10 Signs Why A Business Needs Digital Marketing
Digital marketing, when done right, can help you reach the widest audience possible and thus, generate more business leads than any other form of marketing. If you’re looking to find out if your business needs digital marketing, here are ten signs that will tell you if it does.
Why A Business Needs Digital Marketing
1) If you want to be found online
To be found online, you need to be where people search. If a potential customer is searching for a business on their phone and you’re not optimized for mobile, they may never find you. But if you have a great-looking website on a platform like WordPress or Squarespace, or an optimized landing page created with a platform like Unbounce or Leadpages, they may just click through. Optimize everything, from your URL to each piece of content that goes live on your site. You don’t want to confuse customers by sending them in two different directions. That’s what leads to drop-offs. Google Analytics will give you detailed reports about how much traffic your business is getting, who’s coming to your site, which pages are working best, etc. Then use social media platforms like Facebook Ads Manager or Twitter Ads to make sure you reach customers when they are looking for products like yours. Just remember to stay consistent—every time your company puts out new content or has news worth sharing, tie it back into your brand identity across all channels. It may seem expensive at first (because it can be), but keeping up with these trends is crucial for modern businesses. Make sure you’re capturing and tracking your customer data: Digital means everything in 2018, and one thing we know for certain is that every little detail counts; we see it in politics; we see it in sports; we see it in Hollywood; we certainly see it with our own experiences shopping online. With all these algorithms determining what shows up on our screens at any given moment via Google searches or product recommendations, many businesses are afraid to leave anything to chance. For example, Amazon has reportedly spent millions perfecting its algorithm so that Amazon Prime members always get deals based on their previous purchases. Customers love deals—and Amazon loves deals even more because deals mean repeat purchases. This kind of loyalty brings Amazon enormous profit margins. However, Amazon isn’t alone in collecting mountains of personal data. Apple, Facebook, Samsung and other tech giants that sell phones collect tons of private information on us too. Not only do most big retailers know what we buy; often they also track us inside stores with cookies downloaded onto our devices to monitor our movements around stores using cameras or sensors embedded in Wi-Fi routers or smartphone apps. In fact, as of 2016, 70 percent of companies used some form of customer tracking. In addition to getting better insights into what interests you as a buyer, businesses can also learn more about purchasing behaviors as well. As more data becomes available for analysis, marketers will be able to target buyers based on behavior patterns instead of just demographics. All that said—if done correctly—collecting and analyzing large amounts of consumer data could be extremely beneficial for small businesses.
2) If you want growth
Having a strong website presence is paramount to a business’s success, and something that’s becoming more and more essential with every passing year. How many times have you searched for a company online only to end up on their brick-and-mortar store’s webpage? If you don’t have an internet strategy in place, your company will likely go out of business before you know it. According to some reports, upwards of 90% of all web traffic comes from search engines; if your brand doesn’t rank well (or at all) on Google or other search engines, you might as well consider closing shop. Having mobile-friendly content: In 2015, mobile browsing surpassed desktop browsing—in both usage time and number of users—for the first time ever. If you want to stay relevant as a business today, it’s imperative that your site can be viewed seamlessly by those using a mobile device. After all, if consumers can’t easily access your site via their smartphone or tablet, they may just take their money elsewhere instead. Making sure your content ranks high in SERPs: Search engine results pages (SERPs) are how most people discover new brands and products—so having highly ranked listings within these SERPs is critical to improving overall conversion rates. Of course, there are several factors that come into play when determining SERP rankings, including but not limited to keyword relevance and competition level. Regularly auditing your listing pages makes sure you never fall victim to these challenges again while also keeping down customer acquisition costs. Having rich snippets applied to your product pages: Rich snippets present additional information beyond simple text about things like hours of operation, service areas and client testimonials—it can make all the difference in helping searchers find exactly what they need before clicking through. Getting recommendations for social media advertising campaigns: We live in a world where our Facebook friends like companies every day; getting social recommendations goes far beyond good branding, though
3) If you need traffic
How can you get people to come to your site? The answer is simple: You need to market to them. Unless you already have a large audience of loyal customers, you’ll need to figure out how to attract new customers—and fast. In recent years, companies have begun relying on digital channels for marketing instead of traditional advertising in newspapers and magazines. This makes sense because it’s much easier and more efficient. However, if your company doesn’t have a strong online presence or a social media following then don’t worry. If you want to reach out to users who are most likely interested in what you’re selling, make sure your keywords are relevant. That way when potential customers search for solutions they will find YOU! Next, create compelling CTAs (calls-to-action) such as live chat buttons; we’ve found that businesses who include these rarely experience low conversions rates. Keeping track of your success metrics is key to growing your business; without benchmarks to work from, you won’t know whether or not you should double down on certain strategies and tactics until it’s too late. For instance, tracking data might reveal that ads aren’t working so you might want to switch things up. To do all of these effectively, it’s important to measure results through tools like Google Analytics and Google AdWords Keyword Planner which let you see where clicks came from, what time ads were viewed etc. It may be tempting to take shortcuts by doing things manually, but consider investing in automated tools like website popups; these increase brand awareness while also collecting valuable information about visitors.
