Passed on 7 April, 2025
2. An introduction to digital marketing
In this lesson, you’ll find out what digital marketing is, the variety of digital marketing channels you can use, and how digital marketing can help your business succeed.
✅ Learning objectivesBy the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:Explain what digital marketing is.Identify digital marketing channels.Understand how AI can be a useful tool for marketers.Recognise how digital marketing can help businesses to succeed.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
Explain what digital marketing is.
Identify digital marketing channels.
Understand how AI can be a useful tool for marketers.
Recognise how digital marketing can help businesses to succeed.
Exploring digital marketing
Learning about digital marketing and applying its key concepts can help you achieve your goals. Let’s find out more.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is a popular way to market businesses and brands, from small-scale stores and service providers to nationwide and even global companies.Digital marketing can help you to connect with new customers and get existing customers to return by using digital channels to promote products and services. It works best when a combination of digital channels are used.
Digital marketing can help you to connect with new customers and get existing customers to return by using digital channels to promote products and services. It works best when a combination of digital channels are used.
Digital marketing can help you to connect with new customers and get existing customers to return by using digital channels to promote products and services. It works best when a combination of digital channels are used.
What are digital channels?
Digital channels are online methods of communication that individuals and businesses can use to connect with their customers and audiences.Explore some examples of digital channels below.
Explore some examples of digital channels below.
Explore some examples of digital channels below.
Social media• LinkedIn® professional networking services• Instagram• Facebook
• LinkedIn® professional networking services• Instagram• Facebook
• Instagram• Facebook
Email• Gmail• Mailchimp• Zoho Campaigns
• Gmail• Mailchimp• Zoho Campaigns
• Mailchimp• Zoho Campaigns
• Zoho Campaigns
Search engines• Google Search• Microsoft Bing• DuckDuckGo
• Google Search• Microsoft Bing• DuckDuckGo
• Microsoft Bing• DuckDuckGo
• DuckDuckGo
Websites• eBay• Etsy• Amazon
• eBay• Etsy• Amazon
• Etsy• Amazon
• Amazon
Web-based advertising• Google Ads• Amazon Ads• Fiverr
• Google Ads• Amazon Ads• Fiverr
• Amazon Ads• Fiverr
• Fiverr
Mobile apps• Shopify• BigCommerce• Magento
• Shopify• BigCommerce• Magento
• BigCommerce• Magento
• Magento
Marketing a business using digital channels
It’s time to consider how digital channels and digital marketing work in a little more detail.Let’s say you’re a mechanic whose business has grown strictly through referrals and word of mouth. So far, you’ve not had any digital presence, but now you want to take your business to the next level.How will being online help your business succeed?
Let’s say you’re a mechanic whose business has grown strictly through referrals and word of mouth. So far, you’ve not had any digital presence, but now you want to take your business to the next level.How will being online help your business succeed?
Let’s say you’re a mechanic whose business has grown strictly through referrals and word of mouth. So far, you’ve not had any digital presence, but now you want to take your business to the next level.How will being online help your business succeed?
How will being online help your business succeed?
How will being online help your business succeed?
Help customers find you
One of the biggest advantages of being online is the benefits of search. Having a digital presence means you’ll be visible when people go online and search for a business like yours. So let’s assume someone searches for ‘mechanic Swansea’ and your shop appears in the results.How can this benefit your business?
How can this benefit your business?
How can this benefit your business?
Build trust
When a customer clicks a link to your website there’s so much they can learn about you. They might watch a video you posted about car maintenance that demonstrates your knowledge. They could also read testimonials from happy customers.
Share essential information
Customers might go through your pricing guide, find your shop on a map, or find out you offer free towing within a 40-mile radius. They could fill out a form to ask a question or request a quote. They might even click over to your social media sites where they’ll find even more tips, photos, and videos.
Connect with the right audience
Digital channels allow you to show targeted advertising to people right when they’re looking for what you offer. For example, using search advertising, you can show ads to people searching for ‘auto repair Swansea’. You can also restrict the ads to show within a certain geographic radius of your shop.
Learn more about your customers
Your online presence can also give you valuable insight into prospective customers: What they want, and how to give it to them. You can learn to use analytics tools to find out if people clicked on your ad, visited your site, and took certain actions like filling out a form or watching a video.
Where do you start?
For many businesses, the biggest challenge to being online isn’t getting used to the tools, but putting together a plan.Throughout this course, you’ll learn how a range of digital channels can be used to market a business and to help reach business goals. We’ll give you the foundational information you need to decide which digital channels are right for your business and how you can plan to use them.
Throughout this course, you’ll learn how a range of digital channels can be used to market a business and to help reach business goals. We’ll give you the foundational information you need to decide which digital channels are right for your business and how you can plan to use them.
Throughout this course, you’ll learn how a range of digital channels can be used to market a business and to help reach business goals. We’ll give you the foundational information you need to decide which digital channels are right for your business and how you can plan to use them.
AI and digital marketing
AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a broad field of computer science that helps digital tools perform complex tasks. The integration of AI into some digital marketing tools is making them easier to learn, use, and acquire. By using these AI-empowered tools (many of which are at no cost), your marketing can become easier and more cost-effective.We’ll take a closer look at how you can use AI to support marketing throughout the modules. In the meantime, explore the image below to get an idea of how AI could help you.
We’ll take a closer look at how you can use AI to support marketing throughout the modules. In the meantime, explore the image below to get an idea of how AI could help you.
We’ll take a closer look at how you can use AI to support marketing throughout the modules. In the meantime, explore the image below to get an idea of how AI could help you.
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Check your knowledge
It's time for you to check and reflect on what you've learned so far.You must complete the knowledge check to move to the next lesson.
You must complete the knowledge check to move to the next lesson.
You must complete the knowledge check to move to the next lesson.
Question 1 of 2
You run a local bakery in a small town and are considering taking your business online. How can going digital benefit your business?
You are more visible to customers
You can target ads at local customers
You would have less need to communicate with customers
You can communicate with customers more easily
You can buy a pizza oven
You get more insights into customers’ online behaviour
Submit
Submit
Yes.Taking the bakery online could benefit your business in a number of ways. It would make you more visible through online search and help you target ads to local customers. It would be easier to communicate with customers, and you could even get insights into their online behaviour.
Taking the bakery online could benefit your business in a number of ways. It would make you more visible through online search and help you target ads to local customers. It would be easier to communicate with customers, and you could even get insights into their online behaviour.
Question 2 of 2
You’ve recently set yourself up on a new social media site for your business. How can AI help you get started?
AI can help you come up with ideas for new posts
AI removes any need for reviews or creativity
AI can help you draft new written content
AI can generate images
Submit
Submit
Yes.AI can help you get started on social media by helping you develop ideas for new posts, drafting new written content, and generating images for you to use.
AI can help you get started on social media by helping you develop ideas for new posts, drafting new written content, and generating images for you to use.
Lesson complete
Great job!You now know what digital marketing is, what digital channels are, and how AI can make marketing quicker and easier.Head to the next lesson to discover more about digital marketing in enterprise and as a career.
You now know what digital marketing is, what digital channels are, and how AI can make marketing quicker and easier.Head to the next lesson to discover more about digital marketing in enterprise and as a career.
Head to the next lesson to discover more about digital marketing in enterprise and as a career.
Head to the next lesson to discover more about digital marketing in enterprise and as a career.