8 types of digital advertising and its different formats

Digital marketing is essentially the different ways that marketers reach a consumer base across the internet. It allows for brands to create an identity as well as be able to reach all kinds of customers through different means. There are many types of digital marketing, but at least eight of them are the most important.

 

What are the main types of digital advertising?

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Pay-per-click (PPC)
• Social media marketing
• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• Mobile marketing
• Marketing analytics
• Affiliate marketing

 

Search engine optimization (SEO)

 

The main objective of SEO is to get google results to prioritize certain businesses in order to get more traffic onto a website or business page. One key way to do this is to insert keywords into the page, in order for the most popular ones to lead to a Google search that contains a lot of traffic.

 

Pay-per-click (PPC)

 

PPC is the use of paid ads as well as search results that use payments to reach a wider audience. If you have ever browsed the internet, either on YouTube or Google, then the chances are you have seen one of these ads pop up on the side of the website or even sometimes interrupt the browsing experience. It is intended to increase traffic for a website. As opposed to an SEO, PPC uses money to directly pay for ad revenue instead of crafty methods to increase traffic. The catch is that the moment payment ends, then that’s the moment the ad will no longer run.

 

Social media marketing

 

Social media marketing is the use of social media websites to advertise a website or product. Consistency is key here, as constantly uploading, posting, and advertising increases the chances of someone clicking on your ad or page, as well as the amount of people it reaches. It is important to keep up with the analytics of the social media page in order to determine the amount of traffic that the posts are producing, as well as how often people decide to click on them.

 

Content marketing

 

Content marketing is the process of involving the consumer into the process of the company. Basically making them feel like they are a part of the whole enterprise. Good ways to do this are to have them subscribe to email letters, text messages, and alerts. Many of these come with benefits like discounts and coupons or magazine subscriptions advertising new products. As content begins to fill the advertising space, then the more comfortable customers get with the company.

 

Email marketing

 

Similar to content marketing, email marketers have a good way to build a client base through outreach and attractive advertising. The main difference here is that email marketing uses consistent searching on behalf of the company itself. For instance, it’s not about subscribing to a newsletter or service, but when companies themselves reach out to the customer in order to convince them that they are not spam and that they will benefit from continued interactions.

 

Mobile marketing

 

The main objective of mobile marketing is to reach out to customers through their digital phones or tablets. Along with email and social media, mobile marketing also reaches out via text messages and applications. Advertising a company through a game as an ad that pops up midway through the experience is a perfect example. Similarly, reaching out via text allows for people to determine if they want to continue seeing these kinds of ads.

 

Marketing analytics

 

A major tool in digital marketing, analytics allow for companies to track the process of their different types of digital marketing. For instance, if a person uses a coupon they found in a social media post, then the company is aware that the coupon actually did its job properly and should continue to implement that kind of strategy. Good analytics help a company determine what is and what is not working in the end. It can make or break the progress of online marketing.

 

Affiliate marketing

 

As the internet grows with its different facets and people involved, affiliate marketing takes advantage of these constant changes and uses popular media affiliates like influencers and business heads to use their voices to promote certain products or businesses. Hiring them to mention a product during a YouTube or TikTok video could prove effective in reaching the right audience at the right time.

 

We recommend that you continue updating yourself on the latest trends and acquire the right knowledge. If you want to know more about types of digital advertising, we invite you to take a look at our Master's degree in Communication and Advertising Management.