By Today’s online landscape is fractured and diverse, so you can’t rely on target audiences to be reached through a single digital marketing channel. Whether you’re marketing your digital agency or implementing strategies for your clients, using a variety of channels for digital marketing gives far greater reach than focusing on just one.
Social media is an important communication channel. Ensure you create content that connects with your audience by downloading our free “White-label social media checklist” now.
If you want to master the art of multichannel digital marketing, this blog is for you. We'll explain why this approach works, outline best practices for implementation, and offer a digital marketing channels list to help you craft a comprehensive campaign strategy.
What are digital marketing channels?
Digital marketing channels are platforms that enable businesses to communicate with their audiences online. These encompass a wide range of platforms and tools that can be used to share promotional messages, engage customers, and drive brand visibility—we’ll go over these in just a moment. While channels can differ considerably in how they work or who they engage, their shared purpose is to create an effective means of communication between businesses or brands and their audiences, with the ultimate aim of producing more sales.
For example, consider two popular channels: email marketing to social media marketing. Email marketing excels in delivering personalized and direct messages, fostering a more intimate connection with recipients. On the other hand, social media platforms provide a dynamic space for interactive and community-driven engagement, amplifying brand reach through shares and interactions. Both can be very effective digital marketing channels, but they can play distinct roles in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Why choosing your digital marketing channels matters
Channel choice matters because different audience segments are best engaged through distinct digital marketing channels. Choosing the optimal channel can significantly influence the reach, engagement, and sales produced among an audience segment. If you’re starting an agency, you’ll want to know how these are used by businesses in your niche.
Conduct market research about channel usage
It’s helpful to remember that a core step of the digital marketing process is market research. During this stage, you gather information about a business's industry and niche, trends, competition, and audience preferences. This preliminary research aims to better understand the customer, their pain points, their current options, and their communication preferences. If research reveals that the target audience spends many hours a day on TikTok, it makes far more sense to focus on that channel than, say, blog marketing.
For example, consider the hit game Fortnite. Since it’s popular with the under-24 crowd, Fortnite’s marketers rely on TikTok as a key marketing channel with great success. Their account has amassed an impressive 1.38M followers and 106.4M likes:
Let’s dive into our digital marketing channels list to better understand the role each platform can play in an effective digital strategy.
1. Social media
Social media has exerted a massive influence on the digital marketing world, and today, it’s a non-negotiable digital marketing channel for most businesses. It differs from other types of online marketing in one crucial respect: its social nature, inviting businesses and brands to meaningfully interact with audiences for the first time.
Before social media, marketing was more of a one-way communication rather than a conversation. Thanks to social media, businesses can build trust, convey transparency, and develop meaningful relationships with audiences. The most important social media online marketing channels include:
- X, formerly known as Twitter
- TikTok
- YouTube
2. Websites/Blogs
Websites serve as digital storefronts for businesses, whether they have an ecommerce component or not. Even if other online marketing channels are used effectively, without a website, a business risks appearing illegitimate or unprofessional.
In addition to establishing a credible online presence, websites act as information hubs for visitors who can access centralized information about a business and its products or services. These details inform buying decisions, making websites essential for boosting conversions.
One of the most important parts of a website from a digital marketing perspective is its blog, where businesses can share optimized content to inform, entertain, and engage their audiences. Blogs help drive lead generation and give businesses a platform for sharing more in-depth content that may not be well-suited to, say, social media.
Want to make your client sites the most effective online marketing channels they can be? Use these tips:
- Ensure the site is responsive on all devices
- Optimize the site and content for search engines
- Use clear call-to-action (CTA) headlines and buttons throughout
- Keep it fresh with regular updates
3. Email marketing
This type of online marketing is notable for its ability to convey direct, personalized communications with users, which is great for nurturing relationships. With modern email marketing tools, it’s easy to tailor messages based on user preferences, behaviors, and demographics. Email is also wonderfully cost-effective and provides straightforward tracking, so it’s easy to analyze and optimize campaigns.
