What Is the Difference Between Digital Marketing & Internet Marketing?

It’s easy to get confused about digital marketing and Internet marketing. What’s worse is that even the pros seem to use the terms interchangeably but there is indeed a difference between the two. 

In fact, there is indeed a difference but not all interchanged uses are incorrect either. To explain the difference: Digital Marketing refers to all media marketing that takes place through a digital medium while Internet Marketing is included in this broad umbrella term but applies only to digital marketing that takes place through an online feed. The waters between the two can get quite muddied though when we break it down into technicalities.

For example, in most cases, a cable TV advertisement is a form of digital marketing but not internet marketing because it doesn’t require an internet connection. However, modern smart TVs are quickly replacing their less smart TVs and forming an opportunity for internet marketing to break through into the television market through Google TV ads.

Another example would be a mobile phone game, which does require internet to download but runs fine offline. Many of these free games will run a form of a banner or pop up ad even while the user is not actively using the internet. This example is interesting because the banner ads themselves are being advertised without the need for an active internet connection. 

They often have a clickable link that will bring the user to a website or an online store thus this brings the user back online. Despite all the online functionality to this example, it is still often considered a form of digital marketing and not internet marketing as getting the ad out doesn’t require an active connection.

So if you want to play it safe and be correct, you can always use the term “Digital Marketing” as by nature the internet utilizes digital technology, it is still good to know and understand the difference when formulating marketing strategies.

Digital Marketing Strategies 

• SMS

Mobile phones are an integral part of people’s lives. SMS campaigns are great for getting the word out there. It’s a reliable customer retention method and a great way to also offer promotional offers to your target audience.

• Games

While not as versatile as SMS, in-game advertisements are an excellent way for games to draw in an audience from gamers. It’s also a great way to encourage in-app purchases if you run on a free-to-play model.

• TV/Radio

The most well known and pervasive form of digital marketing, TV, and radio marketing are great for regional marketing to get the word out about your service and product. These forms of marketing are well- known not to need much explaining other than that internet marketing has been growing in this area through various video and music streaming services that run ads on their non-premium free content.

Internet Marketing Strategies 

A crucial distinction other than requiring an active internet connection is that the majority of internet marketing strategies have their primary goal: to get traffic to the website being advertised and then directing users to sections of the site that may result to a sale.

• SEO 

SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization and employs a variety of strategies to move websites higher up in the search results. It also helps businesses get an edge over the competition or simply to be found on the first page of search results. 

SEO marketing utilizes content strategies that adhere to search engine algorithms so that pages end up at the top of the google results. The general idea is to utilize all the words that would commonly be related to a search related to your product/service, but it gets more complicated from there when competing with other SEO optimized pages.

• PPC

Pay Per Click advertising is a standard tool used to build up online presence. This often comes in the form of a banner, sidebar, or pop up ads that you pay each time a potential client follows the link embedded in the advertisement image or video. This an efficient form of marketing.

• Display Advertising

Display advertising was brought up in PPC because of their similarities, but there are still some things to consider when working on display advertisements. For example, it is estimated that most websites get 30% of their traffic from mobile devices which means you’re missing out on a third of your potential customers by not having phone display friendly ads or advertising on spaces that don’t have their pages optimized for phone use. The latter here is less of a problem in the current year but still a consideration to make.

• Content

Good content has become a massive part of modern marketing strategies online as it what helps you to retain potential customers when they get to your website, and useful content is needed to take advantage of the more intelligent search engine algorithms that do more than just scan for keyword density. Having good content is a powerful asset in the freedom of the digital age, where customers have the option to shop around and pick out what appeals to them the most.

• Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become more and more critical over time due to the growing number of users who spend a lot of time on social media platforms. 

Social media marketing can take the forms of PPC banners and content inserts. However, possibly, more relevant and unique to this strategy is the utilization of social media influencers like popular Instagram users or YouTubers to advertise your service or product via their content. 

These brand deals are essential for the survival of some influencers and lucrative to brands who can take advantage of the trust garnered by the influencer from their fans. This can even be structured with a PPC model that only pays the influencer for purchases made through a specific link unique to them thus incentivizing them to push your product and making sure you don’t pay for a dud.

In a Nutshell

We hope that the above information has helped clarify the broad terms of internet and digital marketing. If you are a local New Orleans businesses looking to make their online presence known, then you should get in contact with local experts in internet marketing and a trusted company. 

Infintech Designs is a local New Orleans marketing company that specializes in internet marketing and web development that has a proven history of being established internet reputation builders