Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 16(65) No. 2 - 2023

https://doi.org/10.31926/but.es.2023.16.65.2.4

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES: A

COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

A. A. MOCANU1 A. C. SZAKAL2

Abstract: The world in which people lead their lives now is full of
connections. These connections have also been favored by the emergence
and evolution of digital technologies. Today more than ever, individuals turn
to digital solutions to communicate, to buy, to sell and so on. This paper
aims to provide a comprehensive literature review and analysis of the main
digital marketing strategies. The research objectives are to identify and
categorize the most common and effective digital marketing strategies from
the existing literature and to contribute to the academic understanding of
digital marketing strategies by synthesizing and analyzing them. The
research method is qualitative, linking exploratory and descriptive approach.

Key words: digital marketing, media, Internet, business, consumer.

1. Introduction

In the past few years, there has been observed a noticeable transformation in the
economy and society, clearly influenced by the advancements in information
technology. The primary driver behind this transformation can be attributed to the
widespread adoption of digitalization, which has evolved alongside the growth of the
multimedia market. This evolution has resulted in significant changes across the
telecommunications, computer and media industries, culminating with digital
revolution. Along the shift of society from postmodern industrial to the contemporary
society shaped by information abundance, ”the quantity and quality of information
enter entirely new dimensions”. The extensive availability and concentration of
information today have reached unprecedented levels like never before. Notably, within
this context, the Internet emerges as a pivotal entity, facilitating temporal and spatial
autonomy while accessing an unimaginable wealth of knowledge (Wirtz, 2019).
Any business has a certain image shaped by its use of Internet advertising or any
digital marketing environment and consumers sometimes transform marketing
campaigns from nowadays in social or environmental movements so that marketers are
forced to verify, quantify, adapt and keep everything under control, using these various
digital channels (Dallas, Lubrano, 2022).

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, [email protected].

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, [email protected].
38 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series V • Vol. 16 (65) No. 2 - 2023

2. Literature Review

Businessmen have always experienced the urge to promote their goods, either by
word of mouth or through printed materials. Marketing activity today means a
constituent element essential for the existence of a company, as production,
management, accounting etc., activities have no value on the market if there is no
demand for the goods and services offered. Marketing provides the link between the
current needs of human society and its economic and social activities, having the role of
anticipating and understanding these needs and then satisfying them, appealing to
creation and innovation. However, the other activities of the organization should not be
neglected, requiring close collaboration between marketing and other divisions within
the organization: research and development, production, human resources, finance-
accounting (Brătucu, Țierean, 2011).
The digital revolution has transformed the day-to-day lives of individuals and today
the Internet is part of citizens' lives and, as a result, its costs decreased and the
possibility of access increased (Felipa, 2017). Once most consumers are in the digital
environment, then companies must also be present where the crowd is and the main
benefit of a digital presence for a company is the visibility it gives when users apply on
the Internet to purchase products in the field in which the company operates, as
interfaces present a tour of alternatives (learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage).
The Internet is shaping modern society and has transformed itself from a tool, which
facilitates communication, in a ubiquitous technology that supports all activities across
the economy. Today, there are no geographical barriers stopping the Internet because it
has become the means par excellence to provide solutions to users, whether at home,
work, on car or on holiday, in short, wherever a connection can be established on a
device by electronic signal to navigate a digital interface, and the expansion of the
Internet is significantly shaped by the growing impact of user interaction and network
(Felipa, 2017).
The scale of the Internet gives a new dimension to all the concepts and processes it
encompasses, and so many of them are replaced or made whole. By associating the
Internet with the social process by which individuals satisfy their needs and desires
through exchange, marketing can be said to have been born digital. Digital marketing
involves use of digital sources based on electronic signal, such as the Internet,
advertising with digital displays and other digital media, to intermediate marketing
activities improve customer experience by addressing customer preferences. The
concept of digital marketing resulted from the expansion of the Internet and the ranking
of search engines of websites (Chaffey, 2016) and is a new branch of marketing science
(Brătucu, Tălpău, 2014).
During the 20s of the twenty-first century, the most important trends are expected to
be the following: the coveted "oil" will be people's attention and advanced technologies
will greatly influence daily life, potentially causing damage if they bring new economic
divisions and if society does not adapt to the fast pace of technology and digitization
(Davies, 2019). On the other hand, however, the abundance of information causes a
clear problem, someone has to process the contents and often society is overwhelmed.
A.A. MOCANU et al.: Digital Marketing Strategies: A Comprehensive Literature Review 39

