What Is Digital Marketing? Types, Strategies & Best Practices (2025 Guide) – Forbes Advisor

Digital marketing is so ubiquitous now that it may as well be called simply “marketing.” Nearly every business needs an online presence to reach its audience. Digital marketing refers to any form of marketing for your business online, from social media and email to paid advertising and SEO. If you’re a small business owner thinking about where to begin, this guide breaks down the main types of digital marketing, key strategies and best practices to help you succeed in 2025.

7 Types of Digital Marketing

With so many ways to market your business online, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The best approach is to understand each type, pick one or two that align with your goals, and focus on mastering them before expanding further.

Social Media Marketing

Social media remains one of the most accessible and cost-effective ways to build your brand and connect with your audience. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) allow you to meet potential customers where they already spend time.

It’s a great place to connect with customers, potential business partners or even other people in your industry. Over time, it helps you build your reputation and get your name out there without a huge upfront investment.

Choose platforms that best suit your business. For example, Instagram is great for visual content, LinkedIn for B2B networking and TikTok for short-form video. If you’re new, start small: One or two platforms done well are more effective than trying to be everywhere at once.

The 80/20 rule is good to follow, where 80% of your posts should be educational, informative or entertaining, and only 20% promotional. Think of social media as a space to tell stories and start conversations, not just advertise your products or services. The more your content engages and adds value, the more your audience will trust and follow your brand.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing for more in-depth strategies. 

Email Marketing 

Email marketing is one of the most effective methods of digital marketing. That’s because you’re reaching people directly in their inbox where they’ve already shown interest in hearing from you. While social media platforms change and algorithms can change overnight, you own your email list and will always be able to contact your list directly. 

Getting started with email marketing usually requires a welcome email or lead magnet, to give people a reason to sign up for your list in the first place. Once you do that, you can start building a list and decide on a regular basis to reach out to your list. 

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

PPC advertising refers to paid social media ads. You’ll have to pay to get your ads in front of prospective customers. Ideally, you’d be saving time by spending money. It’s a great way to drive traffic fast, especially if you’re launching a new product, promoting a limited-time offer or trying to grow your audience quickly.

There are a few main types of PPC advertising:

• Search ads: Appear on search engines when users look for specific keywords (e.g., “best cupcakes near me”).
• Display ads: Visual or banner ads shown on websites to boost brand awareness.
• Social media ads: Paid campaigns on platforms like Meta, LinkedIn or TikTok targeted by audience interests or demographics

Affiliate and Influencer Marketing

Affiliate and influencer marketing refers to partnering with other people who already have an audience, like bloggers, creators, YouTubers or social media personalities, and getting them to share your product or service. With affiliate marketing, those partners usually earn a commission for each sale they drive. With influencer marketing, creators promote your brand in a way that feels natural to their followers.

This works really well because people trust recommendations from creators they follow. Micro-influencers (smaller followings but higher engagement) can be surprisingly effective and more affordable for small teams.

Start by testing a few partnerships, tracking what each one brings in, and focusing on the relationships that deliver real results. 

Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to creating content people actually want and that helps, entertains, teaches or informs. This could be blog posts, videos, guides, how-tos or podcasts. The goal is to build trust and become the go-to resource in your niche rather than directly selling. This makes content marketing more of a long-term marketing strategy. 

Content marketing is a great way to develop a thought leadership voice, gain an engaged audience, and have people become familiar with your work. Of course, creating high-quality content takes time. You’ll want to map out a strategy so you know what type of content you’ll be creating (whether it’s a blog, a YouTube channel or a podcast), how often you’ll be creating them and how much time you’re dedicating to it, as content marketing can easily snowball into a full-time job. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 

SEO is about helping your website show up when people search on Google (or other search engines). The goal is to get your site listed higher in the search results, so more people can find you organically.

SEO begins with a one-time setup but is most effective when treated as an ongoing process. You can either work with an SEO specialist to optimize your website, or you can learn the principles and do it yourself. 

SEO typically starts with thinking about what your ideal customer might type into Google. These are called keywords. For example, if you run a bakery, they might search for “custom birthday cakes near me” or “best cupcakes in [your city].” Once you know those phrases, you can create helpful content on your website that answers those searches or optimize the content you already have with these keywords. 

SEO doesn’t work overnight, but it’s one of the most reliable ways to get consistent, free traffic to your site over the long run. If you’re creating content anyway (like blog posts or service pages), learning a little SEO can go a long way.

SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is an effective way to reach your customers—and potential customers—right where they already are: on their phones. People check their texts almost instantly, which makes SMS one of the fastest and most direct ways to share information.

The key to good SMS marketing is to keep your messages short, clear and helpful. Whether you’re sending out a promotion, a reminder or an exclusive offer, make sure it’s something the person on the other end will actually care about.

Keep messages short, personal and useful. Always get explicit opt-in permission and include an easy opt-out option to maintain trust.

SMS can be a great way to boost engagement, drive sales and stay top of mind.

Best Practices for Digital Marketing in 2025

Digital marketing is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay updated on trends and how each platform is changing. Here are some of the best practices to follow in 2025. 

Share Authentically and Establish Genuine Connections 

“Success in 2025 depends on creating campaigns that feel real, human and emotionally resonant, not just optimized by algorithms. The brands that will win are those that stand for something genuine, stay true to their core identity and foster trust through authenticity,” says Ben Moore, managing director of BeReal, a social networking app.

He emphasizes that a successful campaign in today’s landscape should build a genuine connection with audiences by showing real people and real experiences. “In an era dominated by AI-generated ‘content,’ being human has become the most powerful differentiator,” he adds.

With so much content on the internet these days, what stands out the most is authentic content that resonates with an audience. “Think of digital marketing not as an expense, but as an investment in relationships. On BeReal, for instance, brands that show up as humans, not advertisers, see stronger loyalty and word of mouth,” Moore shares. 

“Ultimately, the most valuable marketing currency is trust, and that’s something no algorithm or AI can buy,” Moore adds. 

Track Data and Adjust Accordingly 

One of digital marketing’s biggest advantages is its measurability. Whether you’re running an email campaign or a paid ad, data helps you understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Monitor your analytics, track key performance indicators (KPIs) like engagement rates or conversions, and adjust accordingly. The brands that succeed are the ones that experiment, measure and refine continuously.

Take a Step Back and Think About the Big Picture 

Before you start a digital marketing effort, take a step back to think about your brand’s values, message and purpose and how that will be expressed and communicated in your marketing materials. Moore encourages you to ask yourself about your marketing, “How does this align with our brand’s DNA?” He adds that, “The best campaigns don’t just follow trends, they express your truth.”

Bottom Line

Digital marketing is vast, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Start small by picking one or two strategies, and then test, learn and grow. The key to success in 2025 lies in authenticity, adaptability and alignment with your audience’s real needs.

Digital marketing isn’t just about getting clicks. It’s about creating genuine connections that drive lasting business growth.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)