4) If you want more sales
More than 70% of people start their product searches online. You don’t want to miss out on that kind of traffic. Create an effective online presence for your company. Today, every successful business has a website—and if yours doesn’t, you could be losing out on valuable leads and sales opportunities. Digital marketing can help put your company in front of potential customers searching for businesses like yours online. As part of its services, Exalt web development uses tools like pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) to drive targeted traffic to websites so companies can generate more sales leads or increase revenues through ecommerce sites. It only takes a few minutes to get started with a free audit from our team—we’ll show you how your site stacks up against others in your industry and what we think it will take to make it succeed. All our analysis is backed by evidence; we measure results instead of hoping for them. This is why a business needs digital marketing.
5) If you want better rankings
Have you even considered investing in SEO? If not, then perhaps it’s time to start. SEO gives your website a better chance of ranking higher in search engines like Google and Bing, which means more people will see you and visit you online. There are many different factors that affect where your site appears on results pages; our skilled team can help get you ranked at or near #1 for terms relevant to your business. This could mean thousands (if not millions) of targeted visitors each month—all eager for what you have to offer! The payoff is well worth it. Improve your rankings today with WDMC Technologies. With many years of experience helping local businesses succeed online, we know what works and how to effectively do it.
6) If you don’t like investing time into social media management
While digital marketing is becoming an increasingly large part of every company’s to-do list, there are many brands that are still holding back. Investing time into social media management doesn’t always seem worth it, even though there are quite a few benefits to be reaped from taking part in today’s social media conversations. Think of it as getting new eyes on your brand. A fresh perspective can come up with interesting and innovative ways for you to interact with current and potential customers alike. Plus, by using platforms like Facebook Ads, you can advertise products directly to these users—no matter where they spend their time online—reaching more people for less money. Another reason why businesses need to take advantage of social media? Just look at how big a role content plays here: Where else can companies find free advertising space that’s so visible and widespread? Social networks have built-in audiences, which means your posts have a chance to go viral if they’re good enough. In fact, post engagement was higher than organic reach for most Facebook pages as recently as January 2016. This shows that getting creative with what you share is one of the best ways to boost visibility on social media. Instagram, specifically, has been growing rapidly since 2013 due to its visual appeal. At first glance, Instagram looks very similar to Pinterest—so much so that many professionals worry about its impact on blogging efforts. But don’t let those fears keep you from making valuable connections through Instagram! This platform provides a great opportunity for businesses looking to expand their audience through photos and videos. By following relevant hashtags and accounts, you can show off unique features or services that distinguish your business from others. As long as your account follows Instagram’s guidelines, there’s no reason why posting regularly shouldn’t become part of your overall strategy. The key to any successful social media effort is having real followers who actually care about what you say—and not just a high number of clickable names that only exist because you paid for them. The latter won’t help move your business forward in any way, shape or form. That being said, there are several things businesses can do when building out their social presence to ensure they have an active and interested following going forward.
