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Jun 6, 2016
If you suddenly need to replace your light bulb but you don’t know about any hardware or home improvement stores nearby, what’s the first thing you’ll do?
Is it to scan through the yellow pages and see if any local stores sell light bulbs? Or, is it to search “light bulbs near me” on Google?
According to Hubspot, 86% of people rely on the Internet to find a local business, and 78% of consumers conduct product research online before purchasing. Looks like we can assume that the second option is what most people would do.
If you selling light bulbs nearby, wouldn’t you think it’s a missed opportunity if a potential customer wasn’t able to find you online? What if hundreds of people in your neighborhood are actively looking for your products or services right now? That could be worth thousands of dollars in lost sales!
It’s not enough for your business to just have a website and a Facebook page. You also need to use digital marketing to strengthen your presence online so you can reach your target audience at the right moment and convert them quickly.
In this article, we will discuss why you need to start using digital marketing for your business and how to get started this 2021.
But, before we discuss that, let us first define what digital marketing is.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing refers to any marketing efforts or assets that are delivered through digital channels. This includes email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, SEO, and many more.
It is essential for promoting your business, including your products and services, to a targeted audience online and convincing them to buy.
Many small businesses believe that having a website and a Facebook page is enough to drive customers to their door. But the truth is, you can’t attract customers by merely existing.
And, even if you can, it’s guaranteed that you won’t get as many customers as you would if you used digital marketing to your advantage.
Aside from being able to reach more potential customers, here are other reasons why digital marketing is imperative for your business:
According to Statista, there are over 313 million active internet users in America, 269 million of which are active mobile internet users. With this data, we can say that your potential customers can be found online. You’re one email, one ad, or one content away from reaching them!
Wanna know who else are frequently online besides your customers? Your competitors! They might already be plotting their digital marketing strategies to make sure that your target audience ends up buying from them.
For your business to thrive, it’s important to take this possibility seriously. Keep in mind that potential customers can’t choose you if they don’t know about you.
Establishing your online presence is the first step. Here’s how:
According to Statista, more than 90% of the entire internet population use mobile to go online. So, you want to make sure that your website is compatible to any mobile device.
Make sure you fill out every essential information your customers need to know to be able to contact or locate you, including your address, contact information, business hours, and description of your business. This way, your prospects won’t get confused when they try to reach out to you.
Aside from Google My Business, it’s also important to enlist your business in other online business directories because it helps increase your online visibility.
Many individuals find out about a local business through social media. If you want to get discovered, make sure your business has a Facebook page or Instagram account!
It’s also important to optimize your website for local search, as well as the content you create for search engine optimization (SEO). With good SEO, searchers will easily find you for relevant queries, increase traffic to your website, improve your ranking on search engine results pages, and generate more quality leads.
Once you’re done doing all the things we’ve mentioned above, the next step is to take inspiration from what your strongest competitors are doing online to reach customers. And no, this isn’t copying. The logic behind it is that if it works for them, then it’ll most likely work for you too.
You want to find out what they’re doing to attract more customers. Is it blogging? Making video tutorials? Are they using social media ads or Google ads?
Whatever it is, you want to use the same tactics, but of course, you gotta make it your own.
For example, you own a craft store. Your biggest competitors are using YouTube to get more customers. And so, you decided to start a YouTube channel as well.
However, you want to cover topics your competitors haven’t tackled yet, and you’re also planning to post videos on subjects that can provide more value to your audience.
Be sure to communicate the values of your craft store to show everyone why you stand out.
If you aim to be quirky, focus on making how-to videos that feature unconventional artwork made of the materials from your store. If you’re all about credibility, you can make honest reviews on the different materials and tools you sell.
One of the biggest challenges many small businesses face is getting local customers to buy from them over big retailers. Despite their reasonable pricing and best efforts to drive consumers to their stores, many people still prefer well-established corporations.
Why might that be? Well, simply put, these top brands have been around for decades already. Customers can always count on retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon for quality shopping experience.
It’s the trust factor that draws consumers to purchase from them. Plus, their marketing and advertising are pretty extreme.
However, that doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance against them.
Small businesses are in a unique position to develop closer, more personal relationships with their customers - something bigger corporations can’t imitate. You can make your customers be heard and feel valued by making sure that their needs are met.
For sure, this will give them a reason to choose you.
According to eMarketer, “American consumers are choosing small businesses because of the personalized experience they provide compared to larger businesses”
What’s even more surprising is the fact that people are willing to support small businesses.
A market research conducted by AYTM found that 61.2% of their respondents were willing to pay higher prices to support small businesses. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, 53% of consumers said they’re more likely to buy from a local business than a prominent national retailer.
Letting people know you exist and that you’re trustworthy is the real challenge here!
