What Is Digital Marketing & How Does It Work? A Complete Guide

Digital marketing can be defined as the marketing of a business, product, service, or brand using digital media channels to reach consumers. Digital marketing could include any number of content on a website, or email marketing, digital advertising or even search engine optimisation (SEO).But digital marketing is not just posting a message to your social channels or advertising on Google. A digital marketing approach that makes sense ties various channels together and uses specific business goals. One customer can find your business through a search engine, go to your website, engage with your content and ultimately send you an enquiry or purchase.Thus, visibility is not the only goal of digital marketing. Digital marketing also consists of the target audience, the right channels, the creation of relevant information, calls to action and the use of performance data for more marketing effectiveness. Understanding the Core Idea Behind Digital Marketing What is digital marketing? Digital marketing is the practice of marketing through digital channels, digital media and digital technologies. This includes marketing via a web-based platform, email, social media, applications, Search engine marketing (SEM), websites, digital content, as well as television and radio.Various channels can also be used to attract different stages of the customer journey. Search engines are a great tool to let potential customers discover your business, content can be used to serve them the answers they are looking for, social media could be used to engage with them and email to maintain an engagement. Digital Marketing and Online Marketing: Are They the Same? Terms like digital marketing and online marketing are commonly used interchangeably. In everyday use, both generally refer to actions like: The terminology matters less than how these channels are used to achieve a specific business objective. Why Digital Channels Matter for Businesses Communication between businesses and their audiences is possible through the use of digital channels without being dependent on advertising.A business can describe its services on its website, get found by using the search engine, stay in touch using social media, use email to connect with existing users and target specific users with paid advertising.The right combination depends on factors such as: How a Digital Marketing Campaign Moves From Awareness to Action The way digital marketing works is to establish a connection between the business and the right people at the right places at the right time to lead them to a desired action.It may be subscribing to an e-mail list, visiting a web site, downloading material, requesting a quotation, booking a service, buying a product etc.A simple way to understand the process is:Attract → Engage → Convert → Retain Stage What It Means Examples Attract Help relevant audiences discover the business SEO, content, social media, paid search Engage Help visitors understand the business Website pages, guides, videos Convert Encourage a desired action Enquiry, booking, sign-up, purchase Retain Continue the relationship Email, follow-ups, useful content These stages are not necessarily sequential. A prospect may come to a website at first by an advertisement, visit it once, leave it for a while and then come back to it via a search engine, compare several offers and eventually make an inquiry. Finding the Right Audience and Understanding Their Needs A digital marketing strategy should begin by identifying the goal of the business.Consider: Turning Customer Interest Into Action Getting a visitor to arrive at a website is just one aspect of digital marketing. The next stage is to allow the visitor to have a clear idea what they have to do.Given the business, this could mean: Exploring the Different Areas of Digital Marketing Digital marketing consists of several specialist channels. Businesses do not necessarily need to use every channel. The appropriate mix depends on the audience, objectives, resources, and customer journey. Channel Main Purpose Typical Activities SEO Improve organic search visibility Keyword research, on-page SEO, technical improvements Content Marketing Educate audiences Blogs, guides, videos, FAQs Social Media Build awareness and engagement Posts, discussions, community interaction PPC Advertising Gain paid visibility Search and social advertising Email Marketing Maintain relationships Newsletters, offers, automated emails Website Marketing Inform and encourage action Service pages, landing pages, forms Local SEO Reach local audiences Listings, local content, reviews Search Engine Optimisation: Building Organic Search Visibility SEO involves improving a website and its content so relevant pages can appear in organic search results.It can include: Search engines can be valuable because users are often actively looking for information, products, or services. Google’s SEO Starter Guide provides official guidance about helping search engines understand website content. Start With Search Behaviour These terms can then inform relevant website pages and content. Keywords should support the information rather than be inserted simply to increase frequency. Making Local Search More Useful Local SEO is particularly relevant for businesses serving a specific geographical area. Businesses can support local visibility by: Content Marketing: Answering Customer Questions Through Content Content marketing refers to compiling value-adding content, which may attempt to answer questions, solve problems, offer advice or help customers make a decision. We are not trying to publish everything; our content should answer true customer needs and should be part of a larger business goal. Build Content Around Customer Needs Before creating content, consider: Question What to Establish Who is it for? Target audience What do they need? Problem or information requirement Why are they searching? Search intent What should the content help them do? Desired outcome What should happen next? Enquiry, subscription, or purchase Make Better Use of Existing Content Existing content can sometimes be improved by: This can make existing resources more useful without continually creating new pages. Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Reaching Customers Through Paid Search PPC offers businesses the ability to buy a presence on the internet. Search advertising can target when people are searching for specific keywords for example; social advertising can target by certain demographics.PPC can give you visibility faster than organic SEO, but it still has to be managed. Google Ads also explains how bidding and budgets work in paid advertising. Google Ads provides official information about