Online Marketing Working for Your Business
Online marketing isn’t just a flash in the pan – a “here today, gone tomorrow” phenomenon. It’s here to stay – and for good reasons!
Sometimes, though, it can be hard to articulate precisely why internet marketing works. Yes, global digital marketing spend will be $389 billion in 2021 and yes, more than 90 percent of marketers plan on upping their spending this year. But the thing everyone wants to know is “why?” What’s causing this?
That’s the question we answer in this post. Online marketing just works, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Customers Are Moving Online
Even before the crisis, customers were moving online increasingly. But thanks to the pandemic, that process has been accelerated by up to ten years. People who would never have done their shopping over the internet, such as those aged over 65, are finding that they now have to out of pure necessity. Going to the store is too dangerous. So much so that 62 percent of shoppers say that they intend to shop more online going forward compared to pre-COVID.
Globally, though, is where we will see the biggest benefits. There are currently more than 4.2 billion people on the internet. And that number will continue to expand by more than three billion in the following decade. That means a larger market that is available through traditional channels.
Personalise Your Audience’s Experience
Personalising your audience’s experience was a challenge in the past. Some brands attempted it but, in general, it was too expensive. You just couldn’t collect the required data at a low enough cost.
But with the internet, personalisation is easy. Large platforms, such as Facebook and Google collate information on users, allowing you to direct your marketing at them accordingly. You can focus on your target market and avoid wasting your budget appealing to users who won’t buy from you.
Personalising the experience is also great for lead development. Online marketing and SEO for business allows you to funnel people interested in your niche to your sales funnels. It’s easier to capture the type of leads likely to buy from you, even if you know nothing about them.
You Can Communicate Two-Way
Traditional marketing broadcasted your brand’s message, but it didn’t allow a dialogue. After a TV advert, there wasn’t an opportunity for customers to ask questions and leave feedback. Brands just put their messages out there and hoped for the best.
But with the advent of the internet and more advanced digital technologies, that all changed. Social media means that brands can now post messages and then get feedback from the community. Some companies are even engaging with their customers one-on-one via chat, which builds trust.
You Can Run Multiple Campaigns Concurrently
Running several campaigns via traditional channels would have been confusing for customers, so brands avoided it. But because online marketing targets specific users, this is no longer a concern. Each prospect only sees the campaign materials relevant to them, so they don’t get mixed messages.
Think about the number of different types of customers who interact with your services. Depending on your market, there may be various subgroups, all with radically different needs. Using a generic campaign might not benefit either. However, if you can create separate buyer personas and marketing strategies to match, you can cater to each without brand dilution.
It Makes You More Visible
Online marketing also massively increases your business’s visibility. For instance, you might have a great product. But if users don’t know about you, then you’ll struggle to gain traction.
Online marketing is effective because it allows you to control the types of users who learn about your brand. With a 24/7 presence in Google search engine results pages and social media, relevant people can find you anytime. And once they know about what you do, they’ll begin putting in orders for your services, hoping you can provide something better than your competitors.
It Can Improve Traffic Quality
Lastly, online marketing improves the quality of the traffic arriving at your sales channels. As discussed earlier, you’re able to effectively target the people most likely to buy from you. You can break customer groups down by demographics, reaching out to users with the right hobbies, interests, spending habits and socioeconomic status for your products and services.
Wrapping Up
Online marketing works because it allows you to engage in a richer dialogue with leads. You only target those likely to buy from you. And you can make the conversation two-way – something that was impossible via TV, radio and billboards.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see how you can drive new business to your company using local SEO services. If you want to see more business than ever before, don’t wait any longer to start implementing these practices in your business.
Get in touch with Direct Submit today on 0800 669 6848 and we can help you make these changes. You don’t want anything to go wrong when you are trying to boost your business, so it might be best to leave it to the SEO professionals.
