However, in the past few years, digital marketing has grown to surpass conventional marketing and become the staple component of marketing strategies for businesses across the globe.
If your marketing strategy still does not comprise of digital marketing – time is against you. E-commerce sales are expected to hit $4.5 trillion by 2021; since the market has gone digital, marketing efforts should also increase.
So, why does your business need digital marketing?
Higher Exposure Than Conventional Methods
The vast majority of customers are online. An overwhelming majority (97%) of Americans under the age of 65 use social media, at least monthly.
Moreover, a large majority of American adults are also connected online daily, with teenagers and young adults averaging more than 5 hours of daily usage.
For businesses, this means a space they can market their products and be assured of the exposure their brand attracts. In fact, one of the top 10 reasons people say they are on social media is to purchase products that have been advertised to them.
37% of social media time can be directly attributed to brand interaction. The stats are indicative of the current trend which revolves around digital marketing.
Levels The Field For All Businesses
In conventional marketing, resources outweigh every other variable. Small businesses find it increasingly hard to compete with the name recognition garnered over decades or millions that have been invested in marketing and reputation management.
That’s where digital marketing shines as the beacon of hope for small and medium-sized businesses. By rendering market share negligible, digital marketing rewards on efforts and consumer appraisal.
With targeted strategies such as local SEO and a grasp over who sees the conducted campaigns, digital marketing, when managed effectively, enables smaller businesses to compete with more resourceful businesses successfully.
Super Targeted
Before digital marketing rose to prominence, there were restrictions on how targeted you could direct your marketing efforts. For instance, conventional methods like magazine or newspaper ads cater to a wide age demographic.
Running targeted campaigns on such methods is difficult, and the results are unmeasurable. In stark contrast, digital marketing gives marketers the ability to dissect large demographics.
Owing to data collected by search engines and websites that monitor user behavior at large, marketers can now market their products using highly targeted variables, such as using their industry jargons through AdWords.
Such marketing techniques enable super-specific advertisement campaigns that have an enhanced possibility of influencing customer decisions. For instance, marketers can direct their campaigns on Facebook to masses that exhibit particular behavior or interest and many other specific variables in a specific location.
Connects With Mobile Customers
Mobile will constitute 72% of digital ad spend by 2019. Mobile is increasingly becoming a significant component of digital marketing.
According to research, 91% of US adults have their smartphones within reaching distance. The reliance and usage of smartphones have grown drastically over the years.
The feasibility and convenience a mobile phone brings is a major factor why more people access the digital space using a mobile phone than desktops or laptops. Digital marketing allows businesses to market their brand in the consumers most relaxed and native environment – smartphones.
Caters To Current Shopping Trends
Digital marketing is driven by the fact that an overwhelming majority (82%) of people consider online reviews an important part of their buying decision.
72% of people who conducted an online search about a local store ended up visiting that store. That’s a successful turnover rate. With television subscriptions and newspaper sales declining rapidly, digital marketing has emerged as the successor to conventional marketing methods.
Over 1 trillion searches are performed each year. From restaurants to clinics, accounting software to antiques – people now refer to Google for everything. With most of the buyer journey starting online, it is only natural that businesses follow suit and enhance their presence where consumers are present.
The more integrated your brand is with the customer’s buying journey – the more likely you are to grow your business.
Need help with your Marketing efforts? DevLab Creative would love to help.