7) If you’re not growing anymore
There are three major indicators you’re not growing. One, if you don’t know why your business exists. Two, if you don’t know who your customer is. Three, if no one is listening to what you say or reading what you write. Digital marketing can help solve these problems and make sure more people are listening to what you have to say—in fact, it’s more important than ever that they do! Today’s consumers are online for most of their lives. The Internet has become their default source for information; however, businesses aren’t utilizing it properly. While social media channels like Facebook (2 billion users) and Instagram (800 million users) receive much attention, search engines like Google (1 billion searches per day), Bing (500 million searches per day), Yahoo (700 million searches per day), and Ask (250 million searches per day) still account for 62% of all internet traffic according to Experian Hitwise. Why? It’s because data shows that 84% of consumers turn to search before any other method when searching for a local business. This means digital marketing skills are increasingly becoming a necessity in order to attract customers and increase sales.
8) If you’re still hesitant towards doing SEO.
Search engine optimization can help you tap into a larger potential customer base. If there are keywords that are relevant to your niche that bring in lots of traffic, why not target them? Doing SEO will also ensure that you rank higher for high-demand phrases, making it easier for users to find your website among competitors’ sites. It’s time to start thinking about SEO as an investment towards your business growth—not as an initial outlay of money. Sure, some people might be freaked out by how much professional services cost, but if doing SEO helps drive sales and boost revenue over the long term, then who cares what you have to spend upfront? As long as you stay on top of any changes made to Google’s algorithm, SEO is absolutely worth it. The more targeted visitors you get from search engines, the better. If someone has to pay to view your site content or contact you, then they’re probably far less likely to take their business elsewhere. Consumers are lazy by nature; don’t give them any reason not to buy from you! Businesses with responsive websites tend to perform better than those without one because mobile shoppers are now very important – especially since more online buyers research products on their smartphones before buying anything online. Make sure your shop comes up in local searches when prospective customers are looking for things nearby, make sure they can easily locate you when they visit via their mobile device, and make sure they know all the details of every product you sell. You need to worry about getting found online these days whether or not it involves selling goods.
9) For better customer retention
Businesses need to make it easy for existing customers to do more business with them. Use e-mail and social media to remind them of past experiences and connect with them on new ones. People want to be reminded of positive experiences, so don’t hesitate to send out a few thank you notes after a sale. You can also add special offers like discounts or free shipping in order to get consumers into that buying mindset again. It’s easier than ever before to keep people engaged and coming back again and again! Digital marketing allows businesses to really focus on developing customer loyalty. It can lead to loyal repeat customers who have relationships with your company that are real connections based on mutual understanding. The best part is that you won’t have to reach every potential customer—the only ones left behind will be those who aren’t interested anyway. Digitally communicating with current and potential customers is especially valuable for small-business owners because they usually work alone or with just one other person. Being able to use various forms of media keeps each member focused on his or her role in creating results. Marketing by itself isn’t scalable, which means it must remain personalized when handled by small teams. But thanks to automation tools, reaching out digitally has never been easier.
10) To cut cost on advertising
If your business is still running old-school commercials on TV or print, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers. Digital advertising is a proven method to cost-effectively reach millions of people across channels and demographics with targeted ads. When done right, digital marketing can be just as good at reaching older consumers as it is at reaching young ones. Recent studies have found that it can have an even higher ROI than traditional advertising when used correctly—so if you haven’t yet invested in digital outreach for your business, it might be time to rethink that approach This is why a business needs digital marketing.
Conclusion
You may be growing, but if you haven’t implemented a strong digital marketing strategy, it’s time to get on board. These days, consumers expect to be able to find and access businesses online quickly and easily. If they can’t get what they want from you right away through search engines or social media, chances are they’ll move on—and you won’t see them again for a while. So stop missing out on potential customers and start implementing effective digital strategies today. It will pay off in more ways than one. While there are tons of digital options available, some approaches might work better for specific types of businesses. Identify which techniques could work best for your unique brand, then try several different tactics until you see which ones fit best with how you market yourself now. And remember: if something isn’t working after an appropriate amount of time has passed, try something else! Only by testing out new ideas will you learn what works best for your company. Digital marketing has become crucial to running any kind of business these days. But it shouldn’t scare you off. Instead, take advantage of all that it has to offer your company. Once you have made use of all its benefits, it is sure that others too will follow suit. This is why a business needs digital marketing. Therefore think about getting started now!
