Bill Gates once said that ‘the internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.’ You can see why when you consider that 85{aa1e4c34c9c0f46e0a1f04e30c2eb1b9efaea7a47ed6ca6f324476e114da37f4} of Irish households are connected to the internet according to CSO figures and more than a third of Irish broadband users spend over 20 hours a week online, with 60{aa1e4c34c9c0f46e0a1f04e30c2eb1b9efaea7a47ed6ca6f324476e114da37f4} using it for shopping.
The question for you the business owner is this; when consumers search for information online how well can you address their needs? This is a question digital marketing tries to answer but let’s be clear from the outset; digital marketing is not a quick-fix solution. It requires expertise, commitment, time and investment.
Here we list 6 reasons why your business needs effective digital marketing in today’s global village.
1. You need a digital marketing strategy and the resources to support it
This is crucial; without a clear strategy you can quickly end up getting lost in the global village. You need a set of well-defined goals and objectives to guide you and your staff along the road to success. A good rule of thumb is to start with your customer’s needs and their online behaviour. So talk to your current customers, understand their interests and how they generally use the internet. Are they highly active on social media or do they mainly use Google search to find what they want? Your strategy may focus on one or two digital channels like your website and Google Ads, or it may involve a mix of web design, SEO, content creation, social media, email marketing and ad campaigns.
Whatever you decide, be realistic with your strategy based on your available resources like time, experience, available staff & budget. You may find outsourcing your online marketing is a more practical option.
2. You need a great website that converts visitors into customers
Effective web design is crucial to your digital strategy. To get the most from your website it should be technically well developed, user-friendly, secure, beautifully designed, mobile-friendly and built with sales conversions in mind. Remember, if your website does not meet consumer expectations, then your competitor’s site will and they’ll get the sales. So getting your website right should be a top priority.
3. You need email marketing for higher returns
Email marketing is still ranked as the most effective way to generate sales. Growing a targeted email list takes time but is definitely worth the effort as the return on email campaigns far exceeds other digital channels including social media. Email often sees higher ROI than other channels – up to €38 for every euro spent, making it a powerful tool in your digital strategy.
A word of warning though; don’t attempt your first campaign without first consulting with experienced email marketers, otherwise you could end up with a worthless email list and zero return.
4. You need a clear social media strategy
This relates back to Mr Gates’ point about the town square and the global village. Social media marketing is not something a business has to do but it is another great way for businesses to promote their brand. Social channels like YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook offer businesses a platform to build a unique audience and engage directly with customers. Companies can post blogs, videos, photographs, conduct surveys for market research, get customer feedback on products, share user-generated content and keep customers updated with company events, special offers, competitions and new services. Done right, it’s not only a great way to educate and engage with your audience but can also drive vital quality traffic to your website. Add to that the social media pay-per-click advertising facilities and you have a powerful marketing mix to promote your business.
5. You need Pay Per Pay (PPC) ads to drive traffic to your website
With PPC ads the village restaurant or clothes shop can target customers as effectively as the high street big brands. Paid platforms like Google ads and social media ads allow users to target consumers by region, age, gender and other demographics. However, like the other elements of digital marketing it requires a coherent strategy with clear goals, effective copy and good design. Digital ad campaigns can be costly if executed incorrectly so consultation with experts in Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is essential.
By the same token, if done right they can drive top quality traffic to your website; in other words, people much more likely to convert into sales.
6. You need analytics to gauge how you are doing online
Whatever you do online, you want to know if it’s working or not right? One of the most impressive aspects of digital marketing is the ability to measure results. Ad platforms like Google ads and social media ads come with built in analytics facilities that give businesses full control over ad spend. This is great for those of you on tight budgets who need to make every penny count. You can also monitor how your ads are performing in real time and calculate the ROI of each campaign you run.
In addition, there are free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to measure and analyse the traffic to your web pages helping you to determine which pages perform well and which ones don’t. This can help you improve your content but these tools do far more than that. They can also help you identify where your website traffic is coming from – through search engines, social channels or ads. This helps you decide where to invest more of your time and money.
Is your digital team making use of these tools? If not, they should.
Key takeaways
If you take away just one key point from this article then make it this; effective digital marketing requires expertise, time and investment. A clear strategy outlining goals and objectives is an absolute must. Great web design, SEO, content creation, PPC ads, email marketing and social media can all play a role in your strategy. Outsourcing these activities may be a more practical option for some businesses. Digital marketing activities are measurable, providing business owners with valuable insights into your online performance. This helps you make better decisions regarding strategy and ongoing investment.
What to do next
Before embarking on a digital marketing strategy for your business why not talk to Digitaledge? They will work with you to develop strategies proven to increase brand awareness and sales. Telephone 091 704830 or email info@digitaledge.ie
Article by Des Kirby
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