You’ve got a brick-and-mortar business and you primarily rely on word of mouth. Doesn’t seem like there’d be much use investing in a fancy online marketing strategy, right?
You couldn’t be more wrong.
Digital marketing strategy is something which every business should have in their pocket. You may not need to go all out but if you’re skipping it then you’re missing out in a big way.
Read on and discover why you need to move some of your marketing strategies to the digital realm, no matter who you are.
Mobile Users Make the World Go Round
Like it or not, mobile searchers make up an enormous portion of people looking for businesses.
It’s a convenience thing. Chances are you have a smartphone in your pocket and when you need to figure something out… well, it’s right there.
With the convenience available to 77% of Americans it means fewer people are going to ring up a friend when they need something. It’s much easier to just pop on Google and figure out who’s got the best ratings in your area.
Even if you have enough business, you’ll still need to manage your online presence. A couple of bad Yelp reviews can sink the number of organic customers you get if they’re not balanced with good reviews.
You need to think ahead: with the majority of people able to quickly search for whatever product or service they need at any time you need to maintain a strong online presence.
You’ll Stand Out From the Competition
If someone searches for your particular business niche and you don’t have a website then you also don’t have a chance of getting that customer.
Indeed, in 2017 it was found that a whopping 45% of small businesses don’t have a web presence at all. Of those who did only 36% were actually using them to engage with their customers.
It’s an advertising weakness that you can exploit in order to get a leg up on competitors in your industry.
Remember what we said about mobile searches?
That means in most industries you’re only going to be competing with about half of the people who are actually in business in your area, and two-thirds of them aren’t actively engaging with their customers.
A good digital marketing strategy can have you generating leads and conversions at an obscene rate compared to the others around you.
Organic Traffic Gets More Clicks
Time and time again businesses want the quick route to the “top” of Google. Adwords makes it easy and the whole system can be learned by most people in a couple of days.
Organic traffic, usually gotten through SEO tactics, is much more likely to be clicked on and if you aim for the right keywords it can be a great source of “quality” traffic.
You know, the kind that converts.
Even if you feel that you’ve scaled up enough, brand awareness for your business is never a bad thing. It’s how you land truly high-ticket customers who already know that you’re excellent at what you do.
Finding the right SEO firm can be a trial but it should definitely be part of your overall strategy.
AdWords is great and all but it simply can’t compare to the results you’ll get from a sustained, long-term SEO strategy.
It’s the Key to Sustained Growth
Sustaining growth through word-of-mouth and old-school advertising methods gets hard.
It’s not nearly as scalable over time, however. Hard copies of brochures and other literature cost you on a per-customer basis and there’s no guarantee of a sale and there’s only so many people who need your product or service and are connected to the same parts of the community as you.
Digital marketing, on the other hand, can reach anyone you manage to funnel into your page without you paying on a per-customer basis.
That’s a pretty stark advantage when compared to older methods. That doesn’t mean you need to abandon your older methods of course, but a heavier focus on digital marketing is going to mean that you can reach more people over time.
It’s also much easier to track the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns due to the way analytics work.
If you want to make your company grow beyond the local area eventually then digital marketing is the resource you need to get there.
Form a Long-Term Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital marketing isn’t a short-term game.
Instead, you’re going to need to learn about plans vs. overall strategy. That’s a bit outside the scope of this article but you can learn more with the right resources.
When you invest in digital marketing for your business you need to think in the span of months and years instead of just what’s going to happen tomorrow.
With the right people at your side or the right employees if you can afford them, you’ll be able to engage with your customers better, make more sales, and overcome competition even in the local area.
Long-term strategies are the key to getting the most out of digital marketing.
Many people without a lot of tech-savvy don’t see results in the first couple of months and end up turned off the whole affair. While some strategies will net you results immediately, it’s sustained and well-planned efforts which will keep you going.
What Digital Marketing Does For You
Online marketing isn’t the only way to move forward.
It’s just usually the best way to go about things in the long run. The tech which runs our world isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. You need to take advantage of it while your competitors haven’t caught on.
The world is changing and riding the wave is a much better option than fighting it. A great digital marketing strategy is a fantastic idea now, but it’s going to be vital within the next few years if you want to remain competitive.
If you’re ready to learn more, then maybe it’s time you check out the marketing and advertising section of our blog and fill in the gaps.