me on Facebook,

He said;

“Do you want to earn up to K10, 000 a month using your mobile phone? I am a millionaire coach and digital marketing expert using just Facebook and mobile phone to make money daily”

The more I ignored him, the more persistent he become.

He inboxed me every week on Facebook, then to LinkedIn and even got my email on LinkedIn and subscribed me to his email list and started sending me more dumb and shitty sales emails every week.

Now I like his persistence. But not his unethical approach.

It came to a point that I had enough and considered him a pest in my social media sites and my email inbox and took action to shut him out with a  strong warning and to teach him what digital marketing and how it’s done ethically.

I said;

“Send me a link to your website and social media sites and client testimonials you creating millionaires”

He replied;

Sir I don’t have a website but you can see more details on our company website”

I replied;

“Just being on Facebook and owning a smartphone doesn’t make you a digital marketing expert and you aren’t a millionaire coach either since you have no track record to show.

“You subscribed me your email list without my permission. You have become pest in my Facebook and LinkedIn account and now email.

“I now warn you to stop bothering me in all my social media channels and unsubscribe me from your dumb email list or your find yourself in trouble when you come to Moresby for your Aim Global events.

Note: No physical harm intended. I just wanted to scare him to stop it because there was no way, that pest would have stopped bothering me..

Guess what? He stopped altogether.

How can a digital marketer not have a professionally done website and display his work?

K10, 000 is a shitload of money and I’d love to earn that amount monthly in my sleep.

Let me warn you now that many multi-level marketers like that inexperienced marketer I mentioned above are going around spreading lies about digital marketing to get unsuspecting and gullible people to join their networks only to realize later, that’s it’s freaking hard to sell online.

It took me over 10 years of consistent trial and failure until I learnt to successfully run digital marketing campaigns, and to build a business and to make money from it.

Like anything else, it takes seer hard work and commitment to make money online or using electronic devices, as such is the true definition of digital marketing.

You can’t just own a phone, create a Facebook account, read few articles and watch videos about digital marketing and then fold your arms, relax and money roll in.

Or take a trip to an exotic vacation spot, sip whisky, with your laptop on your lap, enjoying the cool tropical breeze and money roll in.

Being on Facebook and WhatsApp or owning a mobile phone isn’t enough to call yourself a digital marketing expert.

Today, just about anyone can create a crappy Facebook page or LinkedIn account and list their title as digital marketing expert offering digital marketing services and entice gullible and money hungry internet users to buy into those products or services that don’t work at all.

Digital marketing is a complex subject and takes years to master.

Successful digital marketers should show you their track record and appear credible with highly visible and professional brand identity, be it person or their business.

In the next article, we will cover the importance of digital mareketing and why it matters to your business or career