By Terence Murray
Source: Adotas
Emarketing and digital marketing… aren’t those concepts too similar? You simply treat e-marketing as part of your digital marketing campaign, so you don’t pay much attention to what’s better, right?
Well, it’s time to start making a clear difference. Before we start outlining the trends that should help you choose a focus for 2019, let’s clarify what these concepts really mean.
E-marketing Vs Digital Marketing: What’s the Difference?
Digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses your marketing activities across all digital channels. These methods include email marketing, influencer marketing, search engine optimization, mobile marketing, app advertisements, paid social media advertising, and much more. Offline channels, such as electronic billboards, also take place in digital marketing.
E-marketing, on the other hand, is a more specific term. It solely refers to media accessible via the Internet. It is a category of digital marketing, whose methods include content marketing, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, and more.
Wait… isn’t that the same thing as internet marketing? Yes. But what makes e-marketing different is that it also focuses on building relationships with customers. Getting online reviews, email marketing, social media marketing, and referral programs are seen as tools that guide the marketing team to the big goal: customer relationship management and tracking. This is where CRM (customer relationship management) systems take place.
Now that we clarified the difference, let’s see: should you focus on e-marketing or digital marketing in 2019?
Comparing the Trends for 2019
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Facebook Is Getting Bigger
If you’re like most digital marketers, you’ve already understood the importance of Facebook. 2018 was a difficult year for the platform. It got a bad reputation for being a platform for political propaganda… and should we even mention the data breach scandal that shook the world? Personal data from 14 million accounts was stolen. So people grew kind of hesitant towards the network.
But Facebook still is massive. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 68% of U.S. adults say they use Facebook. This is the primary platform for Americans to get their information and interact with people on a daily basis.
Facebook keeps getting better. It’s even getting into the category of online learning. We saw other cool updates, such as music for profiles and Facebook Stories. The platform keeps giving you tools to promote your brand in a cooler way.
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YouTube Is a Major Trend
That Pew Research Center survey we mentioned above showed an interesting trend: YouTube is the primary platform that U.S. adults use. Although it’s not what we’d call a traditional social media platform, it still has a social element to it. 94% of U.S. adults from 18 to 24 years old use YouTube online or on their phones.
That percentage is extreme. In terms of digital marketing, this means that more brands will invest in YouTube advertising, as well as in proper video campaigns.
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Authenticity Is More Important Than Ever
Online marketers realized that authenticity was important a long time ago. Instead of focusing on traditional advertising, they started harnessing the power of influencer recommendations.
But the audience started seeing right through that technique. They no longer trust influencers the way they used to. You’ll find plenty of Instagram account dedicated to mocking influencers for their “genuine” sharing. 2018 was marked by a big scandal in the Instagram community, which involved the unethical marketing techniques of Alo Yoga and its influencers.
This is taking us to a whole new level of authenticity. Yes… influencers are still an important aspect of online marketing. The campaigns, however, will have to grow not in size, but in depth and audience interaction. This is where we’re really getting in the field of e-marketing, where the focus is placed on the consumers.
The 2017 Consumer Content Report: Influence in the Digital Age by Stackla showed that for 90% of MIllennials, authenticity is an important factor for choosing brands to support. So if you’re collaborating with influencers or you decide to get essay help for the content you share, authenticity is a crucial focus to maintain.