12 types of Digital Marketing and how to use them in 2020

Digital Marketing is a successful way to achieve meaningful results in business. But to get there, we need to understand what this strategy is about, how it works, and the types of Digital Marketing that can be used. 

If you want to boost our traffic, attract a greater number of clients, grow brand awareness, engage the teams, or audience, it is essential to understand each type of Digital Marketing. 

We created this guide to help you learn more about this subject. Here, you’ll see each of the most effective types of Digital Marketing, their benefits and objectives, along with when and how to use each one of them.

So, keep on reading, and let’s increase our knowledge!

1. Content Marketing

Consumers are hungry for information about how to solve their problems or fulfill their desires. 

If your brand gives it to them through high-quality and useful content, you will gain their confidence.

Thus, your businesses will take the position of authority in the market and will be the customer’s choice when they need to make a decision. 

And Content Marketing is all about that.

This method involves offering your audience answers to its questions by publishing useful content. 

It may be done in blogs, social media, emails, or other channels. There are even specifics formats for mobile devices, like apps and push notifications.

Each channel may demand a different format. The objectives may be achieved through different types of content too, like blog posts, ebooks, infographics, videos, quizzes, templates, datasheets, and so on.

Content Marketing is oriented by a funnel, that also influences the type of content to be used. 

At the top of the funnel, for example, the content has to be more general, like complete guides. At the bottom, more specific content is necessary, such as testimonials and demonstrations.

Considering these parameters — channel, format, and type ― you may choose the best content to lead your buyer persona to do what you expect to achieve with your marketing campaign. 

Content Marketing may be used according to various objectives. But the most common is converting visitors to leads, who will be more qualified if you use content allied to other strategies, such as email marketing.

2. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

When you start content production in your company, your public must be able to find it. 

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, allows your content to rank in the top positions of search engines. Thereby, your website will be found by who is actively searching for what you offer.

To apply SEO, you need to know the keywords that the audience you want to reach is searching. Then, you must develop your content around these terms. 

According to the Search Engine Journal, 91.5% of the web traffic is shared by sites listed on Google’s first page. The first Google organic search, itself, gathers 32.5% of the traffic. 

And 51% of all website traffic comes from organic search. Organic traffic is the one that you conquer trough high-quality contents found by searches in Google or Bing, for example.

As you can see, SEO can’t be ignored.

3. SMM (Social Media Marketing)

SSM, or Social Media Marketing, is, as the name suggests, a method that uses social media to promote a brand, product, or content

Such as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), it can be done organically, paying for ads, or both simultaneously.

You may publish your content on social media or create ads and pay to reach a particular public. 

In both cases, the most important thing is to choose the more suitable social network for your persona, brand, product/service, or content. 

Some of the best advantages of Social Media Marketing include the possibility to get closer to your audience and the interaction potential. Through SSM, you may gain validation of your public when it shares your content.

Also, you can use your social networks like a direct communication channel with your audience. That’s why it is so important to keep them always updated and monitored.

4. Paid Advertising

There are some ways to paid for media on the web. You can advertise on social media, as we explained in SSM, and also in search engines, such as Google and Bing.

The paid ads made for search engines appear on top of the SERP, before the organic results. They always come with an “Ad” favicon, to wan the user,

This type of Digital Marketing may have different payment models. The most common are:  

5. Email marketing

A lot of email messages are sent every day, and some people still say that email marketing is dead. 

If you use this type of Digital Marketing strategically, you may reach significant results.

A way to accomplish that is to keep your subscribers updated with useful and relevant content

Promoting products and services is also an effective strategy, as long as you respect the audience’s privacy and don’t send spams.

In an Inbound Marketing strategy, email is an important part of success. If you automate the process, you will be able to lead your customer through the marketing funnel. 

Furthermore, emails are also a direct channel to communicate with your clients.

