What is Digital Marketing?

What is digital marketing? about A close-up image of a person's hands using a laptop, with superimposed digital marketing data visualizations including charts, graphs, and upward trending arrows, representing growth and analysis.

✅ What is Digital Marketing? (Simple Explanation)

Simple Definition of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is the process of promoting your business, services, or products using the internet and digital platforms like Google, social media, email, and websites to reach your target customers. What is digital marketing?

In simple words —

If you’re promoting something online (like ads, websites, social media, etc.), it’s called Digital Marketing.

  • When you search on Google for “best hotel in Hubli” and the hotel’s website appears — that’s digital marketing.

  • When you see an Instagram ad for a newly opened restaurant — that’s also digital marketing.

  • When you get an email from Amazon about special offers — that’s again digital marketing.

So, digital marketing is happening around you every day without you even realizing it.

Why is Digital Marketing So Important?

Okay, now that you know what digital marketing is — you might be thinking “Why is it so important for businesses?” Let me explain in very simple terms.

1. Reach More People

Imagine you opened a new restaurant in Hubli. If you use traditional marketing (like newspaper ads or banners), you can only reach local people. But, with digital marketing, you can reach thousands of people from Hubli, Belagavi, and even other cities just by running Facebook or Google ads.

So, digital marketing helps you reach more people, more quickly, and more affordably.

2. Cost-Effective

Suppose you place an ad in a newspaper for ₹5,000 and only a few people see it. But with digital marketing, you can spend ₹5,000 on Facebook ads and reach 10,000+ people who are actually interested in your business.

So, digital marketing saves you money and gives you a higher ROI (Return on Investment).

3. Track Your Results

In traditional marketing, you can’t track how many people saw your billboard or newspaper ad. But in digital marketing, you can track:

  • How many people clicked your ad.

  • How many visited your website.

  • How many purchased your product.

This helps you understand what’s working and what’s not.

4. Build Brand Awareness

The more people see your business online, the more they remember it. For example, if you constantly post on Instagram, Facebook, and Google, people will automatically recognize your brand.

So digital marketing helps in brand building and creating awareness.

5. Get More Sales and Customers

At the end of the day, every business wants more sales and customers. Digital marketing helps you target people who are genuinely interested in your product or service, leading to higher sales and revenue.

Types of Digital Marketing (You Should Know)

Now comes the interesting part — what are the types of digital marketing?

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher on Google when people search for something.

For example:

  • When you search for “best SEO services in Hubli” and MarketGrowthX appears on top — that’s SEO.

  • It’s like making your website Google-friendly.

Why is it Important?

  • It helps you get free traffic from Google without spending money on ads.

  • It builds long-term visibility for your business.

2. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

SMM is simply promoting your business on social media platforms like:

  • Instagram

  • Facebook

  • LinkedIn

  • YouTube

  • Twitter

Example:

  • When you see an Instagram ad from MarketGrowthX offering “SEO Services in Hubli” — that’s Social Media Marketing.

Why is it Important?

  • It helps you build brand awareness.

  • It helps you get direct customers from social media.

3. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM is running paid ads on search engines like Google, Bing, etc. to appear on top of search results.

Example:

  • When you search “buy shoes online” and the first few links say “Ad” — that’s SEM.

Why is it Important?

  • You can get instant customers without waiting for SEO results.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing is simply creating valuable content (like blogs, videos, or social media posts) to attract potential customers.

Example:

  • Writing blog posts like this one.

  • Creating Instagram reels.

  • Creating YouTube videos.

Why is it Important?

  • It helps build trust and long-term customers.

How to Learn Digital Marketing (Step-by-Step)

Now comes the most interesting part — How can you learn digital marketing?

Step 1: Learn Basics

Start by learning the basics of digital marketing like:

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

  • SMM (Social Media Marketing)

  • SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

  • Email Marketing

  • Content Marketing

👉 You can learn these from YouTube, Google Digital Garage, Udemy, or Coursera.

Step 2: Practice on Your Own Website

Create a small website (like MarketGrowthX) and start practicing SEO, content marketing, and running ads. This practical knowledge will boost your confidence.

Step 3: Offer Free Services

Approach small businesses in Hubli and offer them free or low-cost services like SEO, social media marketing, or website design. This will give you real-world experience.

Step 4: Build Your Portfolio

Showcase your work and results on your website. Create case studies like:

  • “How I Helped a Hotel Get 500% More Customers in 3 Months.”

  • “How I Increased Sales for a Restaurant Using Instagram Ads.”

This will attract high-paying clients.

Step 5: Start Getting Clients

Now you can start getting paying clients from:

  • Cold calls.

  • LinkedIn outreach.

  • Instagram DMs.

  • Google Business Profile.

👉 Pro Tip: Always ask clients for reviews and testimonials. This will build your agency’s credibility.

Our Journey of Building MarketGrowthX: From College Students to Digital Marketing Founders

Starting a business at the age of 20 while still being college students was never easy. But we, Dhareppa (Founder) and Vikas (Co-Founder), had a dream — a dream to build something on our own, something that could help businesses grow online. And that’s how MarketGrowthX was born.

How It All Started

We were just like any other college students, pursuing B.Com (Hons) at KLE Technological University in Hubli. But deep down, we always had a passion for digital marketing and business. We knew that someday, we wanted to build our own company, but we never imagined it would start so soon.

One day, we were casually discussing our future, and a thought clicked:
“Why wait until graduation to start a business? Why not start now?”

And just like that, MarketGrowthX was born in February 2025. It wasn’t easy — balancing college, assignments, and starting a business from scratch. But we believed in one thing — if you have a dream, you need to chase it, no matter what.

The Hardest Part Was Starting From Zero

The biggest challenge we faced was getting our first client. We had no reputation, no portfolio, and no experience in handling clients. But we knew if we could get one client, we could get more.

So, we started calling local businesses — hotels, restaurants, hospitals, small business owners — anyone who might need SEO, social media marketing, or website services. Most of them said NO. Some didn’t even bother to talk.

But we never gave up. Every rejection made us stronger. We learned how to pitch our services, how to speak to clients, and how to convince them. We would often sit in college, work late nights, and discuss strategies to grow MarketGrowthX.

Balancing College and Business Was Tough

One of the hardest parts was managing college studies and running a digital marketing agency simultaneously. We had classes, assignments, and exams — but we also had a dream.

Some nights we would stay up late just to complete a client’s website, and the next morning we had to attend college. It was exhausting, but the fire inside us kept us going.

There were days when we questioned ourselves:

  • “Are we too young to run a business?”
  • “What if we fail?”
  • “Can we balance both?”

But the answer was always clear — if you really want something, you’ll find a way. And that’s exactly what we did.