Learn more about online marketing—or digital marketing—which requires understanding your audience and tailoring your message to fit each online channel.

Traditional marketing, like print, broadcast, or direct mail, has increasingly given way to online marketing—also known as digital marketing—which meets customers where they are: on their smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

Using a variety of online channels, such as web, email, and social media, online marketing pursues a number of goals, including promoting products and services, driving sales, and increasing brand awareness. Additionally, online marketing also generates a wealth of data so marketers get more immediate insights into their customer base. By tracking marketing analytics, marketers can learn more quickly what’s working and what’s not.

Learn more about online marketing and how it works, and explore guidance about producing a data-driven strategy in five simple steps and flexible, cost-effective courses that can help you develop critical online marketing skills today.

What is online marketing?

Online marketing is the practice of using digital channels and platforms to sell and promote brands, products, or services to potential and existing customers. It’s typically part of a larger marketing strategy and involves developing the right digital messaging for your target audience by understanding their needs more specifically and using the appropriate channels to address those needs.

Different types of marketing to reach customers online

The internet is a vast place, but you can use many methods to reach your audience online. Online marketing includes the following:

• SEO marketing and content marketing
• Pay-per-click (PPC)
• Display advertising (text, image, video, and shopping ads)
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Website design
• Affiliate marketing

Along with the above, online marketing includes any marketing that reaches customers on electronic devices, such as podcasts, electronic billboards, phone apps, and SMS texts.