Imagine you're chatting with your bestie about this totally cute dress you saw just talking, nothing serious. Then later, you open your phone and BAM, your whole feed is full of dresses that look just like it. Like, did a fashion fairy read your mind or is your phone secretly psychic? To understand all this magic, let us get you through some digital marketing basics:
Digital marketing is basically ANY way a brand tries to grab your attention online. It could be that hilarious not so relatable meme ad on your Insta feed, your favorite YouTuber suddenly hyping up a new gadget or even those “you left something in your cart” emails. The idea is simple, just show up where people are already searching for you online 24/7 and use the right tools to stand out with online marketing.
The beauty of digital marketing lies in its ability to use data, lots and lots of it, to make informed decisions that result in personalized and targeted campaigns. But what does that mean in practice?
Foundation’s the key, so let’s start by building that. When you’re trying to find something, you go online on a search engine like Google. This is the exact place where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) & SEM (Search Engine Marketing) come into play.
SEO makes it easy to find a website on search engines. If you have a shop on a busy street with a lot of shops, it would be hard for customers to find you, right? So, by optimizing your site with the right keywords, structure and content, you make it easier for people to find you when they’re looking for something relevant. It’s a long-term game that helps you attract organic traffic.
On the other hand, SEM is like paying a dressed mascot who roams around the market and invites customers to your shop. It involves paying for ads that appear on search engine results pages (like the sponsored ads you see at the top of Google search results) which is a quicker way to get visibility and traffic
But both methods rely on one crucial thing, reaching the right audience at the right time.
So, the next time you Google "best online dress store" and an ad for your exact search results pops up, you’ll know it’s the magic of SEM at work and not some psychic or a fairy.
When you doomscroll over Instagram and Facebook, you’ll realise that businesses are everywhere. That’s because social media marketing is a really powerful tool for any business. Each platform has a unique audience and a set of strategies. For example, Instagram is all about visual appeal and engaging stories, while LinkedIn focuses more on a professional connection. Twitter is great for short and snappy updates, while Facebook helps businesses to reach the local customers. Every post, tweet or story you see is carefully crafted to grab your attention, build a relationship and guide you down the road towards making a purchase.
But you can’t just push ads; you need to create conversations and stories. Whether it’s a comment, a share or a like, social media marketing is about building a community that’s connected to the brand. An effective social media marketing plan involves understanding the platform, the audience and what kind of content will vibe with them. Then, the online marketing efforts are targeted through location, interests, demographics and even behaviors ensuring your feed is full of the things that match your vibe.
Now, addressing the room in the elephant (don’t get all helter skelter, that was a deliberate mistake), “Content Marketing” is the spicy seasoning behind those ads that seem to follow you everywhere. Content marketing is all about creating valuable content that attracts and engages the audience, be it the blogs, videos, infographics or even podcasts. But here’s the kicker: It’s not about the hard sell; it’s about offering something of value that draws people in and builds trust over time.
Like browsing your favorite fashion site and coming across a blog post titled “10 Ways to Style Your Favorite Summer Dress.” You haven’t even bought anything yet, but you’re engaged with the content. Maybe you will sign up for their newsletter or maybe will check out their other blog posts. That’s content marketing at work, positioning your brand as an expert in the market and guiding the customer toward a sale without directly pushing it.
But the tanginess lingers still. Through clever use of retargeting, which is basically showing ads to people who’ve visited your site or interacted with your content before, brands can sort of manipulate you into making a purchase (like manipulation by the society wasn’t enough).
Next up is the one we call the “Marketing Go-To”: Email marketing. It’s all about talking to you directly. Like sending a welcome email when you sign up, a birthday discount or a reminder about the stuff you left in your cart.
This is where tools like segmentation and automation come in. Companies can sort their email lists by things like your behavior, location or interests, so they can send emails that actually feel relevant to you.
For example, if you sign up for an online store’s newsletter, you might receive a welcome email with a special discount. If you browse a few dresses but don’t make a purchase, you’ll probably get a reminder email with a special offer or a “we miss you” message or something like what ZOMATO does, COMEON! we’ve all received their personalised notifications, right?
At the end of the day, digital marketing is about connecting with people in the places they spend their time, whether it’s on social media, through search engines or through their inboxes. The best digital marketers use a combination of SEO, SEM, social media, content marketing and email marketing to build a slaying strategy that targets the right people at the right time with the right message.
It’s not magic, it’s not luck, it’s just smart, data-driven strategies that work together to create a seamless experience. And if you’re curious about how it all works behind the scenes, I’ve got the perfect opportunity for you. Join us in our Digital Internships 2.0. Who knows, maybe one day, you’ll be the one designing those campaigns.
Wanna stay updated about courses