Small Business Advertising: 7 Reasons to Go Digital
It is understandable why so many small businesses yet to switch to online marketing are reluctant to do so. With so much economic uncertainty in the world, avoiding additional expenses seems sensible. But that’s no reason not to go digital. In fact, it’s the opposite!
Delaying your transition to online marketing is actually placing a huge obstacle in your path to being profitable.
An estimated 75% of all new customers find local and smaller businesses exclusively via digital channels; discovering their eCommerce websites via Google search, where SEO delivers streams of organic traffic, or the likes of paid advertising.
Sticking exclusively with traditional advertising is holding you back.
Turning your back on online marketing is effectively saying you’re happy to lose 75% of potential new customers. This is, from an economic perspective, a mistake most businesses simply can’t afford to make.
For small and local business owners on the fence and yet to switch to digital, here are seven compelling reasons why going online is a no-brainer:
1. It costs far less than traditional advertising
If minimising expenses is a top priority, online marketing is the way to go. Across the board, digital marketing is more cost-effective than any form of conventional advertising.
Along with paying less to get things up and running, you are also guaranteed a stronger ROI long term.
2. It is comprehensively scalable
Another enormous benefit of digital marketing is that you can spend as much or as little as you like. It’s as simple as;
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Invest a small amount in a very basic online strategy
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Assess the effectiveness
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Scale it down or expand it as you see fit.
No huge up-front payments or binding contracts - you remain in control of your spendings at all times.
3. You can assess performance in real-time
Traditional marketing often has the tendency to be something of a “set it and forget it” type of investment. It’s what it is - your marketing campaign either gets the job done or it does not.
With online marketing, you can track, assess and optimise all aspects of your strategy in real-time. If something is not working quite well, you can modify or tweak it until it does.
4. You can target your customers with incredible precision
Digital marketing also gives you the chance to target incredibly precise audiences, based on metrics like (but not limited to):
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Location
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Age
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Gender
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Online behaviour
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Income level
That is much more effective than casting your net broadly and hoping to snatch a few leads along the way.
5. Digital marketing is surprisingly simple
The majority of the most fundamental online marketing activities aren’t nearly as complex as they appear on the surface.
Social media marketing, email marketing, PPC advertising, search engine optimisation - all within the capabilities of most small business owners. Outsourcing is always an option, but it is by no means mandatory.
6. It is a future-proof investment
Online marketing is the future of almost all advertising and marketing activities. So, to invest in an effective digital marketing strategy is to invest in the long-term profitability of your organisation.
7. It helps build brand authority and recognition
Reaching existing and new customers online is often the best way to encourage referrals and reviews. Both of which play an enormous role in the development of brand authority and recognition. Most satisfied customers don’t instinctively recommend and review the brands they do business with, though are often more than happy to do so when encouraged.