What are the mainstream channels for digital marketing?

Digital marketing methods have become increasingly common, mainly including search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, event marketing, data-driven marketing, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, email marketing, display advertising and many other methods. The following will briefly introduce the most important ones.

Mainstream channels of digital marketing

Search Engine Marketing (SEM/PPC) Search Engine Marketing (SEM/PPC) refers to the way marketers reach Internet users by placing advertisements on search results pages through bidding. This method is also called Pay-Per-Click (PPC Advertising) because its billing method is that advertisers only need to pay when users click on the advertisement; if the user only sees the advertisement and does not take any action, the advertiser does not need to pay any fees. PPC ads can be run on multiple digital platforms, such as Google, Bing, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook. PPC ads can be segmented based on users’ demographics, such as by age or gender, or even targeted to their specific interests or location. Search advertising has been proven to be effective in increasing brand recognition, awareness and conversion rates. [i]

Search Engine Marketing SEM/PPC/Paid Search

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to use the rules of search engines to improve the natural ranking of websites on search pages. The purpose is to enable companies to take a leading position in the industry and obtain brand benefits.

Search Engine Optimization

Email Marketing Email Marketing is still one of the most effective digital marketing channels. Many people confuse email marketing with spam, but that’s not all there is to email marketing. Email marketing is a medium to get in touch with potential customers or people who are interested in your brand. Many digital marketers use all of their other digital marketing channels to add prospects to their email lists, and then through email marketing, they create customer acquisition funnels that convert those prospects into customers.

Email Marketing

Display Ads Display ads refer to the presentation of promotional information or creatives to consumers in the form of pictures on the display network. This method can target specific audiences, allowing them to see targeted ads on their own clients, achieving the effect of "one thousand faces for one thousand people".

Display Ads

Social Media Marketing The main goals of Social Media Marketing are brand awareness and building social trust. As you get more advanced with social media marketing, you can use it to generate leads and even as a direct sales channel.

Social Media Marketing

Affiliate Marketing Affiliate Marketing is a very mature online marketing model abroad. With affiliate marketing, influencers promote advertisers’ products and receive a commission for each sale or lead. Many well-known companies like Amazon have affiliate programs that pay millions of dollars each month to websites that sell their products. Taobao Affiliate and Taobao Alliance in China also follow a similar model. There are three main commission models for affiliate marketing: PPS (Pay Per Sale), which is charged per sale; PPL (Pay Per Lead), which is charged per lead generation; and Revshare (revenue share) model, a compromise model, in which the promoter (Affiliate) and the merchant reach an agreement and agree to give the promoter a proportional commission on all future sales of the products brought by the customers brought by the promoter.

Affiliate Marketing

Content Marketing The goal of content marketing is to reach potential customers through the use of content. Content is often published on a website and then promoted through social media, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and even PPC campaigns. Tools for content marketing include blogs, eBooks, online courses, infographics, podcasts, and webinars.

Content Marketing

Website Optimization A brand’s official website is the center of all digital marketing activities. On its own, it’s a very powerful channel, but it’s also a required medium to execute a wide variety of online marketing campaigns. A website should represent a brand, products, and services in a clear and memorable way. It should be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to use.

Website Optimization

Mainstream channels and basic elements of online digital marketing