The Complete Guide to Digital Marketing vs. Content Marketing

Today’s business landscape is hyper-competitive, so modern marketers have their work cut out for them and then some. Digital interfaces, search engine algorithms, and consumer tastes are constantly changing, so there’s no guarantee that what worked well in the past will still work today, let alone in the future. 

Fully understanding best practices when it comes to staple strategies like digital marketing and content marketing is a must. While digital marketing and content marketing definitely complement one another, they’re not the same concept, nor is one more important than the other. To get ahead in today’s fast-paced digital landscape and stay there, brands must master and combine both strategies.

In this comprehensive guide to digital marketing vs. content marketing, we’ll cover everything you need to know to do exactly that. We’ll touch on the differences between the two, the importance of each, and how you can leverage both to benefit your brand and ongoing marketing strategy.

What Are the Fundamental Differences Between Digital Marketing and Content Marketing?

Content marketing and digital marketing are both key approaches to marketing in the internet age. But they differ in their overall goals and the strategies a marketing pro might use to meet those goals. 

It’s also important to understand that content marketing is a type of digital marketing. So, while all content marketing is digital marketing, digital marketing covers much more potential ground. For that reason, you can have a digital marketing strategy without incorporating content marketing, but the reverse can’t be true.

Here’s an overview of some additional differences between the two:

• Goals: Content marketing is about reaching a target audience via the creation and distribution of helpful, value-rich content. However, digital marketing collectively leverages many different marketing channels and techniques.
• Strategies: Content marketing is largely focused on playing the long game by winning consumer trust, fostering strong brand-customer relationships, and empowering buyers to make better decisions. Digital marketing also leverages long-term strategies and approaches but incorporates short-term solutions into the mix to bolster sales.
• Methodologies: Although both disciplines are ultimately about advertising, content marketing typically adopts a more subtle approach to reach consumers without making them feel like marketing targets. (Think blogs, podcasts, how-to guides, etc.) Digital marketing, on the other hand, can be more direct via solutions like pay-per-click (PPC) or social media advertising. 

Content marketing benefits

The benefits of including a solid approach to content marketing in your overall digital marketing strategy are numerous and include examples like the following:

• It offers audiences a better overall user experience with your brand.
• It helps you reach target audiences without alienating them via hard-sell tactics.
• It’s cost-effective, as even professional solutions are often affordable and easy to scale.
• It encourages existing and potential customers to engage with and advocate for your brand.
• It helps foster brand loyalty and cultivate a sense of community associated with your brand.

Digital marketing benefits

And, of course, no modern approach to marketing can be considered complete without an essential ongoing digital marketing strategy in place. Here are the benefits digital marketing brings to the table for brands like yours:

• The versatility of a marketer’s collective digital toolbox is near limitless, leaving room for plenty of creativity and possibility. 
• It’s flexible, as go-to tactics and approaches are easy to adapt to a brand’s evolving needs over time.
• It facilitates connection with a much larger audience and broader reach than you’d have without it.
• It’s a solid way to boost lead generation and qualify those leads for further processing.
• Results are trackable, measurable, and easy to analyze in real-time.

Why Incorporate Content Marketing into Your Strategy

Content marketing isn’t a mandatory part of your digital marketing strategy, but it is one that could be highly beneficial, especially in today’s marketing landscape. Modern audiences don’t like feeling blatantly sold to. They like buying from helpful brands that care about building customer relationships and providing exceptional value. 

Content marketing can help you achieve your marketing goals by:

• Aligning your branding and business goals with audience needs and expectations
• Boosting SEO efforts by providing search engine users with the helpful, in-depth content they’re looking for
• Elevating conversion rates by earning and keeping the trust of your audience and customers
• Providing structure and substance to support your branding efforts 
• Complementing your social media efforts and encouraging a sense of community around your brand

Build a winning content marketing strategy that turns heads when you explore tailored strategy services from Crowd Content today! We’ve got the expertise and resources to make audiences sit up and take notice of your brand.

How Can Digital Marketing Enhance Content Marketing Efforts?

Even the most incredible content won’t make a winner out of your brand simply by existing. Dedicated digital marketing strategies and efforts help amplify the reach of your carefully crafted content and ensure it finds its intended audience. Here are some key examples of how:

• Properly optimizing your content for search engines helps improve visibility and expand your website’s overall scope.
• Using social media to help your content and brand message get around boosts engagement, generates sales leads, and helps prep curious consumers to one day become paying customers.
• Advertising tactics like PPC and social media ads help get even more potential eyes on your content.
• Email marketing and ongoing newsletter efforts can be effective outlets for fantastic content that gets results.
• Digital marketing plays a role in setting your brand up as an industry authority.
• Keeping track of digital marketing metrics as they relate to your marketing content helps you brainstorm increasingly more effective campaigns in the future.

