The power of digital marketing is undeniable. It has become an essential tool to boost visibility and ultimately reach more customers. But if you’re new to this field, it can all seem overwhelming and daunting. This digital marketing for beginners guide will demystify the complexities of digital marketing so that anyone can understand the basics and types available. So, let’s jump right into it!
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. Affiliates typically promote a business by placing links to its products or services on its websites or social media channels and earning a commission for each sale or lead generated.
Affiliate marketing is a sub-niche that falls under the umbrella of online marketing, a subset of the general concept of digital marketing.
Affiliate marketing allows businesses to reach new customers by partnering with other websites and influencers to promote their products or services.
The key to the success of affiliate marketing is that the affiliate and the merchant have a mutual benefit: the affiliate earns money by promoting the merchant’s products, while the merchant reaches new customers through the affiliate’s promotion.
And because affiliates are incentivized to drive sales or leads, they are more likely to put in the effort to find and reach new audiences.
Affiliate marketing can be an effective way for small businesses to reach new customers and generate sales without spending much money on advertising. For larger businesses, it can reach new audiences, drive sales through multiple channels, and supplement other digital marketing efforts.
Here’s an example of Affiliate Marketing
Let’s say you own a business selling kitchen appliances. You can partner with an affiliate website specializing in home decor and offer a commission for each sale or lead the website brings to your store.
The affiliate website then creates content about kitchen appliances and links back to products within your store. This helps bring new visitors to your store who may not have found it otherwise – and generates sales for you and the affiliate website!
This is just one example of how Affiliate Marketing can be used as part of a successful digital marketing strategy. There are many other ways to use this powerful tool, such as providing discounts or rewards for referrals, hosting contests, or partnering with influencers on social media platforms.
Learn more about Affiliate Marketing
Content Marketing
Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing content to a target audience to attract, engage, and retain customers. Content marketing involves creating and sharing online materials such as blog posts, videos, infographics, eBooks, white papers, case studies, and webinars.
Content marketing is more than just creating content; it’s about developing relationships and inspiring trust with your audience. Content marketing aims to provide valuable and relevant information that educates, entertains, or inspires people to take action. Content marketing can drive sales, build brand awareness, increase website traffic, engage customers, and nurture relationships.
Here’s an example of Content Marketing
Let’s say you own an online store that sells kitchen appliances. You could create blog posts, videos, and infographics about topics relevant to your industry, such as “10 Tips for Choosing the Right Kitchen Appliance” or “How To Get The Most Out Of Your Kitchen Appliances.”
Content marketing is a great way to build relationships with potential customers, generate leads, and increase website traffic. It can also be used as part of larger digital marketing campaigns to supplement other tactics, such as search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing.
Learn more about Content Marketing.
Digital Marketplaces Management
Digital Marketplaces Management (DMM) helps businesses manage their presence and product listings on digital marketplace websites.
DMM includes creating and optimizing product listings, managing customer reviews and feedback, monitoring competitor activity, and more.
Digital marketplace websites allow businesses to sell their products or services to a wide audience. The most popular digital marketplace websites include Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Alibaba.
When done correctly, DMM can help businesses increase their sales and exposure on these huge online platforms. Here’s an example of how one business used DMM to increase its sales by 50%!
The company sells products on Amazon and other digital marketplace websites. They created optimized product listings with high-quality images and descriptions, pricing strategies, and promotional offers.
They also set up automated programs to check customer reviews and respond quickly to comments or concerns.
In addition, they monitored their competitors’ activities in order to adjust their own tactics as needed. After implementing these DMM practices, the company saw a 50% increase in sales!
Display Advertising
Display advertising is used to promote products or services. It typically involves displaying ads on websites, social media platforms, search engine results pages (SERPs), and other online channels in order to reach the desired target audience.
Display ads can be created using text, images, videos, or audio and are often interactive to encourage viewers to take an action, such as visiting the website or downloading a product brochure.
