What is the difference and does it matter?
Does the difference in these terms and their definitions matter?
No, of course not, it’s semantics! But it is interesting to see how the scope of Internet marketing vs Digital marketing has changed over time. In my books, when discussing alternative definitions, I explain that, no it doesn’t matter, but the scope and responsibility are important to make the most of managing the opportunities. So the scope of digital marketing activities should be agreed within a business and/or between a company and its agencies. The biggest difference is whether digital marketing is simply seen as about communications online marketing or whether it is broader, looking at underpinning marketing technology and options for new online business and revenue models.
It’s easy to confuse the terms digital marketing and internet marketing, in particular with the boom in Internet traffic over the past decade.
However, there are distinct differences between these two terms that have implications for any marketing plan. Digital marketing is an umbrella term that covers all types of marketing that involve electronic media, and it’s been around it.
Digital marketing. Internet marketing. Content marketing. SEO marketing. Figuring out what all these marketing terms mean and how they fit together is baffling. And once you untangle the definitions, you have to decide which marketing methods align with your business goals.
Digital marketing vs. internet marketing
Now that you understand digital marketing, it raises a bigger question. What’s the difference between internet marketing and digital marketing? If all these activities happen online, why use so many different words to describe them?
Internet marketing involves building a web presence and turning the resulting traffic into sales. When the internet was younger, the four major marketing activities involved:
Creating websites
Buying pay-per-click-ads
Setting up web storefronts
Using keyword groups to capture search engine traffic
Yet, online marketing has grown to include many activities that don’t involve internet search engines, paid ads, or websites. People are using a wide range of digital devices to get online and interact with content. By reaching customers through online channels they frequently use, you can influence their buying choices offline.
Think about how often you connect with brands. Customers form positive opinions about products or services from reading blogs. Interactive video ads prompt viewers to make decisions. Customers receive coupons for local stores straight from smartphone apps. Internet marketing is a major subcategory of digital marketing. And digital marketing encompasses diverse online and offline tactics that drive digital engagement.
Digital marketing definition
Digital marketing is yet another term similar to Emarketing. It’s a term increasingly used by specialist digital marketing agencies and the new media trade publications. The Institute of Direct Marketing has also adopted the term to refer to its specialist professional qualifications.
To help explain the scope and approaches used for digital marketing working with the IDM I developed a more too? detailed definition than the simple one at the start of this post to better scope it and show how digital marketing needs to be closely aligned to broader marketing objectives and activities and involves much more than SEO and inbound marketing
Internet Marketing definition
Internet Marketing (also known as email marketing, web marketing, or digital marketing) is an all-inclusive term for marketing products and/or services online – and like many all-inclusive terms, internet marketing means different things to different people.
While the obvious purpose of internet marketing is to sell goods, services or advertising over the internet, it’s not the only a business using internet marketing may have; a company may be marketing online to communicate a message about itself (building its brand) or to conduct research. Online marketing can be a very effective way to identify a target market or discover a marketing segment’s wants and needs.
Online Marketing Definition
The first part of the definition illustrates the range of access platforms and communications tools that form the online channels which e-marketers use to build and develop relationships with customers. The access platforms or hardware include PCs, mobile phones and interactive digital TV (IPTV) and these deliver content and enable interaction through different online communication tools such as organization web sites, portals, search engines, blogs, e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging.
Online channels should also be used to support the whole buying process from pre-sale to sale to post-sale and further development of customer relationships The final part of the description summarises approaches to customer-centric email marketing. It shows how success online requires a planned approach to migrate existing customers to online channels and acquire new customers by selecting the appropriate mix of e-communications and traditional communications.
Digital marketing and Internet marketing and Online marketing
internet marketing, email marketing, and digital marketing the same thing? At the beginning of the digital age, there was little to no difference between these three marketing strategies. Today, with the complexity of the internet and constant integration of digital tools and applications with it, internet marketing, e-marketing, and digital marketing have become three distinct marketing strategies that internet marketing merchant account holders can use to come one step closer to market domination.
The final part of the description summarises approaches to customer-centric marketing. It shows how success online requires a planned approach to migrate existing customers to online channels and acquire new customers by selecting the appropriate mix of e-communications and traditional communications.