Types of Digital Marketing: What They Are and How to Use Them Effectively
The average person spends around six and a half hours online per day — practically a full-time job. All that screen time means brands have plenty of opportunities to connect with customers. But it’s not always easy to know where to focus your digital marketing efforts.
Should you pour your money into Google Ads? Share photos on Facebook? Or rework your website with more keywords?
For most businesses, the answer is all of the above — and more. A mix of approaches helps you reach more people and get results. This guide breaks down the most popular types of digital marketing and how to add them to your toolkit.
Types of Digital Marketing for Business Growth
What are the types of digital marketing that work best for small businesses? Here are six affordable options to consider for your next marketing campaigns — no fancy tech skills necessary.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Ideally, your campaign should include a mixture of inbound vs. outbound marketing. Since search engine optimization brings in traffic organically, it falls under the umbrella of inbound.
This approach aims to increase the chances that search engines will show your content in relevant search results. For example, if someone searches for “Kia Soul maintenance,” your blog might pop up if it includes similar keywords.
SEO works best for content-heavy and service-based websites, especially when you localize it. Here are a few effective tactics:
- Use a keyword research tool to detect local keywords — like “Phoenix engine replacement” or “jeep dealer Ohio” — and include them in your website.
- Add concise meta-descriptions to help search algorithms understand your content.
- Compress images so your pages load faster.
- Write how-to guides and well-researched articles that other creators may backlink to.
SEO progress usually isn’t obvious or fast, but that doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) like keyword rankings and web traffic to see if you’re on the right track.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Pay-per-click platforms like Google Ads let you market to very specific target audiences, such as female 4Runner owners in Colorado. They only charge you when users actually click your ads, and you can set any budget you like.
Unlike SEO, this digital marketing strategy gets your content in front of leads instantly. It’s ideal for short-term campaigns or competitive markets, where it can be more challenging to stand out organically.
Customize your PPC advertising with different bidding strategies and campaign structures. For example, Google lets you choose cost-per-click bidding (perfect for getting more web traffic) or cost-per-view (for video ads).
Once you’ve launched your campaign, track your performance with these digital marketing KPIs:
- Click-through rate
- Cost-per-click
- Cost per lead
Content Marketing
Content creation is a great way to attract and educate customers who are already interested in your services. Research what your audience wants to learn about (surveys are helpful here), so you can focus on the most valuable topics.
Here are a few types of content to experiment with:
- Blog posts
- E-books
- How-to guides
- Infographics
- Videos
Plan a calendar that includes a mix of evergreen (or always popular) and trending content. For example, you might create a series of weekly blog posts covering different kinds of car maintenance. And once a quarter, you could share a video reviewing trendy auto products or new vehicle models.
Use these KPIs to monitor your content marketing:
- Average time on page
- Conversions, such as how many people filled out a form on your blog page
- Web traffic
Social Media Marketing
Around 94% of internet users spend time on social media platforms, making them one of the best ways to connect.
Each platform attracts different demographics, so research where your specific audience spends time online. Older professionals often visit Facebook and LinkedIn, while TikTok is Gen Z’s playground.
Once you’ve figured out where to find your customers, cater your posts to each platform’s norms. That doesn’t mean you can’t recycle content for different websites — just make sure to tweak it so it fits in. LinkedIn, for instance, typically favors text-heavy posts with professional language. You can adapt this content for Facebook by making the tone more conversational and adding an emoji or two (something that wouldn’t fly on LinkedIn).
Consider paying for social media ads to reach more people. You can also invest in influencer marketing by collaborating with creators in your niche.
To measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing strategy, track engagement rate (comments, reposts, etc.), impressions, and follower growth.
Email Marketing
Email is a natural addition to any digital marketing strategy. It’s budget-friendly and has a short learning curve, so it’s perfect for busy business owners.
Here are a few common types of marketing emails:
- Welcome series with product spotlights and an introductory offer (25% off your first oil change!)
- Abandoned cart emails to nudge customers to complete purchases
- Monthly e-newsletters with announcements, deals, and other helpful content
Email marketing tools like Constant Contact or Mailchimp make it easy to personalize messages. You can segment your audience based on their interests or past behavior and automatically customize your emails accordingly.
See how customers interact with your emails by monitoring these KPIs:
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Open rate
- Unsubscribes
Affiliate Marketing
Partnering with affiliates is a low-stakes way to grow your online marketing. It’s especially popular with e-commerce businesses because affiliates don’t have to handle any products.
The premise is simple: Outside creators promote your products or services through social media, blogs, and other digital channels. Every time they earn a sale, you pay them a commission. If they don’t sell, you don’t owe anything (kind of like PPC).
Platforms like ClickBank and CJ Affiliate generate unique referral links, which automatically track what each affiliate sells. That way, you can pay commissions accurately.
This software can also help you track KPIs, like cost per acquisition and the number of sales per affiliate.
Marketing Automation
Juggling different types of digital marketing can be time-consuming, especially when you’ve got an overflowing to-do list. Save time by using automation tools to handle the most repetitive tasks.
Here are a few helpful platforms:
- Optimize HQ: Manage all your social media channels in a single dashboard. Save time by launching posts across multiple platforms simultaneously and automatically gathering reviews from all your social accounts.
- ActiveCampaign: Tracks and responds to customer behavior with automatic interactions. For example, you might send a lead a coupon if they visit a product page but leave without buying it.
- HubSpot: Automatically scores leads and flags the people most likely to become paying customers.
Want to see if your automation efforts are paying off? Keep an eye on lead engagement, revenue generated, and workflow completion rate.
Blending Channels Into a Cohesive Strategy
To recap, there are eight types of digital marketing strategies:
- SEO
- PPC advertising
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Email marketing
- Affiliate marketing
- Marketing automation
These digital marketing channels can work hand-in-hand to make your business truly memorable. You could promote your SEO content on social media and email. Or invite influencers to become affiliates or vice versa, giving them more opportunities to earn.
As you plan your cross-channel campaign, consider your goals and resources. For example, if you’re on a tight budget, start with more affordable methods like social media and email marketing. On the other hand, if you want fast sales, you might pair PPC with follow-up emails. Just be sure your messaging is consistent across every platform — you want to build trust, not confuse people.
Choosing the Right Digital Mix for Your Business Goals
While traditional marketing hasn’t completely disappeared (hello, billboards), digital channels give you more opportunities for personalization and creative expression.
The most effective digital marketing strategies often blend several techniques. Consider your target audience, budget, and goals as you pick your channels. And don’t be afraid to switch it up if something’s not working.
Need help getting started? Optimize Digital Marketing can help you plan a strong campaign, understand the latest trends, and get the best return on investment.