9 Types of Digital Marketing: When and How to Use Them?

Sophieharding
6 min readOct 19, 2022

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Today, digital marketing is one of the most important strategic initiatives for businesses. Many people turn to the Internet for information about businesses and products because consumers like to be educated about their purchases. Using various digital marketing strategies to promote your business and products digitally will help you reach your audience through the channels they are already engaged with.

So before we start our study about the types of digital marketing, let us first understand what digital marketing is.

What is a digital marketing agency?

Digital marketing agency refers to any marketing strategy that uses an electronic device that is not connected to the Internet. Even radio advertising and television advertising are digital marketing strategies, however, digital marketing has evolved, and new strategies can be much more effective.

Digital marketing is critical when it comes to being competitive and relevant within your industry. If your business does not have a web or digital presence, you are missing out on countless opportunities to reach your target audience.

Types of Digital Marketing

There are many types of digital marketing that you can take advantage of to increase your audience reach. Using multiple digital marketing channels can help you create a well-rounded strategy that will yield the best results.

To help you determine which digital marketing strategies might work best for your business, here are six of the most effective types of digital marketing.

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to informative, valuable content such as blog posts, videos, and other educational content. This type of marketing helps you connect with your audience and answer their questions. It can also help generate leads and close sales.

Content should be published regularly keeping in mind the target audience. Ideally, your brand will become a trusted voice within the industry by publishing quality, credible content. You want your audience to come to you first for the latest trends in the industry.

2. Search engine optimization

Search Engine Optimization, (SEO), is the strategy of creating content in such a way that search engines like Google will rank your page higher on search engine results pages (SERP).

Google uses algorithms to decide how relevant your page is to the keywords a user searches for. These algorithms are updated frequently, and SEO strategies must be adjusted regularly to remain effective.

When done correctly, SEO efforts will place your page at the top of the SERPs and drive more organic traffic.

3. Search Engine Marketing / Pay-Per-Click

Search engine marketing, or SEM, refers to paid ads that appear at the top of SERPs. The cost of these ads usually depends on the number of clicks the link receives, hence “pay-per-click”.

When you pay for these top SERP slots, the label “Ad” will appear next to your URL. Despite user knowledge that these are ads, many people still click on these links, and this can be a very effective digital marketing strategy.

4. Social media marketing

Social media marketing, social media platforms are used as digital marketing channels. Ads can be purchased to reach new audiences, or you can create a profile for your business on any social media platform and create posts to advertise new products, sales, or newly published content.

Which social media platform you use depends on the type of audience you want to reach. For example, according to Pew Research, Instagram is best for reaching audiences between the ages of 25 and 29, while those 65+ are best reached through Facebook.

5. Affiliate and Influencer Marketing

Working with a collaborator or influencer can help increase the reach of your audience by connecting with your existing audience. For an effective collaborative/influential relationship, try to work with someone who is known and respected in your industry. They can create content promoting your business or product and share a link to your website. Every time a sale is completed, or a link is clicked, the influencer/affiliate will receive a kickback.

6. Email Marketing

When someone visits your website or business, invite them to join your email subscriber list. With their permission, you can send emails about sales, special events, or product releases. Email marketing is often underestimated, and according to Marketing, every dollar spent on email marketing generates about $40 in revenue.

The most important part of this digital marketing channel is that it provides value to your audience. Give them a special offer they won’t find anywhere else, and you can build a mutually beneficial relationship that will drive brand loyalty.

Now that we have understood the types of digital marketing, let us move on to the details such as when and how to use different types of digital marketing.

7. Mobile Marketing

According to Google Search, 27% of people worldwide use mobile voice search. The mobile consumer journey is growing rapidly. Digital marketing requires just as much loyalty as it does, and the smartphone is one of the most immediate problem-solving partners anytime, anywhere.

Mobile marketing is a must for brands who want to stay with their customers. This requires marketers to adapt what they are doing on mobile to desktop. You must be proficient in mobile-specific tasks such as in-app advertising, texting, and social messaging apps. This is important for brands that target a younger audience.

8. Video Marketing

In today’s fast-paced landscape, short and fast videos are faster than text to attract customers. Be it educational or entertaining, live or pre-recorded video content is a reliable digital marketing option. Today, over 2 billion people per month search for something or the other on YouTube. This is a great opportunity to reach new customers, and video marketing strategies deliver results throughout the marketing funnel.

80% of customers choose search engines and videos to learn about products and check reviews. 55% of consumers do this before making a purchase.

9. Audio Marketing

Radio has been a favorite of customers since the golden age of commercial broadcasting. From the 1920s to the present day, a section of the public still listens to radio regularly, switching from traditional radio to Internet radio. Channels like Spotify help drive audio marketing. Audio marketing is very broad as it includes podcasts and smart home assistants such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

Podcast consumption continues to grow, and they drive listeners away from the radio. People like them while working or doing other mechanics. To enhance audio marketing, you need to understand the habits of your target audience. Think about the activities they can do while listening to your audio. In this way, you can make audio marketing a great sales opportunity for your brand.

Which type of digital marketing is best for your business?

Choosing the best digital marketing strategy for your business can be difficult, and may take some trial and error. One of the most important things to consider is your audience. Who are you trying to reach and where are they looking for that information?

If you want to capture the attention of a specific audience that knows a lot about the industry, in-depth, informative content will create value and attract them.

If you are trying to reach a younger audience, one of the most useful tools available to you is social media. Find out what types of digital marketing platforms are most popular among your target audience and start marketing there.

Start seeing results from digital marketing

There is no one right answer when it comes to creating an effective digital marketing strategy. Every business has its own unique needs and audience. Keep those needs and audience in mind when creating your strategy using the examples of online marketing strategies. With a good digital marketing agency and strategy, you will start seeing fast results which will help your business grow.

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