6. Instant Message Marketing

Instant Message Marketing example
Source: Slicktext

The use of instant message apps is increasing. Besides WhatsApp, almost all social media platforms have their direct messages, and it is a fantastic opportunity for marketing strategies.

When your clients need support, they can get in touch with these channels to obtain a quick answer, which is very positive to your brand and the relationship between it and your customers.

Statista reveals that in 2019 more than 1.6 billion people were using WhatsApp, which shows the power and reach of this specific channel. 

Thereby, you can’t ignore this type of Digital Marketing. If you want to be available to your customers, you should implement an instant messenger strategy.

7. Affiliate Marketing

In Affiliate Marketing, content producers are commissioned for each conversion they get for a product or service. In fact, these content producers work like a sales team to your business.

They create their own relevant and original content and mention or commend your service/product using a link. If their audience clicks to buy, you pay them for each sale.

The best advantage of Affiliate Marketing is that you don’t need to have a big audience because you will reach a public built by content producers.

Just as in Social Media Marketing, you should pick producers that fit with your services and products. 

Digital influencers are an example of content producers that may be used in this type of marketing.

8. Influence Marketing

Once we are talking about digital influencers, it is time to explain who they are: specialists in specific subjects with a big audience interested in what they’re saying.

Digital influencers may produce specific content for your brand if it fits their voices. 

They can make public tests of your products and show their public the results, no matter positive or negative. Therefore, they have the power to praise or destroy your brand.

More and more brands are using digital influencers in their strategies and getting good results. 

Even with some risks — the influencer may speak or do something that affects your image negatively —, the loyalty of their followers may get to your brand a lot of new clients.

9. Mobile Marketing

Nowadays, mobile marketing is almost mandatory if you want to reach customers. 

Google research shows that 27% of the global population use voice search on mobile, and the consumer journey is becoming increasingly complex.

This research also shows that immediacy is as crucial as loyalty. And nothing is more immediate than solving a problem with a smartphone anywhere, anytime.

Mobile marketing is no more just a trend. It must be a reality to brands that desire to be all the time side by side with their customers. Some ways to invest in mobile marketing include:

10. Video Marketing

According to the blog Think With Google, there are 2 billion people per month looking for something on YouTube. 

Entertainment, news, how to do something, content to study, whatever, it is a big opportunity to reach new customers.

Video marketing strategies are being used to drive results throughout the marketing funnel, likewise blog posts and emails. 

People are looking for videos for a few reasons, such as seeing credible reviews about some products or services.

80% of people use, alternately, search engine and video, and use it to learn more about products and to see how others have used it. And 55% of consumers do it before buying. 

As you can see, this is a nice opportunity to make sales easier.

11. Audio Marketing

In the mobile era, Audio Marketing deserves some attention from marketers. Even don’t have the same dynamic of videos, formats like podcasts are increasingly being consumed.

Truly, podcasts are an authentic phenomenon and are taking the audience of radio, especially, when people are in transit or doing something mechanics like cleaning the house or working out.

If you know the habits of your target may think about subjects for your podcasts that have some relation with the activities that your public may do while are listening to them.

This way you may insert your product or service contextually and turn audio marketing in a big sale opportunity.

12. Virtual Reality Marketing

VR or Virtual Reality is already in our lives and may be used by marketers to achieve a brand’s audience. It brings the ability to give your public an immersive experience with the brand, product, or service.

The impact of this type of communication in people is almost unforgettable, this way, it may highlight your brand from the others in the same market segment.

By being considerate an innovation yet, Virtual Reality Marketing associate your brand a modernity idea and puts your business in an innovative position, ahead of your time.

And it may turn a competitive edge. Worth to consider this type of Digital Marketing.

As you saw while reading this article, there are some ways to grow your leads base and, consequently, improve your sales. So, if you want to get better results, you should apply one or more of them in your Digital Marketing plan as soon as possible. 

And if you’re looking for new ways to bring even more customers to your business, read our content with the top 8 Digital Marketing trends for 2020!