Digital marketing vs. Content marketing has become the ultimate debate in the business industry. People might prefer one over the other, thinking they’re the same thing. But that’s only half the truth. Focusing only on digital marketing isn’t enough if you’re not posting content blog posts for your business. These two always need each other to build a successful marketing strategy.
Around 55% of customers buy something new online every week. This means there are countless opportunities for businesses to sell online, thus the scope for digital marketing. Content helps you maintain healthy relationships with your customers, leading to generating more sales because customers prefer connection before buying a product. Both digital marketing and content marketing are necessary to make strategic decisions for your business and increase customer loyalty and sales.
Definition of Digital Marketing
Digital marketing refers to making your products visible to people online with the help of online marketing strategies such as content marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and so on.
Suppose you’re comparing two salons for the best option. The first one has no digital presence but only relies on word-of-mouth and charges high. The second salon is affordable and has a strong digital presence with a website offering various services, customer reviews, and a good social media presence.
Which one will you choose? You’re more likely to prefer the second one with a digital presence. That’s what digital marketing does. Digital marketing strategies can help your business grow with online platforms and channels like social media and ads. People are more likely to recognize your brand if you go digital and put your best foot forward since more than 5 billion people are there to witness your product.
Also Read: Traditional Marketing vs Content Marketing: What’s Better?
Definition of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a major category of digital marketing strategy. With the help of valuable, relevant, and consistent content – You can attract the right potential customers, build awareness, and sell services or products while providing them with helpful content.
As per the Content Marketing Institute, around 70% of B2B and B2C marketers consider content marketing crucial for their goals. When you rely on content to achieve sales, you’re using content marketing.
How can you level up your marketing with content? You can tell stories about your business, team, work processes, products, product details, and what your customers care about through written and video content.
The more people see you sharing your stories, the more they believe you exist and gain trust. People might be waiting to buy from you, offering you their loyalty when they see your genuine efforts. They support you throughout your journey, share your stories, or even become your long-term potential customers and continue buying from you.
Digital Marketing vs. Content Marketing: How Are They Different?
Content marketing focuses on maintaining your business’s authority while generating content that brings loyalty and long-term results. It’s more like building trust and maintaining the relationship with your customers.
Digital marketing is like hard selling; you advertise your products to make people buy them. But the term is quite broad and includes various strategies and content marketing is one of them. One thing to know is that the scope of digital marketing is higher than content marketing.
Let’s understand digital marketing vs. content marketing, so you can make better decisions for your business. Below is the table highlighting their differences:
| Number | Differentiator | Digital Marketing | Content Marketing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Focus | Direct selling | Nurturing the audience through content |
| 2. | Medium | Strategies like SEO, social media, emails, and ads | Different content forms like blogs, videos, and infographics |
| 3. | Aim | Boost sales through prompt action | Engaging and retaining customers by giving valuable information |
| 4. | Metrics | ROI and conversions | Views, traffic, shares |
| 5. | Buying Stage | Targeted content for the customers looking to buy something | Content created to educate consumers who aren’t ready to buy |
| 6. | Time Spent | Generally uses quick deals or offers for prompt action | Long-term relationship building through content |
| 7. | Language | Uses persuasive language | Uses educative language or storytelling |
Focus
Digital marketing focuses on selling products directly by promoting through different channels, but content marketing aims to build trust with the customer first.
For example: Promoting a facemask or serum via social media platforms through PPC advertising is digital marketing, but writing a blog post on how to apply the facemasks or how they can rejuvenate your face is content marketing.
Medium
Digital marketing uses multiple marketing techniques, such as email marketing and social media marketing to make products available to customers and promote sales. However, content marketing uses different content formats and styles, such as videos, infographics, and blogs to educate the audience.
For example: Promoting your product via your social media presence is a digital marketing strategy, while using infographics to share details on how face serum works is content marketing.
Aim
Digital marketing encourages the audience to act on it immediately, while content marketing boosts brand visibility and promotes relationship-building through content.
For example: Directly asking people to buy the product through advertisements is a digital marketing tactic. Educating, entertaining, and guiding people through your socials is content marketing.
Metrics
Conversions, return on investment, and click-through rates are the metrics to know whether your digital marketing strategy is on the right path. However, engagement rates, website traffic, and leads are the criteria to measure your content marketing efforts.
For example: Assessing how many people bought your products is a part of digital marketing. Content marketing works when you track the number of people visiting your website and the time they spend reading your blog posts.
Buying Stage
Digital marketing makes people (ready to buy) take action through different strategies. In contrast, content marketing focuses on giving useful information to the readers before they are ready to buy.
For example: Using targeted ads on different online platforms is digital marketing. Providing useful information through blogs for customer awareness is a stage of content marketing.
Time Spent
Digital marketing can persuade audiences to make immediate decisions by promoting limited-time offers. However, content marketing offers timeless and useful content to customers that is relevant for a long time. (Customers aren’t expected to take immediate action.)
For example: Using a 24-hour-only sale offer on a new product launch comes under digital marketing while writing an evergreen in-depth guide on using the product is content marketing.
Language
Digital marketing uses persuasive language, while content marketing uses educative language to engage the readers with the content.
For example: Phrases like ‘Claim your offer now!’ are used for digital marketing tactics and storytelling is used for educational purposes in content marketing.
Also Read: How Content Marketing Is Changing the Game For Businesses
Is Content Marketing a Part of Digital Marketing?
Yes, content marketing is a major part of digital marketing. It helps your customers see your business through a different lens – The one where you’re not trying to sell them anything directly unless they want you to buy from you. It helps your business in the long run, especially when your customers search for a product you’re known to offer or the relevant, useful content you produce on your website.
Digital marketing techniques require using different online marketing channels to sell; content marketing is one of them. One thing to note is that a business will always use some form of content even if it uses other online strategies than content marketing.
Content marketing offers content on different online channels like social media and emails to promote sales. Relevant content through different strategies can help you increase the life of your content with the least effort.
Experts predict that content marketing will always need the human touch, whether you use AI or not. Sure, you can use AI to save time and for greater efficiency, but the humane element will rule the content marketing arena.
As long as the content has a humane flair, people won’t stop visiting your website for relevant information. So, content marketing will always be essential to every digital marketing effort.
Content Marketing @ Rank Scholars
At Rank Scholars, a Content Marketing Agency – We write content that turns your readers into loyal customers. We provide targeted content that shows up in search results and promotes results for businesses. We’re dedicated to making your content meet ‘your’ audience and grow your business. If you’re looking to scale your content marketing efforts, contact us as we’ve got your back.
Final Words
When it comes to Digital Marketing vs. Content Marketing – Both strategies are essential for your business. One promotes sales through targeted techniques, and the other emphasizes the long-term vision for the business. Once you understand the pros and cons of both, you will understand which strategy is more suitable for your business. This article has presented the difference between the two; now it’s your turn to choose.
Is it better to build long-term customer loyalty through engaging content or just drive immediate sales with attractive offers? The choice is yours.
Author
Shagufta is an SEO content writer for websites who writes content around wellness and relationships. She’s an avid dreamer and learner. Growth, loyalty, and simplicity are the words that describe her.
