Quick question, digital marketing vs. social media marketing—what’s more important for your business?  

Don’t know? Think they’re the same thing?

Think again. Digital marketing and social media marketing aren’t synonyms, they’re actually two different but related strategies. Keep reading to find out what separates social media marketing from digital marketing.

What Is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is what it sounds like, marketing on various social media outlets. It facilitates discussions between a business and its customers. A social media marketing strategy depends heavily on creating and sharing new content on your social media accounts (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) in an effort to engage with an audience

Social media marketing benefits include the ability to interact with your customers, quickly spread a message, and subtly increase your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings for search engines like Google and Bing. While the barrier to entry for social media is low, it’s still important to create a successful social media strategy to ensure success.

What Is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is a broad term used for marketing across many different digital channels. Digital marketing consists of two types: online (internet) marketing and offline digital marketing. 

Online digital marketing includes email marketing, mobile markets (Google Play, Apple Store), smartphone marketing, and SEM (Search Engine Marketing). SEM includes SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click). Offline digital marketing includes digital signage, radio, and television.  

Digital marketing benefits include the ability to reach audiences not on social media platforms, and incorporating multiple components into one comprehensive strategy (i.e. internet advertising, radio advertising, and digital signage). Social media marketing is considered a form of digital marketing.

Digital Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing-Which Is Better?

In reality, social media marketing is an important component of a digital marketing strategy, but it’s not the only component. You should include social media in your digital marketing strategy, but you should also include other elements as well. 

At the very minimum, you will need a good, SEO-friendly website. It can’t just look nice. It has to be fast and optimized. A faster site leads to a higher potential for business and sales.

You also need a consistent and dedicated social media strategy that delivers engaging content. That could be in the form of in-house or guest blogs, infographics, original video content, tutorials, webinars, or sharing relevant news.

Looking for Help With Your Marketing?

Now that you know the difference between digital marketing vs. social media marketing, maybe you’re thinking you need some help marketing your business.

That’s where we come in. 

All My Web Needs can help you target the right customers and bring visitors to your site. We’re a full-service internet marketing and web design company based in Nashville, TN. Whether you need help with your social media marketing, digital marketing, or both, we can help. Contact us to find out how.