If you’ve ever wondered what digital marketing is and how it works, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re an aspiring marketer, business owner, or just curious about the digital space, understanding the fundamentals of digital marketing is crucial in today’s fast-paced world.
This course is Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, where we will discuss foundational concepts across digital and performance marketing. This course contains everything you might come across in digital marketing or performance marketing. While it won’t go into detail, it will provide a quick snapshot of the whole industry.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for absolute beginners—those just starting in digital marketing. It serves as the first step for anyone looking to build a career in digital marketing or grow their business. The industry is crowded and full of noise, making it difficult to understand the basics. This course will give you a holistic view of digital marketing before you specialize. It will also be helpful for interview preparation, as we will cover fundamental concepts, terminology, and thought processes that digital marketers need.
What Should You Expect from This Course?
- Understanding of all digital marketing concepts in the current industry.
- Familiarity with digital marketing and readiness to specialize.
Will This Course Cover Any Module in Detail?
No, this is a fundamental course. It provides an overview of all digital marketing modules but does not go into depth on any specific topic like PPC or SEO.
What Can You Do After This Course?
After completing this course, you can specialize in one of the digital marketing modules or pursue any career within the digital marketing space. It is beneficial for anyone working in PR, digital sales, or any related field.
What Does This Course Contain?
The course consists of 14 modules, structured to be engaging and easy to follow. A lot of thought has gone into dividing the course effectively. This course is equivalent to a diploma, if not better, as I have reviewed multiple diploma curriculums to ensure it covers everything. Unlike some diploma courses, this one includes real-life professional examples.
There will be quizzes throughout the course, which I will guide you through. All quizzes, important resources, and additional materials will be in the description or on my website.
How to Use This Course Effectively
- Attempt the quizzes.
- Take notes.
- Always revisit the basics.
Is Digital Marketing a Good Career Choice?
Yes, digital marketing is an excellent career choice. I have been in the industry for almost a decade and highly recommend it.
Is Digital Marketing Useful for Growing a Business?
Yes, digital marketing skills are essential for business growth. Whether you run your own campaigns or outsource them, understanding digital marketing ensures you can measure effectiveness and avoid being misled. Beyond job readiness, digital marketing also helps you become a digital entrepreneur.
Who Am I?
If you’re new to the articles, my name is Bright Tomegah, and I’ve been a digital marketer for almost a decade.Course Sections and Modules
The course consists of 14 modules:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing
- Digital Marketing Terminology
- Digital Marketing Formats and Sizes
- Digital Marketing Audience
- Marketing Research and Competitor Analysis
- Digital Marketing Channels
- Web Analytics and Reporting
- Website Development
- Creative Development and Content Creation
- Automation and Tools
- Media Planning and Strategy
- Performance Marketing
- First Module: Introduction to Digital Marketing
Before we dive in, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of digital marketing. Let’s begin!
Digital marketing today is heavily data-driven, but at its core, it is still marketing. According to the Oxford Dictionary, marketing is “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services.” It is a process developed by companies to promote their offerings and grow their business.
A business can be broadly categorized into two types:
- Product-based companies – These sell physical goods, such as Adidas (shoes), Nike, and Apple.
- Service-based companies – These offer services, such as a training institute, school, or clinic.
- Hybrid companies – Some businesses, like Amazon, operate as both. Amazon provides a marketplace (a service) while also selling its own products under Amazon Basics.
The Marketing Funnel
The marketing funnel is a widely used concept in marketing and digital marketing. It represents the stages a customer goes through before making a purchase. Different companies may structure it slightly differently, but the fundamental stages are:
- Awareness
- In terms of marketing initiatives, an awareness campaign aims to make people aware of a company, product, or service. For example, if Uber launches in Egypt, they may run YouTube ads to announce their arrival.
- In terms of audience, the awareness bucket consists of people who know about the company. If a country has a population of 10 million, and 3 million people recognize a brand, those 3 million form the awareness bucket.
- Interest
- This stage consists of people who show interest in the brand, product, or service. This is typically measured by website visits, ad clicks, or social media engagement.
- If Uber has been in Egypt for three years, they may run an interest campaign to further engage users who are aware of them but haven’t used their services.
- Consideration
- At this stage, potential customers are evaluating options. For instance, if someone is planning to buy a car, they may consider various brands like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan but not Renault.
- A brand can run marketing initiatives to increase consideration, such as showing ads on car review websites or demonstrating unique features to convince customers.
- Intent
- This stage is an extension of consideration. Customers show strong interest but may not have finalized their decision.
- Brands focus on campaigns to drive intent, such as limited-time offers, testimonials, or comparison ads to encourage buyers.
- Purchase
- The final stage is when the customer makes a purchase.
- Companies may run direct response campaigns, such as Google Search ads targeting terms like “best fuel-efficient car in UAE,” ensuring their brand appears at the top when potential customers are ready to buy.
The marketing funnel helps businesses strategize their campaigns effectively, targeting potential customers at different stages of their journey.
Who already has intent—if they are searching for these things, we just want to be there. That will be in terms of marketing initiatives. This is a theoretical concept, but it will be clearer as we go ahead in this course. For now, this is very important to remember.
Offline Vs Online marketing
Now that we know a bit about marketing, it’s time to divide marketing into offline and online so that we can take our route towards online marketing.
You will hear a lot about offline and online marketing.
Offline and online marketing—what exactly is it?
