If you are one of the many business owners who does not have an online presence and finds themselves struggling to keep their business afloat, then you have come to the right place! This article will show you how investing in digital marketing can increase the performance and attractiveness of your business and most notably help you stay ahead of the game.

Traditional marketing simply doesn’t cut it

Imagine placing a lot of your time and money into creating ads, radio broadcasts, and billboards hoping that the customer you are looking for will hear or see it. Well, this is simply what you are doing by using traditional marketing. Traditional marketing focuses on selling products and services to customers and is often a shot in the dark when it comes to knowing who sees your ads.

When people tell me that traditional marketing is more efficient than digital marketing it makes me laugh…..who wouldn’t want to spend less money on advertising, measure campaigns, and most importantly have an easier way to connect and interact with your customer?

“In the time it took you to read this sentence 20m emails have been sent”

Fundamentally, contemporary consumers do not just want a product, they want to buy experiences and to connect with your brand, and only digital marketing can offer this.

Types of digital marketing you can get involved in……

1. Content Marketing
2. SEO
3. Email Marketing
4. Video Marketing
5. PPC or Pay per click
6. Social Media Marketing

1. Digital Marketing increases brand awareness and trust

No matter how much your product costs, no matter how high a quality your products are, and no matter how much you pay for advertising your product, your business is not likely to go far if you do not have an image that will set you apart from your competition.

However, having a brand it simply not enough. You need customers to be aware of your brand and trust what you and your business do. Otherwise, they’re not likely to come back to your store or website!

Let’s take a look at one digital marketing tool that will help you achieve this!

Content Marketing

One simple yet effective digital marketing tool that will allow a positive image of your brand to grow in the mind of your consumers in content marketing. Content marketing will allow you to create valuable content and foster trust between you and your customer.

One word often thrown in when using content marketing is storytelling and essentially storytelling is what will make or break your customers experience with your brand.

We can all relate when I say that if something doesn’t interest us, we move on quite quickly right? Well, this is why stories are essential. They will make people remember your brand and if you have a story that is capable of evoking your consumers emotions, then they will never forget the experience your brand provided them.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories you tell”.

Seth Godin

2. Digital Marketing improves your ranking

You’ve probably asked yourself “why would I invest in digital marketing when I can put that money back into my business? Digital marketing is too expensive”. Well did you know that over 80% of major purchases start with online research?

SEO

One digital marketing tool that should essentially be your businesses best friend is search engine optimization (SEO). If you find that the traffic into your store in decreasing and your yearly takings are not what they used to be, then SEO should really be at the heart of your business.

The best place to hide a dead body is the second page of Google search.

Essentially, SEO is important for building trust with your customer and is going to help your business because its job is to make your business visible to those who have not heard about you or your brand.

Believe me when I say, without SEO, your business is going to continue getting traffic from those who already know about your business.

3. Digital Marketing increases conversion rates

With digital marketing, your conversion rate isn’t just sales. Your conversion rate can be actions like downloading a guide or signing up for a seminar.

Macy Storm (2019)

One way digital marketing is going to help you increase your conversion rates is by making sure your website allows for an enjoyable and easy user experience

Most notably, digital marketing can help you include a call-to-action button the minute your customer looks at your brand online.

But now to the important part, by investing in digital marketing you’re not only going increase your number of conversions by reaching out to more people locally, but people all over the world will be able to find you. There’s really no reason why your business shouldn’t be the first one they see when they search for products you offer.

Where do you go from here?

Like what you see and want to learn more? Here are some interesting and useful terms to educate yourself about all things digital.

References:

• Megan Marrs (2021). Available at: 18 Sneaky Ways to Build Brand Awareness [Updated 2020] | WordStream
• Visme (2021). Available at:  Storytelling: A Content Marketing Power Tool (visme.co)
• Entrepreneurship in a box (2021). Available online: Top 7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Digital Marketing (entrepreneurshipinabox.com)
• Main street ROI. (2021). Available at: 10 Quotes About SEO TO Guide Your Strategy (mainstreetroi.com)
• Macy Strom. (2019). Available at: Conversion Rate Marketing: What Is It and How to Improve It (webfx.com).
• Pat Ahern. (2021). Available at: 27 Mind-Bottling SEO Stats for 2021 & Beyond | Intergrowth (inter-growth.co)
• Synthesio (2016). Available at: https://www.synthesio.com/blog/digital-marketing-quotes-inspiration/     
• Patsy Stewart (2017). Available at: “Marketing Is No Longer About The Stuff That You Make.” (webuildbuzz.com)