Remember when your small business opened its doors for the first time? Your sole focus was probably getting customers through the door and making that sweet sale. You might have even leaned into traditional advertising channels like putting out ads in the local paper or radio spots to spread the word. Now, let’s get real for a second. We’re well into the information age. You have a roundabout understanding and interest in implementing digital marketing for your small business, but switching up your current strategy is like taking a leap into the void.
You’d be right in thinking that, but digital marketing for your small business is an investment you can’t afford to put off a moment longer.
If you’re nervous about pulling the trigger, I have seven benefits digital marketing can provide your small business to help make this decision a no-brainer!
It enables your brand to connect with current and future customers
The cool thing about digital marketing is that every small business owner to reach and interact with their audience in one place. Digital marketing facilitates the business of today.
Your customers don’t care if you don’t have the time, energy or guts to invest in a digital marketing strategy. Why? Because they’re already online searching for the product or service to solve their problem.
When someone becomes aware of and takes an interest in your business, one of the first things they’ll do is research online to learn more about you. They expect to find your business within the first few results of their search inquiry, a user-friendly website, and active social media platforms. They’ll weed through online reviews to learn what others are saying about your business.
Bottom line? If your customers can’t find you online, they may think your business isn’t legitimate!
It’s a budget-friendly alternative to traditional advertising
Big brands have the financial capital to pump into massive multi-channel marketing campaigns. But you’re not them. Startups and small businesses need to keep costs low to rake in modest profit margins.
Digital marketing, specifically organic content marketing, is a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional advertising. Digital marketing campaigns give you control over who, what, where, when, and how customers consume your content. In turn, those who find value in your content will learn, trust, and establish a preference for your brand!
If you don’t act, your competitors will
The digital world allows you to create an online store and digital platform to interact with your customers regardless of where you and your audience are located.
When you look at what strategies your competitors are using online, you’ll get a good idea of what is and what’s not working. What kind of content are they using? Are they blogging or do they leverage infographics and videos to educate their audience? How do they communicate their brand value and what makes them unique? How well do they engage with their audience and social communities? What pain points are they neglecting that your business can step in to address?
Remember, at the end of the day, your prospects can’t choose you if they don’t know about you!
It introduces new channels of revenue for your small business
When it comes to digital marketing benefiting your bottom line, the numbers don’t lie:
- 42% of the world population uses social media today
- 54% of consumers browse social media for product research purposes
- 73% of marketers believe their social media marketing efforts benefit their business
- 83% of marketers used video marketing in 2019 and 87% reported video was earning them “a good ROI”
There are many digital marketing channels your small business can use to connect with your audience. Every channel, from Facebook to Google, requires platform-specific strategies and tactics to achieve your business goals.
A strong digital marketing strategy will set you apart from the competition. It will also increase the odds of converting warm leads to a loyal, lifelong customer. Moving forward, your customers can act as brand advocates by writing reviews on social media as well as recommending your business to friends, relatives, and coworkers. While big-name brands throw thousands behind paid multimedia campaigns, your small business will reap the rewards from a personalized approach.
It elevates your brand reputation
As more people begin to recognize your business, your brand reputation will also increase. You can build a good reputation by publishing helpful articles on your brand blog, answer customer questions on social media, or simply engage with your audience in a way that makes them feel seen and valued!
The lack of an online presence for your small business can cost you your customer base. 81% of buyers do some online research before making a purchase and 88% of consumers read reviews to determine if your business is reliable enough. The way you appear (or don’t appear) online is a make-or-break deal in their final decision. Without an online presence, there’s no way to monitor and guide the narrative surrounding your small business.
Your customers will come to you, not the other way around
Since digital marketing takes place online, it’s accessible to a global audience. Whereas traditional marketing limits you to a particular geographic area, its modern counterpart can help you seamlessly interact with new customers near and far.
You can attract a much larger audience online than by just catering to the locals. By building a web presence, your small business will stay open round the clock. At their convenience, customers can send you emails with their questions, make purchases and browse your inventory.
You can measure the results of your marketing efforts in real-time
Unlike traditional marketing techniques, digital marketing strategy is not only highly targeted, but it offers credible ways to measure what’s working and what’s not.
Analytics tools have been a game-changer for businesses and marketing professionals alike. Analytics help you pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of a paid campaign you’re running or a specific strategy you’re employing. These metrics will provide a summary of where your audience comes from and the types of content that interest them and which processes, tools, or techniques are generating a good return on investment.
With analytics, you can make informed decisions on which strategies you should allocate valuable resources to.