Display Advertising Example
An online pet supply store wanted to increase its sales. They created an engaging display ad promoted across several websites and social media platforms featuring a picture of a cute puppy with the text, “Find everything you need for your pup at our online store!”
The ad linked viewers directly to the online store’s homepage, where they could browse through their selection of pet supplies. After implementing this effective display advertising strategy, the company saw an increase in website traffic and sales.
The ad would run short-term and could be adjusted according to the results. For example, if it was found that viewers weren’t clicking through to the store page, the ad could be tweaked or reworked to become more effective.
Display advertising companies like Google Ads and Bing Ads can provide businesses with a range of services, including keyword research, ad creation and optimization, and monitoring results.
Email marketing
Email marketing is the process of sending emails to customers and prospects with the goal of building relationships, increasing sales, and engaging customers. It can be a powerful tool to promote products or services, announce special deals or discounts, send newsletters, and more.
The key to successful email marketing campaigns is personalization – segmenting your list so that you’re sending targeted messages to different segments of your customer base.
Here’s an example of Email Marketing
A social media manager wanted to promote a new online course. They created an email campaign targeted at their list of existing customers.
The emails included information about the course and included special discounts for people who signed up early.
The emails were sent out on a regular basis over the course of a month, with different messages each time to keep the content fresh and engaging.
At the end of the campaign, there was a noticeable increase in sign-ups for the course as well as website visits. The email marketing strategy was successful!
E-commerce Marketing
E-commerce marketing is the process of driving traffic to an online store and converting those visitors into paying customers. It involves creating a website or app that’s optimized for mobile devices, setting up product pages with detailed descriptions and images, and launching digital campaigns such as pay-per-click ads, email marketing, and social media marketing.
It also involves optimization techniques such as SEO (search engine optimization) to make sure your store is easily found by potential customers.
Here’s an example of E-commerce Marketing
A fashion boutique wanted to increase sales through their online store. They created an attractive website with clear navigation and product categories in order to make it easier for customers to shop.
They also implemented SEO best practices to ensure their store appeared in search engine results pages. They also launched a paid advertising campaign to reach more potential customers, as well as an email marketing strategy to engage existing customers and drive them back to the site.
The result was a significant increase in website visits and sales for the boutique, making their e-commerce marketing strategies successful.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is the process of leveraging influencers to promote a product or service. Influencers are people with large followings on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat who share content that resonates with their audience.
The goal of influencer marketing is to build awareness around a brand or product by connecting it to an influencer’s loyal following. It can be used as a strategy for launching new products, promoting discounts and sales, and engaging customers.
Here’s an example of Influencer Marketing
A cosmetics company wanted to spread the word about its new line of skincare products. They partnered with several beauty bloggers who had large followings on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
The bloggers shared photos and videos of themselves using the products, as well as their honest reviews. This resulted in a huge jump in sales for the cosmetics company and an increase in brand awareness.
Learn more about TikTok Marketing
In-game marketing
In-game marketing is the process of using games and other interactive experiences to promote a product or service. This type of marketing uses game mechanics, such as rewards and achievements, to engage customers and keep them coming back for more.
It can also be used to drive traffic to websites, collect customer data, and track sales conversions.
Here’s an example of In-game Marketing
An online retailer wanted to increase website visits and boost sales. They launched an in-game marketing campaign that included offering rewards every time someone made a purchase on their website or shared a link on social media.
The results were impressive – website visits increased significantly, and more people than ever before bought products from the store.
Local SEO
Local SEO is the process of optimizing websites for customers in specific geographic locations. It involves optimizing on-page content, such as titles and descriptions, as well as off-page activities such as link building and directory submissions.
The goal of local SEO is to make sure your business appears at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when potential customers are searching for businesses near them.
Here’s an example of Local SEO
A flower shop wanted to increase their reach in local neighborhoods. They optimized their website for local SEO by optimizing titles and descriptions, as well as submitting their business information to local directories.
