Understanding Digital Marketing: Save Money and Leverage Growth

 

understanding digital marketing for small business

Why Digital Marketing?

With more and more people turning digital, whether for work or for play, it is no question that understanding digital marketing has become more important to growing businesses. Without it, businesses cannot get their word out to current or new customers, they cannot create an image for themselves, and they even cannot get feedback about how they are doing. Understanding digital marketing can be beneficial to both new businesses and current businesses. It helps them to stay updated with their customers and the ways they learn new information. It helps them to grow successfully and always stay ahead of the game.

Digital Marketing Means Cutting Costs

With digital marketing, businesses can actually be cost-efficient with very little resources. Instead of spending money on creating ads, it is more cost-effective to advertise and reach your customers online. It is wiser to put more money to your online marketing because you can reach more people instead of wasting it on paper that might just blow away in the wind or become covered by another ad. As a result, you have a better chance at generating more revenue which means more growth for your business

Understanding digital marketing can also be incredibly beneficial to your reputation as a business. Many think that communicating digitally is impersonal but, when done correctly, you can establish and build relationships with customers. You can communicate through your website or through emails, sending special offers or announcements to loyal customers and stating your promotions to your newest customers. Even through your social media accounts can you build your reputation – replying to comments, answering any questions, and even handling the negative feedback/comments.

Is Social Media Part of Digital Marketing?

Social media is more than just pinning a new outfit, sharing the latest funny baby video, or retweeting a celebrity catfight. On these various platforms, people can share/tweet/pin/post information related to your business, which leads to more traffic to your website. When you have the option for people to connect to social media, they will learn about the discounts, services, or promotions that you are offering and will share it with anyone who may also be interested. This way, you are not only reaching your current customers, but also gaining new ones as well. Remember: social media sites are always updating with a lot of new information and it can be overwhelming. Keep your customers informed but avoid too much at once.

There is a lot to consider when understanding digital marketing. It is more than just posting on social media and talking to people – you should keep a few things in mind to guarantee you are successful. You should always have a plan in mind and set some goals, for both the business and the digital marketing you hope to achieve. Keep the goals reasonable and attainable. Also, keep it simple – do not confuse your customers with your services. If a customer shows interest in a service, explain it to them and discuss it so they avoid any confusion. Sometimes, too much information can be overwhelming and confusing but, not enough information could be damaging. Not enough information can cause your audience to go somewhere that is more informative. Try to find a balance of how much to put out and ensure your customers always come back to you.

Google Is Both Your Best Friend and Your Worst Enemy

Search engines are the most common way for people to get information. In order for your business to pop up sooner rather than later, optimization is key. There are a few different things you can do to optimize, such as: specific keywords that are placed throughout your content, having other websites link to you, meta-descriptions and titles with keywords, keeping your content updated, etc. These techniques not only allow your business to pop up sooner on search engines, they contribute to growing/starting your business.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Another thing you should think about is making sure your digital marketing is also reaching people on their mobile devices. Sometimes people think that what they can see on a desktop/laptop is the same as what shows up on a phone but, that is not always the case. Many people are always on their phone and if they miss out, your business can be affected. A business owner should always make sure their website is mobile-friendly and that it loads quickly. Whenever someone accesses your site from their phone, all of your content should be accessible, not just bits and pieces.

Just like the desktop site, break up mobile content with subheadings and bullet points. Anyone reading your content will be scanning quickly, so without breaks, they will become bored with too much to read. Various headings catch people’s attention if they are looking for something specific. Your audience will stay on your site, knowing what they are looking for is within your content. Many people are on their phones when they have a quick moment to look something up or kill time. Because of this, if businesses have a blog, they should keep their posts short and sweet. If they want to stay updated with posts but are short on time, they may hope they have time later. Keeping the posts short and interesting, and even breaking up larger pieces, can keep your audience coming back regularly.

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words and a Video Tells a Million

Images are always good for a business but keep in mind that they display differently on various devices. Usually, the images are smaller on a phone and any text may be distorted. Text must be large enough to be seen but not so large that it takes over the photo or requires adjusting the screen to read it all. Videos can also be beneficial and popular for your website. Instead of using an infographic, an informative video with appealing colors, fonts, and images can be just as beneficial. There is a lot to keep in mind when adjusting for a mobile device but, it is worth it when you know that your site is accessible from a phone. Your business will gain more recognition and will become more successful.

Understanding Digital Marketing Helps You Leverage Growth

Understanding digital marketing can help a business in many different ways. It can help it start up or it can help it to evolve. Digital marketing is cost-efficient, beneficial to your reputation, helps you connect with social media, grow your audience, helps to optimize your website, and can be viewed on various devices. This is a lot to do for a business website but, your business will evolve and become more well-known to a larger audience.