Experiment upon experiment has shown that information overload is a contemporary

problem (Sinek, 2009) and people are looking for the superior value of a product, so
businesses with a presence in the digital world need to consider all the technologies and
opportunities available today to attract new followers and interact with them as well as
maintain relationships with old customers.
In everyday circumstances, ”the Internet is the most powerful tool” in business
(Yannopoulos, 2011). Digital marketing has resulted from the progress of the Internet
and the development of technologies that incorporate it (OECD, 2013). Marketing
executives who neglect to acknowledge the significance of the Internet in the business
marketing strategy would find themselves at a distinct disadvantage in the competitive
landscape because the digital world is changing branding, pricing, marketing strategies
and consumer behavior (Bala, Verma 2018).
The challenges in the recent context of the global economy, including the Covid-19
pandemic, determine all companies to have a presence in the virtual environment and
become aware of the usefulness of digital marketing. Over the past decade, digital
marketing has become popular because it uses smart display devices, which are
constantly found around people (Benartzi, Lehrer, 2015). Given that most people are
Internet users, the beginning of digital marketing was a reaction to this process and aims
to harness the potential of the digital environment.
Marketing is entering a new era in terms of the different paths open to organizations,
through the way they promote and deliver products/services to the market, and
consumers quickly accept these new possibilities. Digital marketing can cover more
traditional subdivisions of marketing, such as direct marketing, offering the same
method of communicating with an audience, but in a virtual environment. In addition,
monotonous advertising and marketing techniques have been pushed aside in favor of
digital marketing because its immense power enables the potential revival of the
economy and presents governments with remarkable opportunities to enhance
operational efficiency (Munshi, Munshi, 2012).
Unfortunately, however, too fast a transition to a ”clean economy” could jeopardize
global financial stability, and too slow a transition would involve the risk of exceeding
certain ecological thresholds (Attali, 2018).

3. Types of digital marketing strategies

Digital marketing aims to initiate transactions and for that ”the design, marketing and
placement of advertising space on the Internet” are essential elements of the attraction
activity offered by tradesmen specialized in this field (Wirtz, 2019). At its core, digital
marketing is based on three essential components for success in the virtual
environment:
 Earned audience: The recognition a company receives for free through links to its
own website, media and analyst mentions, customer reviews and
recommendations. This natural help strengthens brand recognition and company
visibility in search engines.
 Paid audience: Paid advertising consists primarily of redirecting to content on a
40 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series V • Vol. 16 (65) No. 2 - 2023

company's website and, desirably, conversions (visitor becoming buyer). This

includes search advertisements, paid promotion on social media, email and/or
intermediary platforms, advertisements through clips and display ads etc.
 Own audience: The content that a company composes and controls, opens up the
opportunity to gain an audience. Own presentation website, own blog, news on
social media pages are some tools that fit here.
When the three components are combined to result in a complex digital marketing
strategy. These components pave the way for an excellent customer experience where
they reach their target audience in a more accurate way and on the preferred channel of
buyers (www.searchenginejournal.com). There are many strategies related to digital
marketing, from marketing technologies and organizational transformation to social
media marketing and content marketing, and below will be presented the most
important and used of them.