The flower shop also launched a link building campaign to get more links from other websites in the area. As a result, they saw an increase in website visits and sales conversions.
Marketing Analytics
Marketing analytics is the process of measuring, managing, and analyzing marketing performance to maximize its effectiveness. It involves collecting data on customer behavior and preferences, as well as tracking campaigns to determine their success or failure.
It enables marketers to make informed decisions based on real-time data that can lead to better results and improved ROI.
Here’s an example of Marketing Analytics
A boutique wanted to improve its e-commerce marketing strategies. They implemented a marketing analytics system to track customer data and campaign performance in real-time.
This allowed them to quickly identify which campaigns were successful and adjust strategies on the fly. The results showed success – website visits and sales conversions increased significantly.
Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is using mobile technology to engage customers and promote products or services. It can include SMS/MMS messaging, push notifications, and app-based campaigns.
The goal of mobile marketing is to reach potential customers on their smartphones and tablets in order to build brand awareness and drive sales conversions.
Here’s an example of Mobile Marketing
A clothing store wanted to increase their visibility among younger audiences. They launched a mobile marketing campaign that included sending out SMS messages with discounts and promotions to customers who had opted into their list.
They also created a custom app that allowed users to browse their collection, redeem coupons, track orders, and get personalized recommendations. The result was an increase in website traffic and sales conversions.
Mobile app marketing
Mobile app marketing is the process of promoting and advertising a mobile application. It can include optimizing app store listings, using targeted advertising on social media platforms, and incentivizing users to download and engage with an app.
The goal of mobile app marketing is to increase downloads, engagement, and user retention.
Here’s an example of Mobile App Marketing
A fitness company wanted to promote their new exercise tracking app. They launched a targeted ad campaign across several social media platforms as well as optimizing their listing in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
They also ran a promotion offering free products for anyone who downloaded the app and used it regularly for 30 days. The result was an increase in downloads, engagement, and user retention.
Native advertising
Native advertising is a type of online advertising that uses content to promote products and services. It blends in with the website or platform it appears on, making it less intrusive than traditional forms of advertising.
The goal of native advertising is to provide relevant content to customers without interrupting their user experience. Here’s an example of Native Advertising
A cosmetics brand wanted to reach more potential customers. They launched a native advertising campaign where they created sponsored content about skin care tips and shared it on various websites and social media platforms.
The results were impressive – the sponsored content was seen by thousands of people, resulting in increased visibility for the brand and more sales conversions.
Network Marketing
Network marketing is a direct-to-consumer sales approach where products are promoted through a network of independent distributors. It often involves recruiting new members to join the network, who can recruit more members and earn commission on sales.
Network marketing aims to generate revenue by selling products directly to customers and building and maintaining a network of distributors.
Here’s an example of Network Marketing
A vitamins company wanted to increase sales through network marketing. They created a referral program that rewarded current customers for referring new customers. The rewards included discounts on products, cash prizes, and gift cards.
The result was an increase in sales and new members joining the network.
Learn more about network marketing and how it differs from MLMs.
Online communities and forums management
Online community management manages online communities such as forums, discussion boards, and social networks. It involves interacting with customers, responding to inquiries and feedback, moderating conversations, and more.
Online community management aims to build relationships with customers, foster loyalty, and ultimately increase sales conversions.
Here’s an example of Online Community Management
A home appliance company wanted to build relationships with its customers. They launched a campaign where they set up forums and discussion boards on their website and engaged with customers regularly.
They also responded to customer inquiries in the comments section of social media posts and actively participated in online conversations related to their products. The result was increased customer loyalty, improved brand reputation, and more sales conversions.
Online PR
Online PR is the process of promoting and managing a brand’s online presence. It includes creating content such as press releases, blog posts, and social media updates to generate visibility in online search results.
The goal of online PR is to increase awareness and trust in a brand while also driving sales conversions.
Here’s an example of Online PR
A clothing brand wanted to increase their visibility. They launched a campaign focused on generating press coverage and published blog posts and social media updates about their products.
