Even in 2019, there are a TON of business owners out there who still don’t realize the power of digital marketing, or even the fundamentals of how it works. I’ve met them. Talked to them. The common thread I’ve come across is that – because it’s not necessarily a tangible medium from the business owner’s perspective – they can fail to see the ROI (return on investment) at face value.
I get it. For someone who’s never engaged in the platform, it may sound a little nuts to say that you can add some content to a website over time, rank it higher on this weird “search index” and customers will…come to your site and then buy from you? What kind of sorcery is this?
Well, it works. And here are 5 reasons why your business needs it now:
1. Consumers are on the Internet
This reason alone is enough. The fact is, people are on the internet. Some are on when they first wake up, have that morning cup of coffee, during their lunch break, sneak on their phone at work while the boss isn’t looking, and even while sitting on their couch in the comfort of their living room after a hard day at the office. Yes…people are on it all the time.
Now, some get on to look at silly cat videos just like the rest of us, but they also turn to the search engines when looking for needed products or services. So why not put up your “billboard sign” along a highway where millions of people are traveling on a daily basis?
2. Your Results are Measurable
There’s no guesswork with digital marketing. You’ll know immediately if a strategy, ad, or channel is working…or when it’s not. It’s not like the days of TV commercials, where companies had to go off small samples of Nielson ratings to guess how many people were seeing their ads. You can see the results in real time.
With digital marketing, you can take your spend and revenue, then narrow it down to find your cost-per-customer acquisition (CAC). From a business analysis perspective, you can’t find a more surefire way of setting and reaching your business goals.
3. Your Audience Can Be Targeted
This comes down to your spending efficiency. Would it makes sense for a car dealership to spend advertising dollars on people who only use public transportation for their commute? Since digital marketing can often be based on searched keywords and targeted ads, dollars spent are driven toward the target audience to achieve maximum ROI. And it works…
When you hone in on your audience, you’re competing against less “noise”. It’s easier to stand out in a much smaller crowd.
4. Your Competition has Gone Digital
In most industries, the business who has the most digital presence usually wins. Why? I want you to look in the mirror and say this 3 times:
“Consumers are on the internet”
“Consumers are on the internet”
“Consumers are on the internet”
That won’t necessarily make the internet fairy appear, but hopefully it drives the point home. Because of internet marketing, competition is steeper than ever. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Competition most of the time guarantees a win to the company who delivers the most value. And the internet brings transparency that other platforms don’t. Check out any company on “Google My Business” and you’ll see consumer reviews right there…front and center.
It keeps ‘em honest, I tell ya…
5. It is the Most Inexpensive Way of Advertising
I don’t like to use the word “cheap”. Darn it, I just did. But seriously, digital marketing is one of the few ways you can control the spend to fit your marketing budget. And some methods are even free, like blogging and social media. But if you’re feeling a bit saucy and just want to drop a little bit in the bucket, you can effectively engage in Facebook ads for as little as $20-$50 per day.
Google Pay-Per-Click and SEO aren’t much different. With Pay-Per-Click, you decide your spend up front, and only pay when a prospect clicks on the ad. SEO works like compound interest with rankings, where you pay someone to keep the process flowing while you reap the customer traffic to your site over time.
Conclusion
If your business doesn’t have a good presence in the digital space, or your advertising dollars aren’t going toward digital marketing…the time to start is NOW. It’s only going more and more that direction every day. Not every year…Every. Day.
And if you’re looking for a place to start with digital marketing, contact me and I’ll gladly offer some insight, provide help, or even just point you in the right direction with where to get started. Beginning your investment in digital marketing is one area of your budget you can bank on.