Digital marketing, like many industries born in the internet age, began in the 1990s. Since then, the field has grown at a dizzying speed, spawning a plethora of different marketing techniques.
Every brand can employ a combination of these different strategies to attract its target audience and generate more revenue, from search engine marketing to account-based marketing. This article introduces the different types of marketing and runs through a few examples of each. Some categories are overlapping, but they all have distinct goals and properties.
Below are the different types of marketing
1. Old Style Marketing
Old-line marketing refers to brand promotion through offline methods prior to the internet’s advent. Consider billboards, pamphlets, and radio commercials.
The majority of previous marketing relied on outbound methods like print, television commercials, and billboards because the information wasn’t as easily accessible and readily available.
2. Outbound marketing involves reaching out directly to customers
Cold calling, email blasts to purchased lists, and print advertisements are examples of outbound marketing.
Outbound marketing is aptly named because it involves sending a message to consumers to raise awareness about your products or services, regardless of whether or not they may be interested or not. It is common to think of a typical salesman when referring to outbound marketing.
3. Inbound marketing is a type of marketing that attracts customers to come to you
On the other side, inbound marketing focuses on attracting customers rather than interrupting them. Because consumers are empowered to conduct research online as they advance through their own buyer’s journey, the majority of inbound marketing strategies fall under digital marketing.
Attract, engage, and delight are the three pillars of inbound marketing. The first step is to produce quality content and experiences that will appeal to your target audience and draw them to your company.
The next step is to keep them engaged by using conversational tools like email marketing and chatbots, as well as providing ongoing value. Finally, you continue to delight them by acting as an empathic advisor and expert.
Examples of inbound marketing include videos, blog posts, and in some cases, paid ads. Companies use all different types of inbound marketing as a means to increase engagement and attract customers.
4. Marketing on the Internet (Digital Marketing)
Traditional marketing is the polar opposite of digital marketing, which uses technologies that didn’t exist before to reach consumers in new ways. This type of marketing comprises all online marketing initiatives and is extremely common.
Businesses use digital channels to engage with present and potential customers, such as search engines, social media, email, and websites. The web is an extremely powerful tool because of the huge customer base and also the different types of media that companies can use.
5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or (SEM)
All tactics used to guarantee your organization is visible on search engine results pages are referred to as search engine marketing, or SEM (SERPs). When a person searches for a specific term, you can utilize search engine marketing to get your company to the top of the results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) for organic search results and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for sponsored search engine results are the two types of SEM.
SEO requires skills, so you’ll need to learn about search engine ranking variables and how to create content that search engines can index.
Pay-per-click (PPC) SEM entails bidding on keywords to get your adverts displayed on platforms such as Google Ads. There are additional ad management tools available to help you create and manage PPC campaigns.
6. Marketing with Content
Because it’s one of the finest ways to attract your target audiences, content marketing is a significant tool in inbound and digital marketing.
Similar to social media marketing, this type of marketing involves generating, publishing, and distributing content to your customers via free and paid channels including social networking platforms, blogs, videos, ebooks, and webinars.
The purpose of content marketing is to assist your customers along their buyer’s journey. Before your customers are ready to buy, uncover the most common questions and concerns they have.
Then, to assist you in creating and managing your content, construct an editorial calendar. To make publishing easier, a content management system (CMS) is also beneficial.
7. Social Media Marketing
Brands may market their company and communicate with people on a more personal level via different platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Social media marketing boosts sales by increasing visibility, piquing the interest of new customers, and allowing more consumers to see the brand.
However, two things are essential for social media marketing to work: relevant material and consistency.
Because no one goes on social media to buy something, it’s critical to strike a balance between promotion and enjoyment. Images and captions that entice your audience to like, share, and comment can help your brand get one step closer to getting new customers.
Then there’s consistency, which is what keeps your fans coming back. How can they invest in your brand if they only see it on their newsfeed once in a while? There are a ton of social media marketing resources that automate the process of publishing information across networks.
