Digital Marketing 101: Definition and Components

Introduction to Digital Marketing

Over the past decades, there has been an exponential increase in the number of users introduced to the virtual world of the internet. People of many interests, demographic locations, and customs have used smartphones, radios, televisions, tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices for many years, all of which are now linked to the internet.

It does not matter in which era we live; businesses still need the same things. Although techniques change, the core factors remain the same: financing a company, marketing, and selling products or providing services. Here, digital marketing techniques take the lead over traditional marketing strategies due to lower costs and more rapid responses from targeted customers.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing can be referred to as a subset of marketing that utilizes the internet, interconnectable devices—such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones—and various online digital platforms to promote the products and services of different businesses.

Digital Marketing Components

#1 Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is the process of gaining website traffic by purchasing advertisements on search engines. There are many SEM platforms, among which Google AdWords, Bing AdWords, and Yahoo Search Ads are some of the most popular.

The greatest strength of SEM is that it offers advertisers the opportunity to put their ads in front of the right customers on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) at the exact moment they are looking to buy a product or service.

#2 Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a type of Digital Marketing focused on gaining traffic or attention through social media websites. It involves creating and posting content—such as text, images, videos, and podcasts—that influences a target audience, as well as utilizing paid social media advertisements. The most popular social media platforms include LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and YouTube.

#3 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of obtaining traffic from “free,” “organic,” “editorial,” or “natural” search results on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, and Yandex. "Organic" traffic refers to people who arrive at a website without clicking on an advertisement.

In SEO, ranking refers to your content’s position on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Appearing in the top three results is excellent because it significantly increases organic clicks. SEO applies to various types of content searches, including videos, images, blogs, and news.

How does Google work?

Google is a fully automated search engine that uses software called Web Crawlers. According to Google, the vast majority of results are not manually submitted for inclusion.

There are three main stages of Google Search:

1. Crawling: Google searches the web with automated programs called crawlers (often referred to as spiders). Google then discovers and stores a vast number of web page addresses (URLs) to examine later.
2. Indexing: After crawling a page, Google tries to understand what the page is about by analyzing its content, images, and videos. These pages are then categorized and stored in the Google Index, a massive database.
3. Serving Search Results: When a user performs a search, Google provides the best results based on the user’s location, language, and previous search data.

There are three types of SEO techniques:

1. On-Page SEO
2. Off-Page SEO
3. Technical SEO

#4 Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—ultimately driving profitable customer action.

This content can include:

• Infographics
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• Social Media Posts
• Emails

The benefits of Content Marketing for enterprises include:

• Increased Sales
• Customer Loyalty
• Cost Savings

#5 Email Marketing

Email marketing is a subset of digital marketing that uses email to promote products and services. A more comprehensive definition is the use of email to develop and nurture relationships with potential customers and clients.

Approximately 94% of internet users use email, compared to 61% who use social media platforms. Furthermore, 75% of adult users prefer email marketing over other marketing methods, making it a vital technique to master.

#6 Web Analytics

Web Analytics is the process of analyzing the behavior of visitors to a website. These insights enable a business to attract more visitors by understanding:

• How many visitors arrive
• Which pages are the most popular
• How much time visitors spend on the site

It can be categorized into two types:

1. On-site web analytics: Onsite tools measure the actual visitor traffic arriving on your website.
2. Off-site web analytics: Offsite tools measure your potential audience and provide a "bigger picture" view of how your website compares to others.

#7 Sales Funnel

The ultimate objective of digital marketing is to attract potential customers and generate sales. To create a profitable sales funnel, you need a comprehensive understanding of all digital marketing verticals. An ideal funnel represents the journey a user takes from being "traffic" to becoming a repeat customer. It is a system that removes barriers to purchase and encourages long-term retention.

A funnel can be simple and short or highly complex.

#8 Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Bringing users to a site is only half the battle; converting them into loyal customers is the essential goal. Analysts use CRO techniques to measure their success and identify flaws in their marketing. The conversion rate is defined as the number of users who completed a specific goal divided by the total amount of traffic.

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