People confuse digital marketing with online marketing, but the two are different and cover different facets of the marketing process.
To understand these techniques, you first have to define traditional marketing.
How Marketing Methods Have Changed
Traditional marketing is still used and proves to be effective for some businesses. However, new technologies allow easier connections between customers and prospects.
Therefore, it is helpful to look at the disadvantages of traditional marketing when compared with digital marketing services.
It is also helpful to review online marketing practices and see why the older marketing methods are not as effective.
Not only are traditional marketing programs costly, but it is also hard to measure the return on investment.
In addition, there is limited feedback because there is little engagement with your audience.
Couple these factors with a poor conversion rate, and you can see why digital marketing and online marketing are popular alternatives.
As a result, traditional marketing represents a one-way street.
It is an avenue where a business can only share information via a broadcast or direct mail about its offerings.
Ads are placed on TV, radio, or in a newspaper to build brand awareness.
Because a business invests in an expensive medium, it can spend more money when it uses traditional marketing. The result may or may not provide a good return.
Traditional marketing involves one-time exposures that need to be regularly replaced with new ads or promotions, such as flyers or posters.
However, if you use digital marketing or online marketing, you can target your audience over a long time without paying anything extra for the activity. Plus, ads in the digital sphere can be easily updated or modified.
It is difficult to tweak print ads when an error is made. However, you can edit a promotion for a digital marketing campaign with just a click of a button.
That’s because digital marketing includes the promotions performed by businesses on the Internet.
Technical Details that Define Online or Digital Marketing Plans
This brings us to define the differences between digital and online marketing activities.
While some people use the terms synonymously, there are subtle differences. These differences refer to their technicalities.
Digital Marketing vs. Online Marketing: Understanding the Details
The term digital marketing refers to any marketing service that is digitally based. This form of marketing provides technical services that are broader in scope.
The benefits might include TV ads or social media. Therefore, this form of marketing is not confined to the web.
In fact, digital marketing may be based on more traditional marketing schemes or include online services.
As a result, online marketing falls under the umbrella of digital marketing and is solely used for online promotions.
While this form of marketing may use digital channels, everything is performed online.
The services in this sphere include web design, search engine marketing, and paid ads on social media.
How Are You Connecting to Your Customer?
Whether you use digital online marketing, the basic concept covers the art of connecting to your customer. This involves knowing when to make this connection at just the right time.
In the past, you could interchange both traditional marketing and technology-based promotions.
However, the rapid growth of the web no longer makes this possible.
To extend your reach, you need to know how to use the new technologies separately from traditional methods.
In turn, each marketing segment is more complicated than ever, which leads to different marketing plans.
While online and digital marketing does overlap, they still feature some, not the same, services.
Therefore, you have to look at the individual services featured by digital marketing and online marketing companies.
Services that Fall Under Online and Digital Marketing Programs
Let’s look at the services both methods of marketing provide first. Both digital marketing and online marketing cover the following:
However, because it is relegated to the Internet, online marketing does not offer services for TV ad placements. It also does not cover digital billboard ad placements.
Therefore, to distinguish the differences, you must remember that digital marketing covers both online services and digital promotions.
Online marketing rests under the umbrella of digital marketing services. As a result, it can be used to leverage digital channels, as long as the process is carried out online.
Taking One More Look at the Differences
While you cannot see much variance between online and digital marketing, some services cross one another while others are solely classified under one marketing plan.
For example, TV ads, digital billboards, radio ads, and SMS texts are all considered digital.
Digital and online marketing services include email blasts, web design, content writing and repurposing, and SEO.
Use the Right Mix of Services
Even if the differences are slight, knowing which services are online or solely digital can help you determine which are better for your business.
It helps to mix up the media somewhat to make sure you cover all your bases.
For instance, you don’t want to rely solely on TV ads and forfeit content marketing or SEO.
Doing so will not give you the feedback you need to determine your customer’s likes and dislikes nor help you save money.
On the other hand, you might have a hard time if you only rely on pay-per-click ads, Instead, make use of digital billboards or placing ads on the TV or radio.
To make your marketing choices, you need to:
You should create your marketing strategy by understanding the concepts behind traditional marketing. In addition, be sure you understand the differences between online marketing and digital promotions.
Answering Pertinent Questions
To improve your position as a marketer, you need to answer the following questions:
All the above questions will serve you well in formulating a marketing policy that will help you realize your goals, digitally and online, and even traditionally.
Don’t take anything for granted when developing a marketing plan.
Look at all facets of the process so you can get the best results for each marketing dollar you spend.
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