8. Video Promotion
According to a Wyzowl report from 2021, 87 percent of marketers believe video provides a favorable ROI in their marketing approach. Videos can increase brand exposure, drive conversions, increase growth, and complete deals, whether it’s for your website, YouTube channel, email list, or social network following.
You can even analyze, nurture, and score leads depending on their engagement with some video marketing apps. Videos are also a means to promote new products to consumers online and hopefully generate some inbound leads.
9. Marketing through the use of voice
Smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home are being used in voice marketing to provide value to your audience and answer queries about their topics of interest.
You may get creative by creating a Google Home action or an Alexa skill in addition to optimizing your website for voice search by integrating the relevant keywords.
Uber, for instance, developed an Alexa ability that allowed users to request a trip with just a voice command. Alexa users may now play TED Talks based on topic, tone, or speaker, thanks to a functionality built by TED.
10. Marketing via email
Email marketing is a method of connecting brands with leads, prospects, and consumers. Email marketing can be used to raise brand awareness, drive traffic to other channels, advertise products and services, and nurture leads to purchase.
Regulations such as the GDPR and the CAN-SPAM Act require businesses to follow responsible commercial email practices, which are based on three principles:
• Only send emails to persons who have asked to hear from you. They’ve opted in, in other words.
• Make it simple for subscribers to unsubscribe
• When you do make contact, be honest about who you are.
With that in mind, the first step is to plan how you’ll construct your email list, which is a database of contacts to whom you may send emails. Lead capturing forms on your website are the most prevalent way.
To send, manage, and measure the success of your emails, you’ll need email marketing software and a CRM. You might want to check email automation software that sends emails based on triggering factors if you want to push your email strategy even further and increase productivity.
Take HubSpot Academy’s free email marketing course to discover the ins and outs of email marketing.
11. Conversational Marketing is a type of marketing that involves two people
Conversational marketing refers to the capacity to hold one-on-one interactions with customers across many channels, allowing you to meet them how, when, and where they want. It includes phone calls, SMS, Facebook Messenger, email, Slack, and other channels in addition to live chat.
When you first start, you’ll need to figure out which channels your target audience uses. However, managing several channels without delayed response times, internal miscommunication, or productivity loss is a challenge. That’s why using conversational marketing solutions like a unified inbox can help you streamline your efforts.
12. Marketing by Buzz
Buzz marketing is a viral marketing technique that uses fresh, innovative content, interactive events, and community influencers to generate buzz and build anticipation for a brand’s upcoming product or service.
When you reach out to influencers early and have a plan in place to generate excitement around your business, it works best. Invest in social listening software to maintain tabs on how your audience is reacting to your efforts. This type of marketing social media marketing strategy in place already.
13. Marketing with Influencers
Influencer marketing aims to tap into a social media group with a large number of active followers. Influencers are thought to be experts in their fields and have earned the loyalty and trust of the audience you’re attempting to attract.
To begin with influencer marketing, you must first develop an influencer marketing strategy and identify the type of influencer you want to target. Then, to ensure that your influencer is aligned with your goal and budget, develop criteria for them. Their niche, the size of their audience, and their present analytics are all things to think about.
From there, you can look for influencers and contact them using the following methods:
• Using social media to manually contact people
• Using a platform for influencer marketing.
• Hiring a firm to conduct your research and outreach on your behalf.
This type of marketing is newer of course but is one of the best types of marketing that modern marketers utilize.
14. Marketing for Acquisition
The goal of every marketing plan is to attract and keep customers. Each type of marketing, on the other hand, concentrates on a distinct stage of the buyer’s journey. To convert strangers into sales-qualified prospects, acquisition marketing focuses on the attract and convert phases
It differs from other types of marketing in that it involves collaboration with customer service and success teams in addition to the marketing team work being done. Why? Because the most effective promoters are happy customers.
Offering freemium products, introducing instructional hubs, refining the copywriting on the site, conversion rate optimization, and lead optimization are some of the strategies that may be used to turn a website into a lead generation machine.
It might even include a lead optimization and nurturing strategy to make the transition from marketing to sales easier.
