What is Digital Marketing?
In the simplest terms, digital marketing is about promoting products or services using digital channels. It’s like traditional marketing’s younger, flashier sibling – the one that’s always on their phone and knows what a ‘meme’ is.
Think of the internet as a massive, never-ending street market.
Digital marketing is how you set up your stall in this market. It involves a whole smorgasbord of tactics and channels:
- Your website (your virtual shop window)
- Social media (your chatty market trader)
- Emails (your personalised flyers)
- Search engines (the signposts pointing to your stall)
In the digital world, your goal is to get people to your virtual ‘stall’, convince them to stay a while, and hopefully, part with their hard-earned cash.
(Without the awkward haggling)
You want them to like your stall enough to tell their friends about it, maybe even leave a nice review:
‘Great stall, 5 stars, would browse again.’ 😙👌
So, digital marketing is essentially about making connections with people in the digital world.
It’s about understanding how people behave online, what they like, what they don’t like, and how to get them to notice you without resorting to wearing a sandwich board and shouting in the street – unless that’s your thing, of course.
In conclusion, digital marketing is not just about selling; it’s about storytelling, engaging, and building relationships.
It’s a bit like making friends at a pub.
You’ve got to be interesting, relevant, and, most importantly, not too pushy – nobody likes that person who talks only about themselves all night.
(Boring 🥱)
Importance of understanding digital marketing for beginners
Now, why should beginners care about digital marketing?
Well, for starters, it’s best to know the rules of the road before you start driving, right? You don’t want to be that person who ends up driving on the pavement, do you?
No?
I thought so.
In today’s world, not understanding digital marketing is akin to still using a Nokia 3310 (Loved that phone) in the smartphone era – charmingly retro but not very practical.
It’s where your audience is spending most of their time, probably ignoring their loved ones and scrolling through cat videos.
By understanding digital marketing, you’re essentially learning how to join that conversation.
Plus, who doesn’t want to be part of a conversation about cats? 🙀
For small businesses and start-ups, digital marketing is the great leveller.
With a bit of savvy and a few clever tactics, you can elbow your way into your customer’s line of sight.
Much like a senior citizen trying to queue-jump at Greggs, without being noticed.
Understanding the basics of digital marketing helps you make informed decisions.
Do we put the milk in first or the tea?
A subject of much debate, but important for achieving the desired outcome.
(Definitely milk first for me – soz)
You’ll learn where to spend your money and, crucially, where not to.
Nobody wants to pour their budget down the drain, or worse, into the hands of someone promising to ‘get you to the top of Google’ for the price of a small yacht.
(Seriously, these people still exist!)
For the job seekers and career changers among us, having a grasp of digital marketing is vital.
It’s a skill that’s increasingly in demand; much like a good plumber, gardener or cat whisperer.
In short, understanding digital marketing is not just about selling stuff. It’s about understanding how the modern world communicates, makes decisions, and ultimately, how it functions.
It’s the difference between being a passive bystander and an active participant in the digital age.
You don’t need to become the next digital guru, but a little knowledge might just save you from becoming digital roadkill.