Offline marketing refers to any channel that is not internet-based, while online marketing, digital marketing, or performance marketing refers to internet-based channels.
For example, offline advertising includes TV, radio, newspapers, and outdoor billboards. Online advertising includes digital marketing channels like Facebook, social media, websites, emails, and digital billboards. Some digital billboards, known as digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, are purchased through digital marketing, whereas traditional printed billboards remain part of offline advertising.
The shift from offline to online marketing happened because companies moved their budgets from offline advertising to digital marketing. Traditional advertising, which has existed for hundreds of years through newspapers, radio, and TV, started losing its share to digital platforms. Digital marketing emerged a few decades ago, starting with Yahoo’s first banner advertisement and then Google search ads. The budgets once spent on offline advertising were redirected to digital marketing.
According to Statista, an estimated $566 billion will be spent on online advertising alone. This figure excludes marketing budgets allocated to social media managers and content creators. This shift happened because of two main reasons:
- Measurable Return on Ad Spend (ROAS):
- Offline advertising used to be measured by sponsorships, program timing, and channels, making it difficult to quantify the exact impact. However, digital marketing allows companies to measure ROAS in real-time.
- Companies can now track how much profit is generated for every dollar spent on online advertising, making it easier to justify ad spending.
- Accessibility for Small Businesses:
- Previously, only large companies with massive budgets could afford advertising. Digital marketing changed that by allowing small businesses to invest in advertising and track their return.
- Small businesses, such as retail shops and e-commerce stores, can now run affordable and measurable campaigns.
Benefits of Digital Marketing Over Offline Marketing:
- Optimization and Real-Time Adjustments:
- In offline advertising, campaigns are fixed once booked, making it impossible to adjust mid-way.
- In digital marketing, businesses can modify campaigns in real-time by changing creatives, targeting, and strategies.
- A campaign can run for just two hours to test effectiveness, allowing for quick adjustments.
- Investment Flexibility:
- Offline advertising requires massive upfront investments.
- Digital marketing allows small businesses to start with minimal budgets and scale as needed.
- Advertisers can increase, decrease, or pause budgets at any time.
Digital marketing has revolutionized the advertising industry by making marketing measurable, cost-effective, and accessible to all business sizes.
Digital Marketing vs. Traditional Advertising: Key Differences and Advantages
Customization in Digital Marketing
Traditional advertising methods, such as newspapers (e.g., Times of India) or billboards, offer limited customization. Once an ad is printed or installed, it remains static for the duration of the campaign. In contrast, digital marketing provides extensive customization options:
- Campaigns can be tailored to specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Advertisers can create separate campaigns for different target groups (e.g., Nike showcasing male influencers to a male audience and female products to a female audience).
- Digital ads can be modified in real time. For instance, if a company is running a 15-day winter sale, they can update creatives midway to enhance engagement.
- Time-based targeting allows advertisers to display specific ads at different times of the day. A food delivery app, for example, can schedule breakfast ads from 8 AM to 12 PM, lunch ads from 11 AM to 2 PM, and dinner ads in the evening. This significantly improves ad performance.
Targeting Capabilities in Digital Marketing
Traditional advertising casts a wide net, often leading to wasted budget due to irrelevant reach. Digital marketing allows advertisers to:
- Geo-target ads: A food delivery service operating only in select cities within a country can limit its campaigns to those cities, unlike TV or newspaper ads that reach the entire country.
- Retarget potential customers: Real estate companies, for example, can retarget users who clicked on their ads but didn’t contact them by offering incentives such as discounts or waivers.
- Segment audiences: Ads can be tailored to specific groups based on age, interests, and behavior.
Global Reach and Efficiency
For businesses with international operations, managing advertising through multiple traditional media suppliers can be complex. Digital marketing offers:
- The ability to run and manage campaigns globally from a single location.
- Programmatic outdoor advertising, allowing companies to book digital billboards in foreign countries without being physically present.
Reaching the Right Audience
Younger demographics have moved away from traditional media such as TV, radio, and newspapers. Digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify have become essential for targeting teenagers and young adults.
Objectives of Digital Marketing
Companies invest in digital marketing for various reasons, which can be categorized into three main objectives:
1. Awareness
Companies running branding campaigns focus on metrics like impressions and reach.
- Telecom providers (e.g., Airtel, Jio, O2) often run awareness campaigns to promote new services or national day celebrations.
- News outlets (e.g., Sky News Arabia, BBC) measure success based on the reach and impressions of their articles and videos.
2. Engagement
Some companies prioritize engagement over awareness. Metrics include:
- Completed video views: News agencies measure engagement by tracking how many people watch full videos.
- Website traffic: Bloggers or businesses launching new platforms focus on driving visitors to their sites.
- App installs and re-engagement:
- Gaming apps or services like Uber aim to increase app downloads.
- Companies also re-engage inactive users by targeting those who installed the app but haven’t used it recently.
3. Conversion
Businesses seeking direct results from their campaigns focus on lead generation and sales.
- Real estate companies drive leads by encouraging users to download brochures in exchange for their contact details.
- E-commerce brands (e.g., Amazon) focus on sales, measuring success based on the number of purchases made through digital ads.
Evolving Objectives
A company’s objectives often shift over time. For example, an e-commerce site entering a new market may initially focus on awareness. Once awareness is achieved, they shift toward engagement and conversions to drive sales.