You’ve probably heard of online marketing, especially since it was recently named the ‘fourth pillar of digital marketing’ after search, social, and content marketing.

While there is no denying the success of online marketing, particularly social, for some businesses, the platforms can still leave a lot to be desired.

From a marketing standpoint, it’s important to define your target audience, which platforms you’ll utilize to reach them, and how you’ll go about doing so.

In this article, we will explore four distinct areas of online marketing, namely Search, Social, Video, and Personal Growth, and how your business can benefit from effective digital marketing.

Search

For many digital marketing beginners, the world of search is a mystery. Why would anyone want to advertise on Google when they can get free ads on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram?

Well, for starters, people prefer to search for products and services on Google rather than social media sites. Also, as we’ve established, the popularity of social media is steadily growing, while the use of search engines is on the decline. So it’s important to remember that people are searching for products and services all the time, even when they’re not actively using social media platforms to find information.

If you’re not yet taking the time to develop a solid SEO strategy, now might be the right time to start. In case you’re curious, here are some fantastic SEO resources that’ll get you pointed in the right direction.

Social

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re already familiar with the term social media. Still, it’s always good to have the basics established once again:

• It’s a form of online marketing that allows business owners and marketers to connect with customers and prospects through the use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• It’s a form of marketing that is heavily focused on sharing and connecting with people who have an interest in your product or service.
• It’s always free to use.
• It’s organic.

Like search, the world of social media is changing as we speak. Traditional social platforms like Facebook are evolving at a rapid pace, and businesses must keep up in order to thrive in this new digital landscape.

In a nutshell, traditional social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow users to connect with other people through the sharing of content.

While this is a fantastic way to engage with customers and prospects, and gain credibility, the issue for some businesses is that these are broad, general audiences. Your business may not necessarily fit into someone’s social media circle, which can lead to a missed opportunity.

If you’re someone’s friend on Facebook, you might see their latest status update. If you’re not yet familiar with this part of the platform, it can be difficult to engage with this audience as they’re not necessarily looking for your product or service.

Video

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re also familiar with the term online video. Videos have been around for many years, and have been used to explain products, promote brands, and generally educate consumers about new technologies and products.

However, videos can also work to solve marketing problems. If you’re not yet using videos in your marketing, you’re undoubtedly missing out on a valuable communication tool.

Online videos can be used to explain a product or service in an engaging way. They can also be used to highlight a company’s culture or the people behind the brand. For example, you can use videos to show how a product is made or explain the purpose of a service.

Additionally, some businesses use videos to show how a product or service works in real life. This can be useful for overcoming objections or adding more value to a sale.

Like search and social media, video comes in many different forms, including video blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. There are many platforms that you can use to create and distribute videos, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Personal Growth

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re also a person who seeks self-development and growth. Self-development and personal growth marketing aims to target individuals who want to improve their lives and those around them through the expansion of their knowledge.

This form of marketing is all about inspiring, motivating, and educating people to grow and to change for the better. For example, you can use personal growth videos to teach users how to properly handle their finances or how to be a better parent.

Additionally, some businesses use personal growth marketing to encourage people to download or use an app. The idea behind this strategy is to get someone interested in your product or service, then get them to download the app that relates to it. For example, if you’re a fitness app developer, you could create a series of personal growth videos to introduce your app and how it can be used.

This is a broad area of marketing, and it can be a little bit tricky to figure out. However, as with all other forms of marketing, you need to figure out your target audience and the platforms you’ll use to communicate with them.