Enterprises at all stages of development soon discover that there are multiple types of digital marketing that they can employ to promote their brand, drive engagement and increase their annual revenue. Smaller companies don’t always have a dedicated marketing department but can leverage the experience and abilities of experts when they enlist the aid of an agency offering a digital marketing service. While larger companies often have their own in-house marketing team, they can also benefit from agency support with teams of specialist digital marketers working alongside them, bolstering their campaigns and offering professional insights.

Put simply, digital marketing, sometimes referred to as online marketing, is the process of company promotion designed to connect with new and existing customers via the internet and through other kinds of digital communication. This can include not just emails, web-based advertising and social media, but also mixed media content and even text messages being used as a marketing channel.

Digital marketing can be especially useful for a company’s online marketing efforts and is often used to help enterprises attract brand-new customers and expand into areas they wish to build a stronger presence in. Here, we examine the many different digital marketing types and how useful they can be for businesses.

Understanding the main types of digital marketing

There are a wide range of digital marketing types used by companies for various purposes. This online approach to marketing helps enterprises engage with users via digital platforms such as the internet. It uses marketing campaigns, tools, and techniques online to reach as large an audience and potential consumer base as possible. Some of the most used forms of digital marketing include content marketing, email marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO). However, as a rule, if a marketing campaign employs some type of digital communication, it is regarded as digital marketing. Below, we look at the main types of digital marketing available.

Content marketing

Among the most common types of digital marketing currently in play, content marketing makes use of carefully crafted and presented information to grab the attention of potential customers and clients. In terms of its make-up, content marketing can come in a diverse array of forms, from informational white papers and locational landing pages on company websites to weekly and monthly blog posts. The main goal of content marketing is always to create high-quality content and valuable material that is tailored to attract the ideal audience but also improve the enterprise’s brand authority. When executed skilfully, it can be an outstanding tool for firms that are seeking to become ranked as an expert in their sector or at least a knowledgeable and trusted source in their industry for useful and up to date information.

Experts agree that content marketing is at its most effective when the material answers pertinent questions or addresses important issues that its target audience are concerned about. For instance, a business offering electrical services might wish to release content marketing that involves articles about identifying common safety issues around the home. The content works to not only inform the audience of a key issue related to the business, but also positions the electrical services company alongside the valuable information so that if the reader requires help, they are likely to contact them instead of another firm.

Email marketing

Another well-known and well-established type of digital marketing, email marketing can be an excellent way for firms to retain existing customers and keep their loyal subscribers informed on their latest products or services. Email marketing typically involves sending out emails to a dedicated mailing list of voluntary subscribers. The list is usually made up of existing customers, and the emails can include a wide range of tailored information the company wishes to share. For example, emails might inform subscribers of upcoming deals, new products, special promotions, or important company achievements.

The latest innovations surrounding email marketing now empower enterprises to automate many stages in the process including delivery with emails sent automatically in timely fashion. Email marketing is regarded by experts in digital marketing as an exceptional form of communication with clients, customers, and other subscribers.

However, it is vital that enterprises remain mindful never to abuse email marketing and inundate their subscribers with too many emails as this can quickly lose them customers. Marketing emails should also be well-designed and offer valuable information.

Search Engine Optimisation

Often referred to by the acronym SEO, Search Engine Optimisation is a digital marketing technique designed to optimise content created, so that it ranks more favourably on the results page of the most popular search engines, like Google and Microsoft’s Bing. For example, if a user employs a search engine to find a specific product or service, SEO can help a company ensure that their company is among the top results listed.

Search engine optimisation works by utilising carefully selected keywords that internet users are likely to input into search fields on Google or other search engines when looking for a product or service. Once the most popular keywords are identified, targeted content can be created around them so that prospective customers find a company’s landing page or website or landing page.

Industry research indicates that the vast majority of all web traffic comes from websites that are listed on page one of search results. As a result, it is critical for every enterprise to get itself on the first page. The only way to achieve this, is through SEO and creating content that features the optimum keywords and valuable and related content.

Sometimes called SMM for short, social media marketing employs various social media platforms to raise a business’s brand profile, promote products and services and reach new and existing customers. A diverse array of approaches exists under the banner of social media marketing. These range from purchasing advertising space to help promote a brand to organic posts designed to attract users. In some cases, digital marketers will employ a combination of different SMM techniques to achieve the desired results. Enterprises can employ popular social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook to publish online content and draw in users to view their page and connect with them. SMM offers companies a lot of benefits when it comes to their marketing efforts, but the unique and powerful advantage of this type of digital marketing is how it lets companies interact with the audience directly.