To deliver serious results through your email campaigns even if you’re starting with no experience, use these strategies:
- Segment audiences for more targeted messaging
- Write compelling subject lines to boost opener ates
- Personalize details like recipient names
- Optimize for mobile
- Include CTAs in all emails
- A/B test for continual improvement
4. Omnichannel marketing
Omnichannel marketing refers to an agency strategy of using different types of online marketing channels simultaneously for a more robust campaign. It enables marketers to create a unified experience for customers, with consistent messaging across channels.
To ace your omnichannel marketing campaigns, implement these tips:
- Integrate customer data to understand their experience across channels
- Unify your visuals and messaging to create a cohesive experience of the brand
- Consider the journey customers take through different channels and how that might impact your messaging on each
Here’s a quick tip on scaling your omnichannel strategy:
5. Video marketing
Static images can still be impactful, but there’s no denying the power of video to capture our ever-fleeting attention spans. The most popular platforms for sharing video content are TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. However, other platforms like X and LinkedIn are catching up.
For best results, keep these best practices in mind:
- Use consistent branding across platforms
- Optimize video descriptions based on keyword research
- Monitor analytics to gauge what audiences respond to
- Jump right into high-value content to prevent users from scrolling away
6. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing leverages content creators with significant online followings of relevant audiences to promote products or services. This type of online marketing provides reach to niche audiences, builds trust, and can boost brand credibility through genuine endorsements.
To succeed with this digital marketing channel, always work with influences who are aligned with your brand values and audience. The best collaborations are long-term rather than one-off since these appear more trustworthy and genuine to audiences.
7. Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO boosts organic traffic by optimizing websites and content so it has the best chance of appearing at the top of relevant search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a long-term strategy that can pay serious dividends for brands that choose to invest in it, by helping their ideal customers discover them organically rather than through ads.
The core tenets of SEO include:
- Keyword optimization
- High-quality, engaging, and informative content
- Developing backlinks on other reputable sites
- Technical optimization of website structure, such as headings and title tags
8. Podcast marketing
If you glance around on your next walk, you’ll likely notice that just about everyone has headphones on. Many of them are listening to podcasts, making this an effective marketing channel for businesses that want to share high-value content.
If you want audiences to tune in, keep these tips in mind:
- Provide value through relevant content; audiences won’t stick around if your content isn’t interesting
- Be consistent so people can rely on a regular schedule
- Repurpose clips on other platforms, like social media
- SEO optimize your podcast titles and descriptions
9. Content marketing
Content marketing encompasses blog posts, videos, infographics, and more, all aimed at building trust and establishing brand authority with audiences. It intersects with nearly all digital marketing channels since it can be shared across social media, blogs, emails, ads, and more.
10. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
PPC advertising is a popular channel for digital marketing thanks to its ability to deliver results quickly and empower scaling brands. The most popular platforms for PPC advertising are Google and social media, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Want your PPC campaigns to deliver impressive ROI? Follow these guidelines:
- Conduct keyword research to achieve the best targeting options Clear Objectives: Define specific and measurable goals, whether it's lead generation, sales, or brand awareness
- Consider AI marketing tools to speed up the content creation process—just make sure to humanize it before publishing
- Write ad copy that converts by being compelling, concise, and using brand voice
- Use scroll-stopping images or video
- Optimize landing pages to turn clicks into conversions
- Always A/B test to optimize campaigns
Best practices for selecting digital marketing channels
We’ve looked at 10 channels for digital marketing, but do you need to use all of them?
Not necessarily. Omnichannel approaches are excellent, but sometimes it’s not realistic or practical to market on every available channel—especially if you’re a startup agency. Follow these best practices to select the ideal digital marketing channels for your agency or client:
- Research target audience demographics and preferences: The idea is to go where the audience already is, rather than trying to entice them to a different channel.
- Analyze competitor strategies: Successful competitors have likely identified the most effective online marketing channels so that they can guide your choice.
- Set clear goals and objectives: Make them measurable, so your team and clients can be on the same page about which metrics matter.
- Evaluate channel performance and ROI: The data doesn’t lie, so focus on the channels that lead to conversions.
- Test and optimize: Just as you test and optimize on individual channels, you should optimize your channel mix for the best results.
