Marketing is as simple as this: you have a product you want to sell, you come up with a catchy slogan or visually-stunning advertisement, consumers look at it, and they decide whether or not to buy it. That’s what marketing is.

In today’s world, there’s so many different types of marketing that it can be hard for brands to decide which one they want to foster. It’s also difficult for graduates who are unsure which marketing area they want to specialize in.

We have you covered in both ballparks. Here are the nine most popular types of marketing:

1. Email Marketing

It is often said that email is dead. To the naked eye, considering all the spam that gets sent on a daily basis, this sentiment may be true. However, the rumors of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Just take a gander at some of these statistics pertaining to the power of email marketing:

• Emails are the third most influential marketing scheme for B2B brands.
• Thirty percent of retailers who use email marketing reported sales from their efforts.
• For every $1 spent on email marketing has a return of investment (ROI) of $44.
• One-quarter of consumers prefer to receive promotional emails more than once a week.
• The average open-rate for businesses using email marketing is 20 percent.

So, do you still think email marketing is dead? … We thought not. This remains one of the most effective types of marketing to this day, and the trend will continue for a long time.

2. Social Media Marketing

Like email marketing, there are plenty of incorrect statements pertaining to the efficacy of social media marketing. The primary conclusion is that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are too crowded for newcomers to get noticed. In a way this is true, but with the right tactics and strategies, you can stand out from the crowd and garner all the attention.

From creating a social media marketing plan for each channel to being fastidious about what you post online, you can successfully navigate the world of social media and generate eyeballs for brands.

3. Mobile Marketing

A few years ago, the experts said the next big thing in marketing is mobile. Years later, it is still one of the biggest things because of the numbers and trends that are associated with everything mobile.

For instance, by next year, mobile ad spending is projected to top $250 billion, which makes sense considering the following:

• There are about 10 million apps collectively between Google Play and Apple App.
• S. businesses invested 9.4 percent of their complete marketing budget in m-marketing.
• More than half of all online traffic came through mobile devices.
• People double their interactions with brands today because of smartphones.
• Apps account for 90 percent of users’ time compared to just 10 percent on websites.

Simply put, mobile marketing is considered one of the most dominant types of marketing.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing is all the rage these days, primarily because of how effective it can be – results and cost. Did you know that a single blog post can spur content for an entire month? That’s how creative content marketing can be.

But are we getting a bit head over ourselves? First, what exactly is content marketing anyway?

It’s the type of marketing that consists of creating and sharing online material, like blogs, videos, and social media posts that aims to spur interest in a brand’s product or service. Indeed, content marketing can cover plenty of ground:

• Apps
• Games
• In-person events
• Quizzes
• Polls

And the young consumers love it, since they find they can connect better with brands.

5. Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a tactic that takes advantage of many incarnations of pull marketing, from search engine optimization to social media to content market. These types of marketing can generate brand awareness and attract new customers.

6. Geomarketing

Yes, it often seems like that society is adopting nearly everything that was on screen in the smash hit Tom Cruise picture, “Minority Report.” This includes geomarketing.

This is a type of marketing that tracks your location and then advertises a product, place, or promotion in your immediate vicinity. So, for instance, you may be walking by a Starbucks and an ad pops up on your mobile device that features an advertisement for a Grande, Iced, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk at 120 degrees.

It might seem creepy, but it works; one study found that 96 percent of consumers who visit a grocery store and are the target of geomarketing often buy product that was in the advertisement.

7. Visual Marketing

Let’s be honest: we are visual beings. We are attracted more to photos, videos, colours, and a diverse array of other visual elements than the written word. And this is what visual marketing is.

Visual marketing concentrates on these aspects, but it is more than that. Visual marketers take full advantage of visual perception laws, cognitive psychology, marketing principles, and economic factors to sell a product, market a service, or build awareness for a company.

8. Social Sharing Marketing

Digital marketers learned something interesting in the last couple of years: their $10 million investment in having celebrities endorse products on social media has been a waste. They could have better spotlighted positive Facebook posts or tweets pertaining to a good or service from random users instead of celebrities.

That’s what social sharing marketing is: highlighting testimonials from real people who do not have any skin in the game. By using the human factor as opposed to a LeBron James or a Celine Dion, they better connect with real individual customers.

Indeed, the average shopper has more in common with the tired mother of twins than a multi-million-dollar rapper.

9. Print Marketing

Yes, it’s true: print marketing is still around. You see it everywhere: billboards, placards, magazine and newspaper ads, and anywhere else that is real and that you can touch with your hand. While these types of marketing may not be as cutting edge as geomarketing or social sharing marketing, it’s still something that should complement your overall efforts to sell a chocolate bar, a coat, or a car.

Marketing is one of the best industries to get into. It is always evolving, adapting to modern times, providing a wealth of opportunities, and offering excitement. Now that you are aware of the various marketing fields, this is your chance to specialize in one or all of these areas and embark upon this career path. Who knows? Maybe you’ll create the next big Geico ad campaign.