As technology and the internet has grown, so has the number of people using it. Today, society revolves around the internet. People are continuously browsing the web to find products or services which is why having a digital presence is important. Below are reasons why you need a digital presence.
1. Where do people spend most of their time? The Internet
Need to order food? Go online. Need to buy shoes but don’t want to go to the mall? Order online. The internet is all around us and is unavoidable, which is why digital marketing has become an essential component for any business to succeed.
2. Your competition is already online
To be able to even compete with your competitors, you need to be online. The majority of businesses now have an online presence, so it is essential you do to. Businesses are also deemed more credible or legitimate if they have a website or updated social media channels. If people want to access information easily and quickly, they go directly to the internet.
3. It is possible to compete with bigger businesses
As a business, you can make contact with customers through the same channels as a bigger company. Leads can be generated by your business by using similar approaches to well-established businesses.
4. Audience Targeting in Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing allows you to directly target people who are interested in your products or services. Your digital marketing campaigns can be designed based on information about your target audience. For example, this can be done by using relevant hashtags and engaging with people on social media forums and online chat groups related to SEO, you can reach people interested or in need of services such as SEO.
5. Continuous Tracking and Monitoring in Digital Marketing
You can easily track and monitor your campaigns with digital marketing. Digital marketing helps you to see your activity on social media and the ways in which your audience are communicating with you. You can also track your activity regularly and compare different campaigns to see which ones are working and which ones are good. This is useful when it comes to planning future content and campaigns as you are able to identify the successful ones and focus more on these.
6. Is Digital Marketing Worth it?
The answer is YES! Marketing campaigns are guaranteed to pay off if you invest in them. Different marketing campaigns have different prices, so when designing and implementing the campaign you must determine a budget.
A number of ways exist for people to implement digital marketing strategies, but they rarely succeed. One of the main reasons why digital marketing fails is due to lack of preparation. Many businesses focus on where to spend money on different outlets like media, TV ads, social media, blogs, etc.
Instead, design a decision process. Identify first how your targeted customers make their purchasing decisions and the buying cycle they follow before you get started. When developing your marketing strategy, it is important to consider the buying cycle.
So what is a buying cycle?
1. Consideration
Customers recognise they are in need of or want a specific product of service. During this phase customers consider a variety of brands to choose from.
2. Evaluation
Customers evaluate their options by seeking input from peers and reading reviews and recommendations. Usually, customers at this stage remove brands from the consideration phase and consider new ones.
3. Purchase
In this phase, customers finally take the decision to purchase a specific product or service based on their personal preferences and recommendations from different sources.
4. Enjoy, Advocate & Bond
After a customer’s purchase, their goal is to try and see if what they bought fulfils their need/want. If it does, they see if they enjoyed their experience and if they did, they start advocating for it by writing reviews and telling peers; in other words, they bond with the brand.
5. Loyalty Cycle
If a customer really enjoyed their previous purchase from you; next time they want to buy, they will skip the consideration and evaluation phases and go straight to the purchasing phase; this is called customer loyalty and it is your job to ensure consistency.
Conclusion
The digital marketing process is not simple. In order to succeed, digital marketing requires attention to detail, creative content, and constant focus on campaigns. For example, investing a significant amount of time in social media, such as Instagram and Facebook, will result in a significant increase in your engagement and followers. Nevertheless, this must be done through paid ad campaigns, relevant hashtags, and eye-catching and engaging creatives and captions. Regardless, digital marketing offers an endless list of benefits, especially in today’s society.
