Digital Marketing Vs. Social Media Marketing
Digital marketing is a form of marketing utilizing online and offline digital platforms, while social media marketing is marketing on different social media networks and forums, carried out solely online.
Social media marketing is one of the channels you can use in your digital marketing strategy. Many people believe that by engaging on social media, they are doing digital marketing, but this is not 100% true. There are many more channels to utilize in a digital marketing campaign.
The key differences between the two are:
- Digital marketing goes beyond the Internet and tries to reach people offline using digital means, while social media is limited to the boundaries of the Internet.
- A digital marketing strategy may include one or more channels (SEO, Content Marketing, etc.), while a social media marketing strategy may include one or more social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
- Social media is strongly associated with a content strategy, i.e., you create content and use social media to promote it, while digital marketing can rely entirely on banners (either on the Internet, TV, or billboards) for promotion.
What Is Digital Marketing?
is the marketing process of building awareness and promoting a brand or product online using all available digital channels.
The major components of digital marketing are:
- Online Marketing Channels – Website marketing, search engine marketing, SEO, PPC, email marketing, video marketing, influencer marketing, and social media marketing.
- Offline Digital Channels – Television, Radio, SMS, digital billboards (indoor and outdoor).
Here is an overview of how digital marketing works:
- Identify your target audience
- Set digital marketing goals
- Create a digital marketing strategy
- Choose your digital marketing channels
- Start campaigns
- Monitor and measure results
Digital Marketing Pros
The most important benefits of digital marketing are:
Global Reach and Specific Targeting: Digital marketing allows you to reach a global audience more efficiently than traditional marketing. You can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, making your campaigns more effective.
Cost-Effective and Scalable: Compared to traditional advertising methods, digital marketing allows small businesses to compete with larger ones using cost-effective strategies like SEO and content marketing.
Measurable: With digital marketing, everything in a campaign is measurable and tracked. This allows for making data-driven decisions to adjust budgets and improve profitability.
Increase Customer Engagement: With digital marketing, you can engage with your audience through many channels, build brand loyalty, and keep your audience aware of your existence.
For more digital marketing pros, read the top benefits of digital marketing.
Digital Marketing Cons
The major disadvantages of using digital marketing are:
Constantly Changing Landscape: The digital marketing industry is always evolving, and to stay current, you need to invest in continuous learning and adaptation.
Competition and Costs: Online marketing has become extremely competitive. Standing out requires creative effort and unique strategies, translating to more time and money.
What Is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is the process of promoting a product or service through various social media channels. Generally, there are two ways to perform a social media marketing campaign.
The first way is free and involves building followers, fans, or connections by sharing useful content, running contests, and engaging with your users.
The second way is through paid advertising. You can use Facebook ads, Google Ads, or Twitter ads to advertise your product or services on Facebook, Google, and Twitter, respectively.
Here is an overview of how social media marketing works:
- Identify your target audience
- Set social media marketing goals
- Choose your social media platforms
- Create a social media schedule
- Run and optimize paid campaigns
Social Media Marketing Pros
There are many advantages of using social media for marketing purposes:
It’s a Fast Way to Spread Your Message – If you have a big fan base, you can tweet or post on Facebook, and your message can instantly go to thousands of users around the World. Social media is the fastest way (even from TV and Radio) to make an announcement or spread a message.
It’s Good For SEO – There are more and more signs that social signals are indirectly used for ranking purposes by both Google and Bing.
It’s a Trend – Social media is a trend you cannot ignore if you want to stay close to your customers and in synch with the latest developments in marketing.
It’s One of the Ways to Interact With Your Customers – With social media marketing, your customers can show that they like a product or piece of content by voting (Liking, commenting, and sharing). As a marketer, you can analyze these statistics, talk with your customers, and discover how to improve your products, content, or services.
For more social media marketing pros, read the top benefits of social media marketing.
Social Media Marketing Cons
The drawbacks of social media marketing are:
Requires Continous Effort: Social media marketing requires regularly creating and posting content, which can be time-consuming and costly.
Requires Expert Knowledge: Running effective paid ads on various social media platforms requires a deep understanding of how those platforms work, which requires investing in building your skills or hiring experts.
