Let’s talk about something I wish someone had explained to me years ago before I started creating digital products. Something that causes considerable confusion in the online world.
People often say, “I want to get into digital marketing,” when what they really mean is, “I want to create digital products.” Or they say, “I’m selling a course, so I must be doing digital marketing,” not realising the two are connected but not the same.
Today, let’s clear the fog. Please think of this post as a stylish sit-down over coffee, real conversation between you and me. No jargon. Just clarity.
The Digital Dilemma
When I started learning about online business, everything sounded the same.
“Digital products.”
“Online business.”
“Affiliate this.”
“Passive income that.”
It was like fashion labels all being thrown into one bag. Prada, Zara, and thrift store vintage, and no one cared to separate them.
But just like in fashion, where a stylist is not the same as a designer, digital marketing is not the same as selling digital products. They’re in the same industry, yes, but they serve different roles.
Let’s define them.
What Is Digital Marketing?
It is the process by which businesses promote their products or services online. In other words, digital marketing is the process of using the internet to promote and sell products or services.
Think of it as the runway displaying how everything is designed to make people notice, want, and buy something. It’s all about visibility, engagement, and conversion.
Digital marketing includes things like:
- Social media advertising
- Email marketing
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
- Content creation (blogs, videos, reels)
- Paid ads (Google, Facebook, TikTok)
- Affiliate promotions
- Funnel building and sales pages
In essence, you don’t need to have your product to be a digital marketer. You can market other people’s products (affiliate marketing), services (like freelance copywriting or consulting), or even physical goods.
So, digital marketing is a skill set. It’s what allows brands to be seen, heard, and paid in the online space.
What Are Digital Products?
Digital products are anything you create and sell online that people can access digitally. It doesn’t require shipping, no warehouse, just pure information or media.
Examples include:
- Ebooks
- Online courses
- Webinars
- Membership sites
- Audio lessons or podcasts
- Downloadable templates
- Coaching programs
Digital products are often tied to personal branding, expertise, or education. They’re great because they can be sold repeatedly without running out of stock.
But here’s the thing: creating a digital product does not automatically mean you know digital marketing.
Just like designing a beautiful outfit doesn’t mean you can run a fashion campaign.
Let’s Use This Illustration to Bring It Home
Imagine two friends, Tonia and Amanda.
Tonia is a wellness coach. She creates a beautiful digital product: a 30-day wellness eating plan. It’s well-designed, packed with value, and ready to sell. She uploads it to her site, waits for sales… and nothing happens.
Why? Because Tonia didn’t market it.
Now meet Amanda. She doesn’t have a product of her own, but she’s a professional at running Instagram ads and writing compelling sales copy. She partners with a skincare brand and helps them sell their digital guides. Every sale earns her a commission.
Guess who’s making money doing digital marketing?
Amanda.
And that’s the key: digital marketing is the engine. Digital products are just one of the passengers.
Where People Get It Wrong
Many people enter the online space thinking digital marketing means creating a course or ebook and calling it a day.
But here’s what they don’t realise:
- You can be a digital marketer without ever making a product.
- You can sell physical products, services, or affiliate offers using digital marketing strategies.
- You can have the best digital product in the world, but without marketing, nobody will notice it.
It’s not either/or, it’s a relationship. A digital product needs digital marketing to thrive. And digital marketing needs offers to promote. Whether it’s yours or someone else’s.
So, Which One Should You Start With?
If you’re new to the online space, this question probably crossed your mind.
Here’s a way to look at it:
- Start with digital marketing if you want to learn how to promote anything—your product, someone else’s, or a service. It’s the foundational skill that makes all online income possible.
- Move into digital products when you’ve built some expertise, identified a clear audience, or have something valuable to teach, guide, or share.
You don’t need to choose between them. You only need to understand their roles.
Final Thoughts
Think of digital marketing as your styling skill. It helps you turn simple pieces into powerful statements. Whether you’re dressing up your product or someone else’s.
And digital products? They’re the wardrobe pieces. The things you sell.
One without the other? It’s just not complete.
So before you rush into building an online course or ebook, ask yourself:
Can I market it?
Do I know how to drive traffic to it?
Can I position it in a way that people want to buy it?
That’s where your learning steps in. It’s the foundation that turns your online hustle into a business. You learn before you earn.
Want help getting started?
I recommend starting with the fundamentals of digital marketing in Digital Boss Academy. Learn how to attract an audience, craft a strong message, and promote offers the right way. If you do, you’ll be ready to succeed. Whether you choose digital products, affiliate marketing, or physical goods. Start here.
Your success doesn’t start with what you’re selling. It starts with how well you can market it.
And that, my friend, is the real flex.
