Do you live in Nigeria and you feel like you have not been able to grasp what digital marketing is?
If the reply is yes, then this article will be explaining what digital marketing is all about plus the various types. With the massive improvement on the internet, there have also been a lot of experiments which have proved to be a success.
Facebook and Instagram were just social media platform, so are the other social messaging apps but now, you can do much on it. For instance, Facebook advertising is part of facebook which allows you to target a particular audience.
Does this not tell you the world is changing fast? It is about time you start giving attention to other marketing techniques instead of being stuck with an old marketing method. Not that old marketing method is obsolete, but when you combine digital marketing with it, the sky is just a limit for you and your business.
What is digital marketing?
These are questions that are often asked by people with little or no experience about internet. If you are lucky to grow up in Africa especially Nigeria and South Africa, you would have come across various ways marketing is done.
The busiest places, especially markets are always the platform for creating awareness, in this case, traditional marketing is often employed. Pamphlets are distributed, you see all kinds of print advertisements, billboards, TV, Radio and so on.
If you are familiar with traditional ways of marketing, digital marketing could be said to be an upgrade on it. digital marketing is the digital ways of creating awareness for products and services.
Less traditional means, but more digital ways of marketing products and services. This is the way to grow your business.
Digital marketing does not stand alone, it has different methods. Among the several forms of digital marketing are;
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Search engine marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)
- Affiliate marketing
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
There are few others worth mentioning, they are viral marketing, copywriting, smartphone marketing, landing page marketing, and online marketing but we will be concentrating on the most used ones.
The primary purposes of digital marketing are to increase sales and create brand awareness. With digital marketing, you will be surprised to know how much grounds you can gain if you know at least one third of types of digital marketing.
Different types of Digital Marketing explained
#1 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the popular terminologies you will come across when you run or start a blog. Most webmasters often try to go the extra mile in ensuring their posts come first on the first page. To get to the first page, they would have to adopt some techniques which should be in line with the acceptable standard.
There are lots of ways to rank better on search engines, such as building inbound and outbound links or optimizing contents. Also, choosing the right keywords is also essential.
Search engine algorithms always change a lot, because of this, I could say SEO is the hardest to keep up with. One has to always be informed in order to stay ahead of the competition. Running a blog with no proper knowledge of SEO could mean you are running out of business soon. If you are lacking in this area, you can always hire an SEO expert.
If you can master it, SEO could be beneficial in the long run and the best part of it, it is free. Imagine how much free referrals you can get when the results start manifesting.
#2 Search engine marketing (SEM)
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is almost the same as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is a form of paid service used to receive traffic from search engines.
With search engines, you can create massive awareness for your products, services and make them appear at the top of the page. Unlike the free referrals you can enjoy when you apply SEO, you pay for referrals on search engine marketing (SEM). Charges are based on the clicks made to your website.
The most used one is Google AdWords and remains the most effective marketing method based on users’ choice. It allows you to set up using target keywords. It is pretty much the same as bing ads except that the latter never enjoy as much attention as the former.
Both search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) appear the same way on search engine results pages (SERP) but what distinguishes them is the word, “AD” in a rectangle box behind the website link which indicates it is SEM.
#3 Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social media marketing is the most used form of digital marketing for advertising of products and services. For individuals with no tie with blog aside from microblogs like Facebook and Instagram, this is the best form of marketing for them.
Managing social media is not a problem for most people due to the level of connection they have with them. On social media like facebook, twitter & Instagram, they keep in touch with family and friends, share a laugh, chat, read the trending news, or even make sales without paying for an ad.
However, social media marketing (SMM) is the use of social media platforms to market products or services. Running Facebook ads is cheaper compared to search engine marketing (SEM), and users can target audience using defined attributes.
Set it up like a pro and make money on facebook.
A strong social presence will give your audience another way to engage with your brand. Another advantage of using social media marketing is it allows users to post user-generated content like reviews and comments.
#4 Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)
Pay per click advertising is another way to bring traffic to websites. This internet advertising model works in the same way as social media marketing (SMM) and social engine marketing (SEM) in the sense that website owners are paid when an ad is clicked. When users visit your site, the current cost is paid for each click until your budget is fully used.
It allows you to set your budget for your ads on platforms like facebook or google, and you only pay for the clicks you receive. On cost per click advertising, you can assign various strategies to get the most of it, that is, you have the advantage of defining your audience based on location, interest, etc.
A tip you do not pay for – Ads with video will always generate more clicks but if you are not going to use a video, you should at least make great content and then a great image when adopting social media ads.
Pay per click advertising is also known as cost per click (CPC).
#5 Affiliate marketing
You often hear about passive income, another way to go about is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing, like blog, ensures you make money even while you are asleep.
Affiliate marketing is another way to make money online – you earn a commission by promoting other people’s business and business. To earn a commission, there must be a conversion. It could be when a visitor completes a certain task or make a purchase.
For instance, if you have a product you want to sell, you can ask online marketers or users to help you promote your products. In return, you will pay the agreed commission when they make sales.
#6 Email marketing
Email marketing has become an important part of business despite the popularity that SMM, SEM and SEO enjoy.
Email marketing is another form of digital marketing used to bond with customers within their inbox. It involves sending content that might lead to conversion and influence buying decisions.
This electronic means of communication also has a great capacity to increase traffic on a blog. With a larger reach, even more than Facebook, it is something that could be beneficial in the long run when you build a great email list.
The email has often been underrated; most transaction, registration, login and more can not be completed without having an email. It is safe to call email, the oxygen of the internet.
Nonetheless, to have a better conversion, the subject should be structured in such a way that will move a user to click. While doing that, do not disappoint in the body of the post. This ensures you do not lose a customer or possible client.
#7 Content marketing
To work your way into becoming an authority in any niche, content marketing is important.
Content marketing has been around for a long time, this type of digital marketing is a method used in developing pertinent, valuable and thorough information to increase traffic and build a defined audience.
To have an idea of what content marketing is – you must have come across a blog, electronic mail, youtube, or ebook that deliver consistent content on a regular basis. This approach by the content developer ensures a particular audience is kept engaged and informed.
I admit content marketing can be tough especially when you are running on a very low budget but when you apply SEO, you can be rest assured that it is just a matter of time before you start ranking.
No just ranking, but at the very top.
People are always searching and looking for the right information on search engines, and you should do all you can to ensure your content tops the 1st page. More reasons why you need to start a blog, it can be beneficial to your business.
Examples of digital content are blog posts, marketing emails, video content, ebooks, and podcasts.