Enterprises can comment on social media posts, like or share them or reply to users, interacting publicly with their audience and building real customer relationships with them. Companies can use social media platforms to directly communicate with their customers or share a glimpse of their innerworkings to highlight what makes them unique. Firms often find that their customer service and customer support teams enjoy considerable success leveraging social media platforms for a more human and helpful approach.

Paid advertising

Business will find there are many ways that they can pay for online advertising to attract a broader audience for their products or services. Advertising via social media (For example Facebook Ads) is a common option for many enterprises and can tie directly into social media marketing. However, firms can also pay to place advertisements on popular search engines (for example Google ad words). When paying for ads on search engines like Google, links to company websites are placed above the organic search results and are seen first. In terms of paid advertising payment models, there many different options. However, the two most common are Pay-per-click and Cost-per-mile.

Pay-per-click sometimes called simply PPC, is perhaps the most widely used payment model for paid advertising online. This option allows companies to buy clicks on their advertisements via a keyword auction bidding system and is useful for a wide range of digital marketing plans.

Cost-per-mile (CPM) charges companies for every thousand clicks their advertisement receives. It is most suitable when marketers are employing short tail keywords and can help companies pay for what they are using instead of projections.

Affiliate marketing

A subtle but effective form of digital marketing, affiliate marketing uses outside influencers, expert third parties and other content creators to endorse or promote a company’s products and services. Third parties involved receive a predetermined commission for each customer conversion made, so enterprises only pay for traffic that brings them in revenues. Third parties are typically some kind of content creator has earned a reputation and following and produces unique, engaging content that is directly related to the offerings of a company.

Affiliate marketing can be exceedingly useful for firms because it enables them to tap into brand-new audiences and markets that their affiliate has grown organically over time. This can extend the reach of the business and brings in all-new customers. However, businesses must be mindful to find suitable affiliates that fit in with their brand image and work in a field related to the products or services they offer, as this will help align them with their target consumers.

Mobile marketing

In recent years, mobile marketing has thrived as a digital marketing tool due to the huge uptake of today’s smartphones. Mobile marketing supplies many unique benefits to company marketing campaigns, like local searching for marketing campaigns that are geographically targeted. The voice search facility on smartphones has also become increasingly popular, and an area that has proved highly compatible with mobile marketing. Mobile marketing empowers companies to reach their prospective customers in many innovative ways, however it does require investment.

Firms seeking to implement mobile marketing can do so via multiple options. For instance, they can create a mobile application. Companies can interact with their customers directly from the app and tell them about time-restricted offers and other promotions.

They can also leverage geolocalisation. This technique targets demographics in a certain area with company marketing campaigns. For instance, a local business can use geolocalisation to help them promote a deal specifically users within five miles of their address.

It is important for enterprises using mobile marketing to produce mobile-friendly content. Understanding the best way to display information on different sizes and shapes of screen is key to ensuring content is always engaging.

Video marketing

Today video marketing is common tool that leverages the increasing popularity of video content online to attract prospective customers and engage directly with a new and existing audience. Hundreds of thousands of hours of video content is uploaded to leading video streaming websites every day and enterprises can leverage the popularity of this medium by creating engaging company content that specifically target their ideal audiences.

Just like written content, video marketing materials should always offer value to consumers to help companies raise the profile of their brand and improve their status as an authority in their field. However, video content can also humanise companies, giving new customers a chance to see the people behind a brand and give them insights into the values of the business they are buying from.

Are you looking for experienced digital marketing for your firm?

At Verulam Web Design, our team are experts in digital marketing. However, we understand that different companies have their own unique goals and partner with our clients providing tailored support and solutions.

Established in St Albans, Hertfordshire back in 2007, our full-service digital marketing agency has earned a reputation for excellence for customer service, value, and an eye for detail. Our expertise allows us to excel in providing a wide range of digital services to a greater number of enterprises across the county and nationwide. Specialising in digital marketing and strategy, we are also experts in SEO, UX, ecommerce solutions, WordPress, mobile apps, website design, paid ads, and social media.

If you would like to supercharge your presence online through the latest types of digital marketing available and create a first-class experience for consumers, we can help you unlock your company’s full potential to generate more business. Reach out to our team today at Verulam Web Design for a complete spectrum of services.