Where do you start if you want to build a successful business? Well, this is not a difficult assignment, if you have the right support system in place. The right support system consists of a passionate team, the right set of tools, a touch of latest technology, appropriate business partners and a great strategy.
The business world resides online and business leaders understand this very well. Customers have access to information anytime and anywhere they want. People are using the internet more than any other mode of communication due to globalization. Digital marketing is inspiring businesses and transformed many enterprises in past 5 years. Digital marketing is truly playing an important role in order to connect with the end users and generating successful business leads, especially for small and medium businesses. But still many business leaders are puzzled on how to start & which is the best suited digital strategy for their business. This blog will help you to understand the importance of digital marketing & how it can help your small or medium business.
To accompany the four Ps of classical marketing, marketers would do well to instil the digital four Cs, around conversation, collaboration, culture and compensation.
Zaid Al-Zaidy
What is Digital Marketing?
In simple words, digital marketing is the advertisement and promotion of a brand or its products through digital media channels. Digital media channels include websites, social media platforms, mobile marketing, video marketing, email marketing, PPC campaigns, SEO, content marketing etc. Basically, any marketing media which is delivered through an electronic medium is considered as digital marketing.
Marketing is all about reaching to the right people, connecting with them and engaging your audience at the right time. With the evolution of digital media, this means you got an opportunity to meet people where they are already spending time- “the internet”.
Whilst a seasoned inbound marketer might say inbound marketing and digital marketing are practically the same things, there are some minor differences. From your website to your online branding channels- digital advertising, email marketing, online brochures, and beyond – there’s a huge spectrum of tactics and assets that fall under the umbrella of digital marketing. And the smartest digital marketers have a clear picture of how each asset or tactic support their overarching goals.
Scope for Small Businesses
Many of the small business owners always ask one question? How many of my target customers are online. Ideally, the right question should be how many are not? Use of smartphone around the world is increasing day by day. This increasing number of users spends most of their time online and see digital technology as an essential part of their existence. As per a recent survey, 48% of the internet users are in between the age group of 16-25, and they are highly influenced by social media.
The importance of social media has increased for small businesses because of the quantifiable results it shows. Most of the digital media including websites, social media, and mobile advertising is much easier to track outcomes than traditional marketing methods. The reach is also much higher.
For small business owners, many forms of digital advertising are very affordable and highly effective. Having a web presence, a good number of social media followers, a highly engaged audience, and an email campaign, a blogging site are low-cost alternatives to TV ads or print media ads. These digital channels are open for businesses of any size, and a blessing for start-ups, independent service providers seeking new business opportunities.
For customers, the fast расе of life mаkеѕ digital marketing a must. When consumers are in nееd of any specific gооdѕ and ѕеrvісеѕ, gone are the days of thumbing through a рhоnеbооk to find them. Now, we whір out our mоbіlе dеvісеѕ or head to our соmрutеrѕ for аnѕwеrѕ – and we find them fast.
Digital Marketing Assets
Few of the best digital marketing assets are;
Now let’s discuss few of the digital marketing strategies;
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in the search engine result pages to increase the number of visitors on your website. SEO is the best tool used to get organic traffic to your website.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the most effective tools used to engage customers as well as attract new customers to your business pages. Blogging is the best form of content marketing. Usually, companies do this to generate brand awareness, lead generation, and promotion.
Content marketing is a commitment, not a campaign.
Jon Buscall
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is one of the most popular forms of digital marketing. This is very easy to execute and you can expect a high result. Companies promote their brand or product on social media platforms to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate new leads for their business.
PPC Campaigns
A quick method of driving traffic to your website by paying a third party publisher every time your ad is clicked. One of the most common forms of PPC is Google AdWords.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a kind of performance-based online advertising method where you receive a certain incentive for promoting someone else’s products or services on your website.
Email Marketing
Emails are often used to promote content, offers, events and redirect audience to a landing page or website. Companies use email marketing to build a personalized relationship with their audiences.
Why Digital Media Strategy?
Check these points to understand why you need digital media marketing strategies for your business.
Cost Effective
As we have already mentioned this before, digital marketing is more cost-effective than traditional marketing. This is very useful for small businesses as they have limited resources and marketing budget. Digital media can provide you more effective results.
More Engagement
If you are using digital content to connect with your customers, this will allow you to engage them much more effectively than traditional marketing ways. The strength of your online presence is now directly linked to the success of your business.
Higher ROI
By implementing digital marketing strategies, you can optimize your revenue. The more data you extract from your online campaigns, you can use them to plan action plans and subsequently your ROI will be increased.
Tracking
Digital platforms allow you to use analytics services like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixels to monitor all your customer actions, trends and behaviour. Analytics allow you to customize your business offerings so that you can understand your customers better and can offer them the best service experience.
More Followers
Social media marketing is perhaps the most effective tool for digital marketing. Many enterprises give more importance to other methods and give lesser importance to social media platforms. But the more “Facebook likes”, Twitter followers, retweets, YouTube shares will grow your business and build trust and credibility for your business. This will also bring traffic to your website if you use social media platforms wisely.
Increased Conversions
If you are implementing online marketing strategies, you can easily measure your success by analysing incoming traffic that gets converted into customers, or even leads. This way you can improve your sales process and also you can retarget customers.
Ahead of Competition
Each year more companies are spending more on digital marketing channels and focus more on SEO, PPC or social media spending. Because of this, the market has become more competitive and big companies are spending a lot. As a small business, you can’t compete with the larger players, but you can maximize your revenue. With the use of Google Alerts, you can monitor your competitors and can track their product and what kind of strategies they are using. You can improve your business strategy after analysing the results.
Go beyond Boundaries
Digital marketing is not limited to a website only. Most of the digital marketers or digital marketing agencies use various innovative approaches. They use PPC campaigns and SEO strategically. Always remember, digital marketing is not limited to any geographical location. You can promote your business anywhere in the world without being physically present there. All you need is a robust strategy and innovative partner to plan and execute all available tools.
Our Take
It has been reported that big corporates that are using digital marketing techniques are getting 2.8 times better chances in business growth and generating revenues. While small companies are getting 3.3 times better chance of business growth than before. These stats are encouraging for many businesses, so each year more and more companies are understanding the importance of online platforms and are coming forward with innovative strategies.
It is important to understand the significance of implementing digital marketing strategies in your business. The use of online media in this century in not just a smart investment decision- it is essential. This is one of those marketing channels which has various benefits and which can help you grow and expand your business.
If you are already doing digital marketing for your business, you must be reaching your niche online. However, there is always scope for growth and you can think of some areas of your strategy which needs improvement. Apogaeis can help you in connecting your digital needs and implement a robust online marketing strategy. Contact Us today for a FREE CONSULTATION.
ALSO READ: “19 Top Marketing Tips for your Start-up”
