Marketing is essential even for small local companies. In an increasingly competitive world you have to be able to replace departing customers with new ones. With more than 1.1 billion websites and growing every second, there is no better marketing channel than the internet.
Digital Resistance
Yet many business owners look upon it as providing little value. There are some common reasons that even long-established businesses give for this:
I don’t need it
If you have an established business with a strong customer base providing all the income you could ask for, congratulations. You’re one of the fortunate few. But are those customers always going to be there? Local demographics change over time. People tend to migrate to wherever job opportunities exist. And isn’t there a possibility that someone else might open up a strong rival operation in the next town, or across the street? How about online?
It’s too complicated
It is a lot to learn for small business owners who have to be focused on just delivering quality goods and services every day. But you can find helpful advice on blogs, social media, forums, industry sites, online tutorials, and much more. Easiest of all, try to budget the money to contract somebody who already has knowledge and experience with online marketing.
I serve local customers
That’s a typical response from brick-and-mortar operations that rely on walk-in traffic or local networking. That can work, but it is limited thinking considering that more of that physical traffic is now using their smartphones to research purchases online. You may rely on local customers, but they don’t have to rely on you. Big online companies may provide more value. If you aren’t competing on the same platform, you’re missing out on a huge market.
Online marketing doesn’t work
If you’ve tried it in the past and gotten disappointing results, it doesn’t mean you should just give up. Successful online marketing is about finding the right market segment, and offering them the content they like. It takes research, patience, and a little creativity. If you don’t have the time to do those things, you might want to consider partnering with an SEO company or other online expert that can do it well from the start.
Internet marketing is just a fad.
In a sense, that’s true. Online strategies come and go. But the internet itself isn’t going anywhere. It’s only gotten bigger, and will continue to do so. Search engines in one form another will always be a part of it, and social media has been growing and changing for years now. That’s more than a fad. And in any case, some online companies are able to leverage the latest trends to make huge profits. So could you.
Online advertising is expensive
Yes, but it’s the same case if you want to advertise with the larger print, radio, or television outlets. And unlike traditional media, there are many other cost-efficient ways of marketing online. You can have your own site for a few dollars a month, and promote yourself for free on any channels you choose. Good promotion will take either hard work, money, or both. Like any other business strategy, it’s all about finding the best ROI.
Why Online Marketing is Essential
You can come up with a lot of excuses for not doing it, but the plain fact that there are billions of Google searches each day indicates that there’s huge potential out there. There are some other good reasons why you should have a marketing presence online.
Modern Consumers
Even senior citizens have cellphones and computers; the younger generation can hardly function without them. These millions of people shop online daily. Even if they’ve heard good things about your business, if they can’t find any further information on the internet, they’ll probably go with a competitor who is marketing online. In the digital era, having a website is as important as having a phone.
Market Share
You may have reasons to ignore online marketing, but your competition is doing it faithfully. They work hard at growing online audiences, and therefore a bigger share of the market. Everyone looking for the best deal online will find out plenty about your competition while your own company is invisible. Online companies will add to their value by offering emailed coupons, instructional videos, online technical support, and more. Consumers are more likely to stay with your competitors if you don’t provide a rewarding customer experience.
Online Technology
Web apps provide services that traditional stores can’t match, such as the freedom to track shipping, review order histories, and save shopping carts without buying. They can do this anytime, and from anywhere. Online analytics help companies track user behavior down to every click a link gets and every second they spend on a particular page. They gather customer feedback on social media and website forms. This helps companies to constantly learn more about their customers and easily adjust web pages to their needs. Online technology provides more insights and flexibility than a physical store can hope to match.
You may continue overlooking online marketing if you’re comfortable without it. But like it or not, the internet is a big part of society now, and will only grow as one tech-savvy generation follows another. When it comes to really growing your business, or even staying competitive in the long haul, then online marketing is critical.