Content optimization for SEO

Many modern purchase decisions start with a simple Google search. That search might be the consumer’s way of exploring what a specific type of product has to offer, but it could just as easily start with a simple question or two related to a problem they don’t even realize they have yet. 

Now, imagine that your content is what ultimately answers those questions. Those eager consumers will come to trust your brand as an authority on that topic and see your products or services as the solutions they’ve been looking for. But that will happen only if search engine users can find your content in the first place.

Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand in that they support one another beautifully. SEO ensures that users looking for content like yours can find and consume it, thanks to factors like high SERP rankings, readable formatting, and smart keyword use. Essential SEO practices that help optimize content and set it up for success include:

• Keyword research: Smart keyword use helps your content align with both consumer pain points and search engine standards.
• Metadata: Strong, fully optimized metadata, such as SEO titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text, improve visibility and overall user experience.
• Relevant backlinks: Helpful internal and external links help users find answers to even more of their questions by providing easy access to supporting content on a given topic.
• SEO-friendly formatting: Formatting is crucial to SEO success for your marketing content. Think keyword-optimized titles and headings, natural language, visual aids, and structuring that makes content easy to read and skim.
• Regular updates: Google loves content that’s well curated and maintained, so adding regular content updates to your ongoing content strategy is a great way to ensure successful pieces continue to perform.
• Professional services: Hiring trusted content marketing experts like the ones you’ll meet at Crowd Content can help take a given strategy from good to spectacular. Such services bring expertise and know-how to your campaigns that are affordable and scalable and can set your brand up for lasting success.

Integrating SEO with content marketing strategies is more than just a good idea. It’s a tried and true recipe for significantly improving the organic reach of your content, especially with seasoned professionals in your corner. 

For example, Crowd Content leveraged best SEO practices to help a leading commerce agency elevate its content marketing strategy and achieve page-one rankings for 57 target keywords. We accomplished this via a combination of optimization-focused methods, including assembling a team of ultra-qualified content writers to help produce content and aligning the agency’s content needs with top keywords and best SEO practices.

Leverage digital tools for content distribution

Digital marketing’s ability to influence the success of your marketing content doesn’t start and stop at search engine optimization. Digital tools like paid advertising interfaces, social media platforms, and additional content distribution channels are effective, convenient ways to take your content marketing efforts to the next level. 

For example, the right digital marketing platforms can help you distribute your content more effectively. Here are some key examples of how:

• Like search engines, social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok are in the business of serving up helpful, entertaining content their users want to consume. This makes them solid channels for helping your content find a larger audience.
• Partnering with industry thought leaders and social media influencers to help audiences connect with your content is another way to achieve wider distribution. Be sure to choose partners whose audiences overlap neatly with yours. Also, consider whether you want to join forces with bloggers, Instagram experts, TikTokers, etc.
• Engaging with your audience across distribution platforms like your blog, newsletter, or favorite social media platforms helps inspire consumers to share your content with others and advocate for your brand.
• You can maximize your reach by studying user metrics, assessing when your audience is most active, and scheduling your content distribution efforts accordingly. You can also use that data to understand your audience better and more accurately predict which content ideas resonate best with them.
• Digital ads and PPC options are good for more than directly selling your products or services to appropriate consumers. They’re also excellent ways to gain more distribution for your best content offerings. 

Advanced Digital and Content Marketing Strategies

Fully understanding that both digital marketing andcontent marketing are key parts of any successful brand’s ongoing growth strategy is one thing. Successfully implementing a thorough system for maximizing both is another. Let’s go over a few advanced strategies for doing exactly that.

Master search engine optimization (SEO)

Crafting fantastic content no one can find isn’t going to do you much good when it comes to your marketing efforts, so mastering SEO should be a top priority. Conduct thorough keyword research and carefully choose competitive examples to target across your campaigns. 

Do supplementary research periodically to ensure the key phrases you’re targeting are still the right options for your brand. When it makes sense, target timelier keywords related to hot topics. Keep in mind that social media platforms have search functions and best SEO practices of their own. Research hashtags, trending topics, etc., and use them accordingly to make your content more visible.

Best for: Content marketing and digital marketing

Automate where it makes sense

Numerous tasks go into any digital marketing campaign, but only some truly require hands-on attention from a human team member. Many tasks are necessary but repetitive, making them an excellent fit for automation software. Possible examples include:

• Email segmentation and content distribution
• Lead nurturing via targeted content delivery
• Lead scoring and qualification
• Email personalization 
• Landing page optimization
• Data collection and pattern analysis

Best for: Digital marketing

Personalize, personalize, personalize

At this point, it’s pretty safe to say that hyper-relevant, personalized content experiences are no longer simply nice to have. They’re the new gold standard, and modern audiences expect the brands they do business with to measure up. 

