Both the terms “Online marketing” and “digital marketing” are often confused and mistreated. Sometimes, it becomes tough to wonder which is right, whether ‘online’ or ‘digital.’ But, by understanding the variation between both, you can help shape your overall marketing strategy.
It can aid you to examine your current strategy by classifying in which type of marketing your efforts fall. Are you making sustainable long-term initiatives that will yield results consistently or are you merely playing by ear with each of your outreach efforts?
The term refers to utilizing digital channels, devices, and platforms (despite they are online or not) to build or promote your marketing message. It means with digital marketing, one cannot limit themselves to using the internet. That’s why digital marketing can serve as an ‘umbrella’ term because it comprises of many marketing techniques.
For example- When you download ‘Temple Run 2’ on your smartphone, you would do it by using the internet and the app was built with technology that did as well. Though, when you use it on your phone, the app is operating independently from the internet and can be considered as a form of digital marketing.
Another example- Suppose, you want to run a mobile campaign where you send offline texts to your customers, which includes providing upcoming promotions from your business. In this context, technology was utilized to create and send the message, but there was no need for an internet connection to send your message and for your users to receive it.
If technology keeps developing, so will digital marketing. You could say that anything that has a digital foundation can be considered digital marketing. And you have a plethora of strategies to choose from:
Games
Content Marketing
Video Marketing
Mobile Marketing (SMS texts)
TV Ads
It is referred to as ‘internet marketing’ is a subset of digital marketing. It requires a live internet connection to operate anything. For example- if you run a PPC campaign for your business or plan to aligning your PPC Campaigns through voice search, it is a form of online marketing. Another example of this would be when you run pop up on your website to advertise or offer a service, similarly, displaying ads of any format, whether it be banner or text ads.
Online marketing also involves technology. Some of the online marketing efforts include:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
PPC (Google Search, Binge)
Display Advertising (Text, Image, Video, Shopping Ads)
Social Media Marketing (Facebook, LinkedIn)
Online marketing includes all the strategies, which is used in digital marketing. We provide ads for those typing keywords in Bing Ads or Google Search, including searches performed on YouTube as well.
Then with Display Network from Google, including the Audience Network for Bing Ads among other networks, it helps to serve text, image, and video ads.
The latest features available on Google is the new device segment that is connected with TV. The display network with television includes serving ads on smart TV’s, which are capable of both, connecting to the internet and browse and display ads.
The difference doesn’t matter. But what matters is that you need to learn the implications of each while creating your overall marketing plan.
No matter what way you choose to do marketing for your campaign, you need to have a plan of action. It is necessary to know the kind of results you want to get. How do you plan to achieve the right results? Do you want exposure, or do you want to get to know your audience and track the money you have invested?
Answering these questions will help you realize if you need to focus on online marketing, digital marketing, or both at the same.
