Digital marketing covers the many ways customers find, compare and choose businesses online. Yet the term is used so broadly that it can be hard to pin down. This guide defines digital marketing in plain language. It explains how it differs from traditional marketing, walks through the main channels, gives practical examples and covers the Canadian anti-spam rules that apply to email and text messages.
| What is digital marketing? Digital marketing is the promotion of a business, product or service through online channels. The main types are search engine optimization, paid search and social ads, social media, content marketing, email, video and display advertising. Because nearly every action is tracked, businesses can measure what works, target specific audiences and adjust campaigns quickly based on real data. |
Digital marketing covers any marketing that reaches people through a screen and an internet connection. That includes search engines, websites, social platforms, email inboxes, streaming video and mobile apps. The goal is the same as any marketing: get the right people to notice you, trust you and buy from you.
What sets digital marketing apart is measurement and targeting. A newspaper ad reaches everyone who reads that page. A digital ad can target people by location, search terms, interests or past visits to your site. You can then see how many people clicked, called or bought.
It is a popular question. Semrush data for Canada, October 2026, shows about 2,400 monthly searches for “what is digital marketing”. This guide is written for business owners deciding where to spend a limited budget.
Traditional marketing uses offline channels such as print, radio, TV, billboards and direct mail. Both approaches can work. They differ in a few practical ways.
| Factor | Digital marketing | Traditional marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Targeting | By search intent, location, interests and behaviour | By publication, station or geographic area |
| Measurement | Clicks, calls, form fills and sales tracked in detail | Harder to tie directly to sales |
| Speed of change | Ads and pages can be edited the same day | Print and broadcast changes take longer |
| Minimum budget | Can start small and scale | Often needs a larger upfront buy |
| Lifespan | Content and SEO can keep working for years | Usually ends when the placement ends |
Many businesses use both. A billboard or radio spot can raise awareness, and digital channels capture the people who then search for the brand. The best mix depends on your audience and where they spend their time.
Digital marketing is a group of channels. Each one does a different job.
SEO improves how your website ranks in unpaid search results. It brings in people who are actively looking for what you offer. A detailed overview is on the search engine optimization page, and the series article on what SEO is in marketing goes deeper.
Pay-per-click ads on Google, and paid ads on Meta, LinkedIn and other platforms, put your message in front of chosen audiences quickly. You control the budget and targeting.
Organic posts, community replies and creator partnerships build awareness and trust over time.
Articles, guides, videos and tools answer customer questions. Good content supports SEO, social and email at the same time.
Messages to people who opted in keep past customers and leads engaged. In Canada, these messages fall under anti-spam rules covered below.
Video on YouTube and social platforms, plus banner ads across websites, build awareness and remind past visitors about your brand. Planning that work is part of video marketing services.
A simple way to organize digital marketing is by who controls the channel.
The three work best together. Paid ads can bring new visitors to owned pages. Strong owned content earns links and shares. Good reviews make paid ads more convincing. A business that relies on only one type is exposed. If all traffic comes from ads, it stops when the budget stops. If it relies only on social platforms, a change to a platform’s rules can cut reach overnight. Building owned assets, such as a well-structured website and an email list, gives you a base no platform can take away.
Customers often do not buy the first time they see a brand. Digital marketing supports each stage of the decision.
Mapping your channels to these stages shows where gaps exist. A business with lots of awareness but weak service pages loses people at consideration. A business with strong search ads but no follow-up email loses repeat sales. The fix is often not more traffic. It is a better path from first visit to purchase.
The examples below are illustrations of how different businesses might use digital channels. They are not case studies of real clients.
Notice that each example uses a small set of channels chosen for its customers. None of them tries to do everything. Starting with two or three well-run channels usually beats spreading a budget thin across ten.
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, known as CASL, applies to commercial electronic messages such as marketing emails and texts. According to the CRTC’s CASL FAQ, senders must meet three requirements. They must obtain consent, provide identification information and provide an unsubscribe mechanism.
The CRTC explains two kinds of consent. Express consent does not expire once obtained, though the recipient can withdraw it at any time. Implied consent arises in specific situations, such as an existing business relationship. The sender must be able to prove consent was obtained.
Unsubscribe requests must be processed without delay and no later than 10 business days after they are received. The unsubscribe mechanism must remain valid for at least 60 days after the message is sent, and it should be simple, quick and easy to use. In practice, that means using a reputable email platform, keeping records of how each contact opted in and never adding people to a list without permission. This is general information. Check the CRTC guidance for your situation.
Measurement is one of digital marketing’s biggest strengths, but only if you track the right things. Pick metrics that connect to revenue.
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Conversions | How many calls, forms, bookings or sales a channel produced |
| Cost per lead or sale | How much you paid for each result |
| Conversion rate | The share of visitors who took the action you wanted |
| Organic traffic | How many visitors come from unpaid search |
| Return on ad spend | Revenue earned for each dollar spent on ads |
| Customer lifetime value | Total revenue from a customer over time |
Likes, impressions and followers can be useful signals, but they do not pay the bills on their own. Set up conversion tracking before spending on ads, so every dollar can be tied to an outcome. Review the numbers monthly and move budget toward what is working.
A simple plan beats a complicated one that never launches. Follow these steps.
Some businesses handle this in-house. Others bring in specialists for strategy or execution. If you want outside help, compare national online marketing services with a local option such as digital marketing in Vancouver, depending on where your customers are.
Quick answers to common questions about digital marketing.
The main types are search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, video marketing and display advertising. Most businesses use a few of these together rather than all of them at once, choosing based on their customers and goals.
Neither is better in every case. Digital marketing is easier to target and measure and can start with a smaller budget. Traditional channels such as radio or print can still reach audiences well. Many businesses combine both and use digital tools to measure the response.
Costs depend on the channels, competition and whether you hire help. Ad spend is set by your budget and the auction. Agency fees follow models such as monthly retainers or project fees. The guide on what a digital marketing agency does explains these pricing models.
Yes. Under CASL, commercial electronic messages require consent, sender identification and an unsubscribe mechanism. Consent can be express or, in specific situations, implied. Keep records showing how each contact agreed to hear from you, and process unsubscribe requests promptly.
Yes. Many small businesses start with a Google Business Profile, a clear website, basic SEO and an email list. As the business grows, hiring a specialist for paid ads or SEO can save time and reduce wasted spend. Start small and track results from day one.
Paid ads can bring traffic as soon as they launch. SEO and content usually take longer because search engines need time to find and rank new pages. Email results depend on the size and quality of your list. Set realistic review points for each channel.
Digital marketing is the promotion of a business through online channels such as search, social media, email, content, video and ads. Its strengths are precise targeting and clear measurement. Start with one goal, a solid website and proper tracking. Pick a few channels that match your customers, follow Canada’s anti-spam rules for email and texts, and adjust based on real results rather than guesswork.
