Online marketing, or digital marketing, is the use of the internet to promote products or services, obtain leads, and convert them to sales. Digital marketing is growing and evolving along with technology, and is being used to reach masses of people as well as target specific, potential customers. These are some types of online marketing.

Social Media and Networking

Companies use social media sites or links to gain website traffic by creating content that attracts readers and encourages them to share the content through social media via word of mouth, breeding company loyalty and acting as a referral network.  Social media can help companies to create excitement, target customers, and gain customer feedback. 

Display Advertising

Companies purchase advertising space or sponsorship on a website, much like they would in a magazine or newspaper to raise brand awareness or drive click-through visits to their own website.

Email Marketing

Companies use this form of trackable, direct marketing to send their message to a select group of people, as they would through the mail, in order to build relationships, encouraged loyalty, drive repeat business, and acquire new customers.

Search Engine Marketing and Optimization

Companies affect the visibility of their website in a search engine through paid advertising, called search engine marketing, or through adjustments to their site to enhance the search engine ranking though search engine optimization. 

Affiliate Marketing

Companies reward their affiliates for each site visit or sale gained by the affiliate’s marketing.  The affiliate may use the other methods of advertising to bring people to your site or initiate a sale. This is different from referral marketing, which is relationship/trust driving, as it is solely financially driven, often using revenue sharing, pay-per-sale, or cost-per-action as the compensation method.

For more resources

• Create an effective small business website
• 3 ways to optimize the social media strategy of your business
• 5 tips to improve your search engine ranking
• Marketing Mix
• Segment your audience
• Create your marketing plan
• Marketing and communication plan and budget template