Digital marketing in 2021 is more important than ever for businesses with physical locations now that most people are forced to shop and browse online.
COVID-19 was a perfect example of why a digital presence is so important. Companies that already had a strong digital presence were able to quickly transition and focus more on the digital side of their business. Those who had yet to undergo a digital transformation struggled to continue to operate efficiently and serve their customers.
There are a lot of reasons why you may be reluctant to invest in digital marketing. You may not have the time, you may be skeptical about investing more money into marketing and if paid ads are worth it, or you may think you don’t need it.
Even though business is good now, it’s no guarantee that it will be the same in the future. You can’t expect customers to continue to come to you. With the importance of having a strong online presence continuing to be more and more important, you’ll need to invest to continue to serve your customers and compete within your industry.
Why Do Small Businesses Need Digital Marketing?
1. Your customers are online
The first place people go to compare options and shop around is the internet. In fact, 70% of Canadians consult the internet before making a purchase. If you’re not online, your customers will not be able to find you. People are searching Google right now for products and services you offer.
Your customers expect you to have a website and social media presence. If you are not online, people will question your legitimacy. According to Wall Street Journal, 92% of Canadians have more confidence in information found online than they do in anything from a sales clerk or other source.
2. Your competition is online too
Your top competitors are online building their brand, getting their name out there, and generating leads. They are acquiring new customers that could be yours if you have a good digital marketing presence. You need to be online to broaden your presence or you are missing out on a lot of potential new business. Learn how to increase your social media engagement rate to get a quick boost.
3. Generate passive business
People don’t stop shopping and comparing purchase options after traditional businesses close. A strong digital presence allows customers to continue to shop even when your physical storefront is closed. It’s an effective way to continuously generate leads. Let your marketing strategy work for you even when you are not working. (Don’t be surprised if you see us around more often after reading this blog, we’re a digital marketing agency after all ;). You can attract a much larger customer base 24 hours per day. They can send you emails, shop your online store, check out your website and purchase products without you having to do anything.
Is your online presence up to snuff? Find out what’s working and what’s not with a free digital marketing audit.
Why Digital Marketing Is Important
Here are some of the biggest advantages to having a strong digital marketing presence:
- You can expand your customer base: Reach new customers outside of your local area. Sell to people who are not close to your physical location.
- Digital marketing is more affordable than you think: You can get access to a larger audience for less of an investment when compared to more traditional marketing strategies.
- It builds brand recognition: Having an online presence and interacting with your customer base online will help you build your brand awareness online and offline. We’re still a digital marketing agency offline, even though most of our presence is online.
- Data and insights: Digital marketing tools allow you to gain valuable insights about who your customers are and what they like. Over time, you will learn how to refine your marketing strategy to better serve your customers. One of the most effective things you can do is keyword research. When you do this, you’ll be profitable and have happy customers. You can more effectively measure the return on your investment.
- You can compete with industry leaders: A good digital marketing strategy can help you level up your business and compete better with industry leaders. It can help to level the playing field without requiring a significant budget.
- Long-term customer relationships: Repeat customers are great for business. Retaining and keeping customers is a challenge for many small businesses. Digital marketing can help you foster your relationship with customers. It is easier to communicate and stay connected with them. You can engage them on social media, use remarketing to suggest purchases, send an online newsletter, and use many other online strategies to stay top of mind and offer value to your customers.
Digital marketing starts with a good website and social media presence. Make sure you’re keeping up with the latest digital marketing strategies. At the very least understand how social media marketing works. Start here and slowly build out your digital marketing presence over time. This will help you build your brand and create a sustainable long-term presence.
If you don’t know where to start, hiring a digital marketing agency for small business can be a worthwhile investment.
The Marketing Garage is an award-winning Toronto digital marketing agency that cuts through the digital media marketing hype to deliver real results. Our unbiased, data-driven audits help you understand what’s working, and what’s not. Read some marketing case studies or give us a call to pop the hood on your marketing.
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The Marketing Garage is an award-winning Toronto digital marketing company that has extensive experience in cultivating effective digital marketing strategies. We help businesses in many different sectors across North America fix their online marketing and branding. Our data-driven mix of SEO and digital marketing process is like no other.
