How Digital marketing Actually Works (A Real-World Breakdown)

In my last blog, I covered the fundamentals of digital marketing and the different types that exist. In this post, I want to go a step further and break down how digital marketing actually works in real life, using simple examples to make the process easier to understand.

How Digital Marketing Works (Step-by-Step)

Identifying a goal:

Before doing anything, you need a clear goal. This could be getting more website traffic, collecting leads, or making sales. Without a goal, there’s no way to know if your marketing is actually working.

Choosing a platform:

Once you have a goal, you choose a platform that makes sense for it. Different platforms work better for different audiences, so the goal helps determine where you should focus your efforts.

Creating content or ads:

After choosing a platform, you create content or ads designed to grab attention. The goal here is to get people to stop scrolling, click, or engage with what you’re putting out.

Sending people to take action:

That content or ad should lead people to take a specific action, such as visiting a website, filling out a form, or purchasing a product. This step is where interest turns into real results.

Tracking results and improving:

Finally, you track what’s working and what isn’t. By looking at the results, you can make changes and improve over time as you learn more about your audience.

A Real-World Example Using the Lemonade Stand

Let’s use the same lemonade stand example from the last blog post. Imagine I have a lemonade stand, and I want more people to show up and buy lemonade.

First, I set a goal. The real goal is to make more sales, so I decide that getting more people to my website will bring more customers to the stand.

Next, I choose a platform. In this case, I decide to use Google Ads. Since people actively search for things like “lemonade near me,” Google makes sense for reaching people who are already interested.

Then, i create an ad campaign on Google Ads that shows up when someone seraches for lemonade. The ad sends them to my website, where they can learn about my lemonade and see where the stand is located.

Once people visit the website, they take action by showing up at the stand and purchasing lemonade

Finally, I track the results of the ads and continue improving them over time. By adjusting what works and cutting out what doesn’t, I'm able to get better results and more customers.

Common Beginner Mistakes in Digital Marketing

Trying to learn every platform at once:

A common mistake beginners make is trying to master every platform at the same time. It’s much more effective to focus on one platform, learn it well, and only move on once you’re confident.

Changing things too quickly:

Many beginners make changes immediately after posting an ad or piece of content. Digital marketing takes time, so it’s important to let things run long enough before making optimizations.

Starting without a clear goal or plan:

Jumping in without a clear goal or plan often leads to confusion and wasted effort. Having a defined goal makes it easier to know what to focus on and how to measure success.

Conclusion

Understanding this process can save you a lot of time and confusion as you continue learning digital marketing. Having a step-by-step framework makes it easier to see what matters and where to focus, instead of jumping around without direction.

For beginners, the best thing you can do is focus on the basics and understanding what digital marketing is, the different types, and how the process works as a whole. From there, you can continue learning at your own pace while building a stronger foundation.

In my next blog, I’ll dive into performance marketing, which is what I'm currently learning, and break down what it is and why it matters.