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Blog_Banner_Digital Marketing vs Social Media Marketing

Digital Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: Key Differences

Simple answer. Mmm, YES.


You’re still here? Ok, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all.

Generally speaking, both Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing are terms used interchangeably, yet they are two different sides of a marketing strategy. But how?

Digital marketing is a blanket term which includes all marketing campaigns. It applies a variety of digital channels to grow sales and profits, creating brand awareness, customer trust, and much more. In comparison, Social media marketing is just one feature of digital marketing where the emphasis is on, first and foremost, marketing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing uses online and offline channels such as TV, podcasts, billboards, commercial ads, text messaging, and much more. Offline marketing gets expensive, so primarily big companies such as Burger King, Pepsi, and Nike use it. Whether someone remembers who won in the last Olympic games or not, they definitely remember the ads seen during the televised games.

Nevertheless, since offline marketing is more expensive, small businesses and startups usually rely on online marketing via the Internet as a significant segment of their digital marketing. Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Content Marketing, Paid Marketing, or Email Marketing are components of digital marketing. There are several key benefits to using digital marketing. Some benefits of digital marketing are shared below:

1. It has a broadened reach and influence on its audience. As a whole, digital marketing gets the attention of more people than any other form because not only can a company or business control the size of the targeted audience, but they can also make use of all forms of channels, from local television stations to search sites such as Google to even social media platforms such as Instagram.

2. Digital marketing uses customer data to generate individualised marketing content based on customer profiles, which leads to personalised promotions and marketing campaigns based on the intended audience.

3. Digital marketing is quantifiable because brands can observe and keep track of numerous marketing campaigns and metrics such as email open rates, home page visits, and direct purchases.

Everyone has an account on social media platforms. A company should not have to be deprived of an opportunity to appeal to its audience’s interest simply because its marketing strategy is focused on social network platforms. This is where digital marketing, beyond the apps like Twitter or Facebook, will help a company or brand reach the public.

Social Media Marketing

As stated earlier, social media marketing depends mainly on applying social media channels and forums to connect with potential clients. This marketing type is about publishing engaging, short- form content to captivate new consumers. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, and Pinterest and online forums like Reddit and Quora are high-yielding channels for social media marketing.

However, social media marketing is about more than just selling; brands employ these network’s; online communities to track and manage customer’s points of view, examine brand awareness, and keep up to date with market trends. The marketing strategy also has some perks that must be addressed. We have compiled specific pointers for your help:

  1. First of all, social media marketing provides many options to obtain captivating curated content. Trends are fast-moving and change over time, and it is challenging to generate something truly unique. For businesses, curated content is the best course of action to win over more users towards their product or service.

    2. Social media marketing allows for more customer feedback, for example, a buyer posting a story about their purchase. This post can then be used for the sake of promotion by the company or brand itself. It’s real-time original content from real clients that can be shared with others.

    3. It allows for a deep and meaningful connection with the audience creating a more organic engagement and making the relationship between the business and the client less formal and more robust.

In light of the present day, social media marketing gives faster results. This type of marketing is an ideal course of action for startups, and local businesses are the speed of it all; it can jump-start a business quickly while competing with other long-standing companies.

Key Takeaways

Overall, the influence digital marketing creates is in capturing the attention of a would-be client towards your product or services. In contrast, social media marketing tends to persuade that would-be client to take that extra step and place an order.

If you need to choose between the two marketing strategies, remember that rather than being competitors, they are contemporaries who work together as a team. It’s important to understand the differences between social media marketing and digital marketing to determine which meets your campaign’s requirements.

Want to take your social media and digital marketing to the next level? BOSH international can make it happen! With their tailored strategies and proven methods, you can achieve your goals and grow your business online. Take advantage of the opportunity to reach your target audience and stand out in the digital world.