In today’s scenario of cut-throat competition, online marketing has become extremely popular. All the top players in the market are moving towards online marketing because of its unlimited potential to reach out to a huge audience at any time of the day. There are many types of online marketing techniques available in the market that allows one to market the products and services effectively through the internet. However, it is very important to understand the basic differences between these different types of online marketing methods. It will help you choose the most appropriate technique for your business, which will in turn help you get the desired results as quickly as possible.
Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is a form of online marketing, which allows for the direct promotion of products or services by means of various electronic media like radio, television, newspapers and the like. The digital media allows for the reach of the message to the target audience instantly. Digital marketing can measure the response of the product or service accurately within minutes after launching it on the web. However, it is impossible in offline marketing. So, just based on the response, the digital marketing strategy can be pursued further to gain more business.
Social Media Marketing: Social media marketing is a very powerful online marketing technique that allows the marketing of products and services through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. This enables one to create a fan page, or fan base, of the product or services in which the user can create personal profiles in order to reach out to potential customers. This also offers the opportunity to build up a strong network of potential customers and spread the word about the brand. This method helps one to make use of Facebook and twitter, among others, to reach out to their target audience.
Search Engine Optimization: SEO is the most important technique of online marketing that helps one achieve the desired ranking in the search engines. SEO is achieved by making the website optimized for specific keywords. SEO companies can help in this aspect of SEO. The aim of SEO is to make the website easy to find and easy to navigate. Also, SEO ensures that the website is properly placed in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Content Marketing: Content marketing involves the distribution of articles and blogs on various websites in a bid to attract maximum visitors. It also involves the marketing of press releases, eBooks and various other types of information. A well-written content marketing campaign ensures visibility and credibility for the brand. This is done by optimizing the content of the website and distributing press releases, articles, blogs etc.
Personal Branding: Using social media to promote personal brands like one’s own website, business etc. allows a person to create a personal identity and create a voice through which they can be heard by potential customers. Social media is becoming an important part of any online marketing strategy. It is being used for personal branding as well.
Online Strategies: These include several elements that have their own place in an online marketing strategy. Pay per click (PPC), content marketing, online directories, pay per impression (PPI), search engines optimization (SEO), banner advertisement and paid searches are some of them. Each of these strategies has their own place in the scheme of things. Some people believe that Pay per click (PPC) is a stand-alone strategy whereas others opine that content marketing, search engines optimization (SEO), banner advertisement and paid search are all integral parts of a full-fledged online marketing strategy. All these strategies have to be inter-related, complement each other and work hand-in-hand for the best results.
Offline Marketing: Offline marketing strategies cover everything from brochures to billboards. These are the traditional forms of marketing like brochures, direct mail, posters, etc., which have been used by businesses since time immemorial. With the advent of the internet, people can now market their products or services globally and reach a wide reach of potential customers. It is still important that offline marketing techniques are effective as there are certain limitations as far as online marketing is concerned, like tone, color, graphics, copy etc.