3.1. E-mail marketing

Email marketing consists of sending a commercial communication via e-mail to a

database of possible customers. This strategy is one of the most important and effective
marketing strategies digital due to significantly lower costs compared to classic direct
marketing and possibilities for increased content personalization and value creation
given that this strategy supports loyalty or customer support objectives (Mullen, Daniels,
2009). Using an efficient software for email marketing, a company can manage its
database of subscribers' emails, having the possibility to filter by several factors, such as:
consumer likes and aversions, consumption habits and purchase frequency etc., as well
as to instantly send newsletters to a list of subscribers, no matter how big it is (Brătucu,
Tălpău, 2014).
By using marketing by e-mail, quick feedback is obtained on the efficiency and
performance of this strategy, and newsletters are sent exactly to the desired segment
(subset of subscribers). A business can measure: message open rate, click-through rate
by message categories or topics, conversion rate, click-through rate on images and
animations, sales, number of clicks on the unsubscribe link and date, but also others.

3.2. Social media marketing

Social networks are a practice of actively increasing social connections or expanding

business networks by building interconnections with other individuals, usually through
specialized platforms such as: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat etc.
These digital platforms create interconnected communities that help people connect
with each other, otherwise interaction is unlikely. Depending on the social media
platform and account connection criteria, members may be free to contact any other
member (Li, Larimo, Leonidou, 2021).
Social media marketing uses content published on social media sites to increase
traffic to websites, promote branding, sell products, and protect brand reputation in the
digital environment. Basically, this strategy involves targeting websites or business pages
A.A. MOCANU et al.: Digital Marketing Strategies: A Comprehensive Literature Review 41

that use it through social media platforms. To reach a new audience, you can buy ads on
these platforms or create a profile dedicated to your business and compose posts for
promotion. Brands frequently post their own content, but many also have digital
influencers who are third parties that audiences believe in and can build trust and
loyalty for the brand. The essence of social media marketing is the experience that
digital platforms offer users (Benartzi, Lehrer, 2015).
To reach the millions of users who use social networks like Facebook, Instagram,
businesses and organizations are turning their attention to these platforms and most of
them have links on their websites to their page or to the page of products / services
offered, attracting numerous visitors. Likewise, in order to be successful on social
networks, marketers of a company must understand the audience in depth, taking into
account which platforms the target group spends their time on and what types of
content they prefer. Moreover, it is important to know the latest trends on social
networks because changes occur quickly and being informed is the equivalent of a
visible and distinctive brand. As consumers spend more time on social media, businesses
have more opportunities to connect with them.

3.3. Search engine optimisation

This strategy, optimization a search engine site (SEO), represents a technique to boost
website traffic by improving its page rank in a search engine like Google, Bing or
another, being a free way to promote a business in search results that appear naturally
or organically. It consists of helping a particular web page to be seen before other pages
in an Internet search, and search engines regularly update their algorithms so that only
relevant results appear (Khan, Siddiqui, 2013). There have been many changes to search
engine optimization pages in recent years, so search engine optimization software needs
to understand what types of information are displayed and how to rank them. For
example, Google constantly strives to protect against algorithm manipulation and
effectively remove or filter out specific websites that are undeserving in the first results
(learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage).
Search engine optimization not only involves improving the quality of content on the
web page, but also ensures that there are enough relevant keywords and the page itself
is organized with subtitles, key points and clear hyperlinks and also checks the
optimization of the site's language code so that any search engine can determine what is
on the page and display it as a result for a particular search (Chaffey, 2016). An
increasing number of individuals uses devices to access information, search engines
collect information from users in databases and use it to improve users' search
experience and provide them with specific content.

3.4. Search engine marketing

Alternative to SEO is search engine marketing (SEM) through which websites can buy
ad space within search results. Companies pay to appear higher and higher in searches,
and most search engines use an auction-based system, where companies try to take
42 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series V • Vol. 16 (65) No. 2 - 2023