Social Media Trends Change Quickly: What works today might not work tomorrow, requiring marketers to update their strategies constantly.
Potential for Negative Publicity: Managing a brand’s reputation on social media platforms requires careful monitoring to avoid negative publicity.
Digital Marketing Or Social Media Marketing? Which Is Better?
It depends on the type of brand, products, or services you want to promote. There are cases where other forms of digital marketing will be more appropriate to build awareness than social media marketing. Social media is necessary for every product, brand, or service with a broad audience.
For example, suppose you are selling a software product. In that case, social media can help you find new customers, educate your existing customers (by sending them tips and tricks), and keep them informed about new updates, upcoming releases, etc.
If, on the other hand, you are selling custom tools for farmers, you can use social media as a resource to find out more about the products, but your main selling point will be billboard ads in rural areas and Radio ads.
Mary at Media Touch says
Hi Alex,
Thanks! This will be quite helpful in educating our clients about the difference that is often confused. In regards to ‘mobile’, you have it under ‘Internet marketing’, curious as to why that is and do you believe it will eventually evolve into its own sub-category (i.e. directly under ‘Digital Marketing’)
Thank you,
Mary @ MeciaTouchCa
Shubhendu Ranjan Deb says
Hi Mary
Now days, we access internet through mobile predominately and therefore Alex has classified mobile within internet marketing. Therefore a lot of media campaigns are built keeping in view mobile internet consumption.
Alex says
Hi Mary
I agree with you that is about time to have mobile marketing as a category on its own under digital marketing. It is much more important today than it was 5 years ago.
Thanks
Alex
Jerry Liang says
Hi Alex
Thanks for this great article
I am currently in a career of marketing and wishing to specialize in digital marketing, you article has definitely helped me define my career and goals, thanks again!
Jerry
Alex says
Hi Jerry
That’s great! Glad I could help you understand digital marketing.
Alex
Leena says
Hey Alex, indeed very nice and informative article and me belonging to a start up firm will help me a lot to explain my clients the same. All i want if you could also add some basic difference in a table format which could be just simply referred in one stroke, still no doubt about the information you have shared.
Alex says
Hi Leena
Thanks for your comments and suggestions. That’s a good idea for an updated version.
All the best
Alex
Mark Williams says
Hi
This a great read. It was really insightful into the world of digital marketing. All the important aspects of digital marketing was covered.
Alex Chris says
Thank you Mark. Glad I could help you understand what is the true meaning of digital marketing.
Alex
Jade Nathan says
Hi Alex,
I am a beginner in SMM and the information provided is great and will help me with my consultations with customers.
Kiran Zaffer Iqbal says
You did a very good job and you just eased the word for any new SEO student who want to learn it for professional purpose and please carry on your work. Thanks
Alex says
Hi Kiran
Welcome to the existing World of SEO!
Alex
Martin says
Hi Alex,
Good Article!
I am looking forward to seeing how many more companies adapt their strategy to revolve around social media marketing and advertising over PPC in the coming year!.
Regards,
Martin
Maruthi Dasar says
Hi Alex,
After reading this article I Understood what actually Digital Media Marketing. Social Media Marketing is one of the channel in Digital Media Marketing.
Now I am working in Digital Marketing Media and plan to start Social Marketing …..
after read this article I understood Digital Marketing is one of the best job …….
Thanks & Regards,
Maruthi Dasar
Ingic says
This article is clearly showing the difference between digital marketing and Social Media although these both terms are similar their niche is totally different and I appreciate the author while discussing the main factors of the both things.
Angelina Smith says
Hi Alex,
Really very informative article with lots of suggestion. Now I need to adapt these things which will improve my marketing skills.
Thanks & Regards,
Angelina Smith
James Mathew says
For any organization, social media is a key to brand building. Therefore, I must say that any agency or in-house team needs to develop a core marketing strategy, see their social signals because what I measure is that my company generates quality traffic from it.
I loved reading it, particularly because it’s simple to read and gives a clear understanding on the difference of both. I must share it for budding digital marketing enthusiasts.
