What are the types of digital marketing?

Digital marketing is not something that can be easily explained in a few words. Well, the term itself, as we all know it, contains two key elements, which are marketing and electronic devices, and that’s pretty clear, but there are so many types of it, and that’s where it might get confusing.

So, the easy part is that digital marketing is any kind of marketing that is done using electronic devices. Be it computers, phones, or even radio – yeah, it’s not dead, and it still technically falls under the definition.

Table Of Contents

1. What are the types of Digital Marketing?
2. What are the top 7 types of digital marketing?
3. What are the four major types of digital marketing?

What are the types of Digital Marketing?

So, What are the types of Digital Marketing? When we talk about the types of digital marketing, each of them is so different that they can even work independently, yet for the best results you’d definitely want to combine these different strategies into one, unified experience.

I actually like how Neil Patel puts it. He divides digital marketing into two bigger pillars, online marketing and offline marketing, and then highlights 11 different categories of it.

What are the top 7 types of digital marketing?

So, What are the top 7 types of digital marketing?
according to him, online marketing consists of:

1. Search engine optimization (SEO) – to put it simply, it’s a set of (unpaid) actions to make your online content rank as high as possible in the search results. For instance, if you’re a food blogger and you want your apple pie recipe to be the king of all apple pie recipes, appearing at the top of search results will most likely bring you closer to achieving your goal.

2. Search engine marketing (SEM) – typically used for paid search activities, to be more specific, gaining traffic by purchasing ads on search engines.

3. Content marketing has been around for a while already (it’s storytelling, and people have been doing it for ages), yet in this specific context we now widely use digital devices for that. It’s a strategy focused on distributing valuable content (be it text articles, images, infographics, etc.) to attract attention of potential customers and retain your audience.

4. Social media marketing (SMM) – the title says it all. This type of digital marketing is focused on social media platforms and websites and uses them to promote products or services in many different ways.

5. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) – it’s a strategy of buying visits to your site instead of getting them organically (advertisers pay some specific fee every time someone clicks on their ad).

6. Affiliate marketing – it’s a collaboration between two or more businesses, when one of them rewards another (an affiliate) for each visitor brought to them by the affiliate’s own marketing methods.

7. Email marketing – a process of sending different types of content via email to a subscribers list.

Okay, let’s continue with offline marketing which includes other 4 big categories, which are:

1. Enhanced offline marketing – it’s a form of marketing that enhances customer experience with the help of digital devices even though it happens offline. For instance, ever got to see the Times Square in New York? Even if you have never been there, you definitely know how they use all those “digital billboards” for advertising.

2. Phone marketing is something that a lot of businesses still haven’t discovered (or should I say rediscovered?), but it’s one of the fastest growing areas of digital marketing. SMS marketing can be used in many different ways, which makes it really attractive, and keeping in mind how much people depend on their phones today, can’t really be ignored. One of the ways companies use mobile marketing is to send bulk SMS, which is great for reaching a broad audience in a cost and time-efficient way.

3. Radio marketing – probably no need to explain this at all. Every time you drive your car and an annoying ad interrupts your favorite song, you know what it is.

4. Television marketing is something that will probably never die. Although with so much input from online publishers, it’s actually going through its own struggles.

Most of our attention is focused on electronic devices nowadays, and that’s why digital marketing matters that much to advertisers. Each of these types are different yet related, but I hope this answer helped you to get at least some basic understanding what digital marketing is.

Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of strategies and tactics that businesses can utilize to promote their products or services online. Here are some of the most common types of digital marketing strategies available:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO focuses on improving a website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) through techniques such as keyword optimization, content creation, and link building.

2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): PPC advertising involves paying for ads to be displayed on search engines or websites, with advertisers only paying when users click on their ads.

3. Social Media Marketing: Social Media Marketing This strategy involves using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote products or services, engage with customers, and build brand awareness.

4. Content Marketing: Content marketing revolves around creating and sharing valuable content such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and ebooks to attract and retain customers.

5. Email Marketing: Email marketing involves sending promotional messages or newsletters to a targeted list of subscribers to drive engagement and conversions.

6. Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing leverages popular individuals on social media platforms to promote products or services to their followers.

7. Affiliate Marketing: In affiliate marketing, businesses partner with affiliates who promote their products or services in exchange for a commission for each sale generated through the affiliate’s unique link.

8. Video Marketing: Video marketing involves creating engaging video content to educate audiences about products or services, showcase testimonials, or entertain viewers while subtly promoting brands.

9. Mobile Marketing: With the increasing use of mobile devices, mobile marketing strategies target users on smartphones and tablets through techniques like mobile-optimized websites, apps, SMS campaigns, and location-based targeting.

10. Display Advertising: Display advertising includes banner ads displayed on websites across the internet to reach potential customers based on demographics or browsing behavior.

These are just a few examples of digital marketing strategies available today that businesses can integrate into their overall marketing efforts to reach their target audience effectively in the online space.

What are the four major types of digital marketing?

The four major types of digital marketing are:

1. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC): This involves placing ads on search engine results pages (like Google Ads) or other websites, where advertisers pay each time their ad is clicked. It’s a way to drive immediate traffic to websites.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO focuses on optimizing websites to improve their visibility and ranking in organic (non-paid) search engine results. It involves various techniques to enhance a website’s relevance and authority in search engines.
3. Social Media Marketing: This encompasses marketing efforts on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. It includes creating and sharing content, running ads, and engaging with followers to build brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate leads.
4. Content Marketing: Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. It aims to drive profitable customer action by providing information that solves problems or meets needs, rather than directly promoting a brand or product.

These four types of digital marketing are foundational and often interlinked in modern digital marketing strategies.