While digital marketing and social media are certainly related, they are definitely not the same thing. So which is which, and which matters the most to your business? Read on to learn more…
What is digital
marketing?
Digital marketing involves any brand messaging or
advertising that you carry out for your business, on the internet. It is the
act of marketing your business online, and includes any of the following:
·
Digital ads
·
Digital branding
·
Digital campaigns
·
SEO
·
Pay per click advertising
·
Your website
·
Email marketing
·
Plus all of social media
What is social media
marketing?
Social media refers to digital platforms where a small part
of digital marketing happens. Each platform is individually designed with its
own features, purpose, crowd and rules to play by.
Some of the many major social media channels available to
choose from include:
·
Facebook
·
Twitter
·
Instagram
·
Pinterest
·
LinkedIn
·
Google+
·
Yelp
·
YouTube
·
Tumblr
Even if you do not have active, free profiles, you can still
pay to run digital marketing ads on social media platforms. That being said,
there’s not much point in doing then when you can take advantage of the highly
powerful (and free) world of social media marketing.
In modern marketing, many consumers are suspicious of
businesses that do not have active social media profiles. This suggests that
you’re not modern or accessible, and could also imply that you are not open to
public communication with consumers. One of the first things that consumers do
when they discover a brand is to find it on social media, read reviews and
potentially reach out to their customer service team. Without this as an option,
you are highly likely to lose out on customers.
With social media so available at our fingertips, it’s vital
that you have an active presence on at least a handful of the most popular
platforms. Allow your followers to communicate with your brand on your chosen
platform(s), and make the process fun and personal (and branded!)
As you can see,
social media marketing is digital
marketing, and everything you do on social media becomes part of your digital
marketing, whether you want it to or not! If your digital marketing is working
as it should be, then you’ll be creating a dedicated following who adore your
brand – and aren’t afraid to sing their praises about it. These people will do
your marketing for you by creating positive reviews, testimonials, video
tutorials and much more, so do not be afraid to devote a significant portion of
your time to social media marketing.
For any approach to modern marketing to be effective, it needs to combine a number of elements, as such you will need both digital marketing and social media in order to gain top exposure for your brand as you increase your leads and boost your sales.
To get help with any element of your social media marketing, contact the team at 8 Ways Media today.