Social Media Marketing VS Digital Marketing: Which One to Choose?
You have probably read loads of blog posts and articles on the topic of social media marketing vs digital marketing.
You may even feel like you can see the light at the end of the tunnel when figuring out which is best for your business, brand, or product.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Digital Marketing are two very different online marketing approaches with unique strengths and target audiences.
Both have become extremely popular as more businesses understand the importance of reaching their target audience online.
Social media marketing uses platforms to help market your company and services.
Digital Marketing involves advertising your business online.
For example, you could purchase ads on Google or Facebook rather than using a traditional billboard or posters strategy.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing, also known as influencer marketing, is a form of marketing that uses social media to increase sales and grow your business.
The best way to describe social media marketing is to say that it’s a way of advertising your business where people already are.
This is why social media marketing is highly effective, as people spend a lot of time on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Social media is something people do on a daily basis and it’s straightforward to get sucked into spending hours scrolling and watching videos on social media.
One important thing about social media marketing is the difference between organic and paid posts.
Organic posts are posts you make on social media, and Paid Posts are posts you pay to stay at the top of your feed to gain more attention.
The best way to market your business on social media is to post relevant and interesting information to the people you want to attract.
Posting relevant and engaging content will help you build a following and get these people to return to your page.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a form of marketing that uses various online channels to attract customers and build brand awareness for a product or service.
This could include anything from blogging to hosting an online webinar, but most commonly includes social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and content marketing.
This is a great way to build brand awareness and reach a broad audience.
The most common channels used for digital marketing are:
There are other channels you can look into depending on the type of product or service that you offer.
One of the best things about digital marketing is using many different strategies. It’s essential to choose a relevant approach to your business and help you achieve your marketing goals.
How Are SMM and Digital Marketing Different?
While they are both marketing strategies, they are pretty different. The main difference between the two is that social media marketing drives traffic to your website.
In contrast, Digital marketing is more focused on directly driving sales through your website.
Digital marketing includes a wide variety of strategies that are focused on driving sales directly through your website.
These strategies include
- SEO
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- Paid ads
SMM, on the other hand, uses social media platforms to drive traffic to your website.
The most significant difference between the two strategies is that digital marketing drives direct sales from your website, while social media marketing drives traffic to your website, where sales can occur.
Differences Between SMM and Digital Marketing
Audience
Social media marketing aims at a specific group of people but digital marketing focuses on a wider audience.
Digital marketing focuses on search engine optimization and hosting blog posts that appear when people search for products or services related to your business.
Objective
The main objective of digital marketing is driving sales directly through your website, while social media marketing focuses on driving traffic to your website.
Tools
The tools used for digital marketing are blogging, hosting webinars, and website SEO. In comparison, the tools used for social media marketing are social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
A timeframe
The time frame for digital marketing is often shorter than for social media marketing. Digital marketing usually does not have a set time frame for results, whereas social media marketing constantly changes.
Which One Is Right for Your Brand?
There is no right or wrong answer regarding which strategy is best for your brand. The best approach is the one that works best for your business and brand.
The best way to decide which strategy is right for you is to determine your marketing goals.
What are you trying to achieve with your marketing efforts?
The next step is to consider your target audience and determine where they spend their time.
Once you have a better idea of where your target audience spends their time, you can decide which strategy is best for your brand.
It’s important to keep in mind that social media marketing and digital marketing are not mutually exclusive. Many businesses use both strategies for optimal results.
Bottom line
Social media marketing and digital marketing are very different strategies businesses use to drive traffic and sales.
The most significant difference between the two is the objective.
The key difference is Digital marketing drives direct sales from your website,
On the other hand, social media marketing focuses on driving traffic to your website.
While social media marketing and digital marketing share some similarities, there are important differences that business owners need to consider before choosing which strategy will work best for them.