What Is Digital Marketing

That inevitable question people ask when you first meet: "So, what do you do?" My response is "digital marketing."

I'm surprised how often I have to explain what it is. I try to be succinct and frame my explanation around the level of familiarity of the person I'm chatting with. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. 

Perhaps it's no wonder that the term requires so much explanation. The Wikipedia definition is quite stodgy, with multiple issues and perpetual edits. The American Marketing Association doesn't even have a definition for 'digital marketing,' or its synonyms. 

Or maybe it's easier to define by contrasting with what it isn't: traditional marketing. 

Adding complexity to the "so, what do you do?" question, my particular expertise is a subset of digital marketing popularly called "inbound marketing" in the industry. That jargon translates to optimizing all the ways a consumer can find and engage with a company online. In other jargon, it's pull, rather than push. Ideally, brands that I market are there when you want/seek them and don't interrupt you.

Digital marketing is how brands tell their story online with the intent of achieving business objectives.