Thanks to the Internet and the rise of digital marketing, you can now compete with leading brands without having to spend millions of dollars on ads.
But, how exactly can you do this?
Earlier, we taught you how you can establish your presence online. This time, we’ll be explaining the different ways you can establish your credibility and convince your target audience to trust you.
Different Ways You Can Build Trust and Establish Credibility through Digital Marketing
TV commercials, radio ads, and newspaper display advertising are no longer necessary to reach your potential customers. You can tap into social media marketing, email marketing, Google Ads, and so much more to increase brand awareness, establish trust, and make more sales without having to spend beyond your budget.
BigCommerce revealed that 92% of customers read online reviews first before purchasing.
Right after creating a website and claiming your business on Google My Business, encourage your customers to leave a review, rating, or provide feedback on your website, Facebook page, or in Google.
Be sure to respond to these reviews and feedback, whether it’s good or bad, to show your customers that you’re listening.
Creating a testimonial video and putting them on your online platforms is a great way to build trust among your target audience. According to Invesp, 74% of consumers trust a local business more after reading positive reviews and testimonials about it.
Getting “Google Guaranteed” can give your potential customers an extra peace of mind. Having the certified badge lets people know you’re 100% legit, driving more customers to your business.
Another way of proving that you’re trustworthy is by sharing your expertise through blogging, video content, articles, webinars, case studies, eBooks, and many more. Fill your website with valuable content to attract visitors and establish trust and authority in your industry.
Unlike traditional advertising, digital marketing gives you the reassurance that your ads, content, and other digital marketing assets will only reach people who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
This ensures that every cent of your marketing budget is fully optimized and is spent on prospects who will possibly buy from you.
Digital marketing allows you to precisely target your ideal customers and create highly relevant and personalized campaigns that directly speak to them.
Different channels offer different levels of targeting. But essentially, you can target your ideal customers based on geographic location, demographics, psychographics, and behavioral attributes. You can even layer your targeting and decide how broad or narrow your audience will be.
This will not only boost conversions, but it can also increase customer experience and satisfaction. 50% of consumers want more ads that are relevant to their current needs, according to a survey by Valassis and Kantar, .
Being able to put your products in front of a person actively looking for them is a win-win situation for both parties. The searcher can quickly satisfy their current needs thanks to your ad, and conversely, you make a sale for reaching that prospect right away.
Targeting also allows you to serve highly relevant campaigns to the different groups within your target audience, which can help increase conversions, reduce bounce rate, and boost customer satisfaction!
Moreover, digital marketing allows you to "retarget" or reach out to prospects who visited your website but never made a purchase. This gives you a chance to remind them about your products or services, and maybe this time, they’ll have some items bought. You’ll be closing more deals and encourage repeat purchases.
With traditional marketing, it’s difficult to identify whether or not your TV ads are effective, or if your radio commercials can reach your target market. The only way to determine is to ask every individual that enters your store where they heard about you.
Wouldn’t it just be nice if there’s a way to do this automatically?
The good news is, there is!
Digital marketing makes it easier for you to track your campaigns. You can keep an eye on your campaign’s ROI, your website’s bounce rate, your landing page’s conversion rate, impressions, and other metrics you consider important.
That’s not all. You can get rid of strategies that don’t work, replace ads your target audience isn’t responding to, and further refine your approach once you see that your campaigns aren’t working.
Applying these changes lets you generate the best results for your campaigns and make the most out of your advertising budget.
Return on investment is one of the most vital key performance indicators that allows you to determine the profitability of a campaign, strategy, or business event. Without a doubt, digital marketing can deliver high ROI without costing too much.
Here are the different types of digital marketing that delivers the highest ROI:
SEO is a long-term strategy designed to help businesses generate revenue long-term.
As per Statista, 32% of marketers worldwide agree that SEO provides the highest ROI. It is also estimated that SEO captures more than 40% of a business's revenue.
Email marketing generates a 4200% ROI.For every dollar spent on email marketing, businesses make $42 in revenue.
Paid search marketing, or pay-per-click advertising, has a media ROI of 23%. It is considered as the top driver of revenue and is responsible for more than 1/3 of online sales. Companies generate an average of $2 in earnings for every dollar they spend on Google Ads.
Consumers are bombarded with so much information online, including ads from your competitors almost every day.
That’s why your business should use digital marketing to cut through all the noise and effectively reach your ideal customers. It helps make sure you reach your prospects online, meet them at every stage of the buyer’s journey, and convert them quickly.
Are you considering using digital marketing to grow your business this 2021? We can help you!
At Digital Resource, our team members have the experience and expertise to plan, develop, and execute successful digital marketing plans tailored for your business. Contact us now to get started!
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
