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Is Social Media Marketing Different from Digital Marketing?
Going digital is no longer an option but a default action. Companies today are moving towards digital marketing because it seems like a more cost- efficient form of marketing and has a wider consumer base. With data and technology in the picture, companies can devise digital marketing activities that are going to have the highest conversion rate. Digital marketing has the power to customize advertisements for every consumer. For example, companies have the ability to showcase different advertisements to consumers in the same neighborhood watching the same show at the same time. These ads are based on the interests, desires, demographics, needs, and watching habits of the consumer.
In this article, we will be understanding the concepts of social media marketing, digital marketing, and the difference between digital marketing and social media marketing.
The Concept of Digital Marketing
This includes all forms of marketing activities done by the business on digital platforms. The world is moving towards digital, so it is critical for businesses to have a digital presence. Companies can use digital marketing in a variety of ways.
Website marketing
Marketing through Search Engine Optimization
Search engine marketing
Content marketing
Email marketing
Affiliate marketing
Video Marketing
Pay-per-click marketing
Mobile marketing
Social media marketing and others
Digital marketing activities are performed by both B2B and B2C businesses. While doing digital marketing activities, marketers have to take into account the various rules and regulations of each browsing site to rank on the higher end.
The Concept of Social Media Marketing
Here, the company utilizes various social media platforms to advertise and market its products and services to the end consumer. This form of marketing is mostly suitable for the B2C consumer segment. Companies have their own accounts, and they post information regarding the new product launch, upcoming sales, and discount schemes, and the consumer can even make purchase decisions on this platform. Some of the renowned social media platforms in India are Facebook, Instagram, Hike, WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Omega, Quora, Tumblr, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Discord, and others. Companies should ensure that they are not bombarding the consumers with only product information because this will make the consumer unfollow the company’s page, and create content that the consumers might find entertaining. The company should focus on the different feelings of the consumers, like humor, love, fear, sensuality, and others, to create advertisements. Companies can even use social media marketing to raise brand awareness.
For example, Amul, a dairy brand in India, started posting clips of amazing shots from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so now the users who follow Amul can share the same on their accounts because they feel the same happiness watching that shot. We can also see parts of affiliate marketing, search engine marketing, and content marketing in social media marketing.
The points of distinction between social media marketing and digital marketing activities and strategies are −
Social media marketing is one of the wings of digital marketing − "Social media marketing" only refers to the marketing done by companies through different social media channels. On the other hand, "digital marketing" refers to all the marketing activities done by the business on digital platforms or the internet.
The amount of content that marketers publish − Content is scarce in Social Media Marketing. Users generally have the habit of scrolling if the content seems too large. Even in posts, marketers can only include 5 to 6 lines maximum. On the other hand, in digital marketing, marketers can create content solely with the objective of highlighting all the features, providing in-depth information, and making comparisons with other brands. Digital marketing has a wing called content marketing, where the entire focus is on the content.
It is easy to go viral in social media marketing − Consumers have this habit of sharing their thoughts and views on their social media platforms, and they like the validation of their friends. Hence, it becomes very easy for brands to go viral on social media. It is a risky proposition, but with the right strategies, companies can do great. For better rankings on Google or more recognition in the content marketing field, marketers have to invest a lot of effort.
Authentication comparison − Though both these channels of marketing are authentic and there are businesses that successfully thrive on these mediums, in comparison, digital marketing seems a more authentic form of communication. Imagining buying a product from the company’s website or on his social media account. Young people might not feel this, but people between the ages of 25 and 40 may feel a little hesitation.
Social media marketing is the smaller version of digital marketing − We see a glimpse of all the digital marketing activities in social media marketing activities as well. For example, social media has its own set of influencers doing affiliate marketing; companies that post good and relatable content are followed and appreciated by a greater number of people; companies can sponsor their stories or posts to have a better reach, just like search engine marketing in digital marketing. In a manner, social media marketing is the smaller version of digital marketing, which is growing at its own pace.
Time-consuming − It takes a shorter time to plan your social media marketing activities but a considerably long amount of time to plan your digital marketing activities. It is like a mixture of all the marketing activities done digitally so the company has to focus on and provide for the same.
The key to success is to prepare a digital marketing mix for the products and services being offered by the company. Companies should be taking into consideration the product that is offered to the consumer, the buying frequency, the age group of the buyers of the product, their presence on social media platforms, their profession or occupation, and others.
Companies have to understand their consumers better, analyze their presence on different digital platforms, and advertise accordingly.
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