The chances are that apart from the laptop or tablet on which you are reading this, there are a good few other devices within easy reach.
Think of how you consume information yourself and consider that more than three billion people now use the internet worldwide. The internet, and the way it is now used, has transformed the way we interact – and it has also transformed how we market our businesses.
Digitally marketing has four key advantages over traditional marketing – measurability, affordability, speed and engagement. If you want to know more, or if you’re a digital marketing skeptic, then read on…
Measurability
While responding to market conditions, your business can also gather data related to your clients and potential clients. Who is looking at what on your website? How many people have visited your site? Where are they coming from, natural search, through pay-per-click (PPC) or from social media? You can monitor the change in your figures over time, giving you real information about whether your marketing message is getting through.
Affordability
Digital marketing has opened up the arena of marketing to smaller and medium-sized firms the world over, putting them onto a level playing field with big corporates, through its affordability. Facebook boosts costs a fraction of printing leaflets, with much greater reach for a wider audience. Online banner adverts generally cost less than adverts in more traditional outlets like daily newspapers or magazines.
Speed
You can also get your message out there quicker in the virtual world – it’s a simple click of a mouse button and not a longer process to get materials produced. Twitter posts or website updates take a few minutes compared to days for the development and printing of a flyer. An e-shot can be written in an hour, whereas an advert can take a week to place in a newspaper.
Engagement
Digital marketing brings a dynamic edge to how you promote yourself in a fast-paced world.
One of the biggest reasons digital marketing has become so important is the engagement it brings with clients and potential customers – you can converse with your prospect and current customers, answer questions and resolve issues. You can also interact with a wider stakeholder base, meaning you can do more than just sell. You can seek opinions and carry out market research to better inform your decision making. By getting your audience to share pages you can increase your profile, and receive their endorsement in the process.
Engagement can be achieved via other avenues too, like by running competitions and by informing your audience of company news. As well as actually selling your product and services, you can also share your expertise through blogs, a vital way of displaying the knowledge you have in your field.
Using real time online marketing you can comment on issues and update or inform your customers immediately after significant events such as the Budget or Autumn Statement. You can also quickly match or better competitors’ offers with your own, keeping you at the sharp end of the marketplace.
So, digital marketing is more than important to your business – in 2016 it is indispensable.
