To the uninitiated, digital marketing may seem like nothing more than using social media. The truth however is that it encompasses a lot more as can be seen from the fact that Facebook is displaying ads for the very same item that you were searching for yesterday. There is also a difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing.  

Traditional marketing
 
Traditional marketing is about using offline marketing methods such as print advertising and television as well as radio commercials, and more. The trouble with this form of marketing is content today is being created in an entirely different manner, especially after the advent of the Internet.   Today, almost four out of every five Internet users make use of the Internet to find something and about forty percent will check out multiple channels before shopping. This means that modern companies need to advertise in an entirely different manner to traditional marketing.   Of course, digital marketing will not spell the end of traditional marketing any time soon. However, there is need for marketers to adapt to changes and they need to make doubly sure that content is distributed across all channels and through a medium that is frequently and easily accessed.  

More people using mobiles than desktops
 
It may interest you to learn that mobile-only users have overtaken people who use their desktops and so it is necessary to enter the world of digital marketing in a big way. This means that marketers need to know and use both outbound as well as inbound marketing.   The former refers to marketing in almost the same way as traditional marketing. Inbound marketing on the other hand makes use of methods that attract customers to a particular website through the creation of targeted content that addresses specific issues.  

Need time, money and clear-cut goals
 
Digital marketing does require time and also a good budget. In addition, marketers that plan on using this form of marketing must have clear goals towards which they must aim all their efforts. Digital marketing does not in any way mean you can set and forget your goals. You need to constantly monitor its progress and optimize it along the way. Also, it is going to cost you some money. So, be prepared to spend.
 
Big budgets  

How much you have to spend depends on how much money is available. A big company works with larger budgets while small companies have less money to spend. When looking at the monetary aspect of digital marketing, you need to look at how much you have spent and then compare it with industry benchmarks to see which direction your campaign is heading. It also helps if you optimize your campaign so that it delivers satisfactory results.   Finally, when using digital marketing, you also need to keep track of things like page activity. One major advantage of digital marketing is you can track as well as analyze how users are behaving and acting before making their decisions. You can track the depth to which a user goes on your web page and how long they spend on your web page.   Heat mapping helps in tracking where web page visitors spend most of their time. Conversion tracking enables you to find out and measure the visitor’s journey through many predefined goals. This information helps digital marketers optimize their campaigns to achieve greater success.