If you’re a business owner, surely you’re familiar with the terms e-commerce and digital marketing. But maybe you’re confused about the differences between them or what they entail?
These terms are not interchangeable, but they are complementary.
This article will explain e-commerce and digital marketing differences, their benefits, and which tools and techniques will help your business the most.
What Is the Difference Between E-Commerce and Digital Marketing?
People get these terms confused, but the e-commerce and digital marketing differences are clear. E-commerce is how you sell and deliver your goods. Digital marketing is how you get people to buy stuff in the first place.
So, for instance, if you go to a website and order a new sofa, the process of buying and receiving that item is e-commerce. But the means used to attract you to the website in the first place and get you to trust the brand enough to go ahead with the purchase is digital marketing.
When you put it like that, the difference seems pretty simple. But let’s break down each term so you’ll understand the details of each.
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At Pretty-Impressive, each client is unique. Which is why we create strategies tailored to the needs of each company. Reach out and we’ll help you get your brand exactly where it needs to be — ahead of the rest.
E-Commerce vs. Digital Marketing: Definition, Examples, and Benefits of Each
While e-commerce and digital marketing share many of the same tools, they are also completely different things. Let’s look at some examples and benefits of each so you’ll know how to best use them.
Digital Marketing: Introducing Customers to Your Brand (and Products)
Marketing is nothing new, but the digital world has revolutionized how it is done. Digital marketing has the same goals as traditional marketing, defined by the American Marketing Association in this way:
“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
But digital marketing uses different approaches to achieve these goals. It is marketing in the world of electronics.
Digital Marketing Tools and Techniques
The digital world has opened up countless new tools and techniques when it comes to marketing, with additional platforms and methods being invented all the time.
Some of the most effective tools and processes being used today are:
- Websites — Even if you don’t sell your products online, you can hardly be taken seriously as a business these days if you don’t have a website. If someone wants to know about your company or merchandise, the first thing they will probably do is look it up on the internet.
- Social Media Ads — You can market your business by promoting it with ads on channels that relate most to your brand. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are big ones, but you don’t have to limit yourself to those. Even TikTok has gotten in on the digital marketing game!
- Social Media Posts — Besides putting paid ads on these sites, a good way to gain customers and entice them to be loyal to your brand is by posting valuable and engaging content.
- SEO — Search Engine Optimization is a way of presenting your site using keywords that makes it easier for potential customers to find you online.
- PPC — Pay-per-click ads are a method that allows you to pay search engines, such as Google, to show people your content.
- Email — This form of digital marketing has been around a long time and is still effective.
- Affiliate marketing — If you have a great website, you may be able to promote other companies, products and services there and get paid for it.
You may also want to try other digital marketing tools such as chatbots, messengers, and banner ads. There are many different combinations of techniques, and you may have to experiment with a variety of them to find your sweet spot.
Benefits of Digital Marketing
Digital marketing gives you an incredible ability to laser focus your advertising budget.The data and metrics allow you to report with pinpoint accuracy on who is seeing your ads and who is buying your products based on those ads.
Besides measurability, there are other benefits of digital marketing, such as:
- Lower cost — Digital marketing is much cheaper than traditional advertising.
- Personalization — Digital marketing allows you to fine-tune your campaigns and target only people who are interested in what you have to offer.
- Higher ROI — The combination of all these features means you get a higher return on your investment. Digital marketing gives you more bang for your buck.
All of this drives traffic and leads, increasing your customer base and ultimately your sales.
E-Commerce: Your Sales Process
Commerce using electronic devices has completely changed the way things are bought and sold in the modern era.
Gone are the days of customers waiting in long lines or driving all over town to find the perfect item. Now we can buy pretty much anything we want or need with just a few clicks.
This shift has forced many businesses to change with the times. Let’s look at the best ways to use e-commerce to move your goods and services.
E-Commerce Tools and Techniques
E-commerce allows you to easily upsell your customers by finding and sourcing additional recommended products that complement the main thing being sold.
For instance, customers who come to you to buy coffee beans may also be directed to purchase a grinder or an insulated tumbler.
Good e-commerce offers or expands a product line that will develop a lifestyle choice for customers.
You can also increase customer lifetime value by offering:
- Customer loyalty rewards
- Referral programs
- Gifts
- And more
Benefits of E-Commerce
E-commerce offers many benefits for customers, including:
- Unlimited access to retail websites — These stores never close and some even offer 24/7 customer support.
- Saving money — E-commerce websites are generally more low-cost to run than brick-and-mortar stores, which reduces prices for customers.
- Saving time — Even if you know the specific in-person retailer you want a product from, you still have to drive there, wait in line, etc. Being able to order what you need online is quick and easy.
- Nearly effortless comparative shopping — Since all the other retail sites are just a click away, shoppers can quickly compare brands, reviews, prices, and more.
- Finding what you want quickly — Open a search engine, type what you’re looking for, and be given a list of the top retail websites that sell it. Sure beats calling around or even driving to stores and then going up and down each aisle to see if they have what you need!
These benefits to customers help retailers by increasing their:
- Overall sales
- Average order value; and
- Customer lifetime value
Inspire and Engage
At Pretty-Impressive, each client is unique. Which is why we create strategies tailored to the needs of each company. Reach out and we’ll help you get your brand exactly where it needs to be — ahead of the rest.
What Is Better: E-Commerce or Digital Marketing?
One is not better than the other. The reality is they are complementary and one typically will not be successful without the other. Correctly implementing both will have the biggest impact on profits.
What Is the Relationship Between E-Commerce and Digital Marketing?
E-commerce and digital marketing go hand-in-hand. Digital marketing gets people to notice your brand, and e-commerce allows you to sell it.
Knowing the difference between the two and how they are related is important because there must be a balance for your business to have success.
For example, if you put all of your time and money into digital marketing and get lots of hits on your website, but people aren’t compelled to buy anything once they get there, that does you no good.
And on the flip side, if your sales process is flawless but your marketing isn’t good enough to drive traffic to it, you won’t make any money.
How Can a Business Combine Digital Marketing and E-Commerce to Find Success?
You must pay close attention to both elements to be able to pinpoint and correct any problems.
Some companies are great with one side of the equation but not the other, which will ultimately stall sales and growth.
It’s never a bad idea to bring in a professional to look over your digital marketing and e-commerce set-up and make recommendations to set you on a path to success.
Struggling to Find the Perfect Balance Between E-Commerce and Digital Marketing? Pretty-Impressive Is Here To Help
Pretty Impressive can help you with your e-commerce and digital marketing needs. We build integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns that attract and retain your ideal customers.
Being a business owner means making a lot of decisions. We’ll help you make your choices about your digital presence are smart ones and increase your ROI every time.
Tired of wasting money on marketing that doesn’t produce results? Contact Pretty Impressive for a free strategy session today!
