The most basic distinction between online marketing and social media marketing is that the former targets potential customers who have already shown interest in your product or service, whereas the latter targets individuals who are completely unaware of your company or brand.
Both forms of marketing are vital to the success of any business, and companies that neglect one form sometimes find themselves struggling for relevance in an ever-evolving digital world.
Marketing To Target Audience
The whole purpose of marketing is to reach as many people as possible. However, this can be a challenge, as not all audiences are created equal. Like with any other form of marketing, you need to consider the profile of the person you want to reach. This is particularly crucial with online marketing and social media marketing, where each individual platform defines the target audience for you.
Traditional And Modern Marketing
Traditional marketing is often considered to be the gold standard in advertising, as it typically uses measurable results to gauge success. As a result, this form of marketing is extremely popular, as businesses and brands understand that measured results are worth their weight in gold. As social media and digital marketing become more prominent, however, marketers are slowly moving away from traditional methods and towards more modern approaches.
With an eye on improving ROI (return on investment), more businesses and brands are adopting digital marketing tactics, which is why you’ll frequently see businesses adopt a mix of both forms. This is also because not every tactic in digital marketing is as measurable as, let’s say, printing up some posters and putting them up around the neighbourhood, or TV ads.
The Online World
If you’re reading this, I assume you’re somewhat familiar with the internet or at least the concept of online marketing and social media marketing.
As a business owner or marketer, you’ll need to comprehend the internet world and how to reach customers there. This way you can craft an effective digital marketing strategy that will result in more sales.
To begin with, it’s important to understand the different types of users that visit your site. A while back, I wrote an article that listed several types of internet users and how to engage with them. Since that time, the categorization of users has changed, with new types of users emerging (e.g., the Memeck user), but the basic concept still applies. If you’d like, you can click here to read the article.
With that in mind, let’s discuss the different types of people you might encounter when visiting websites.
Knowledge Workers
If you’re a business owner or marketer, you’ll need to understand the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) to have a successful website. To really optimize your site and to get the best possible results from your SEO efforts, you’ll need to understand how Google’s algorithm works and how to play nice with it.
Depending on your niche, you might encounter a lot of technical jargon and SEO might not seem as appealing as you’d like it to. To put it simply: if you want to increase your odds of appearing on Google’s first page, you need to consider adopting a strategy that will result in high-quality content.
Digital Consumers
If you want your business to thrive, you need to consider the habits of digital consumers. What do they value in life? What do they look for in a product or service?
To begin with, let’s consider the difference between millennials and the generation before them. The first thing that might come to mind when thinking about millennials is that they’re totally wrapped up in their devices, checking their phones constantly for notifications, responding to texts quickly and constantly distracted by their digital surroundings.
This type of behaviour is different from what came before. Back in the day, people went to the movies alone or with their family. They hung out in groups, and sometimes they even went on a walk or a trip to the park. Distractions like phones and social media didn’t exist back then, and as a result, people had more time to focus on each other and on their hobbies.
It’s important to note that not every millennial is this way. However, this is the group we’re typically associated with when discussing digital marketing and social media.
Retail Consumers
If you want to be successful as a business owner or marketer, you need to understand the importance of retail consumers. These are the customers that walk in the store and make a purchase right then and there. As much as the other types of consumers on this list, retail consumers are constantly looking for deals and for what’s on special. Sometimes it’s easy to lose them in the sea of competitors, especially if you don’t offer them something that’s unique and of high quality.
Experiencers
Experiencers are a type of consumer that doesn’t really exist anymore. This type of consumer is completely wrapped up in their emotions, responding to brands quickly and with strong feelings. When someone experiences something, they often remember it vividly and have a clearer image in their minds eye than what’s on paper. If you want to be successful as a business owner or marketer, you need to consider these types of consumers and understand what attracts them to your product or service.
Generation Z
Gen Z is the generation that’s currently growing up and coming of age in today’s world. Much like millennials, this generation is mostly digital, with almost all of their time spent online. When it comes to your product or service, you need to consider how to engage with Gen Z, as they’ll represent your ideal customer in the near future.
This is also a generation that was raised on the concepts of social media and brands closely connected to it. As a business owner or marketer, you’ll need to understand how to connect with this rapidly growing audience.
The Role Of Social Media In Digital Marketing
The reason why social media marketing has risen in prominence as a form of marketing is, quite simply, because there’s now an entire generation that grew up with, and largely believes in, the existence of social media.
Marketing via social media is also more popular because many businesses and brands see the value in the targeted reach that this medium provides. With a specific platform and audience, you can be confident that you’re reaching people that are most likely to be interested in your product or service.
Why This Generation Is More Ambitious Than Previous Ones
With the world at their fingertips and technology making everything easier, many millennials prefer to spend their time conserving what little money they have. However, this is not the case for the generation that came before them. The millennials grew up in a world where accessing education and getting ahead were easier, and they’re taking advantage of this.
This generation looks at the world differently than previous ones. While previous generations were more likely to value loyalty and trust over performance, the millennials value independence and being informed. In other words, this generation is more open to new ideas and opportunities than past ones, but they also value competence and results.
How To Successfully Integrate Digital Marketing And Social Media
To have a successful business, you need to integrate digital marketing and social media. This doesn’t mean that you have to rely on one or the other; it just means you need to understand their value and how to use them wisely.
You need to consider how you can combine the power of both forms of marketing and the different types of consumers that each one attracts. To do this, you need to be creative and find ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
The Importance Of Brand Building
If you want to be successful as a business owner or marketer, you need to consider the importance of brand building. When someone thinks of your company or brand, what comes to mind?
With so much competition, it’s important to develop a brand that stands out. To do this, you need to consider various tactics, from SEO to social media, and combine them to form a cohesive strategy. As much as possible, you want to create a brand identity that’s both memorable and easy to associate with. To ensure that your brand stands out above the rest, create a brand identity that’s both memorable and easy to associate with.