Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers. It is a way to create demand for goods and services, and it can be done in many different ways. With the increase in usage of the internet, companies and businesses are using digital ways to market their products and services. The ads we see while using social media like Facebook and Instagram, and the ones we see on websites are all marketing something.

Apparently, the terms online marketing, internet marketing, digital marketing, and e-marketing seem to have the same meaning, but that is not true. These, along with several others, are types and categories of marketing, each having different roles. This article will be discussing the difference between e-marketing and Digital Marketing, what they are, and what you need to know.

What Is E-marketing?

What Is E-marketing?

E-marketing is a marketing activity that uses the Internet to promote products or services. This technique typically uses blogs, social media, and emails as marketing platforms to target a specific audience instead of static platforms. For example: If you are interested in wristwatches and often browse the Internet for them, you will also start seeing wristwatch ads on your social media feeds. 

The e-marketing process typically starts with selecting target customers, then developing and distributing content to attract potential customers, followed by interaction and transactions with these potential customers. To cut things short:

E-marketing is a subset of Digital Marketing the focuses on marketing via the Internet and not all digital platforms. The audience is narrowed down to only people interested in the product or service.

The term “e-marketing” can be used in a narrower or broader sense. In the narrower sense, it refers only to those activities that are digital marketing channels, such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media advertising (SMA), email marketing (EM), online display advertising (ODA), and mobile advertising (MA). On the other hand, the broad sense includes traditional offline marketing activities that use digital channels like search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing. This broader sense also differs from Internet Marketing which, as the name denotes, uses the narrower sense only.

Examples Of E-marketing

Here are some of the most common forms of e-marketing:

  • Social media ads: Have you ever wondered why you see ads for something you have recently browsed about? This is a topic for another interesting article. What you should know right now is that social media ads are the biggest source of e-marketing marketing today.
  • Email campaigns: Do you usually sign up for email campaigns that interest you? This helps businesses keep track of their loyal customers and they can send product updates, deals, and discount codes to them.
  • Website pop-ups: You often see pop-up ads on websites asking you to signup for newsletters without any intentional action from your side. They are from marketers and their purpose is to generate leads or promote their services. Although website pop-ups are not a direct way to interact with customers, they can help get customers to your page if your service interests them.
  • Online Blogs: Today, blogs are the biggest source of generating traffic to a website. Blogging helps businesses and customers interact and learn more about each other. So, if you’re writing content related to your field on your website’s blog section or a separate blog website, it will surely engage an audience to which your services interest.
  • Through Online Reviews: Online reviews as another clever and effective way to gain the confidence of your audience. The audience will trust the review of someone with similar interests who has used the said product or service. So, if you’re a genuine seller, online reviews can help you convert a high number of the targeted audiences into potential buyers.

What Is Digital Marketing?

What Is Digital Marketing?

All forms of electronic marketing, including e-marketing, are included in digital marketing. Digital marketing strategies emphasize building brand recognition across various electronic platforms without anticipating customer engagement. Digital marketing can be done offline through electronic billboard ads or radio commercials, as well as online through social media or search engines.

Push notifications are one incredibly cutting-edge and futuristic part of digital marketing. Others, such as TV advertisements and electronic billboards, might be outdated due to their high costs and lesser returns than other forms of online marketing.

Examples Of Digital Marketing

Examples of advertisements that involve digital marketing include:

  • Push notifications: One of the newest forms of marketing, Digital marketers use push notifications on mobile apps to keep reminding users about their products. While this strategy rarely brings in new clients, it maintains a company relevant to its present clients by offering discounts, cart reminders, and delivery alerts.
  • Search engine ads: Marketers can target potential customers looking for a specific product by using search engine ads. This type of digital marketing relies on customers knowing what they want and being interested in the product or service that the company provides. Instead of using location, interests, or other identifiers, this technique uses SEO to target a particular audience.
  • Electronic billboards: One of the outdated marketing strategies, Electronic billboards show advertisements that are visible at night and easy to change but are not intended for a specific audience. Electronic billboards commonly advertise local businesses that aim primarily to increase customer loyalty and familiarity, as customers may shop more often at businesses with which they are familiar.
  • Television commercials: TV commercials are another digital marketing strategy that can be local or extensive. These commercials may be relevant to the channel on which they appear, such as an upcoming movie advertisement on an entertainment channel. Businesses frequently create TV ads based on customer location, maturity level, or broad interests.
  • In-app ads: Ads within apps are another type of digital marketing that can help a brand’s customer base grow. A company places advertisements on apps that provide similar goods and services to the company. This method narrows the target audience more than other forms of digital marketing, but it ignores the customer’s other interests. An excellent example of In-app ads are ads of other games within a game you’re playing.

Also Read: Best CPC Affiliate Programs In 2022

Digital Marketing Vs E-marketing – Key Differences

The difference between e-marketing and digital marketing is that the former relies on electronic media to communicate with customers, while the latter involves both electronic and non-electronic media. The following are some key distinctions between e-marketing and digital marketing:

Online Vs Offline

Online Vs Offline

The majority of e-marketing occurs online, allowing businesses to interact with customers from all over the world, which is especially beneficial for e-commerce shops or other businesses that provide shipping services. Customers can see digital ads and social media posts from anywhere and at any time, giving online marketing more freedom than offline marketing. Businesses that use e-marketing benefit from its broad reach by having a larger customer base and more chances to interact with potential customers.

Ads can appear on internet platforms, such as apps and search engines, or on physical platforms, such as billboards, depending on how digital marketing is used. This gives digital marketers more flexibility in the various ways they can advertise. But only people in a specific area or who use a specific app, search engine, or website can see those ads. While online advertising is beneficial for businesses that can ship goods or provide services remotely, offline marketing techniques can boost customer loyalty to local businesses with a physical presence.

The Main Focus

The Main Focus

E-marketing is the key tool for businesses that exist online only as they have no physical source of engaging with an audience. The goal of e-marketing is to build a relationship with customers through online engagement. It aims to provide more information about the product and its features to potential customers. By devoting their efforts to e-marketing, businesses gain reviews, likes, and shares on social media and a devoted customer base through customer interaction.

The goal of digital marketing, however, is usually to expand brand recognition. This means digital marketing efforts rarely focus on customer interaction with their ads because their goal is to spread information about their goods and services to as many people as possible. The aim here is to create a buzz around the product and get people talking about it in social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Many popular companies become household names with this technique, and this familiarity can influence the shopping choices people make.

Specific And Broad Audience

Specific And Broad Audience

Typically, e-marketing campaigns target specific audiences with advertisements that are relevant to their interests. This enables marketers to narrow down the number of people they can reach through online platforms in order to create more specific and engaging content, resulting in increased sales. This is useful in large online markets with a lot of product and service options because it helps customers understand what a company is offering them with little research or time.

In terms of interest, the target audience for digital marketing is often broader. Local marketing ads that we see in malls or on billboards target people in a specific geographic area, with the expectation that some of them will be interested in the products or services on offer. This strategy is more appropriate for essential or general services such as mechanics, grocery stores, and banks. Ads displayed in search engine results, commercials, and mobile apps, target a broad range of people but are slightly more precise than local digital ads.

Professional Use Of E-marketing And Digital Marketing

Here are a few examples of professions that frequently use e-marketing and digital marketing to boost profits and expand a customer base:

  • Social media managers
  • Content strategists
  • SEO specialists
  • UX designers
  • Analysts
  • Copywriters
  • Web developers

The Bottom Line

E-marketing is a subset of digital marketing which focuses on using tools like email, blogs, social media, search engines, and other online channels to reach customers. Digital marketing is a broader term that includes all of these channels but also includes offline methods such as print advertising, TV ads, billboards, and more.

Because e-marketing is a subset of digital marketing, the two have many similarities. However, the two techniques differ significantly. This article focused on the difference between e-marketing and digital marketing along with the similarities that the two hold.