Everyone in business is familiar with marketing but what about digital marketing? and even more so what benefits can digital marketing offer your small business that traditional methods of marketing can't? If you want to get your business online, increase your online presence, or if you have run out of ideas on how to get more people to notice your business it might be the time to delve into the world of digital marketing and learn more about how you can get started with digital marketing for your small business.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing, or online marketing, is the process of marketing a product or service by using digital platforms such as Google, social media networks, and email just to name a few.
Why is digital marketing important?
Digital is becoming the new norm for marketing and businesses. It is important that small businesses realise this and hop on the wagon or settle for being left behind. The landscape for marketing is changing and traditional methods of marketing such as flyers, outside banners, and even radio ads will only take you so far. Small businesses need to start investing in digital channels to spread the word about their products or services. Creating a business Facebook page, and posting content once a month – or worse – just posting content without a well-thought-through strategy is NOT digital marketing. According to datareportal.com, there are 60.40 million people in South Africa and 41.19 million are internet users. That is about 68% of South Africans online. This emphasises the need for going digital as each of those 41.19 million users could potentially be targeted via a digital marketing strategy. Nowadays people are much more likely to do an online search to find a business, product, or service and if you are not reflecting online, chances are you are losing out on business.
The marketing landscape is changing, more people are online and connected and your marketing efforts should follow suit. Marketing 101 teaches us that marketing is a critical function to ‘connect’ with customers and make them aware of your products and services, you should have a product, a price, a promotion, and a place. In today’s increasingly digitised world the latter two components (promotion and place) should be somewhat online because more and more potential customers are spending their time in the online world.
If you are still not convinced to take your business’s marketing efforts online then I hope the benefits of digital marketing will persuade you to dive into the online world of marketing.
The benefits of digital marketing for small businesses:
Better targeting – Digital marketing has led to some amazing and sophisticated analytical tools that can help businesses identify and segment their target audience by choosing characteristics such as their age, gender, interest, income and so much more! It is an effective way to ensure you get in front of the right customer.
Great source of information – The advancement of the online world has provided a great source of information for businesses. Businesses are now able to easily see and conduct research to find out what their customers like, who they engage with, and what is important to them. It is also a great way to gain insights about your competitors to see what they are doing right and what they are getting wrong and potentially capitalise on the ‘gaps’ you identify.
Increased connection – The online world has led to increased engagement and connection between people, places, and businesses. The digital world has made it easier than ever before to connect by not being confined by physical boundaries. Digital platforms and networks such as social media have also made it easier for businesses to form a two-way communication channel between customers and businesses as we have never experienced before. This can help establish trust and build relationships much easier but only if businesses take the leap and make use of the online tools and platforms available.
Value for your money – Many online platforms offer world-class marketing tools that cater to any and all budgets which means having an online presence is not just reserved for “big shot” companies anymore. Smaller businesses can also take advantage of these tools and most of the time the budget can be customised to fit your pocket and your marketing needs. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for example use a powerful advertising system that is sophisticated in terms of its targeting ability and can aid in getting your product and services in front of the right people increasing the chances of getting a conversion.
How to get started with digital marketing?
Establish a clear identity for your business – It is important to have a clear identity so customers and potential customers can easily recognise your brand and business. Your business or brand identity includes who you are, who your target audience is, your logo, colour scheme, and even the smaller details such as the font you use, etc. Setting up a brand style guide can help in this regard as it entails all the components necessary to help shape and solidify brand identity. Access my FREE brand style guide template here I created using Canva to help kickstart your brand identity.
Find out where your customers are online – which social media platforms do they use? If you have a website (which I strongly suggest you should look into getting if your business does not have one yet) you can run search or display ads via Google Ads or you can optimise your website to perform better organically with search engine optimisation (SEO). Once you know where your customers spend their time make sure you spend your time there too and utilise the tools available to grab their attention.
Come up with a strategy – As the saying goes if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Marketing efforts can only pay off if you have a good strategy in place. Hard selling does not work anymore, thus I would suggest focusing on implementing a good content marketing strategy for the platform or platforms you have identified.
Decide on key performance indicators (KPIs) – You cannot implement something and hope it will work. You need to actively be involved and monitor progress so that if things are going well you can build on that and if not, you can go back to the drawing board until you find your formula. How are you going to measure the success of your strategy? Do you want more sales and a better conversion rate? or do you want to grow your market share? Once you have your marketing objective select your relevant KPIs to measure performance. Remember there is no set way to do marketing right, it is ever-evolving, as the times, technology, and consumer behaviours change your business also needs to adapt.
Implement your strategy and review – Once you have a clear identity, know which digital platforms would best fit your business, have your well-thought-through content strategy ready and have identified relevant KPIs you can launch your digital marketing journey and continuously review its progress!
Building an online presence and implementing a digital marketing strategy is a great way to help with brand awareness, better customer reach and engagement while keeping your budget in check and your business booming. However, it is not a quick fix and will take time, effort, and planning. Deciding to go digital is a step in the right direction in my opinion for any business but getting real value out of digital marketing takes much more than just creating a business Facebook page or having a website.
If you have anything to add or questions to ask, feel free to contact me at biancagillespie8@gmail.com, I would love to hear from you!
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