What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing is the promoting of brands using all forms of digital advertising. This now includes Television, Radio, Internet, mobile, and any other form of digital media.

Digital Marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal, and cost-effective manner.

Even though digital marketing includes many of the techniques and practices within Internet Marketing, it extends beyond this by including other channels to reach people that do not require the use of the Internet. As a result, digital marketing includes elements such as mobile phones, SMS/MMS, display/banner ads, and digital outdoor advertising.
Previously seen as a stand-alone service, it is now frequently being viewed as a domain that covers most, if not all, traditional marketing areas like Direct Marketing. Digital now supports the "servicing" and "engagement" of customers.

Digital Marketing – Pull vs. Push
There are two different forms of digital marketing, each with its own pros and cons.

Pull digital marketing
Pull digital marketing involves users seeking out and directly grabbing (or pulling) content via web searches. Websites/blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are examples of this. Users have a specific link (URL) to view the content.

  • Pros:
    • No restrictions on the type or size of content, as the user determines what they want.
    • No technology required to send the content, only to store/display it.
    • No regulations or opt-in process required.
  • Cons:
    • Significant marketing effort required for users to find the message/content.
    • Limited tracking capabilities – only total downloads, page views, etc.
    • No personalization – content is received and viewed the same across all audiences.

Push digital marketing
Push digital marketing involves both the marketer (creator of the message) and the recipients (the users). Email, SMS, and RSS are examples of push digital marketing. In these cases, the marketer must send (push) messages to the users (subscribers) for the message to be received.

  • Pros:
    • Can be personalized – messages can be highly targeted to specific criteria, such as a special offer for females, 21 years old or over, living in California.
    • Detailed tracking and reporting – marketers can see how many people saw their message and gather specific information about each user, such as their name and demographic/psychographic data.
    • High Return on Investment (ROI) – if done correctly, push messaging can drive new revenue and reinforce branding.
  • Cons:
    • Compliance issues – each push messaging technology has its own regulations, ranging from minor (RSS) to heavily controlled (email and text messaging).
    • Requires a mechanism to deliver content – marketers must use applications like email marketing systems or RSS feeders.
    • Delivery can be blocked – if regulations aren't followed, the content can be rejected before reaching the intended recipient.