15. Marketing in a Contextualized Environment
Contextual marketing is the practice of displaying different advertisements on websites and social media networks to internet consumers based on their online browsing habits. Personalization is the most effective technique to make contextual marketing initiatives effective.
A CRM combined with sophisticated marketing tools like smart CTAs may make a website feel more like a “choose your own adventure” novel, allowing users to more effectively access the correct information and perform the right actions.
Contextual marketing necessitates strategy and preparation, so get started with HubSpot’s free contextual marketing training.
16. Customized Marketing
Personalized marketing attempts to provide each user who encounters your company with a unique marketing experience.
This might be as basic as including a user’s name in the email subject line or providing product recommendations based on previous purchases. Marketers may target their B2B or B2C consumers with comprehensive audience analytics with software like Versium Reach
While it may appear strange at first, most customers are willing to put up with it if it means a better shopping experience. According to a 2019 Smarter HQ research, 79 percent of customers believe brands know too much about them. Despite this, 90% of them were eager to disclose information about their shopping habits and preferences in order to make the process cheaper, easier, and more fun.
17. Marketing for a Brand
Through storytelling, creativity, comedy, and inspiration, marketers can shape their brand’s public impression and forge an emotional connection with their target audience.
The idea is to provoke thought and stimulate debate so that your brand is remembered and connected with positive feelings.
To begin brand marketing, you must first gain a thorough understanding of your buyer profile and what appeals to them. You must also analyze your market position and what distinguishes you from your competition. This can help you define your beliefs and what you believe in, providing material for narrative campaigns.
18. Marketing in the Shadows
When brands market their products or services to those who aren’t aware they’re being sold to, it’s known as stealth marketing. Consider when you’re watching a television show and see a branded product in the background.
Influencers employed stealth marketing to promote sponsored products before they were subject to ad disclosure requirements.
Brands must locate opportunities that match their brand identity and values in order for this type of marketing strategy to work. This is different from all other types of marketing because the customers don’t know it’s an advertisement, so it’s more of a suggestion.
19. Guerrilla Marketing is a bold, clever tactical system
Guerrilla marketing is the practice of distributing brand awareness by placing bold, smart brand activations in high-traffic physical locations.
Changing outdoor urban surroundings, promoting during a live event without authorization from sponsors or organizers, public stunts, and treasure hunts are all examples of guerilla marketing.
It can be a low-cost method of gaining mass attention. However, if it is misinterpreted by the audience or is disrupted by weather, law enforcement, or other reasons beyond the brand’s control, it has the potential to go left.
20. Native Advertising
When brands modify their advertising to fit the feel, look, and function of the platform on which they’ll be displayed, this is known as native marketing.
Brands and publishers frequently partner to generate and distribute sponsored content to their target audiences. The goal is to enhance conversion rates or brand exposure by using the company’s editorial experience and developing non-disruptive commercials.
For example, a recipe writer may have McBride Sisters Collection write a guest post titled “The Best Wine-Infused Desserts For the Holiday Season.”
To take advantage of native marketing, you’ll need to either contact media outlets directly or use a native ad network that will assist you identify and place ads.
21. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when a company pays a commission to another brand – known as an affiliate or affiliate partner – for each purchase made by a consumer as a result of the affiliate’s advertising efforts.
Influencers love it, but brands may use it to push products or services that are similar to their own.
Affiliate marketing is a terrific approach to further leverage marketing assets that are currently functioning well, such as a website that generates leads or an active social media network. Choose a product or brand that closely resembles what you sell but isn’t a competitor, then advertise it to your target market.
On the other hand, it’s a low-cost way to raise brand exposure and a viable alternative to influencer marketing. You can increase your revenue by using affiliate marketing. The best thing is that when creating an affiliate network, each company can set its own guidelines.
22. Marketing with Partners
Partner marketing, often known as co-marketing, is a type of marketing collaboration in which two or more brands work together on a campaign and share the outcomes. It’s a fantastic lead generation tool that helps businesses to reach out to a previously untapped population.
For it to function, brands must have similar customer profiles, aligned goals, and complementary products or services.
