Digital marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s what matters most.
Dav Nash
14 min read
Digital marketing has transformed the way businesses and brands sell and promote products and services, but what is digital marketing? You may be familiar with this business buzzword, but what does it actually mean?
If this burning question is driving you mad, have no fear. This comprehensive guide has all the info you need to demystify the concept and understand why digital marketing is so pivotal in 2025.
Stats show that digital marketing has become increasingly commonplace. We all use social media. So every business must have active profiles and an ingenious social strategy, right? You’d think so. But did you know that only 60% of UK small businesses have a digital marketing strategy? That means that 40% are missing out on the wonders of cutting-edge marketing methods (source).
If you’re new to digital marketing, or you’re looking to up your game and boost results, this is the guide for you.
Mastering the basics is always a good place to start. Before you start drawing up budgets or contacting digital marketing agencies, it’s worth getting to grips with what digital marketing is.
‘What is digital marketing?’ may seem like a simple question. But if you don’t currently use online marketing channels or techniques, or you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, the acronyms SEO, PPC and CTR may as well be a foreign language. That’s about to change.
The basic concept of digital marketing revolves around using digital methods, channels and platforms to market goods and services. Any marketing campaign that features email, social media or paid ads, for example, showcases digital marketing in action.
Digital marketing hasn’t replaced traditional marketing. In reality, the two often go hand-in-hand, particularly when strategies focus on local customers and specific areas. There’s no reason why you can’t mix and match. Think of your marketing strategy as a smorgasbord or buffet of carefully selected marketing methods. The channels you choose should always align with your objectives and target audience.
There’s an ever-growing collection of digital marketing methods. A real treat for marketers and business owners alike, digital techniques offer myriad benefits. From increasing lead creation and driving web traffic to tapping into new trends and reaching huge audiences, it’s worth getting clued up on the latest digital platforms, methods and trends.
Examples of digital marketing include:
There’s a reason why spending on digital marketing has skyrocketed in the last decade. In fact, there are tons. In 2025, global digital advertising investment will hit more than $510 billion, according to Statista.
Here are some billion-dollar reasons to jump on the bandwagon and get involved:
One of the best things about digital marketing is the opportunity to reach new audiences. Social media has billions of active users. Now, sharing a post might not get you a billion likes and thousands of orders. But having a presence online and using digital platforms to promote and sell products and services can have a massive impact.
Digital communications and devices remove barriers. Remember the days when you could only buy items if you went to an actual shop? Those are long gone. Now, you can access products at the touch of a button.
By embracing online advertising, you can reach web users across the world either via your website or through social media, paid advertising or an app. You can bulldoze those physical barriers instantly and connect with customers you could never have dreamed of enticing years ago.
Digital advertising also enables you to target different audiences by tailoring campaigns to suit your ideal buyer. If you have a diverse product range, for example, think of your digital marketing strategy as a Swiss army knife. First, identify your buyer and pull out the relevant weapon or utensil. Second, lure them in.
Just to make sure the point about global reach hits, take a look at these staggering stats:
Digital marketing offers golden opportunities for businesses to target specific customers and demographics. This is important for two key reasons: 1, you’re providing relevant content for your customers and 2, you’re investing money and time in strategies that have the best chance of success.
Streamlining is key. Not only can you optimise lead quality. You can also weed out the ads/posts/messages that will almost certainly fall flat. This is critical because it will help you boost ROI. The bigger the ROI, the higher your profits (as long as you keep an eye on your bottom line).
To craft a targeted campaign, the first commandment is to define your ideal buyer. Focus on that customer. Get to know them. Find out everything. Talk, engage and interrogate them (in a non-aggressive way). Use the nuggets of information they provide to shape your marketing campaign.
Market research is vital when deciding everything from fonts and colours to brand names, packaging, promotions and pricing. Crucially, it will also help you narrow your options and choose the best channels, platforms and marketing techniques.
The more you know about your target buyer, the better the chances of using digital marketing to achieve your objectives. Never scrimp on the research. This is digital marketing 101.
I know what you’re thinking. This sparkling, state-of-the-art digital marketing strategy you talk about may sound brilliant but it’s not realistic. Yes, digital marketing can be expensive. But, and it’s a huge but, it can also be incredibly cost-effective. Now, you’re interested, right?
You don’t need to blow your budget to get results. In fact, online advertising can help you boost your income while lowering costs by maximising your ROI. ROI varies according to budgets, marketing methods and industry trends. To give you an idea, a recent Google study suggested an astonishing average ROI of $8 per $1 ad spend.
You may be surprised to hear that the olde worlde marketing techniques we know as ‘traditional marketing’ are often more expensive than the new methods on the block. Data from the Content Marketing Institute shows that digital advertising costs around 60% less than traditional marketing.
As if this wasn’t persuasive enough, the average ad generates more than three times as many leads. That’s a dazzling double whammy for business owners and marketers.
Honestly, how long do you spend staring at your phone or tapping away on a device every day? Screen time is increasing. More and more people own smartphones, digital devices and tablets. The point is traditional marketing has a place, but businesses can benefit from moving with the times.
Social media is part of everyday life. The average person spends 2 hours every day on social platforms. 99% of people check their emails daily (source) and almost 80% of people perform three Google searches per day.
Digital marketing enables you to tap into new trends and cater to changing consumer preferences. Over 80% of UK buyers shop online and more than 95% search for local businesses online.
If you’re a data buff, we bring great news! Another major benefit of online advertising is the ease of tracking and measuring success. If you live for talking about KPIs, it’s never been simpler to monitor progress using accurate, real-time data.
