What is digital marketing?

The term digital marketing or digital marketing has been referred to as a subset of marketing management and advertising management since two decades ago.

However, due to the development of information technology in recent years, the increase in the average online time of users, the widespread use of mobile phones and the increase in the penetration rate of the Internet in the world, today it is considered as an independent knowledge and expertise. Today, the field of digital marketing has opened its place in universities and even many universities in the world offer digital marketing and internet marketing at the master’s level.

Definition of digital marketing

There is no consensus on the meaning of digital marketing. Different people use the term digital marketing in different ways. But it seems that most of those who use the term digital marketing have one of the following two concepts in mind:

Digital marketing the first approach

In this approach, the meaning of digital marketing is defined based on the meaning of marketing.

As they say: everything is done in marketing, if it is done with digital tools, it is a part of digital marketing.

Is advertising part of marketing? If it is, then advertising with digital tools is a part of digital marketing.

Is market research part of marketing? When it is, then market research with digital tools is a part of digital marketing.

Is consumer behavior research a part of marketing? When it is, then studying consumer behavior using digital tools is a part of digital marketing.

So, in general, if we want to know the duties of a digital marketer and know what digital marketing includes, it is enough to examine the duties of a marketing expert and do the same tasks using digital tools.

But this is not the only approach available to define the concept of digital marketing. Another approach is to understand digital marketing as a set of tools and techniques. Many digital marketing training sites, including the HubSpot site, which is considered one of the most reliable sites in the field of digital marketing and content strategy, use this approach:

Digital marketing the second approach

Instead of trying to talk about the meaning of digital marketing, it is enough to list digital marketing tools and techniques. Then we can say: digital marketing means all these tools and the work done with these tools.

With this method, it can be said that digital marketing means mastering a set of tools and techniques; From SEO and email marketing, to content strategy and using social media. From click ads and mobile marketing, to content creation and affiliate marketing in the digital space.

In the supplement, we try to consider the combination of the two definitions. Because these two definitions of digital marketing do not conflict with each other and they can be put together. Several sources have gone to these types of combined definitions (+):

Digital marketing the definition used in the supplement

Digital marketing includes all the tools and activities used to market products and services; Provided that these activities are carried out on a digital platform (web, internet, mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc.).

Digital marketing tools

The following are examples of digital marketing tools that a digital marketer is expected to master:

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) [including organic and purchased traffic]
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Content Marketing
• Inbound Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Content Strategy
• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
• Influencer Marketing
• Banner Advertising and Native Advertising
• e-mail marketing
• Mobile marketing or mobile marketing (or its old term: mobile advertising)
• Marketing through cooperation in sales (Affiliate Marketing)
• Content production
• Digital Viral Marketing

Sometimes in the list of digital marketing tools, targeted and customized advertising (Targeted Advertising) and native advertising are also mentioned.

But given that these two titles are practically more inclusive and not on the same level as the others (they can cover other options as well), we didn’t include them in the list above.

Note: Even now, there are overlaps in the above list. But because this list is mentioned in the same way in many books and official references, we also used the common method.

Headlines of digital marketing course

Digital marketing is taught in two ways. The first method is university education that is offered in the form of digital marketing. The second method is digital marketing training in the form of skill courses.

Just note that digital marketing training cannot be limited to digital marketing tools (such as SEO and online advertising and working with social media). A digital marketer’s skills should go beyond these. For example, communication skills and verbal intelligence, making slides, understanding and analyzing indicators, strategy and strategic thinking are all very necessary, and no one can fully handle the tasks of a digital marketer without knowing these things.

Digital marketing training in the supplement

The supplement has several lessons in the field of digital marketing that you can study depending on your interest and priorities. Each of the lessons below will lead you to dozens of other digital marketing lessons.

Some digital marketing training books

• The New Rules of Marketing and PR
• Ctrl Alt Delete
• Epic Content Marketing

A few questions, and their answers

  What is internet marketing and is it different from digital marketing?

The term internet marketing is an older term and was more popular in the nineties. With the passage of time and the expansion and variety of digital marketing tools, the term digital marketing gradually replaced it

Are the terms digital marketing and digital advertising synonymous?

These two terms are definitely different from each other and the difference between these two fields is similar to the difference between advertising and marketing.

When we talk about digital marketing, we mean knowing the market using digital tools, solving the problems and needs of the market through product design and supply. While when we talk about digital advertising, it is assumed that we have a specific product and we just want to convey our message to the audience using digital tools.