23. Product Promotion
Product marketing involves a lot more than it appears. It’s not only about photographing products and developing advertisements. Through positioning, messaging, and market research, drive demand for a product and its acceptance.
Product marketers work at the crossroads of product development, sales, marketing, and customer service. For sales enablement and aligned marketing initiatives, they collaborate with all teams.
24. Marketing with Accounts
ABM (account-based marketing) is a hyper-targeted marketing strategy in which teams consider each prospect or customer as if they were their own market. Instead of the industry as a whole, marketing teams develop content, conduct events, and launch full campaigns focused on the people affiliated with that account.
Brands can use this method to create targeted ads for their ideal customers and focus their time and resources on prospects who are demonstrating high-intent behaviors.
Here’s where to begin:
- Identify the most important accounts.
- Create messages around the subjects that are most important to them.
- With HubSpot’s introductory ABM class, you’ll learn how to put that messaging into action.
Look for ABM software that might help you with your efforts.
25. Marketing Direct to Customers
Customer marketing, in contrast to acquisition marketing, which focuses on getting new customers, focuses on retaining existing customers. The ultimate goal is to transform your customers into brand ambassadors by delighting them with your product or service as well as exceptional customer service.
Brands can gain from engaging in this type of marketing because the cost of acquisition is substantially higher than the cost of retention or upselling existing customers.
It does, however, rely on continuous development of the customer experience, or the impression you leave after you’ve delivered service.
Eliminating friction in the customer support process, providing self-service resources such as online knowledge bases, and employing customer service software to organize and automate interactions are all simple methods to do this.
26. Word-of-Mouth Promotion
Which opinion do you value more: that of a friend or that of a company? The solution is self-evident.
This is why word-of-mouth advertising is so effective. While you can’t make it happen, you can position your brand in such a way that it makes it easier, such as:
• Creating viral-worthy, shareable content
• Referral and loyalty programs are available.
• Asking for feedback after delivering a product or service.
27. Marketing Through Relationships
Relationship marketing is a sort of customer marketing that focuses on building deeper, more meaningful ties with customers in order to ensure brand loyalty over time.
Its goal is to create brand advocates who will promote the company rather than short-term gains or sales transactions.
Focusing on pleasing your customers who are already satisfied with your brand is the key to achieving this. Start by running a Net Promoter Score (NPS) campaign with customer feedback tools to figure out who those consumers are.
Then figure out how to transform those satisfied consumers into enthusiastic fans. You can then ask them to leave a testimonial, take part in a case study, or help you reach your objectives in another way.
28. Marketing that is generated by users
User-generated marketing is when a company encourages its customers to contribute to the creation of marketing materials.
It may be anything from a hashtag challenge on social media that encourages users to create a jingle to inviting users to upload photographs or videos of them using your product or service.
Why is it used by brands? It’s low-cost, helps you interact with your audience, and raises brand exposure.
29. Marketing on Campus
Some businesses cater to college students, and who better to promote to than their peers?
The process of offering items or services to students on campus is known as campus marketing. It frequently includes brand ambassadors who raise exposure for the company.
Campus marketers have frequently seen marketing items at event booths, creating their own events, and giving out prizes.
30. Marketing through Proximity
Proximity marketing is a local and highly targeted marketing strategy that shows people relevant product or service advertisements based on their location.
For example, if you’re walking past an ice cream shop, you might get a notification about a special discount on a particular flavor. There are a number of different approaches of using proximity marketing
• Beacons with Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• Quick response codes (QR codes
• NFC
• Geofencing
It can also be used to arrange treasure hunts, retarget customers who don’t buy, or simply learn more about user behavior.
31. Marketing for Events
You’re planning a launch party for a new product. Now, how can you entice your intended audience to attend? That’s what event marketing is all about.
It necessitates that brands devise a promotion strategy, produce creative assets to build anticipation, and identify the best platforms for spreading awareness.
A workshop, seminar, trade fair, conference, or pop-up shop allows firms to contact directly with their target audience and form long-term partnerships.
