6 Types of Digital Marketing and How to Use Them

Now that we know what digital marketing is, where do we start? Which channels should we be using? What types of marketing are there? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?

These are all very valid questions. In this post we are going to look at six different types of digital marketing and unpacked the best ways to use and include them into your marketing strategy.

Content Marketing
By definition, content marketing is “a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.” When it comes to content marketing, producers must relate to their audiences on levels that promote and encourage consumer engagement. Posts must be distributed on a consistent basis in order to build trusting relationships with audiences. Once your audience gets into a rhythm of expecting and viewing your content, the loyalty to your brand or business will increase. Content marketing is heavily dependent on high quality images, videos and text graphics as well as consistent production.

Display Advertising
Display advertising involves the strategic placement of products to encourage consumers to buy the items or services your brand/business is selling. Consumers no longer want to be told to buy a product placed right in front of them, they want to be convinced. They want to see how that product will integrate into their lives as well as the benefits of having that product in their lives. The products/services must seamlessly integrate into the advertisement, so consumers feel like the product is a part of their lives rather than feeling forced to purchase. Display advertising works best with visuals, so photography and video content is the foundation of display advertising. Choosing the right platform for display advertising is equally as important. Methods vary, as commercials, billboards or YouTube ads are just a few options depending on your brand.

Social Media Marketing
It’s no secret that utilizing social media as a marketing strategy has been on a steep incline in the last 5+ years. Therefore, using platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to promote your brand are all in your best interest. The key to social media marketing is to know what, where and when to post. Instagram is a visual platform so marketing through photos and videos is best. Twitter is a platform for texts via tweets so engaging your audience with questions, threads and retweet-able content (images, videos, GIFs and memes) is best. Facebook, a platform statistically for older audiences, is for longer, commercialized videos and conversational posts. Knowing when to post content all depends on the analytics of your engagement coupled with the algorithm on each site, with Instagram being the most complex. Although complex, once you get into a consistent posting strategy, your audience will grow, and engagement will increase. Facebook also follows an algorithm, though less complex than Instagram’s (even with it being the parent company). And Twitter’s algorithm is the least complex, mostly dependent on the time zone when most of your audience is awake.

Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is another strategy that has been on the rise within the last few years. When partnering with influencers to promote and advertise your brand, product or service, you need to choose an influencer who would be key to your target audience rather than choosing someone based on the extent of their platform. Numbers do not compare to impact, so when choosing an influencer, focus on how well their audience engages with their content as well as how the influencer-audience relationship would do well to promote your product/service. Celebrities work for some audiences but are not always the most accessible influencers, especially for small or start-up businesses. Some audiences relate more to smaller, more local influencers who might be more accessible. If the consumer can picture themselves using your product because someone similar to their likeness or lifestyle is using it, then they will be more inclined to invest in your product/service.

Video Marketing
Video marketing must also tailor to the platforms that content is being distributed. The key to engaging video content is to grab the user’s attention in seconds. This limited time pushes brands to be more unique with their content because consumers get easily bored with the same mundane, repetitive content. It is also important to know how to film the content because consumers take note of that, as well. Instagram and Snapchat, for example, value vertical filming—an important and unique aspect to the platforms and must be considered in the marketing strategy. Creating a visual story that effortlessly implements your product/service while still being direct is the foundation of solid video marketing.

Audio Marketing
Of all the marketing strategies, audio marketing genuinely appeals to the senses, as it is the most audibly generated marketing strategy. Yes, even more than video! Audio marketing requires the audience to lean into the content because there are no images or videos to distract them. Radio, podcasts and streaming platforms are the best go-to’s for audio marketing. On the other hand, audio marketing also pairs well with moving texts or still images, bringing life to the content without requiring too many animations. With this particular strategy, a brand can reach audiences in unique ways. The main downside to this marketing strategy, though, is its inability to appeal to the hearing impaired. In a society that values inclusion of all kinds of people, audio marketing would need to be paired with a text or visual.

Looking to improve your brand’s digital marketing? Contact PURE on accounts@purecreative.co.za or call on +27 (21) 424 6918 to set up a complimentary 20 minute consultation. Let’s create something great together!