Digital Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: A Detailed Comparison

In today’s digital age, companies rely on online marketing strategies to reach their target audience and achieve business goals. Two of the most popular digital marketing approaches are digital marketing and social media marketing. At first glance, they may seem similar – after all they both use online platforms and digital technologies. However, there are some key differences between the two that companies need to understand.

In this comprehensive guide, we will compare digital marketing and social media marketing to help you determine the right strategy for your business.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing refers to any online marketing effort that uses digital technologies like websites email, apps and social media to connect with potential customers. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines including

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Marketing Analytics

The goal of digital marketing is to promote a business and its products or services through digital channels in order to attract new leads and customers. Businesses use digital marketing to build brand awareness, engage with customers, generate traffic to their website and boost sales.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is a component of digital marketing that involves specifically using social media platforms to promote a brand. The most popular social media sites used in marketing include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest.

The goal of social media marketing is to produce engaging content that sparks conversations with your target audience. This helps build brand awareness, increase website traffic and generate leads. You can promote content through organic posting or social media ads.

Key social media marketing activities include:

• Creating and managing social media profiles
• Growing an audience of followers
• Posting text, image and video content
• Engaging with followers by liking and commenting
• Running contests and giveaways
• Placing targeted social media ads
• Analyzing performance with analytics

The Main Differences Between the Two

Now that we’ve defined both terms, let’s discuss the key differences between digital marketing and social media marketing:

Focus

• Digital marketing has a broad focus that spans various online channels beyond just social media.
• Social media marketing has a narrower focus solely on social platforms.

Goals

• Digital marketing goals can vary widely depending on the company. Goals may include increasing website traffic, generating leads, boosting brand awareness, reducing marketing costs, etc.
• The primary goals of social media marketing are to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and generate leads by engaging followers.

Platforms and Channels

• Digital marketing utilizes a variety of online platforms and channels like company websites, search engines, email, and social media.
• Social media marketing centers around the major social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.

Strategies and Tactics

• Digital marketing strategies can include SEO, content marketing, pay-per-click ads, email marketing campaigns, affiliate programs, online public relations, etc.
• The main social media marketing tactics include creating engaging text, image and video content, using hashtags, running contests, responding to audience comments and placing social media ads.

Audience Targeting

• Digital marketing allows marketers to target users based on various data like demographics, interests, behaviors, keywords and more across multiple channels.
• Social media marketing focuses on targeting specific follower groups and social users based on information like age, interests, behaviors and location.

Metrics and KPIs

• Key digital marketing metrics include website traffic, lead generation, sales, return on investment (ROI) on campaigns, etc.
• For social media marketing, main KPIs are audience growth, engagement rate, click-through rate, impressions and reach.

Marketing Roles

• Digital marketers require broader knowledge and skills in areas like PPC, SEO, email marketing, analytics and more.
• Social media marketers need expertise specifically in creating engaging social content, community management, platform best practices and social ad campaigns.

When Should You Use Each Strategy?

Now that you understand the difference between the two approaches, here’s guidance on when to use digital marketing vs social media marketing:

Best Cases for Digital Marketing

• Your priority is driving website traffic and conversions across the entire buyer’s journey.
• You want to increase brand visibility across various online platforms.
• Your goal is to capture leads through multiple online channels.
• You have the budget and resources to manage a larger spectrum of digital marketing activities.

Best Cases for Social Media Marketing

• Your main goal is increasing brand awareness and engaging your audience.
• You want to promote your content and tell stories about your brand.
• You’re targeting a demographic that is highly active on social media.
• You have limited budget but want to boost online presence in a specific channel.

For most businesses today, the best approach is to utilize both digital marketing and social media marketing together in an integrated strategy.

You can align your efforts on social media with broader digital marketing campaigns for a greater impact on reaching and converting your audience. Having unified messaging and strategies across all channels will help maximize your digital presence.

Key Takeaways

• Digital marketing is a broad umbrella term for all online marketing efforts while social media marketing refers specifically to marketing on social platforms.

• Digital marketing aims to achieve wider business goals like increasing revenue while social media marketing is focused on brand awareness and engagement.

• Digital marketing uses various online channels like email and websites while social media marketing centers around social platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

• Digital marketing requires general knowledge of different disciplines while social media marketing needs expertise in specific platforms.

• Most businesses need an integrated digital and social approach to reach today’s online audiences effectively.

So in closing, digital marketing and social media marketing are related but distinct strategies. Understanding the differences allows you to determine the right approach to support your specific marketing and business needs. With the right implementation, both digital and social can provide tremendous value in promoting your brand and reaching new customers.