There’s no doubt that small businesses can improve their revenue and visibility (plus, many other things) by leveraging a powerful digital marketing strategy.
From ensuring customer satisfaction to building an online reputation, there are many benefits that digital marketing can deliver to any small business.
Despite these advantages, small businesses have been somewhat slow in embracing digital marketing, perhaps due to time and budget limitations.
Need evidence?
In a Keap survey, 29% of small business owners admitted that they don’t intend to adopt digital marketing in the future.
Image via Keap
However, the pandemic has forced small business owners to rethink their stance on digital marketing.
Why so?
Cooped up indoors, consumers are no longer willing to engage with businesses that aren’t active on digital platforms. That’s why 43% of small businesses have accelerated their digital marketing strategy since the pandemic shook them out of inertia.
Are you still sitting on the fence regarding digital marketing?
Then, you need to read this post carefully. It explains in detail why small businesses need to build a digital marketing strategy now more than ever.
Read on.
3 Benefits of a Digital Marketing Strategy For Small Businesses
Whether you are starting a small business or scaling it up, you need to build a result-oriented digital marketing strategy if you want to outperform bigger players.
There are many ways how a digital marketing strategy can help your small businesses beat the competition, drive sales, and stay relevant.
Check them out below.
It Fosters Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty has nosedived ever since the pandemic hit, and that’s bad news for small businesses that thrive on repeat sales and referrals.
In 2020, 36% of American customers switched brands, and 75% of them showed unpredictable shopping habits.
A customer-centric digital marketing strategy can help a small business avoid customer churn in a big way.
Modern users are relying more and more on the internet to make purchase decisions.
Their internet consumption is at an all-time high, which opens a fantastic opportunity for retention marketing.
How?
Businesses can reach and engage customers where they are – at digital platforms – and strike meaningful conversations with them.
Chatbots and virtual assistants can help businesses extend proactive customer support digitally. When customers have their questions and concerns answered instantly, their satisfaction rate absolutely skyrockets.
In addition, small businesses can encourage repeat sales by posting positive testimonials from loyal customers, on their digital platforms (like websites, social media, emails, etc.).
This kind of mass outreach just isn’t possible through print and other non-digital media.
Lastly, a digital marketing strategy that focuses on personalization can delight customers with on-point content and experiences.
For example, you can hit customers with emails and ads that are tailored to their unique needs.
When you harness customer data smartly in this way, there is a marked increase in your marketing ROI and conversions.
It Generates Leads Organically
Truth be told, budget constraints will always be a pain point for your small business. Unlike bigger businesses, you can’t harness costly lead-generation tools like ads, trade shows, or exhibitions.
Does that mean your small business will never get access to high-quality leads?
Not at all.
A digital marketing strategy that’s anchored around organic tools can generate as good leads as any of the above tactics.
Moreover, the outcome of your digital marketing strategy doesn’t depend on how much money you pump into it. Often, it boils down to how creative and driven your marketing teams are.
For example, a data-driven search engine optimization strategy can improve your search rankings and drive traffic to your website organically.
Likewise, content marketing can bring qualified leads into the fold if you target them with content that they are actively looking for.
Is that all?
No.
You can capitalize on organic sales-generation tactics like social media marketing. Social media is fast becoming a top driver of sales. So, if you publish engaging content on channels where your audience lives, and you automate as much as you can using a tool, you can get them to your business website in no time.
As you know, social media users respond very well to visuals. It pays to invest in visual design and wow our audience with stunning graphics. Consider getting a visual design degree so that you can handle social media campaigns on your own and churn out visuals at scale without external help.
You can also share happy testimonials on your social media pages to win over skeptical customers and convert them into hot leads.
In short, an innovative digital marketing strategy can boost your lead volume at a fraction of the cost incurred by traditional marketing methods. That’s a boon for cash-strapped small businesses.
It Produces More Engaged Customers
With a multi-channel digital marketing strategy, your small business can access and engage consumers efficiently.
Modern consumers don’t hesitate to switch from one platform to another in their quest to search for the best products and deals.
In order to get on the radar of these click-happy customers, you need to have a strong presence on all customer-facing touchpoints, which is possible through digital marketing.
Your website becomes a virtual storefront where you show your products and services in the best light. From there, you can drive customers to your mobile apps, giving them a better shopping experience.
When customers make an effort in pursuing your brand on multiple channels, it’s guaranteed that their engagement level is high. You can focus on these high-potential customers instead of wasting your time and resources on window shoppers.
What else?
If you own a misconception that digital marketing lacks a human touch, you couldn’t be more wrong. With live chat widgets, you can combine bots and human agents to gather customer insights.
When these insights are used to guide your digital marketing strategy, the customer engagement rate increases multi-fold.
Ready to Build a Great Digital Marketing Strategy?
As you can see, a digital marketing strategy can be a gamechanger for small businesses like yours. Digital marketing is one of the best ways to grow your business.
So, what are you waiting for?
Start building your digital marketing strategy without delay. If you have any challenges, don’t hesitate to ask for help in the comments section.
Author Bio
Gaurav Sharma is the founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions | 300K organic monthly traffic. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business 2 Community, TechCrunch, and more.
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