By Prakshi Kataria

This article is edited from a Modlingua internship assignment submitted in July 2018. It records the author's overview at that time. Unsupported claims about sales and results have been removed, and the structure has been rewritten for clarity.

Social media has changed how businesses reach customers. In my assignment I described the move from traditional marketing to digital marketing and the main forms it takes.

From traditional to digital marketing

Businesses once relied on television, radio, print and other broadcast channels. As technology improved, many moved toward digital channels such as email marketing, blogging, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing and viral marketing. Digital channels can spread a message quickly and across wide areas, which is why many companies now use them to create awareness of a product and its features. They are used by firms that sell directly to consumers and by those that sell to other businesses.

In my assignment I noted that digital marketing was a newer practice in India than in some other countries, and that it was becoming a valuable tool for marketers. Before it, reaching distant customers meant managing product development, pricing, distribution and promotion on a much larger scale.

Main forms of digital marketing

• Digital media marketing: marketers use text, sound, video and graphics to attract, engage and persuade potential customers on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
• Email marketing: businesses send messages to a chosen list of customers. It is relatively inexpensive compared with the number of people it can reach, and a well-written email can encourage purchases.
• Pay-per-click advertising: a business chooses keywords, and its advertisements appear when people search for them. The advertiser pays each time an advertisement is clicked, so careful targeting matters.
• Social media marketing: businesses build on the popularity of social platforms. I argued that it works best when it builds genuine relationships rather than pushing direct sales.
• Viral marketing: information spreads from person to person, helped by internet users sharing videos, images, games, e-books or messages. Wikipedia's article on viral marketing describes it as using existing social networks to promote a product or service.

Payments and trust

Safe online payment also supports digital marketing. Secure payment channels and mobile payment services such as PayPal and Paytm help buyers feel protected and make it easier for small sellers to take payments.

Key takeaways

• Digital marketing extends traditional marketing through new channels.
• Each channel, from email to viral sharing, has a different strength and cost.
• Trust and secure payment matter as much as reach.