7 Reasons why digital marketing is important for your business
Having an online presence is not enough to attract your target audience to your business website. With millions of sites, brands and online stores all vying for attention, how can you get your site the attention it needs?
The answer lies in the development and execution of a well thought out digital marketing campaign, one of the main sources of results necessary for your business to succeed digitally.
What is digital marketing? Definition and characteristics
For many business models, the days of relying on TV ads, billboards and newspaper ads to attract customers are over.
Attracting consumers to your site, to your store, to your e-commerce is often more effective when you reach those users while they are using a connected device. You need to take full advantage of this.
Digital marketing describes all types of online marketing methods with the objective of giving visibility to your business. These are methods that reach consumers through web browsers, online advertising, search engines, SEO, relevant content on a blog, social networks, emails, mobile applications, etc. Launching a web marketing strategy allows you to reach the maximum number of people in the minimum amount of time!
Why is digital marketing so important?
Digital marketing should not be considered as a secondary element because an effective digital marketing campaign can boost the brand image, recruit new customers, increase its database and therefore collect positive statistics, especially regarding the conversion rate.
No matter what you offer, you need to get in touch with customers with a direct interaction for a lasting and profitable relationship. This is what you can achieve by designing an effective digital marketing campaign.
Online advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), traffic acquisition levers… There are several methods you can use to varying degrees in your company’s marketing campaign. While digital marketing is essential overall, some methods will be more suited to your business model, brand image and customer base than others.
On your own or after using an agency, a solid web marketing strategy can only be beneficial, as long as you follow the lists of recommendations from digital marketing experts. Expect to see very positive analytics for business growth and increased sales.
- Promote your brand, your products, your business online
Since customers do their research online before making purchases, it is essential to give your business visibility and showcase your assets online. With digital marketing, consumers who decide to visit your brand, your online store, just need to click on a link to reach your site and learn more.
For example, when products were sold primarily in physical stores many years ago, one of the goals of marketing was to drive customers to physical stores. Some forms of in-store, point-of-purchase communications also encouraged Internet users to choose a specific product over other options when making their first decision.
On the web, by removing barriers and shortening the buying process, you can get better, more targeted and more accurate results. Don’t forget that e-commerce marketing can be used to promote new products, exclusive offers or simply brand image.
- Reach a wider audience
The ability for a site to reach a maximum number of qualified buyers through a well thought out web marketing strategy is important. And the acquisition channels are numerous! Social media, online advertising, search engines, emails and other forms of content can be shared by internet users to their communities.
When your content is engaging and worth sharing, it can potentially go viral. In doing so, it can increase the popularity of your business or product almost overnight, which can lead to a business boom.
However, your content doesn’t have to go viral to have a huge reach!
For example, by posting a good video with viral music on TikTok, your creation can be seen by thousands of people thanks to the app’s algorithm. These are people your store might not have otherwise reached through traditional marketing levers.
- Reputation building technique
In addition to promoting your products and driving traffic to your website, digital marketing plays a crucial role in building your reputation. Your marketing levers, texts, graphics and other elements on your website and networks combine to help establish your brand image.
At the same time, online and offline comments about your business will affect your company’s reputation.
The Internet offers you a way to directly contact those who are not satisfied with your business and correct the problem. By using all of these resources, you can take full control of your company’s reputation.
- Saves money in its strategy
Many effective techniques, like social media marketing, are free. The reach of free digital marketing (SEO, social media, etc.) and its excellent return on investment can save you a lot of money with a well-designed online campaign.
Plus, when you run paid ad campaigns, you have access to comprehensive real-time data. With detailed analytics, you can make adjustments to save money in the long run.
- Stand out from the competition on the Internet
You also need to promote and highlight your differences to stand out from the crowd and appeal to your customers.
This is easier to do online, for example through multi-channel communication, video messages, etc. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can build long-lasting and solid relationships with your customers, which is much more difficult to achieve with traditional marketing methods.
- Influencing and guiding customers’ buying decisions
Digital marketing reaches Internet users at all stages of the buying process. A good digital marketing strategy involves strategically presenting the features of an item to influence the purchase decision.
It also involves driving traffic to your website at the time the customer is ready to make a purchase. If customers abandon their shopping carts, you can even use various digital marketing methods to encourage them to return, including email marketing.
- Increase sales in a short period of time
It can take weeks or more to design a traditional marketing campaign with TV ads, flyers, etc. With digital marketing, you can get an immediate response from a simple post on social media.
Newsletters can be sent out and opened immediately. These are just a few examples of how you can drive traffic to your website and quickly increase sales or achieve any other set goal.
What is digital marketing in practice? Types of levers
Digital marketing should be a central part of your checklist. There are many ways to reach your target audience online.
Content marketing
Today’s buyers want to make purchases from companies that care about them rather than those that focus solely on making a sale.
Content marketing can add real value to your business in a variety of ways. For example, it can be seasonal tips in an article, a how-to video or other types of useful content.
Content marketing plays a key role in maintaining brand awareness and loyalty. It can also be used to position your e-commerce business as a leader or expert in your field.
Email marketing
Email marketing is among the most popular digital marketing methods, but its use has evolved over the years. At one time, an email campaign consisted of sending a generic message to a general distribution list.
This list might even have been purchased instead of being built up through an opt-in campaign, which often led to messages being labeled as spam.
Email marketing is one of the personalized techniques with a higher open rate. Spam can have a dramatic impact on your company’s reputation, which is why opt-in strategies are now the norm.
Opt-in strategies can be used to stay in touch with customers by sending newsletters about special offers and more. Personalized emails can also be sent at key moments, for example after a customer has made a purchase in a specific email scenario.
The SEA
There are two main methods of using search engines to reach your target audience. SEO is the organic method. SEA, on the other hand, is a paid search method that can yield immediate results.
An example of SEA is Google Ads. With these ads, you select the keywords you want to target and set a budget for your campaign. Once the campaign is active, your website can be placed in the top position when users search for the targeted keywords.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) improves your website’s visibility in online searches. According to PowerReviews data, as many as 35% of online shoppers start their search by searching on search engines.
Algorithms are frequently changed to improve the user experience. This means that SEO needs regular attention to monitor search results and positioning.
An SEO campaign is not limited to integrating targeted keywords into your website’s static pages and blog posts. It includes external link building, internal link building, content optimization, use of meta tags, etc.
Social Network Marketing
Your business can create a professional profile on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and others for free. You are free to build new audiences and post at any time.
This gives you a free and direct way to connect with your customers. Through the use of hashtags and other metrics, you can expand your reach effectively to reach qualified audiences.
You can also promote your digital profile and various posts through paid advertisements on social networks. These platforms usually allow businesses to adjust their strategy to reach specific buyers and control their spending.
Digital marketing: why do e-marketing?
These are just a few of the many channels entrepreneurs use to increase site visits, build brand awareness and improve the customer experience.
Most companies harness the power of these methods consistently through a well-designed campaign. They also make adjustments based on real-time results.
In addition to these levers, some online stores use other strategies to extend their reach within their budget. Online display or banner ads, mobile app marketing, affiliate marketing and remarketing are other options that may have a place in your strategy.
Whether you’re launching a new business or looking for ways to increase traffic, consider all of these options carefully. You should take full advantage of all the options that make sense for your site. Training, coaching, online courses… Getting e-commerce coaching could boost your strategy and your sales.