What is Digital Marketing and What You Need to Know

What is Digital Marketing? Digital marketing is the engine that drives today’s business, big or small. Effective digital marketing is the marketing that bridges electronic technology with psychology in the marketplace. As we enter a new decade, it’s time to reflect on the years gone by and plan for the coming years. For us here at Smedio, it’s a time to celebrate our success over the last decade and put our heads down for the challenges that lie ahead.

2020 was a phenomenal year for the Smedio Community as we established ourselves as a formidable force in the digital marketing segment. We received a lot of healthy feedback from our readers and several new members emphasized the need for us to get down to the basics of digital marketing and marketing in general.

Therefore, we begin this new decade with an introductory post on what is digital marketing. In this article, we are going talk about the underlying principle behind digital marketing, the means, the end and the ongoing evolution from a business as well as marketers’ perspective. We’ll make a conscious effort to stay away from technical jargon and uncover digital marketing in simple and easy to understand terms.

What is Digital Marketing?

I usually refrain from using textbook definitions as I believe they are good to memorize but offer little insights. To me, digital marketing is using techniques which allow a marketer to use the best of both worlds — digital and marketing. While the basic principles of marketing still apply, digital marketing isn’t just another new channel for marketing. On the contrary, it’s a refreshingly new approach to marketing which offers a unique understanding of consumer behavior.

What It’s NOT?

To understand what digital marketing techniques are, it’s easier to classify what doesn’t constitute digital marketing. Traditional marketing channels such as print, radio, TV and billboards aren’t forms of digital marketing. These channels have been mighty successful over a long period of time but they aren’t as effective in today’s modern age.

I believe that traditional marketing channels suffer from 2 major limitations – one-way communication and no real time feedback. As a veteran marketer, I’ve always believed that marketing is a 2-way street. Unfortunately, traditional marketing channels aren’t conductive to dialogue between the marketer and the customer. Secondly, the rapid explosion of Internet and social media has meant that ‘real time’ communication is key. Most traditional marketing channels suffer from a lag and there’s no instantaneous communication.

While traditional marketing is all about impressions, digital marketing focuses on the more important aspect of creating an experience for users.

Digital Marketing Channels

In a broader sense, the Internet and mobile technologies are the heart of digital marketing. The Internet and mobile tech power several web and mobile applications such as web browsers, email, social and utility apps,  and video technologies which can be leveraged by marketers to launch effective and measurable campaigns. The explosive growth of Machine Learning has meant that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will power the future of digital marketing channels in the near future.

And last but not the least, social media has been a great ambassador to the cause of digital marketing. While the primary motivation for social networks was in-person interaction, leading social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have transformed into indispensable and valuable digital marketing tools.