Social Media & Digital Marketing – Are they Different?
The specific answer to the entitled question would be a yes – difference between Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing does exist.
Now… to begin from the beginning, let us put some light on the aspects at the basic level.
The extraordinary pervasiveness of computerized media has compelled business organizations, as well as the individual audience, to be more enthusiastic about getting involved in the advanced form of advertising into their regular affairs. Hence, the rise of digital marketing has put its distinct impression on the gadget-savvy audience, so does the trending social media platforms. But having similar intentions, how are these marketing tools different from each other?
We can start with the basic definition of both and then further the discussion across various aspects.
Definition:
Digital marketing caters to advertising, awareness and promotion via all the available digital channels such as SEO, Email Marketing, PPC, CRO etc. including offline marketing channels. Whereas, social media marketing provides synonymous services, but using the social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc. only. So, we can conclude the definition by stating that social media marketing is an essential part of digital marketing by the virtue of being channelized by the internet.
| Basis | Digital Marketing | Social Media Marketing |
| Platform | Any and all digital channels that can be used – ranging from TV, radio to the computer and mobile phones. | Restricted to social media platforms only. |
| Speed | Involves a comparatively lengthy process, not likely suitable for instant promotion. | Instantly connects to a larger customer base, conveying a message to thousands of people only at one click. |
| Strategy | A broad strategy that encompasses everything from how to reach the target audience to how useful it will be to create awareness. | The more specified business strategy involves effective story-building of the brand and involvement of the followers with it, in form of like, share, comment and status posts. |
| Audience | Caters to a larger mass of audience, including people who do not use social media. | Restricted to social media savvy audience, though the user percentage is quite high. |
| Engagement | Allows mainly one-way channels of communication, focusing on having a long-lasting impact upon the audience. | It is the only medium that allows direct communication with the users, in exchange for relative information and customer loyalty. |
CONCLUSION
So, now when you have a fair understanding of the tricks and techniques of digital marketing theories, the next challenge for you is to select appropriate content and channelize properly towards the targeted audience – either focusing on social media marketing or using digital marketing tool as a whole. It depends upon the tailor-made strategy devised by the experts in digital marketing agencies in Kolkata.