The result was increased website traffic, improved brand recognition, and more in shop and online sales.
Online reputation management (ORM)
Online reputation management (ORM) is the practice of monitoring, managing, and responding to customer feedback online.
It involves tracking what people are saying about a brand on social media and other platforms, addressing negative reviews or complaints quickly and effectively, and proactively engaging with customers to foster positive relationships. The goal of ORM is to maintain a positive online reputation and protect the brand from any potential reputation damage.
Here’s an example of ORM
A catering company wanted to improve its online reputation. They launched a campaign that focused on actively monitoring customer feedback, responding to negative reviews promptly and professionally, and proactively engaging with customers on social media platforms.
The result was increased customer trust, improved brand recognition, and more catering gigs.
Out of home (OOH) digital marketing
Out of home (OOH) digital marketing is the practice of using digital media to promote brands or products in public spaces, such as on billboards and public transportation.
The goal of OOH digital marketing is to capture the attention of potential customers with eye-catching visuals and messages that will encourage them to take a desired action.
Here’s an example of OOH digital marketing
A beverage company wanted to increase sales. They launched a campaign using digital billboards across the city to promote their new product line.
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is using ads to drive traffic to a website or landing page. It involves bidding on keywords related to your product or service and targeting customers searching for those specific terms.
The goal of PPC is to get the most bang for your buck – you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and visits your page.
Here’s an example of PPC advertising
A skincare company wanted to drive more traffic to their website. They launched a campaign that focused on bidding on keywords related to their products and targeting customers searching for those specific terms.
Performance marketing
Performance marketing uses measures such as clicks, conversions, and sales to optimize a digital marketing campaign. It involves tracking customer behavior on your website or app to determine what strategies are working and which ones need improvement.
The goal of performance marketing is to identify areas that can be improved upon in order to drive more conversions and sales.
Here’s an example of performance marketing
An online retailer was looking to improve their digital marketing campaign. They launched a performance marketing campaign that tracked customer behavior on their website and app in order to identify areas that could be improved upon.
Podcast marketing
Podcast marketing is the use of podcasts to promote a brand, product, or service. It involves creating podcasts that feature topics related to your industry and targeting potential customers who are interested in those topics.
The goal of podcast marketing is to engage with potential customers personally and build relationships that will lead to more sales.
Here’s an example of podcast marketing
A software company wanted to build relationships with potential customers. They launched a podcast marketing campaign that focused on creating podcasts featuring topics related to the software industry and targeting potential customers who were interested in those topics.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing uses social media platforms to connect with your audience and promote your products or services.
It involves creating a presence on multiple social networks, listening and engaging with users, attending industry events, and sharing content that resonates with your target audience.
Social media marketing can help you build customer relationships, increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, and track engagement levels. It’s also an effective way to distribute content such as blog posts, videos, case studies, eBooks, and white papers – all of which are great for content marketing efforts.
Here’s an example of Social Media Marketing
A travel agency could use social media platforms to share photos and stories from recent trips they have taken their clients on and information about upcoming trips and destinations. They could also create posts featuring helpful tips for travelers, such as packing lists, budgeting advice, and safety tips. Furthermore, they could partner with influencers in the travel industry to help spread the word about their services.
Additionally, the travel agency could use social media to run contests and giveaways for its followers. This would effectively increase engagement levels with their target audience and build relationships with potential customers. They could also host Q&A sessions where people can ask questions about traveling or booking trips with the agency.
Furthermore, the travel agency could use social media advertising to target travelers who are likely interested in their services. Ads can be tailored based on criteria like age, location, interests, and more – making them a powerful tool for driving website traffic and gaining exposure from new audiences.
Social media marketing is one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies available today – making it an ideal choice for small businesses looking to reach new customers without breaking the bank. With a strategic approach and engaging content, any business can benefit from leveraging social media platforms!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERP) for specific keywords. SEO involves making changes to a website or blog in order to improve its visibility and ranking in organic search results.