Analytics tools enable you to set key metrics and measure as you go. This is revolutionary stuff. Gone are the days of guesswork and making decisions based on a hunch or a sparse set of figures.
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to be a spreadsheet specialist to reap the rewards of analytics. Anyone can benefit from software and tools that collect targeted data.
If you don’t have the time or perhaps the inclination (numbers aren’t everyone’s bag), it’s worth enlisting the services of a digital marketing agency. They can pore over the data for you, helping you boost performance levels with no need to test your parietal lobe.
It has never been more important to engage and interact with buyers.
There are many reasons. Firstly, engaged customers spend an average of over 60% more per transaction (source). Secondly, they’re more likely to be loyal. Thirdly, there’s a lower risk of losing out to competitors. Finally, happy customers recommend businesses, helping you bring in new clients.
All of the magical benefits of effective digital marketing campaigns point in one direction: Increasing sales. For many marketers and company owners, this is a primary objective. Creating and delivering targeted campaigns that excite buyers, actively engage with customers and convince them to choose your brand will lead to an uptick in sales.
It’s tough to stand out in the modern marketplace. But it’s even more challenging if you don’t have an online presence. As screen time increases and people favour online shopping and digital searches for products and services, online marketing is an effective way to put your brand on the map. From social media to SEO and local SEO, embracing digital methods will make your brand much more accessible and visible.
SEO. Perhaps the most talked-about digital marketing strategy out there. The star of the online advertising show.
We all use search engines, but what is SEO and why is an SEO strategy important?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It’s a digital marketing technique, which connects customers with businesses via online search engines. The aim of the SEO game is to get to the top and stay there. Nobody wants to languish on page 3 of the search results. Over 75% of people will never make it past the end of page 1.
So why is an SEO strategy so vital? The task for businesses and marketing teams is to make sure their links are visible at the top of the first page. The quest may seem simple. But there are complexities and obstacles aplenty. SEO is not for the amateur. From algorithms and keyword research to crafting original, optimised, high-quality content, expertise is essential.
Almost 70% of online experiences now start with a search engine. Local SEO has grown rapidly. More than 85% of smartphone users will either contact or visit a business within 24 hours of performing a local search.
A good SEO strategy should cover the following points:
Data from Sprout Social suggests that 90% of consumers buy from brands they follow on socials. If you want to make social media marketing work for you, here are some top tips:
Email marketing involves sending targeted, promotional emails to contacts. Building email lists is a brilliant way to drum up interest and gently push customers through the sales funnel.
Statista data shows there will be over 4.7 billion email users by 2026. Email marketing is effective due to the prevalence and popularity of email accounts, but it’s also impactful. In some industries, the ROI for email marketing is an astounding 3600% (source).
This eye-watering figure may have hooked you in. That’s understandable. It is worth noting, however, that not all email marketing campaigns set the world alight. There’s a very real risk of forking out money and not getting much in return. To counter this threat, here are some email marketing best practice guidelines:
If you’ve ever searched for a product online, there’s every chance you’ve come across PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. The ads you see at the top or side of the page are paid ads, which are designed to entice you to click and buy.
PPC works by persuading customers to click on an ad. The advertiser pays a fee per click. You’ll find paid ads and sponsored links on search engines and social media.
The key to PPC lies in a good strategy. If you don’t have a watertight plan, you run the risk of wasting a lot of cash. Here are some essential tips:
Content is king.
You may have seen this mantra emblazoned in marketing guides. It may seem a little dramatic, but it’s largely true. Effective content creation for digital platforms can have an amazing impact.
High-quality, targeted, optimised content can make your brand more visible and accessible online, enhance authority, credibility and trust and drive traffic to your website, online store, social feeds or physical premises.
The aim is clear, but how do you craft compelling content that converts?
There’s no single answer to this question. In truth, a brilliant content marketing campaign involves several elements. These include:
One of the most fantastic things about digital marketing is the ability to measure success. Today, we are surrounded and bombarded by data. To the average person, it may be a pain. To marketers and business owners, it’s a godsend.
Analytics tools and software enable you to measure success, outline key metrics and track performance levels. You can set KPIs in line with your business objectives and check the data in real time.
Analytics enable you to spot errors or weaknesses and identify and implement solutions. In a nutshell, you can see where you’re going wrong and what you’re doing right.
Gathering data gives you the power to make well-informed decisions. Not only is this crucial for avoiding mistakes and managing risks. It’s also an effective way to optimise ROI and campaign efficacy.
If you’re not comfortable with data, stats and charts, team up with digital marketing experts. Agencies specialise in drawing up campaigns and strategies, but they also monitor and measure success.
You may think you know what digital marketing is, but do you really know what it means and why it’s important? Digital marketing is a modern-day phenomenon, which has the potential to help businesses thrive. The catch is that it’s not a miracle cure or a magic spell. To succeed, you have to understand how it works and how to get results.
Starting with the basics and learning the answers to the question, ‘What is digital marketing?’ will help you lay a strong foundation. In short, digital marketing is a form of marketing that uses digital and online channels, methods and platforms. Examples include social media marketing, SEO, PPC and email marketing.
Embracing digital marketing can help brands cater to evolving consumer trends and preferences and enhance online visibility. An effective, targeted digital strategy can help you boost lead creation and conversion, raise brand awareness, enhance customer engagement, reach vast audiences, maximise ROI and increase sales.
If you’re convinced, why not see how a professional digital marketing agency could help transform your business?