Daisy Morton says
Hi Alex, thanks for explaining the difference between Digital Marketing and Social Media. It becomes easier for marketers to select where to promote their campaigns for better reach. Very informative and thanks for sharing.
noahwilliam says
Hi Alex, The difference between digital marketing and Social media is understood in these blog. It is very important to know the importance of different platforms and run the campaign accordingly.
Hariz Ken says
Hi Alex,
It’s a really good article.
Currently I work as a Social Media Strategist Coordinator, and I’ve been thinking to learn more about Digital Strategist. And this article shown me a lot explanation of details about both of them.
Thanks and regards,
Hariz Ken
Alex Chris says
Hi Hariz
Good luck in your Digital Marketing Career!
Thanks
Alex
rohit bargav says
very helpful,I have never thought about the difference between digital marketing and social media but your post made me clear about the functions of dm and sm.thanks for sharing this post
Ryan Smith says
Hi Alex
The difference between digital marketing and Social Media is very Big. Social Media is a part of Digital Marketing. Digital Marketing Includes Following:
1) Google Analytics and Webmaster
2) SEO( Search Engine Optimization)
3) SEM(Search Engine Marketing)
4) SMM ( Social Media Marketing)
5) Email Marketing and Mobile Marketing
6) Lead Generation
7) Growth hacking
Above all is just the Overview of Digital Marketing. Social Media Contains paid campaigns, Promotion, Lead Generation, To increase traffic to the website and for Brand Building.
Joojoy says
Great explanation!! Now I can clearly understand the difference between digital marketing and social media marketing. Thanks a lot.
Drell Torres says
This article simplifies the answer of a lot of questions about Digital Marketing Industry especially to our clients. This would be very helpful in explaining the hierarchy of Digital Marketing and what’s under with it. Great job! Many would love to learn about the clear difference of Digital Marketing and Social Media. Thanks!
Delphina says
Hi Alex,
I really like how you have briefly explained the difference between Digital Marketing and Social Media. The article has improved my understanding on Digital Marketing, thanks to you. I am a Communications Specialist and currently working with my husband to market our new tour and travel company. I believe this information will help us a lot.
Alex Chris says
Hi Delphina
All the best with your promotion campaigns.
Thanks
Bless says
Hi Alex
I am currently doing a 1 year course in Marketing specialisation in Social Media. In your opinion, do you think in the next 5- 10 years will social media marketing still be a big thing or not? Do you think it is here to stay?
Thanks
Alex Chris says
Hi Bless
Yes, I do believe it’s here to stay. There might be some changes on the way people interact on social networks but it will still be a big thing.
Thanks
Alex
Praveen Kumar says
Such an awesome article, Alex. Thanks for writing and sharing it. Even people with zero knowledge of digital marketing and social media can understand this article and know how digital marketing and social media differ.
Vangie says
Thank you Alex! This is so far the easiest to understand article I encountered that gives one the difference between the two. We have no choice in the coming years but to adapt to changes otherwise we will be left behind. Digital marketing is a must to learn especially when you are in the business.
Alex Chris says
Hi Vangie
Correct, digital marketing is here to stay and it’s necessary for all marketers to built digital marketing skills.
Thanks
Alex
Aiman says
I consider digital marketing as a whole while social media is a chunk in a digital marketing category. Thanks for providing such differences
Alex Chris says
Hi Alman
That’s true. Social media is a part of digital marketing.
Thanks
Alex
Claire says
Social media is important part of digital marketing. Very Helpful and Informative Blog. Thanks for writing and sharing it.
Praveen Kumar says
An excellent post explaining how social media marketing is a part of digital marketing. Thanks for writing and sharing this.
Jonathan May says
This is a great source of information!The article did explain well on the difference between digital marketing and social media.
Priya Sharma says
Thank you Alex to clear my doubts between Digital marketing and social media marketing. I was quite confused between them. But now i am clear about each of them.
Alex Chris says
Hi Priya
Thanks!
Alex
sampada Deshmukh says
Hey Alex,
You have explained things beautifully, thanks for this help..
Amazing article, keep sharing valuable stuff.
Alex Chris says
Hi Sampada
Thanks a lot!
Alex