Marketing Glossary
← Back to glossary

Digital Marketing

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the use of digital technologies to promote and market products and services. It includes a variety of tactics such as search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and more. Digital marketing is used to reach a wide range of customers and build relationships with them.

Why is digital marketing important?

Digital marketing is important because it allows businesses to reach a larger audience than ever before. It also allows businesses to target specific audiences and tailor their marketing messages to those audiences. Additionally, digital marketing is cost-effective and can be tracked and measured more easily than traditional marketing methods. Finally, digital marketing allows businesses to build relationships with their customers and create a more personalized experience.

How can I use digital marketing?

Here are some tips for effectively using digital marketing:

  1. Define your target audience: Identify who you want to reach with your digital marketing efforts and tailor your marketing strategy to their needs and preferences.
  2. Use a variety of digital marketing channels: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Use a combination of channels such as social media, email marketing, and paid advertising to reach your audience.
  3. Use data and analytics to inform your strategy: Use data and analytics tools to track the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions about where to focus your efforts.
  4. Create compelling and relevant content: Create content that is valuable, informative, and engaging for your target audience. This can include blog posts, social media updates, and email newsletters.
  5. Optimize for mobile: Make sure your website and marketing materials are mobile-friendly and easy to view on a mobile device.
  6. Use calls to action: Make it clear what you want your audience to do next, whether it's signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or downloading a whitepaper.
  7. Test and optimize: Regularly test and optimize your digital marketing efforts to see what works and what doesn't. This can include A/B testing email subject lines, testing different ad copy, or analyzing the performance of different social media campaigns.

Brief history of digital marketing

The first online banner ad was purchased in 1994 by AT&T on HotWired (now Wired). During the late 1990s and early 2000s digital marketing started to become mainstream, with the rise of the internet and the proliferation of personal computers.

Since then, the field of digital marketing has rapidly evolved with the development of new technologies and the growth of social media. Today, digital marketing encompasses a wide range of channels and tactics, including search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising.

Digital marketing has become an essential part of business strategy for companies of all sizes, as it allows businesses to reach a wider audience and target specific demographics more effectively than traditional marketing channels. With the proliferation of smartphones and the increasing use of the internet, digital marketing is expected to continue to grow and evolve in the coming years.

Related Terms

Marketing Analytics

Digital Marketing

Social Media

Marketing funnel

Google Analytics