32. Marketing Through Experiential Learning
Experiential marketing refers to in-person and virtual events, experiences, and interactions that help a company and its target audience through enduring emotional bonds.
It takes event marketing a step further by aiming to make guests’ experiences extraordinary and provide them with something tangible to take home after the event – aside from information, of course. According to independent HubSpot research, experiential marketing is one of the most effective techniques for 61 percent of marketers polled.
33. Marketing that is interactive
Interactive marketing is a trigger-based marketing technique that engages a brand’s target audience in a conversation. The brand adjusts its strategy in response to the user’s actions.
Let’s pretend you’re looking for a memoir on the website of a bookstore. You might receive recommendations for other memoirs from other authors the next time you check on. This strategy meets customers where they are and adapts to their requirements.
34. Marketing on a global scale
The process of growing your marketing efforts to appeal to worldwide audiences is known as global marketing. However, determining where a product or service would resonate and how to advertise it to meet company objectives necessitates extensive market research.
Take, for example, a German food manufacturer. If the team decides to expand to the United States, menu items, packaging, price, and advertising may be altered to better match the target customers.
35. Marketing to a Multicultural Audience
Multicultural marketing is the process of planning and implementing a marketing strategy that targets people of many ethnicities and cultures who are part of a brand’s overall target demographic.
It entails conducting an extensive study to learn about the needs and values of particular communities, as well as determining the most effective messaging for that group. Team marketing work often functions best when planning these marketing campaigns to make sure the final product is apropriate and effective.
36. Marketing that is instructive
The term “informative marketing” refers to a message that focuses on facts rather than emotions.
This marketing strategy compares and contrasts how your product’s features and advantages solve your customers’ concerns.
37. Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing is a type of marketing that uses neuroscience to obtain insights into consumer behavior and anticipate it.
Tracking eye movements, evaluating brain scans, and tracking physiological functions in reaction to marketing stimuli are all examples of neuromarketing studies.
38. Persuasive Marketing
Persuasive marketing, as opposed to informational marketing, appeals to users’ emotions. Its goal is to elicit emotions in the viewer, link those emotions to a brand, and prompt desired actions.
Consumers can all be persuaded to buy a product or service through different strategies, including the scarcity principle or adding .99 to a price.
It only works, though, if you know your buyers’ persona and what will resonate with your intended audience.
39. Marketing for a Good Cause
Brands utilize cause marketing to connect with societal issues while advertising their products. For example, your favorite company might advertise that purchase from them will result in a charitable donation.
It can also be used outside of a campaign. Some brands’ entire identities are based on a single issue. Civil, a luxury jewelry firm, distributes 20% of its sales to underrepresented creators and entrepreneurs, for example.
Before you begin cause marketing, you must first answer three questions, whether they are temporary or long-term:
- What are the causes that my company is most passionate about?
- How can we make the most of our position to help such causes?
- How can I inform my prospects and customers about our initiatives and urge them to participate?
40. Controversial Marketing
Controversial marketing draws attention to marketing campaigns by using controversial issues. Its goal isn’t to polarize audiences, but to attract their attention and start a conversation. A few controversial marketing examples are PETA’s bloody anti-fur commercials and Nike’s Kaepernick campaign.
This method has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it has the potential to go viral and raise interest in your company. However, you run the danger of alienating potential customers and tarnishing your brand’s reputation.
41. Marketing in the Field
Field marketing, also known as field selling, is a type of traditional marketing that entails going out and personally promoting your products or services to your intended demographic. You can do this by handing out product samples, giving product demonstrations, or leafleting a neighborhood.
The Most Effective Marketing Types
When looking for a good marketing strategy there is no right or wrong approach to the market – as long as it reaches out to your intended demographic and generates growth. To generate leads and acquire customers, most businesses employ a mix of these tactics. All of the types of marketing mentioned above are good marketing strategies that any company can use to be successful.
Finally, based on your product, audience, and resources, you’ll want to determine what forms of marketing make the most sense for your company. There are so many different types of marketing for a reason; they all have benefits and reach slightly different customer bases. All marketing strategies can be excellent when employed correctly.
