Digital Marketing Vs Content Marketing (Difference & How They Work Together)

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In the fast-paced world of B2B marketing, figuring out how digital and content strategies fit into your funnel can feel like a puzzle. You want to reach the right audience, but should you focus on SEO, social media, or that blog everyone's talking about? In this article, we’ll break down the difference between digital and content marketing and show you how they work together. Whether you’re looking to boost your efforts or just get a better understanding, we’ve got insights to help you navigate the B2B content marketing funnel.

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What is a Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing, also known as online marketing, is the art of promoting brands through the mighty force of the internet and various digital communications. We’re talking email, social media, web-based advertising, catchy texts and multimedia messages. If a marketing campaign uses digital communication, it’s part of this realm. Unlike its traditional counterpart, digital marketing offers:

Measurable results

Personalized messaging

Broad reach to attract, engage, and influence customers

Smartphones have revolutionized marketing. A 2022 Pew Research study found that 76% of American adults have used their phones to make online purchases. This means companies can reach consumers wherever they are, whenever they want.

Unpacking Digital Marketing Channels

Since the 1990s, digital marketing channels have evolved and continue to do so. Here are seven of the most common channels today.

1. Website Marketing

The website is the company's digital home base. The best websites represent the brand and its products clearly and memorably. Fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and easy-to-navigate websites are a must.

2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising

PPC advertising enables marketers to reach audiences on news websites and digital platforms through paid ads. Marketers can set up PPC campaigns on Google, Bing, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, and Facebook and show their ads to people searching for terms related to their products or services.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital marketing channels. Many digital marketers use their other digital marketing channels to collect names for their email lists. Then, they try to turn those leads into customers through email marketing.

Social media marketing's primary goals are to build brand awareness and establish trust. As you go deeper into social media marketing, you can use it to obtain leads and as a direct marketing or sales channel. Promoted posts and tweets are two examples of social media marketing.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing, and the digital world has given it new life. In affiliate marketing, companies and individual "influencers" promote another company's products and get a commission every time a sale is made or a fresh lead is added to their list.

6. Video Marketing

Marketers can use video marketing platforms like Facebook Videos, Instagram, and TikTok to run a video marketing campaign. Companies find the most success with video by integrating it with SEO, content marketing, and broader social media marketing campaigns.

7. Text Messaging

Companies use text messages to send information about their latest products and promotions. Nonprofit organizations and political candidates also use texting to promote themselves and solicit donations. Today, many marketing campaigns make it possible for consumers to pay or donate via a simple text message.

The Value of Going Digital

Digital marketing has become wildly popular in a brief span, and for good reason. Today’s customers and clients spend more time online and expect their favorite companies to be online, too. The internet might seem intimidating, but effective digital marketing can be a boon for business.

With careful strategy and implementation, digital marketing expands the audience, meets target customers where they’re spending their time, and achieves this for a far more affordable price than traditional marketing methods allow.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is all about crafting and sharing meaningful content that grabs the attention of your ideal audience. It’s more than just selling; it shows what you know and builds connections. In a world where people crave authenticity, aligning your content with your audience's interests is your golden ticket to fostering relationships.

Blogging: The Classic Content Marketing Tool

Blogs are like your digital soapbox. They let you talk about your products, hot topics, or just show off your expertise. Most businesses stick them on their websites, but guest blogging elsewhere can boost your SEO game. While they’re mostly text, adding images or videos can up the engagement factor.

Blogs are popular because they’re affordable, SEO-friendly, and simpler to whip up than, say, a polished video. Focus on one topic per post, and vary your word count to keep things fresh. Don’t assume longer is better – readers will bounce if you waffle on. Use headers and bullet points to keep it digestible.

Video Content: Engage in a Flash

Video is a game-changer for conveying complex ideas and emotions fast. Whether on your site or platforms like YouTube or TikTok, video content lets you demonstrate products, share testimonials, or showcase team stories — all in seconds. Smartphones make producing quality videos with visuals, music, and voiceovers easy and cost-effective. You can even turn a 10-minute video into blogs or social posts, seriously boosting your content strategy.

Podcasts: Tuning Into Your Audience

Podcasts offer a unique way to connect with niche audiences through audio. Whether you’re hosting your own or guesting on others, podcasts are a platform for sharing solutions to audience pain points while also weaving in customer stories, industry trends, and other narratives. Don’t underestimate the power of audio-only content. Podcasts are growing in popularity, and businesses are tapping into this medium to reach customers more effectively.

Social media marketing is an extension of content marketing that allows brands to engage with their audience on platforms like:

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

B2B brands, in particular, find success on LinkedIn. Social media lets you share updates and fun content with your audience, increasing the chances of your content going viral. It can also become an organic or paid referral channel that drives traffic to your website.

Infographics: Breaking Down Big Ideas

Infographics distill complex information into visually engaging formats that are easy to understand and share. They’re a staple in B2B content marketing but can also be useful in B2C contexts. Taking existing content and transforming its high-level points into an infographic makes your brand’s content easier to digest. Plus, you can crop the original infographic into smaller images for social media sharing, extending its reach.

