The world of marketing contains a plentiful supply of different terms, acronyms, abbreviations and buzzwords to indicate a whole range of concepts and tools, some with only a few subtle differences to separate them. A pair of terms that are typically confused are ‘inbound marketing’ and ‘digital marketing.’
These are both terms that have entered every marketing professional’s vernacular, yet are often mistakenly used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. While there are several similar features shared by the two, inbound marketing has its own distinct aspects to digital marketing that does indeed justify a completely different name.
Below is a brief guide to the two terms and how marketers use them in their separate ways.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing refers to a methodology-led approach to marketing that relies on drawing new clients in, rather than pushing products and services at them. It is a philosophy based on the idea that by informing, educating and enticing prospective clients with informational content and helpful service, you will be able to build a better quality and a faster growing business.
It utilises a number of tools, including blogs, website management, social media, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), call-to-action-buttons, online forms, and email marketing to attract an audience, convert them into leads, close them into customers and, finally, delight them into becoming repeat customers and promoters of your brand.
Not only does it place a clear structure around digital tools that help to encourage marketers to follow a definitive path, but it also sets measurable expectations and responsibilities for each and every one of those specific tools.
The process of adopting inbound marketing involves developing an understanding of the countless moving, interrelated parts of which it is comprised, which take a steady balance of time and experience to implement correctly.
However, once it has been understood and put into place effectively, it is a strategy that will continue to work long term in delivering consistently qualified leads and boosting overall conversion rates.
Digital Marketing
Also known as data-driven marketing, digital marketing refers to the use of digital channels – such as search engines, social media, emails, mobile apps, and websites – to market a product or service. It leverages online tactics, including paid search advertising, SEO, email marketing, social media marketing and content marketing, to connect businesses with current and prospective customers.
Rather than encompassing a specific strategy, digital marketing is very much a reference to the toolbox containing all of the marketing tools companies can use to develop brand recognition, drive more traffic, and improve their visibility online.
There are a number of differences between digital marketing and inbound marketing, with the following key areas being where they diverge the most.
Digital marketing is based around crafting attractive visual elements and utilising SEO to increase a company’s brand recognition online, whereas inbound marketing focuses on content writing and blog submission as its principal strategy.
Inbound marketing generally refers to a more methodological approach than digital marketing, in which there is a clear cut procedure that targets a specific audience at a specific time, folding various digital tools into a collective strategy. Digital marketing, on the other hand, uses the same tools but in isolation, for example, putting out an advertisement banner on a website.
Purpose
Both techniques may be used separately depending on the purpose of the marketing in the first place. Companies that want to increase the number of qualified visitors to their site via a more persona-orientated approach will choose inbound marketing, while those with the aim of simply generating brand awareness among users will more likely opt for digital marketing.
Time period
Digital marketing tactics on their own help solve short term goals, like boosting a company’s reach and increasing traffic to a website. For a more long term strategy, companies will adopt an inbound marketing approach that may take significantly more time to see results but will focus on driving qualified traffic to a site that can be converted into genuine leads.
Conclusion
Inbound marketing and digital marketing are two significantly different approaches to developing a business online. While digital marketing encompasses a wide range of online tools for driving traffic to a company’s products and improving brand recognition, it refers more to the use of these tools in isolation, with the aim of solving short term goals.
Inbound marketing, meanwhile, is defined by its methodology and its use of a content-led approach to attract, convert, close and delight prospective customers, with each stage of the process able to be measured.