precedence and bid on some keywords. Cost of such digital advertisements usually
depends on the number of clicks that the link receives, hence the pay-per-click
(learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage).
What differentiates search engine marketing from traditional marketing (street billboards,
newspapers, magazines, catalogues, flyers, etc.) is that entities pay only if the digital ad is
accessed by people searching for the products/services offered by them. If, however, the ad
appears and no user clicks on it, the company using search engine marketing will not be
charged. It is also very likely that visitors who see the ads will be interested in the offer given
that they have expressed their desire by entering keywords into the search engine, while in
the case of traditional marketing the ad reaches an unspecified number of people, many of
whom do not belong to the product/service market.
Search engine marketing uses optimization and other mechanisms, such as social
media marketing and paid search, to increase brand recognition, attract leads, and make
conversions. When businesses choose this mode of digital promotion, the "Ad" label will
appear next to the web page address. Despite consumers' knowledge that these are
advertisements, many still click on these links and search engine marketing can be a very
effective digital marketing strategy (Wirtz, 2019).
An example of such advertising services is shown through the services provided by
Google, through Google Ad Sense and AdWords. Search engine algorithms analyze
content on customer websites and prioritize search results from the user's Google
results list. Therefore, it analyzes the content on various sites, scans them, then displays
among the results and ads that may be relevant to a target group.

3.5. Content marketing

Content marketing ranks among the most powerful digital marketing strategies; it
offers three times as many leads and costs, 62% less compared to traditional marketing
(www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic). The field of content
marketing focuses on creating and delivering varied, high-quality digital content
(including long-form content), such as: blogs, e-books, studies, forums, websites,
webinars, videos or materials for social networks and the list can go on depending on
the type of content suitable for the target audience (Balteș, 2015).
Content has become the main ingredient to have favorable results in a marketing
campaign digital. For example, all the recent updates implemented to Google's
algorithms indicate, when filtering search results, that the primary metric that holds the
utmost importance is the quality and relevance of the content. It is also important that
the information in the content is customized for different platforms considering that
good content is shared and recommended and can bring recognition to the business
(Bala, Verma 2018).
In the field of content platforms, the YouTube digital video channel holds a dominant
position, nowadays being one of the most important media. This digital platform allows
users to do a lot of actions: watching, downloading, uploading, publishing and so on,
with videos of different sizes. To do this, the community may use different individual
YouTube channels or websites through which information other than these videos may
A.A. MOCANU et al.: Digital Marketing Strategies: A Comprehensive Literature Review 43

be used or provided. The number of businesses using this service for marketing
purposes is growing fast, with YouTube being the most known platform for this type of
video (https://www.youtube.com/intl/ALL_ro/about/).

3.6. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a digital marketing strategy, whereby a company (a trader) signs

a convention with another company (a promoter or a publisher) to include an affiliate
link on the brokerage company's websites to its website. Basically, a company pays a
company specialized in promotion or a company with notoriety and a large number of
visitors to bring it customers. This technique is particularly useful for newly launched
companies because it will generate an increased influx of visitors to their businesses
through high-traffic sites (Bala, Verma 2018). An example of an intermediary company
on the Romanian market is Emag. It allows its partners to list their products on its digital
platform and its customers to search for certain goods here, no longer requiring the
market to be a physical place. After a potential output is identified, Emag redirects the
customer to that seller.
Intermediation companies earn income mainly through retail sale or commissions for
orders placed and delivered through their sites (pay/transaction) or monthly fees for the
solutions they offer or advertising revenue from the exploitation of data based on
customer and user profiles resulting from their business transactions.

4. Conclusions

The Internet brings with it a variety of opportunities for any type of business, all fields
experiencing drastic changes nowadays. The dynamic of development has made digital
marketing strategies become an extremely widespread component in the activity of any
entity. This as well as the high need for connectivity of a business are the main factors
why digital marketing strategies have become absolutely necessary elements for any
successful business.
The identification and establishment of appropriate digital marketing strategies are
steps of major importance because not all the strategies presented in this paper are
suitable in the situation of any business as it is possible that some of the strategies may
be expensive in terms of time or financial resources or may no longer benefit from
popularity among business clients.
To sum up, digital marketing strategies focus on how businesses and brands use the
power of the Internet and the benefits of technology to engage with targeted customer
segments for achieving their overall marketing objectives.

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