When delivering content directly to a customer (as with newsletter marketing or trigger emails), make sure it’s as personalized as possible. Use the recipient’s name in your messaging, and ensure the content shown overlaps with their interests, preferences, or previous behavior. Regularly analyze customer data to develop a better understanding of what your audience wants and expects.

Be sure your content marketing efforts also cater to consumers at every stage of their buying journey. For example, consider which concerns people might have when first discovering a pain-point solution versus when they’re evaluating product options or almost ready to complete a sale. 

Best for: Digital marketing and content marketing

Supplement your efforts with paid advertising

If SEO is about playing the long game by building authority, earning top SERP rankings, and cultivating an audience in the first place, then paid advertising is about driving traffic in short but powerful boosts. Turn to solutions like pay-per-click Google Ads, Facebook advertising, and similar solutions to launch new products, promote special events, or help important content pieces gain more traction.

Additional solutions like sponsored posts can also be helpful additions to your marketing approach. Maximize your potential results by choosing partners carefully and ensuring their audience is the right fit for the content you plan to create. 

Best for: Content marketing and digital marketing

Maintain a comprehensive content calendar

Between your company blog, newsletter, email marketing blasts, social media feeds, etc., you have your work cut out for you as far as your ongoing content output is concerned. Keeping everything straight is no easy feat, but a thorough content calendar can help take the guesswork out of the process and keep things on track.

Use your calendar to organize and coordinate everything on your content to-do list, including which tasks are assigned to which team members. Plan production and deadlines as far in advance as possible to ensure you’re covered in case of scheduling snags or unforeseen emergencies.

Best for: Content marketing

Integrate AI into your marketing strategies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days, including digital marketing, and it can be an incredibly helpful resource. However, to keep quality and efficiency levels high, it’s crucial to know which tasks are a good fit for AI and which aren’t.

Try leveraging AI for digital or content marketing tasks like keyword research, customer behavior analysis, pattern identification, ad targeting, social listening, and customer segmentation. Leave tasks like creating important pillar content, thought leadership pieces, etc., to skilled human team members. Any AI-generated content you do use should be thoroughly edited, fact-checked, and polished by an experienced human editor before publication.

Best for: Content marketing and digital marketing

Deep Dive into Tools and Technologies

Having the right tools and tech applications in your corner can help you manage customer relationships, keep your website functional, and make short work of user data analysis. Let’s explore some of the most helpful, ubiquitous options that brands just like yours are using today.

CRM systems

Customer-brand relationships are everything when it comes to branding success these days, so it pays to take care of yours. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help businesses boost customer retention rates, facilitate smoother communications, and make customer segmentation efforts significantly easier and more efficient. Examples include but are not limited to HubSpot, Zoho, and Salesforce.

Best for: Digital marketing 

Content management systems

Content management systems (CMS) provide effective, user-friendly ways to assist with content creation and organization. However, they also make it possible to deliver the right content to the right person at precisely the right time, enabling higher conversion rates and stronger brand-customer relationships. A good CMS also supports cost-effective scalability, smooth collaborations, and timely updates for existing content. Popular examples include WordPress, Wix, Drupal, and Joomla.

Best for: Content marketing and digital marketing

SEO tools

Comprehensive SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, and others help modern marketers make sense of adequately optimizing for Google and the rest of the search engines. Along with other benefits they bring to the table, they can assist with key concerns like brand awareness, user experience, organic traffic growth, authority-building, economic lead generation, and PPC success. The world of SEO tools is expansive and includes options to suit many different purposes, including additional popular examples like Google Analytics, Moz, SpyFu, Screaming Frog, and others.

Best for: Digital marketing and content marketing

Programmatic advertising platforms

Solutions like programmatic advertising platforms simplify the process of managing your collective catalog of digital ads via software and automation technology. The benefits of incorporating one into your ongoing marketing strategies include the ability to easily create data-driven ads. Top options can also support fraud detection, brand safety, ideal ad placement, format alignment, and overall campaign optimization. Examples include Adobe Advertising Cloud, AdRoll, MediaMath, and SmartyAds.

Best for: Digital marketing 

Evaluating the Integrated Impact of Digital and Content Marketing

Anytime you decide to change things up when it comes to your ongoing digital and content marketing strategies, it’s crucial to track and measure the success of each effort. This lets you know in real-time what’s working versus what’s not, making it possible to pivot and change tactics quickly and efficiently. Here are some factors to consider when assessing your various campaigns:

• User data analysis gives you a window straight into the heads of your target audience. It lends insight into what people like, what they’re ignoring, what’s helping to convert leads,  when you should post new content, etc.
• Competitive analysis lets you know where you stand in comparison to your competitors. Use what you learn to fill content gaps, address unmet audience needs, elevate your approach, and pull ahead of the pack.
• Direct engagement with your audience is a reliable way to learn what your customers do and don’t like, straight from the source. You can leverage social media to do this by starting and facilitating ongoing conversations, as well as sending out surveys, requesting interviews, etc.