SEO involves a variety of tactics and strategies, including keyword research, site structure optimization, content creation, link building, and more. SEO is an ongoing process – it requires time and effort to succeed.
Here’s an example of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The restaurant is called “Sally’s Seafood Shack,” in a small beach town. One of the main niches the restaurant wants to target is “seafood restaurant near me.”
Keyword research: The first step for the restaurant is to find the keywords that potential customers might use to find a seafood restaurant in their area. Sally’s Seafood Shack could use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords such as “seafood near me,” “best seafood restaurant,” “seafood in (name of the town)”
Content creation: Once the restaurant knows the keywords, it can create content on its website and social media channels optimized for those keywords. For example, they can create a page on their website about “Best Seafood in Town,” where they feature photos of their menu, describe their specialties, and share customer reviews. They could also create social media posts highlighting their seafood specials of the day, use of local seafood, and other relevant information.
SEO and Online Listing management: Sally’s Seafood Shack then needs to optimize its website and online listings to make sure they appear in the Knowledge panel when customers perform a search using their keywords.
This includes creating a Google Business listing (Local SEO), ensuring their website is mobile-friendly and has structured data, and using relevant keywords in their website title and meta tags.
They also should create a schema.org markup on their website, so the search engine can understand their site better and show the information they want in the knowledge panel.
Link building: Finally, the restaurant can build links to its website (technical SEO) from other relevant websites and directories. For example, they can find seafood-related blogs and websites in their area and reach out to them for guest blog opportunities or directory listings.
By following these steps, Sally’s Seafood Shack will be well on its way to increased visibility in local search results and more customers!
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design are the processes of creating digital products and services that provide an enjoyable, intuitive, and effective user experience. UX/UI designers consider how users interact with a product or service based on visual aspects like colors, shapes, size, layout, font choice, animations, and more. They also consider user behavior, task flow, and usability to create a seamless experience.
For example, if an e-commerce website wants to improve its user experience, the UX/UI designers would look for ways to make the checkout process easier and faster for customers. This could involve changes like adding autofill options on the payment form or making the “shopping cart” visible and accessible on every page.
Video Marketing
Video marketing uses video content to promote your business, products, or services. It can be used on social media channels like YouTube and Instagram, website pages, email newsletters, and more.
Video marketing is an effective way to engage potential customers who may have otherwise never found you. Videos are entertaining and easy to consume, and they can be used to showcase the unique aspects of your business.
For example, a restaurant can use video marketing to show off its menu items in an appealing way or showcase customer reviews and experiences. Videos are also great for providing helpful information about products and services. The possibilities with video marketing are endless!
Virtual and augmented reality marketing
Virtual and augmented reality marketing are relatively new, but they have quickly become popular tools for businesses to promote their products and services.
Virtual reality (VR) immerses the user in a 3D world where they can interact with digital objects just as if they were real. Augmented reality (AR), meanwhile, overlays digital images on the real world.
Both technologies can be used to create immersive experiences for customers, such as interactive product demonstrations, virtual tours of products and services, and more. This can help businesses build relationships with their customers by showcasing the unique features of their products or services in a more memorable way.
Virtual Reality Marketing Example
Augmented Reality Marketing Example: A clothing retailer can use augmented reality to allow customers to virtually try on different outfits. The customer can point their phone’s camera at a mannequin in the store and see how a particular outfit would look on them in real time. This is an effective way to help customers make informed purchasing decisions without ever having to leave the comfort of their homes.
Voice search optimization
Voice search optimization is the process of optimizing content to be more easily found by voice search queries. To do this, businesses need to consider the natural language that people use when asking questions rather than traditional keyword-based searches.
For example, a restaurant might optimize its website for “Where can I find Italian food near me?” as opposed to “Italian food near me.” This type of optimization ensures that potential customers are more likely to find the business when they use a voice search.
