What is digital marketing? What are the core issues of digital marketing?

What is Digital Marketing? As digital platforms continue to grow, users are more often turning to digital devices for shopping instead of visiting physical stores. Consequently, digital marketing or Digital Marketing is continuously evolving and flourishing.

Digital Marketing represents a completely new way to approach customers and requires a completely new understanding of the customer. Today's article will explore Digital Marketing and its core issues.

I. What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing, simply put, is the method of utilizing the internet, social media, and search engines to reach users. It is a new marketing method that demands more requirements than traditional marketing.

Digital marketing includes two main segments: Online Digital Marketing and Offline Digital Marketing:

• Online Digital Marketing: involves various marketing activities using the internet and online search tools. For example: SEO, SEM, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, display advertising,...
• Offline Digital Marketing: includes marketing activities through e-books, CDs, games,... Additionally, Offline Digital Marketing extends to non-internet channels such as SMS, MMS on mobile, TV advertisements, digital billboards,...

II. 4 Media Channels to Implement Digital Marketing

Marketing activities through digital and internet platforms rely on 4 main Media types:

1. Owned Media

Owned Media refers to communication channels owned by the business itself, including websites, microsites, blogs,... These channels are long-lasting, easy to control and adjust flexibly. Implementing Digital Marketing on Owned Media saves costs compared to other Media.

However, since Owned Media is personal, it may take quite some time to widely reach the public and users.

2. Paid Media

Paid Media involves paid communication forms; businesses have to pay these Media channels to advertise as requested. Examples include social ads channels, KOLs,...

Paid Media actively carries out and deploys the enterprise's Digital Marketing objectives. It also provides indicators, results, and reports for better control by the business.

3. Earned Media

Earned Media is a form of media where customers and the public themselves spread information about the product or brand of the business. Through Earned Media, businesses can build credibility, transparency, product quality, and promote sales.

However, Earned Media requires strict control because it's easy to spread negative information. Also, marketing via Earned Media channels is difficult to measure by indicators to grasp the specific effectiveness.

4. Social Media

Social media is a crucial channel for Online Digital Marketing. Businesses interact with customers and the public through social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram,...

Social Media channels are very flexible, catch up with customer needs, lead trends and thus bring high marketing efficiency. Through Social Media, businesses can personalize marketing, bring the brand image to each customer, and reach many potential target customers.

III. The Core of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is digital-based marketing activity, so it goes beyond advertising on social networks. The core of Digital Marketing lies in Online Digital Marketing including the following types:

1. SEO - Search Engine Optimization

SEO helps to place the business's website higher in search engine results and attract more visits. Onpage SEO focuses on optimizing existing content on the website, providing information users are interested in. Offpage SEO optimizes content outside the web page by building backlinks, improving authority, and increasing rankings.

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing user experiences such as page loading speed, image sizes, data structure,...

2. SEM - Search Engine Marketing

SEM includes various marketing methods to make the website or its content appear more on search engines. Businesses will have to pay to bid on keywords on channels like Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Google Display Network.

SMM - Social Media Marketing involves marketing activities to promote the business, product, or brand through social media channels. SMM helps to increase traffic to the website or business content and the opportunity to reach many potential customers.

Social media channels used for Social Media Marketing often include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Snapchat,...

3. Content Marketing

Content Marketing markets by creating and promoting content, thereby increasing traffic, enhancing brand recognition, and generating many potential customers.

Content Marketing includes articles on websites, blogs; writings on Ebooks; visuals and concise information on Infographics.

4. Email Marketing

Email Marketing markets through email to transmit messages related to products to a group of customers. Types of emails sent in an Email Marketing campaign include:

• Emails following up on blog or website news
• Emails reminding customers to visit the website
• Emails reminding customers of issues related to the website such as cart, promotions,...
• Emails notifying promotions
• Emails providing useful information for customers

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing or affiliate marketing is a form of sales through links from one website to the webpage needing marketing.

Those who promote products on the internet through affiliate platforms engage in product promotion and receive commission money from those who need to market the product.

Customers, when clicking on a mouse, purchasing, making a successful payment,... the promoter will receive money. The commission fee calculation is based on various models depending on the agreement between the parties.

6. Online PR

Online PR or Online Publish Relations pushes public relations through available online communication channels. Online channels supporting Online PR include electronic newspapers, famous blogs, and websites, combined with celebrities.

Digital Marketing is a completely new marketing way based on digital techniques. Businesses operating in the era of digital technology explosion cannot overlook this modern marketing method. Through this article, readers can understand what Digital Marketing is and the core issues when implementing Digital Marketing.