Numerous tools simplify the process of tracking and analyzing your marketing efforts, ranging from completely comprehensive to simple and niched. Popular examples include Google Analytics, HubSpot, SEMRush, and Facebook Insights.

Detailed metrics and KPIs for measuring success

Key performance indicators (KPIs)like conversion rates, bounce rates, and click-through rates are essential for assessing the success of any marketing strategy. However, which KPIs make the most sense for a campaign depends entirely on your goals. 

Here are a few to keep track of for digital marketing:

• Website traffic: This metric is fundamental for any digital marketing effort. Be sure to not only assess overall traffic rates but also compare the sources of that traffic.
• Click-through rate: Click-through rates help assess the effectiveness of your written copy and the relevancy of your targeting.
• Conversion rate: This is one of the most important metrics for digital marketers, as it shines a light on how successful a campaign has been at turning leads into paying customers.
• Bounce rate: High bounce rates can be a sign that visitors aren’t finding what they’re looking for when they hit your landing pages and suggest some tweaking might be in order.
• Return on investment (ROI): This shows whether you’re getting back what you put into your campaigns as far as resources and to what degree. The higher the ROI, the more successful the campaign.

Most of the examples above also apply to content marketing. However, the following  KPIs are  used for tracking efficient content campaigns:

• Backlinks: A link back to your content is like a vote of confidence for its quality. The more successful your efforts are, the more high-quality backlinks you will accumulate.
• Social media engagement: Likes, comments, and shares are all signs that your content resonates as it should be with your target audience.
• Subscriptions: Good content inspires people to follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, or take action to ensure they don’t miss future posts.

Sector-Specific Marketing Insights

Keep in mind that customization is the order of the day when it comes to successful digital and content marketing. Tailor your efforts according to your industry and target audience to ensure the ultimate success of your campaigns. Here are some examples.

• Retail: Retail brands benefit from people-forward strategies that tap into various social trends, making tactics like influencer marketing, social media contests, and special events highly effective. Coordinated omnichannel marketing and trend-specific keyword research can also be helpful.
• Healthcare: Audiences searching for healthcare services or information want fact-based solutions they can trust with the integrity of their health. Think top-tier content written by certified industry experts, in-depth research, relevant data or studies, etc. 
• Technology: As with healthcare, tech-based services and products call for meaty content supported by data analysis, case studies, and detailed specs. Highly targeted, personalized digital marketing efforts and social proof can also be helpful here.

Case Studies: Successful Digital and Content Marketing Integrations

Want a closer look at how digital marketing and content marketing look in action when they’re well-integrated? Here are a couple of case studies from Crowd Content to help show you what’s possible. 

SEOPlus+

When award-winning marketing company SEOPlus+ first came to Crowd Content, they were looking to raise the bar when it came to EEAT-compliant niche content creation and increase conversion rates in the process. Thanks to a combination of authority content written by top-tier professional writers, full alignment with a robust SEO strategy, and easy scalability, SEOPlus+ was able to achieve an incredible average dwell time of six minutes.

FHEHealth

FHEHealth is a substance abuse and recovery institute that came to Crowd Content for help with SEO optimization and high-volume authority content production. By leveraging a combination of our platform’s content options, including managed content services, access to expert in-house writers, and infographic-related services, FHEHealth established a pattern of steady month-to-month organic traffic growth.

Build a Future-Proof Strategy Combining Digital and Content Marketing

Staying relevant and competitive in an ever-evolving digital world is about more than simply knowing what to do right now. It’s also about successfully future-proofing your strategy so you can stay ahead of the pack for years to come. Try the following tips and strategies:

• User experience is a huge factor affecting the outcome of your branding, SEO, and customer retention efforts, and it will continue to be. Make it a top priority.
• Save time and ensure resources go as far as possible by using automation to streamline content production and make short work of repetitive tasks.
• Use digital analytics and market data to help predict future digital and content marketing trends. Be the first to the party when possible to ensure ongoing relevancy.
• Keep your finger on the pulse of changing consumer expectations and use what you learn to inform ongoing marketing decisions.
• Embrace tactics like social media engagement and user-generated content to make your customers part of your ongoing brand story and help them feel involved.

The Power of Combining Digital and Content Marketing

As you can see, the future of successful branding, customer connection, and conversion is about more than deciding whether digital marketing or content marketing is a better fit for you. It’s about mastering both, integrating the two, and customizing your approaches to suit your unique business goals and changing audience expectations.

Whether you’re looking to breathe fresh life into an existing marketing strategy or establish a new one that’s virtually guaranteed to succeed, Crowd Content has you covered with access to top writers, SEO resources, project management services, etc. Take your digital marketing efforts to the next level today with our expert SEO content services!