The internet has been a significant part of our everyday lives. Almost everything has transformed into digital and business owners need to catch up. In line with this, people discovered several digital marketing strategies. However, a few are deemed practical to some and others not effective.
Nonetheless, the effectiveness of a marketing strategy depends on what suits you. To decide on what method would do you best, it would help if you learn more about the common digital marketing types and compare them.
Search Engine Optimization
The first one on the list is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is a process, a digital marketing strategy, that optimizes a website in ranking to search engine result page (SERP) to be more visible and relevant to target user’s search queries.
Advantages
One significant advantage of SEO would be its organic discovery. If you have created effective SEO content, traffic will naturally start flowing. It is because the audience already knows what they are looking for and thus has an idea of what you can offer.
This organic visibility also lasts for a long time, making SEO an excellent long-term strategy. SEO is also cost-effective. Moreover, with SEO, you can target audiences in certain locations. For example, if you have a business in Australia, you can have your content geo-targeted so that it would show up in, say, specific cities such as Newcastle.
You can write and do the research yourself or invest in a team specializing in SEO, like Gorilla 360, and they will do the magic for you.
Disadvantages
The significant disadvantage of SEO is that you can be an easy target by most companies. Since if your SEO content is effective, you will become visible to all people, which means a lot of competitors will try to outshine your content.
However, content companies can ensure the content of your quality and keep your article and website updated so as not to be overshadowed by others.
Another disadvantage that SEO has is that it can be extremely slow when delivering results. Although the wait might be long, the returns are totally worth it. Clients who might be new to SEO might not understand this slow process and can get impatient.
Social Media Platforms
This type of digital marketing involves social networking sites. Since most people are now into social media, business owners take advantage of this fact and start targeting audiences that use them.
Advantages
Opening a social media page is the most effective digital strategy for new business owners. One of the reasons is that it is entirely free. Everyone can make accounts at no cost and interact with numerous people with no limits.
As mentioned, since many people are using social media now, there is a possibility that you can reach a bigger audience. You have no limits to how far you can achieve with social media, regardless of your country, sex, or social status.
Disadvantages
The social media platform will need varying fun content that would attract audiences. Since it is a huge platform, you will need to be extra creative with what you offer. Thus, it can also be time-consuming since you need to know what is on-trend.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can be considered the oldest type of digital marketing. It works by staying connected to target audiences, sending them messages or customized newsletters that promote products and services, or informing them of current offers.
Advantages
A notable advantage of email marketing is its low costs. You will hardly spend any money by sending out emails compared to other marketing strategies. Moreover, you are permitted to send out emails directly to them.
Since these people are possibly your past consumers, you already know what they are interested in. You can use this idea and quickly compel them to visit your site.
Disadvantages
One obvious disadvantage of email marketing is that your messages can lead to spam. If you are not familiar with your target people, you can have the audience unsubscribing to your newsletter.
Aside from that, there are also risks with undelivered emails because of their content. There are email software and internet providers right now that automatically filter words that might hint at a promo, so sometimes emails containing messages like this fail to reach the receiver.
Influencer Marketing
Businesses or brands connect with celebrities, influencers, or the likes to partner with them. Companies will try to reach the influencer’s followers with paid content and offers.
Advantages
The significant benefit of influencer marketing is the trust you can get from your target audiences. Since influencers already have established fans or followers, they will likely respect their content and recommendations.
Additionally, if you are partnered with the right person, your relationship can last a long time and increase sales, benefitting the two of you. In a way, it can help you save more money and resources from other things.
Disadvantages
Looking for the right influencer may take some time. Connectively, you might experience working with the wrong people, which can negatively affect your business.
Some people claim themselves as influencers, but their followers are fakes and are purchased. As a result, you are investing in an influencer that can not help return the investment, which can cost you more than you can imagine.
Final Thoughts
After comparing and deliberating the common types of digital marketing, you can now choose which strategy will work for you. Remember that no one technique will fit all businesses. So, before you decide on what type of digital marketing you will invest in, it will help if you keep the things mentioned above in mind and find the one that works with you best.