How You Can Use Different Types of Digital Marketing to Boost Sales

A good digital marketing strategy is essential for any business to remain competitive in the market. If you aren’t investing in digital marketing you should be worried about your competitors speaking to your costumes on their preferred channels. According to PRNewswire, the U.S. market for digital marketing is valued at $460 billion. As a result, there are thousands of places for marketers to target consumers online. Each digital touchpoint a user interacts with presents an opportunity for marketers to target consumers. Considering the different types of digital media we interact with, there are different types of digital marketing that can be leveraged. Explore each one to see what works for you.

Why is Digital Marketing Important?

Today, 63.5% of the world’s population has internet access. According to Statista, the average internet user spends over 147 minutes per day online. With people spending more and more time online, the effectiveness of non-digital marketing methods has started to decrease. Considering how sophisticated digital marketing technology has become, brands who choose digital marketing will have a serious competitive edge over others.

ALSO READ: How to Learn Digital Marketing

Types of Digital Marketing

1. Video Marketing

Today, video marketing has become the most engaging and effective form of digital marketing. Whether the format is short or long, live or pre-recorded, digital video is one of the best ways to attract your customer’s eyeballs.

Pros

• More engaging
• Better recall

Cons

• Short attention spans
• Expensive creation process

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want an above-average engagement rate

2. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization involves the creation of website content curated to ensure that your website will achieve a high ranking on a search engine results page. It is extremely effective since according to Brightedge, up to 68% of online experiences begin with a search.

Pros

• Increases visibility
• Increases organic reach

Cons

• Needs to be updated often
• Time-consuming process

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want higher organic reach

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves leveraging a third party with a high reach to promote your product on their channel. It often works on a cost-per-acquisition model. 

Pros

• No need to build your own audience to sell
• Guaranteed return on investment

Cons

• Usually very expensive

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are selling high-ticket items
• Conversion is their only objective

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is when businesses partner with individuals who have a large social media following, to get them to promote their products. According to LocaliQ, up to half of all social media users rely on influencers for brand recommendations.

Pros

• Association with influencers adds legitimacy to the business
• High reach of influencers

Cons

• Rising mistrust in influencers among users

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want to boost their follower count

5. Search Engine Marketing/(Pay Per Click)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a form of online advertising where ads appear on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). 

Pros

• Garner reach quickly 
• High rank on SERP

Cons

• High cost to popular keywords

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want to generate leads quickly
• They want to rank high for a specific keyword

6. Display Marketing

Display marketing consists of units called display banners. They are like traditional print ads, only found online on various websites. 

Pros

• Easy to track performance

Cons

• Unread display ads due to banner blindness in customers
• Challenge to create effective banners

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are targeting a specific audience
• They are running awareness campaigns

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing involves sharing marketing communications with customers over email. According to Statista, the email marketing industry is currently worth $9.62 billion and is set to grow to $17.9 billion by 2027. 

Pros

• Does not rely on algorithms

Cons

• Emails can go straight to spam
• Customers often don’t open emails 

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They have a loyal emailer audience

8. Content Marketing

Content marketing involves the creation of content like how-to videos, blogs, or other educational materials. 

Pros

• Free to publish
• Supports other marketing efforts

Cons

• Content creation is time-consuming

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They don’t have large marketing budgets

9. Mobile Marketing

According to Statista, over half of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile devices. This is why it is no surprise that mobile marketing is so popular. 

Pros

• Substantial time spent on mobile devices
• Accurate targeting

Cons

• More intrusive
• Tiny ad spaces

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want to target younger audiences

10. Facebook Paid Marketing

This includes marketing on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram is best for targeting customers between ages 25 and 29 while Facebook is best for targeting customers who are 65+.

Pros

• High conversion rates

Cons

• Changing algorithms make performance inconsistent
• Requires a lot of planning

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are targeting a specific audience

11. SMS Marketing

This is one of the most popular forms of marketing. According to Dexatel, over 85% of consumers prefer SMS over voice calls or emails.

Pros

• Have a high open rate
• Cost-effective

Cons

• Length is limited

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They want to be less intrusive 
• They want high open rates

12. Linkedin Paid Marketing

LinkedIn is a great platform for business professionals. Marketing messages on LinkedIn will be taken more seriously than other social platforms.

Pros

• Communication taken seriously
• Great for generating leads

Cons

• Significant time investment

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are targeting a particular industry

13. Twitter Paid Marketing

Many marketers avoid Twitter when it comes to marketing. The upside of choosing this therefore is that there is less competition for customer attention.

Pros

• Less competition
• Unique demographics 

Cons

• Poor conversion tracking
• Long set-up time

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are looking to diversify their audience

14. TikTok Paid Marketing

Marketing on TikTok is usually done using influencers to create branded content.

Pros

• Highly engaging
• Highly trackable

Cons

• Time-consuming content production
• Limited number of formats

Companies should invest in this form if…

• They are targeting a younger audience

ALSO READ: What is Digital Marketing

Advantages Of Digital Marketing

There are several benefits to digital marketing. Some of these include: 

• It boosts your reach
• It is inexpensive
• It is trackable
• It is targeted
• It allows for efficient remarketing
• It yields higher conversion rates
• It makes A/B testing easier

Digital marketing is also beneficial for customers. Owners of media channels often allow users access to their services for free. This is because they can leverage their users to attract advertisers who form their primary source of revenue. 

ALSO READ: Is Digital Marketing a Good Career for You?

Enrich Your Digital Marketing Career Through Emeritus

With growing competition and evolving customer preferences, future marketers will have to find creative ways, including different types of digital marketing, to keep their audiences engaged. If you want to take on this challenging role as well as leverage the high demand for digital marketers, consider upskilling yourself with an online course on digital marketing from Emeritus. 

Write to us at content@emeritus.org