The Value of Content Marketing: More Than Just Numbers

Content marketing brings value to businesses in various ways, some measurable, some not. According to HubSpot, blog content creation is a priority for 53% of marketers, and 61% said updating and repurposing content was effective. This shows content marketing is a key part of many businesses’ overall strategies.

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Digital Marketing Vs Content Marketing, What Are The Difference?

When you think about digital marketing and content marketing, consider them as gears in a machine. Digital marketing is the entire machine, including all the gears working together to promote your brand online. Content marketing is one of those gears, focusing on creating valuable content to build relationships and engage your audience. It’s a targeted effort within the broader scope of digital marketing, which includes:

Social media ads

Email campaigns

Conversion Intent: It's Not All About the Quick Win

The main difference between digital marketing and content marketing is the intention behind each strategy. Content marketing takes a softer approach. It's all about building trust and positioning your brand as an authority in your industry. For example, a blog post offering tips on financial planning may provide insights without directly pitching a product. The goal isn’t immediate conversion but nurturing trust that could lead to future conversions.

Digital marketing, on the other hand, often includes more direct techniques, like PPC ads or email promotions, designed to drive users to a landing page or sales funnel. These strategies aim for quick actions, like purchasing a product or signing up for a service. A Facebook ad linking directly to a product’s sales page is a clear example of digital marketing with immediate conversion intent.

Time Frames: The Long Game vs. the Quick Hit

Content marketing is a long-term strategy. It’s about building a loyal audience and driving organic traffic over time. This approach won’t have overnight results, but the rewards are sustainable. As your content gains traction, it helps reduce reliance on paid channels by fostering organic growth and customer loyalty.

Many digital marketing tactics, like PPC or social media ads, are short-term strategies designed for immediate impact. While they can deliver quick results, they require ongoing investment to maintain momentum. A Google Ads campaign may generate immediate traffic, but the traffic stops once the budget is depleted.

The Cost Factor: Long-Term Investment vs. Ongoing Spend

The investment profiles of content marketing and digital marketing also differ. Content marketing requires an upfront investment to create quality content, like blogs, videos, or guides. But once it’s out there, it drives traffic and conversions without additional spending.

Digital marketing, on the other hand, often requires consistent funding. Paid strategies like PPC ads and sponsored posts can generate fast results but need ongoing financial input to maintain performance.

Bringing It All Together: How They Work Hand In Hand

While they have different focuses, content marketing and digital marketing are most effective when used together. For example, a content marketing piece like a blog post can be a landing spot for a digital marketing campaign like a social media ad. Similarly, email marketing campaigns can leverage content marketing assets like newsletters or eBooks to engage and convert readers.

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Combining Digital Marketing And Content Marketing To Increase Revenue

Content marketing is the fuel that powers your digital marketing engine. It creates engaging material that drives many online efforts. For example, a well-optimized blog post can bring organic traffic through SEO and find its place in paid ads or social media promotions. A compelling video or infographic? Perfect for:

Email campaigns

Social ads

PPC landing pages

Amplifying Your Reach with Digital Marketing Muscle

While content marketing leans heavily on organic reach, digital marketing takes it further by targeting the right audience at the right time. A social media ad campaign can drive immediate traffic to new content, ensuring it reaches a broader audience quickly.

Retargeting ads can bring users back to consume more of your content and nudge them toward conversion. Digital marketing provides content that doesn’t just sit on your website but actively reaches and engages prospective customers.

Building a Seamless Funnel with Both Strategies

Combining digital and content marketing is like crafting a well-oiled machine that guides customers through the sales funnel.

At the top, use content marketing to create blogs, videos, and guides addressing customer pain points. Promote this content through digital channels like social media ads, SEO, and email marketing to drive traffic.

In the middle, provide more in-depth content such as case studies, webinars, or product comparisons. Amplify these with targeted email campaigns and PPC ads to nurture leads.

At the bottom, deploy retargeting ads or personalized email offers, complemented by testimonials or product demos created as part of your content marketing strategy.

Balancing Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Growth

Integrating these approaches balances the need for immediate revenue with sustainable growth. Short-term gains come from digital marketing techniques like PPC ads and social media promotions that generate quick conversions. Long-term gains arise as content marketing builds brand trust and authority, ensuring steady organic traffic and customer loyalty over time.

Leveraging Data for Continuous Improvement

Another advantage of combining these strategies is the ability to gather and analyze data. Use digital marketing analytics tools to measure content performance, such as:

Click-through rates

Bounce rates

Conversions

Refine your content marketing strategy based on audience behavior insights gleaned from digital marketing campaigns. This data-driven approach ensures your marketing efforts are always improving and adapting to meet the needs of your audience.

Real-World Examples of Success

To illustrate, imagine a fitness brand creating blog posts on workout tips as part of its content marketing strategy. Promoting these posts via Instagram ads, a digital marketing tactic, drives traffic and engagement. Or think of a software company producing an in-depth whitepaper and using LinkedIn ads to target decision-makers in relevant industries.

By weaving digital and content marketing into a unified strategy, businesses can attract new customers, retain existing ones, and boost revenue streams across the board.

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