Social Media Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: What Every Business Needs to Know

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, every business needs a strong online presence. With more marketing options than ever before, navigating the world of social media marketing and digital marketing can be overwhelming. Should you focus on social media campaigns, or do you steer towards a broader digital strategy? Understanding how these two marketing methods differ and complement each other can help you make smarter marketing decisions. In this article, we’ll be exploring the differences, types, scope, and best applications of social media marketing vs. digital marketing so you can find out which strategy works best for your goals.

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What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing refers to any form of marketing that utilizes digital technology, including electronic devices and the Internet. It’s an umbrella term that includes a wide range of online marketing strategies designed to connect to target audiences across digital channels. 

Types of Digital Marketing

If any of your marketing strategies involve digital communication, it falls under digital marketing. Types of digital marketing you’re probably familiar with are:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Boosts website visibility through organic search rankings.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Drives traffic via paid advertisements on platforms like Google Ads.
• Social Media Marketing: Engages audiences through social media platforms.
• Email Marketing: Converts leads with targeted email campaigns.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing can be defined as the use of social media platforms to promote brands, products, or services. It relies on engaging content, community interaction, and advertising to increase online presence across platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc. to drive sales. If you’ve spotted it on the list of digital marketing examples above, you guessed it. Social media marketing is essentially a subset of digital marketing. 

Types of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing comes in many forms, building connections across various sites. Different types of social media marketing include: 

• Content Creation: Attracts and retains customers with valuable content through posts, stories, videos, etc.
• Influencer Collaboration: Leverages influencers to build trust and promote products or services.
• Social Media Advertising: Uses paid ads on social media platforms to boost visibility and conversions.
• User Generated Content (UGC): Encourages followers to create and share content for promotion through community engagement.

Social Media Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Understanding Key Differences

Many people assume that social media marketing and digital marketing are interchangeable. While social media marketing is powerful, it serves as only one piece of the puzzle. In actuality, digital marketing delves into broader functions beyond social media. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences between digital marketing and social media marketing:

1. Scope of Activities: Digital marketing encompasses all online marketing efforts through email, social media, newsletters, and blogs as well as via digital media for television, live billboards etc. Social media marketing operates exclusively on social media sites, channels, and forums. 
2. Primary Goals: Although increasing brand visibility takes precedent in both, digital marketing works towards broader objectives for the business, aiming for lead generation and conversions. Social Media Marketing has comparatively narrower targets centering on building brand identity and community engagement through interactive content.
3. Tools Utilized: Digital marketing includes the use of SEO software, email marketing platforms, data analytics tools and more. Social media marketing employs social media management tools and platform-specific analytics, making only a fraction of digital marketing tools relevant here.

To put things into perspective, the responsibility of a digital marketer is to optimize a brand’s overall online presence and conversions. A digital marketer may have to analyze website performance, run search engine ads, and run email campaigns in their scope of work. A social media marketer’s job, on the other hand, is to craft engaging posts, monitor trends, and interact with followers daily. A social media marketer specializes in growing an audience for brand awareness and engagement, rather than direct conversions.

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Strategic Approach: Social Media Marketing vs. Digital Marketing

Ultimately, choosing between digital marketing and social media marketing isn't really a matter of either/or. It’s about leveraging social media as part of a comprehensive digital marketing approach. 

If your goal is to build brand awareness and engage with a large, active audience in a conversational space, social media marketing might be the right place to invest more resources. Creating targeted social media ads can be a cost-effective way to grow visibility. 

Your marketing decision should, however, reflect available resources apart from costs as well. Effective social media marketing requires frequent updates, active engagement, and consistent content creation. On the other hand, digital marketing strategies like automated ad campaigns can be less time-intensive once set up.

All pros and cons weighed, it’s important to remember social media alone doesn't cover the full spectrum of digital marketing needs. If your business goals include targeting specific behaviors (like website visits or purchases) or building long-term relationships with potential clients, social media marketing should be just one component of a larger digital marketing strategy. This is where digital marketing strategies like SEO, PPC ads, and email marketing offer more direct pathways.

The lesson from successful businesses? Don’t miss out on either. Create your marketing plan around optimizing social media efforts to draw in an engaged audience and utilize digital marketing tactics to convert that audience into loyal customers.

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Conclusion

There’s no doubt social media is a vital tool for online engagement and branding today. But at the end of the day, social media marketing is only one of the many strategies available to businesses for a holistic digital marketing strategy. Coupled with the right digital marketing tactics, it can very well be the key to unlocking sustained growth and conversions for your business. Your first step to discovering how? Check out our blogs on social media marketing for in-depth insights on taking your digital marketing strategy to the next level.