For business owners worldwide, marketing is a cornerstone of success. And to be successful in our fast-paced, interconnected era, savvy entrepreneurs know that they need to harness the power of digital marketing. But will a few social media posts and strategically-placed keywords earn you the “best digital marketer” prize? You might want to think again.

Common Types of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a much more complicated (and serious) business. To begin with, it’s just a catch-all umbrella phrase that includes several different categories. Read on to discover the many types of digital marketing and how you can truly make the most out of each; next, we will show you the ten most popular digital marketing categories.

1. Radio

Let’s start simple: did you know that, by definition, digital marketing encompasses all types of marketing that take place via an electronic device? Yes, it’s (or, better, was) that easy. Radio was one of the first channels ever to employ digital marketing strategies. Radio marketing is still alive and well as a very affordable way to market your product to a wide range of people simultaneously.

2. TV

What’s the second most popular and oldest electronic device after the radio? The television, of course. Digital marketing still happens very effectively via this medium. TV ads, shows, and programs are all productive ways to increase brand exposure and boost marketing efforts. Just like radio, television has the potential to reach far and wide, but unlike radio, it has a bonus that captures people’s attention: video. TV marketing is more pricey than radio marketing, but the ROI can be much higher, too, making this a good investment.

3. Email Marketing

Radio and TV marketing are both examples of digital marketing that happens offline. But when discussing the different types of digital marketing, most people probably think about online marketing. Email is one of the oldest and still most used forms of online digital marketing. Promotional emails to clients are an example of email marketing in action. This type of marketing can be particularly successful if you tailor the content of your emails to the niche you’re sending the message to and if you’re trying to engage your client in doing active business with you.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Digging deeper into the online digital marketing world, we come across SEO. This stands for Search Engine Optimization, an acronym you’ve undoubtedly come across multiple times. Why? Because put, this is probably the most important type of online digital marketing. With SEO, you aim to drive traffic to your website through free search results on search engines. Sound easy enough? The trick here is to go only for meaningful traffic relevant to your industry. You can achieve this with targeted keywords and by creating a website and content descriptions optimized for your niche.

5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM is another favorite type of online digital marketing. It focuses on boosting the visibility of a website on search engines but, unlike SEO, only in paid form. How do people achieve this? With ads, of course. Essentially, you’ll be paying Google AdWords (or other search engines) to ensure that your website tops the search list whenever someone looks for a specific keyword or combination of keywords.

6. Content Marketing

This type of digital marketing does what it says: creates valuable, engaging content rather than promoting a product more traditionally. Content marketing includes anything from blog posts to videos, images, infographics, and other captivating visuals.

7. Social Media Marketing

If you’re serious about marketing, a tour company should have a solid social media presence. These days, the leading social media networks (we’re talking about Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) are increasingly establishing themselves as very effective marketing tools. Depending on your business specialization, you might gain more traction with a well-curated Instagram account instead of a less visual, more “formal” LinkedIn profile. Whatever your industry, niche, and business style, there is a social media that’s just right for you and your marketing strategies.

8. Influencer Marketing

When discussing social media, the word “influencer” often crops up. Influencers gained a certain level of popularity by presenting themselves as experts in a particular field. Social media influencers can promote your products online — namely, via social media. By doing so, your company will quickly reach a vast audience that might feel like checking you out and, ultimately, making a purchase.

9. Viral Marketing

Does the word “viral” only remind you of funny videos of cats, babies, or people falling over? Well, you should know that some companies use the power of viral videos to market their products and services. This works best if yours is a fun, relaxed, informal type of business.

10. Mobile Marketing

Lastly, our list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning mobile marketing. This category is probably the widest, as it includes pretty much all of the types of marketing that we discussed before. Mobile marketing and advertising is any marketing communication that happens via smartphones. It can be a social media ad, o mobile-optimized blog post, or even SEO or SEM (again, optimized for mobile users). Given the ever-growing use of mobile, businesses are increasingly moving towards this type of marketing, as it can yield pretty profitable returns.

The Best Types of Digital Marketing for Your Business

Now that we have you the lowdown on the most popular and successful types of digital marketing, why not contact us to see how we can help your brand? If you’ve enjoyed this article, our blog has excellent marketing content. Could you go check it out now?