In a very broad sense, digital marketing is any form of marketing technique which uses an electronic medium and the internet. As it is such a broad term, it is better for us to define what it is not. That is what we are doing in this article. There are a lot of terms floating around like inbound marketing, targeted marketing, SEO, SEO digital marketing, print marketing etc. But none of these are synonymous with digital marketing. These are all different aspects involved in digital marketing and all of them together make up a successful digital marketing strategy.
People often tend to mistake inbound marketing for digital marketing. Both the terms are often mistaken and used interchangeably. But both stand in stark contradiction.
Now, what is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing uses digital marketing as a tactic but more than a strategy, it is a philosophy to drive more qualified visitors and generate leads.
However, digital marketing is an activity performed online to run a business or an endeavour, to occupy a space in the virtual landscape and reach out to the world, transcending all geographical barriers.
Also, digital marketing is a huge umbrella that encompasses almost everything that is in the virtual space. So, digital marketing can be projected as a tool box that contains various tactics like SEO optimization targeted marketing, and all possible marketing strategies.
Digital marketing is not just marketing. What now?
The act of marketing that is executed on the internet is digital marketing but that’s not all. That is only the tip of the ice-berg that we are looking at. Digital marketing agencies have different roles to play from marketing agencies existing physically. Precisely, marketing agencies are altering their traditional marketing strategies to cater to the demands of the netizens.
Traditional forms of marketing include a shop standing amidst a busy marketplace and making use of pamphlets to spread awareness about its existence. It also, includes launching an advertisement on the television. However, a study shows that in the growing world of millennials, television sets are losing their importance. This is the reason why services like Swiggy and Zomato have taken to YouTube ads where they uses tactics of remarketing in order to push the viewers to the point of availing their services.
Digital marketing agencies are taking the market as they are proven to be effective ways to generate leads and to draw more audience towards your business. Digital marketing follows the AIDA model which is Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action (call to action). Most importantly, digital marketing is not just generating thick profit margins. The best digital marketing agencies are very typically focused on the result based strategies, the ones that induce high-end results in terms of quality.
Continuing in the same vein is, social media marketing that mostly targets the millennials and convinces them about a product or service. Social media marketing coupled with email marketing, is that precise form of digital marketing that provides a business to grow.
Digital marketing does not talk in absolutes
May it be any form of digital marketing like social media marketing or social media marketing agencies running them, they refrain from absolutes. Unlike traditional methods of marketing which does not offer diverse ways to explore to grow the business or lacks space for experimentation, online marketing has different methods to market businesses by experimenting with keywords, SEO optimization and hashtags and implement the AIDA model to ensure maximum visitors and engagements.
The platform of digital marketing is pretty dynamic as it keeps on experimenting with it’s ways to understand it’s audience and update themselves according to the wishes of their target audiences from all corners of the world.
Encouraging cultural confluence
As mentioned in the initial sections of this article, digital marketing or online marketing breaks geographical barriers. One country can market it’s business to the other, thus, offering them a slice of their own culture and in return adopting the culture and customs of other countries as well. This practice ensures encouragement of cultural confluence, a phenomenon important for growth of a nation.
Quelling the stigma
Digital marketing is often stigmatised. It is often met with doubt and its potential gets questioned. Although the pace is slow, the transition or shift from traditional to digital is a reality. It is a smorgasbord satiating our cravings. It has instilled in us the belief that what we dream of is real. The future is digital, my friends and N-Clicks Studio is paving its path towards a really bright one. Jump aboard!
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Disha Ganguly
Master in Journalism and Mass Communication
Content Writer at N-Clicks Studio
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