Topic: Differentiating Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing

Though the terms social media marketing and digital marketing may sometimes be used interchangeably, they are two distinct marketing methods. While it is true that social media is part of digital marketing, it is not all of it. Instead, digital marketing is much broader and refers to many marketing strategies that can be used online or offline.

Defining Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is the use of digital means to promote a business or brand’s services or products. Its goal is to promote services, products, or brands, create and add value, cultivate brand awareness, establish a strong connection to the target audience, grow a business, and drive sales.

Importantly, not every digital channel needs to be used in digital marketing. Instead, a digital marketing strategy identifies the specific digital channels that are most advantageous to the business or brand and includes those. Digital marketing campaigns can help businesses see what is working, what is not, and adjust their strategy from there.

More specifically, digital marketing tools include email campaigns and marketing, social media marketing, SEO strategies, website analytics, video hosting tools, customer service tools, content creation and curation, affiliate marketing, and display retargeting.

Understanding Social Media Marketing

As its name suggests, social media marketing utilizes social media channels. This includes Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and more. Social media marketing involves defining your target audience, collaborating with influencers, posting new content, using online promotions, contests, and giveaways, and more. Its goal is to gain more followers and hence, customers. Social media, while only one aspect of digital marketing campaigns, is incredibly important since many individuals spend a disproportionate amount of time online.

Choosing Between Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing

The decision to create a social media marketing or digital marketing campaign is a decision that is unique to a business and its objective. Digital marketing is a more comprehensive method that utilizes online and offline methods to reach the target audience, whereas social media marketing is limited to the online space. For example, digital marketing may use TV and mobile advertisements, online advertisements, text messages, and so forth. Conversely, social media marketing uses multiple social media platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more. In addition, social media marketing often is successful due to a consistent content strategy, whereas digital marketing may rely on banners and advertisements that are digitally displayed.

Key Takeaway

There is a distinct difference between social media marketing and digital marketing. Social media marketing is only one aspect of digital marketing and includes content on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels. However, digital marketing includes content that is digitally displayed both online and offline, such as on banners, billboards, and TV advertisements.

Topic Discussed: Differentiating Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing