It may seem like internet marketing isn’t necessary for some businesses. You’ve got your regular customers, you’re doing well, and you don’t see the need for any digital marketing push of any kind.
We get it, and that perspective makes a lot of sense. That said, things are changing. Almost every single market is making the digital shift and it’s important that you reach out to new people where they’re spending their time.
An ad in the newspaper isn’t nearly as effective as it once was because people are spending a great deal of their free time online these days.
We’re going to talk to you about the importance of internet marketing in this article, giving you some insight into why it’s so significant in this day and age.
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The Importance of Internet Marketing
The first thing to debunk is the myth that internet marketing is anything but easy. Sure, you may not see results immediately in all cases but it’s definitely simple for almost anyone to establish their presence online.
You may have questions like “what does CCM stand for,” or “what in the world is SEO?” The answers to those questions don’t require a lot of tech-savvy or internet knowledge to understand.
The ins and outs of basic digital marketing are possible for anyone to grasp after reading an article or two. With that said, let’s talk about how important it is to get your foot in the door online.
1. The Customer is Online
The first thing to consider is that people are making purchases online. Sure, running an online store or offering the ability to buy your products online is its own challenge, but the fact remains that people like to buy things from their own homes.
There are some significant statistics to back up this point, and it appears that people are only going to continue shifting toward online shopping experiences.
2. Exposure
When people want to find a place to eat or shop these days, they typically conduct a ‘near me’ search before they do so. A near me search essentially a way to find relevant businesses through a quick search engine search.
If your business isn’t listed in those results, there is no chance that those consumers are going to come to your store. That is unless they happen upon your business by chance.
It’s important to, at the very least, list your business information on a website and in popular business indexes. Sites like Yelp are a great place to start, and they can amplify your exposure to people who don’t know about your business yet.
3. Competition is Online
Most of your competition is bound to have a website at the very least. Additionally, a lot of businesses are investing in digital marketing campaigns to improve their rankings in web searches and reach broader online audiences.
Those are the businesses that pop up in the search results and funnel the customers toward their business. Even local businesses should consider focusing on their web presence because the competition is so close.
If you can improve your web presence even a little bit, you could bump up your position in local searches and siphon that competition toward your shop.
4. Reach
One thing to consider when you’re deciding whether or not to market online is the sheer volume of people you can reach.
Let’s take a social media marketing push as an example. Spending 10 or 20 dollars on a promoted ad on social media could expose your business to upwards of 2,000 people.
That isn’t to say that all of those people will click on your ad or engage with your business in any way, but they could. That’s not a bad way to get name recognition, either.
5. Social Media
Social media counts as one of the elements of internet marketing, and it’s something you probably have some experience with.
You can actually reach and communicate with a large number of your local customer base on social media. It’s a place where you can list your business information and express significant pieces of your brand personality.
Further, promote daily specials, discounts, or deals that you’re offering and have every one of your friends become aware of it. In terms of direct experiences and relationships with your customers, social media is the most effective way to make an impact.
It’s also important to remember that almost everyone you know has, and uses, a social media account.
6. Customer Service Expectations
If someone has an issue with your product or service, it’s likely that they won’t bring the complaint directly to you. Alternatively, praise isn’t likely to be brought back to the brick and mortar store either.
People leave reviews, positive or negative, online these days and those reviews really matter. Business reviews are one of the biggest indicators for search engines. In other words, good reviews will have you rising to the top of the results.
Additionally, having a presence online allows you to engage with those reviewers and improve their customer service experience.
7. Preparation for the Future
If you feel like things are shifting toward the digital now, imagine what they’ll be like in 20 or 30 years.
A business that’s poised for future success should be laying their online foundation right now. The prevalence of online engagement and the importance of online business are only going to grow.
Similar to investing, making small contributions to your online presence now could yield huge returns in the future. Things like optimizing your website, listing your self on business review sites, and generating a social media following, are very important.
You don’t have to get it all done at once, either. Chipping away at the fundamentals will only serve to improve your business’ standing.
Want to Learn More?
The importance of internet marketing is a great thing to do some research on. We’re here to help you out on that front.
If you’re in need of some more information about the online world and how to get started in it, explore our site.
