Top 4 Differences: Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing
It will be easier to decide whether social media marketing or digital marketing is better for your brand if you understand the differences between the two.
This article compares and contrasts social media marketing and digital marketing in terms of scope, focus, services offered, and target audience.
Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing and digital marketing are both effective marketing strategies, but their effects differ. They vary in four areas: scope, focus, services offered, and target audience.
1. Scope
In social media marketing, the focal point is creating and executing marketing through different social media platforms.
The main goal of using social media marketing is to use social media platforms only to increase brand awareness and engagement and generate leads or sales for the brand or business.
Coca-Cola, for example, used social media marketing by posting on a social media platform, specifically Facebook, to market their product to the platform's users.
Digital marketing, on the other hand, includes a broader range of online marketing strategies, including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, content marketing, affiliate marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and more.
Overall, in terms of scope, social media marketing is just a branch of digital marketing that focuses on social media platforms, while digital marketing covers a wider range of online marketing activities and channels.
2. Focus
Social media marketing primarily targets platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. It involves content creation, account management, advertising, and engaging with the target audience on these platforms.
According to Sprout Social, 55% of consumers learn about brands and businesses through social media.
So, incorporating social media marketing will likely be a good strategy to grow your brand since it is a place of discovery for consumers.
While, as previously stated, digital marketing encompasses a broader range of marketing strategies, it also includes all types of marketing activities that use digital technology.
It focuses on reaching the target audience through a variety of online channels, including search engines, email marketing, content marketing, and social media.
Lita Lewis Fitness used email marketing to reconnect with subscribers, share updates, and announce a new project—an excellent example of digital marketing.
3. Services Offered
Both social media marketing and digital marketing aim to increase brand awareness and generate sales, but they differ in terms of the services they offer.
Social media marketing agencies typically include services like the following:
Social media strategy development
Content creation
Social media management
Social media advertising
Influencer marketing
Analytics and reporting
On the other hand, digital marketing offers a more comprehensive range of services, including the following:
SEO services to improve organic search visibility
Email marketing campaigns to nurture leads
PPC advertising for instant visibility and traffic
Content marketing to attract and engage with customers
Web design and development
Analytics and data analysis
The following are some of the top digital marketing agencies around the world, according to Cloudways:
WebFX
Dream Theory
The Bigger Boat
Creative Sponge
Web Windows Marketing Limited
Over The Top SEO
4. Target Audience
Social media marketing agencies often target businesses and clients who want to establish or enhance their brand solely on social media platforms and leverage them for their own marketing purposes.
Digital marketing agencies aim to help businesses of all sizes and industries build or improve their online presence, increase website traffic, generate leads, and increase sales via various digital channels.
Disruptive Advertising, for example, is a digital marketing agency that provides a variety of digital marketing services to businesses, including SEO, email management, and Facebook ads.
Wrapping Up: Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing
Understanding social media marketing and digital marketing can give you a higher chance of succeeding in your business marketing campaigns.
Both tools are crucial for businesses to reach their target audiences, but they have distinct differences.
Social media marketing differs from digital marketing in terms of:
Scope
Focus
Services offered
Target audience
Choosing between them depends on your business's unique needs and goals.
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