The term “Digital Marketing” can be rather broad. It basically means any type of marketing with a digital presence. Web-based or online marketing is more of a global term. This could be categorized as a subset of digital marketing. Web-based marketing is one way to utilize and execute digital marketing.

Digital marketing is an umbrella to website design, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, and Email Marketing.

Website Design

There should be a great deal of emphasis on how website design is calibrated. I suggest testing, testing, and more testing. While I was obtaining my master’s in web design my professors could not emphasize this enough. It was suggested to advertise for users to test the functionality, flow, and intuitive design of the layout. I strongly agree.

A website should be easy to read, flow into the next page, and not have to go on scavenger hunts to locate important items. Colors should be easy on the eyes and have contrasting values to the brand of your company. Consistency is key. A website should not be ever-changing. Once you make a decision, stick with the layout. This builds trust amongst your consumers. Any landing pages, social media platforms, email communication, or any other relevant content should be consistent with the website design.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing is a subset of digital marketing. It is used in conjunction with Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Ads, and keywords. You will see SEM ads if you search a “keyword” and see Ad to the left of the URL listed. See screenshot below:

Search Engine Optimization

I want to start by claiming I am a Googler. I am not the only one, obviously! My point is EVERYONE is. Gosh, I remember just paying for an hour on the internet at our teen-hangout mall, just to ask “God” the questions we wanted to be answered. Yes, technology has come a long way since the 90’s. My point being, the large majority of society carries a handy search engine around with them everywhere they go.

It is key that your business comes up on that first page. So much has changed, through the years, in regards to search engine optimization and utilization. Tags, keywords, and ads are still relevant; however, a great deal has changed in user experience. What I mean is…we Google differently. The algorithm has changed when we enter a search term in the box.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click is commonly associated with first-tier search engines (such as Google Ads, Amazon Advertising, and Microsoft Advertising formerly Bing Ads). With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market and pay when ads (text-based search ads or shopping ads that are a combination of images and text) are clicked. In contrast, content sites commonly charge a fixed price per click rather than use a bidding system. PPC display advertisements, also known as banner ads, are shown on web sites with related content that have agreed to show ads and are typically not pay-per-click advertising. Social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter have also adopted pay-per-click as one of their advertising models. The amount advertisers pay depends on the publisher and is usually driven by two major factors: quality of the ad, and the maximum bid the advertiser is willing to pay per click. The higher the quality of the ad, the lower the cost per click is charged and vice versa.

However, websites can offer PPC ads. Websites that utilize PPC ads will display an advertisement when a keyword query matches an advertiser’s keyword list that has been added in different ad groups, or when a content site displays relevant content. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to, above, or beneath organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a web developer chooses on a content site.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media marketing is marketing on social platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube just to name a few. Buffer is a social media management platform that I adore! You can read more about the top 21 platforms on Buffer.

Which social platforms should you advertise on? First, who is your audience? Who are you trying to engage? Some companies have a very limited niche while others’ reach is much more extensive.

Social Media Marketing is today’s “word of mouth”.  Select your channels wisely as you want every effort to count towards all marketing stages.

Content Marketing

Content, content, and more content…this is the pain most suffer. What is good content? How does it impact your audience? My answers are in the chosen words. Words have the power to define your brand. Many would argue by indicating, perhaps, images or videos take a higher priority. I agree that image placement and video quality play a large role. Every marked media should have a story and the story should be answering your audiences’ questions. Words, however, need to be concise, to the point, grab attention, and confirm the story you are trying to convey.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is still so apparent. I started email marketing when cold calls were still a success. Why are they effective? Consider this, how frequently is our general population looking at their phones? So, what makes emails effective? Placement, subject lines, time of day, days of the week, who your target audience is, and if you’re reaching their calculated personality types, are just a few examples to consider.

I’ll teach you about landing pages, where to send your traffic, color schemes, how to track achievements, and really cool FREE customer relationship management (CRM) tools to utilize.