The importance of digital marketing for the success of a business

With so much modern technology incorporated into our daily lives it’s perhaps little wonder that the concept of digital marketing is now fundamental to the success of any business, regardless of size, industry or location.

Long gone are the days when calls were only made after 6pm of an evening from the home phone. Today’s consumer world is vibrant and simply oozing with technology, all of which is quite literally available at our fingertips. We own Smartphones, Apple products, laptops, Alexa’s, Google home hubs, remote controls and in fact, everything in-between! And with so many people online, it’s vital that businesses are too – in fact, not just online but also well ahead of the game to ensure that new opportunities and needs are fully embraced. Also there are hundreds of agencies which may help the businesses to succeed, and Probella (SEO Agency Miami) is one of them.

What IS digital marketing?

Digital marketing is basically the promotion or products, brands or services via one or more forms of electronic media. New methods of marketing are already providing to be quicker, more practical and even cheaper than more traditional lines of marketing. Digital marketing is all about delivering, on time, every time and very often, even at a moment’s notice! And what consumer could possibly want any more than THAT?!

Why digital marketing is so important

There are numerous reasons why digital marketing is so important but here are just some of the very basics:

• The way consumers make online purchases continues to evolve and there are so many different preferences in terms of online engagement. For this reason, businesses need to do their homework and ensure that their marketing is specific to demand – not to mention readily available as and when their product or service is needed.

• Through online digital marketing, businesses can make immediate contact with a potential customer, thus converting them to an ‘actual’ customer in virtually no time at all (wherever they might happen to be the in the world!)

• Digital marketing is a really easy way for businesses to promote their products or services and truly bring their offering to life via graphics, images and videos etc.

• Social media, email and websites give businesses the ability to reach their target audience directly, thus meaning that customers receive more relevant information via digital form than ever before. And there’s certainly potential for even more to come, especially given the ability to view and consider customer feedback and trends!

• Digital marketing can help increase sales/income quickly, easily and very often minus any marketing costs, particularly given that most social media sites cost nothing at all to advertise on.

• By simply increasing digital outreach, businesses can quickly increase their revenue. In fact, the more data that businesses can extract from outreach campaigns then the better return on investment looks.

• In years gone by, businesses would advertise locally – even in their local shops. However, the reality is harsh. Walk down any high street at virtually any time of day and people aren’t looking in shop windows. They’re looking at their phone!

• By engaging in digital marketing, businesses can follow their customer journeys to see what it genuinely looked like for them (and subsequently learn from, of course). From a return perspective, digital engagement also helps to install trust in a company since customers can leave feedback on a product or service received.

What are the most popular digital marketing channels?

According to independent research the top six channels are:

1. Social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and so on)
2. Websites
3. Email (although this may well take a downward spiral given the implications of new data protection legislation whereby consumers now have to ‘opt in’ to marketing emails as opposed to ‘opting out’)
4. Display or banner adverts
5. Mobile apps
6. Content marketing

So ultimately, what’s the importance of digital marketing?

In today’s world, customers have access to information anytime and anyplace they might want or need it. Increasingly more people (and especially those running businesses themselves) will use ‘quiet’ opportunities to search online (perhaps whilst waiting for a train or flight) and for this reason it’s important to ensure relevant information is made available to them.

Thanks to devices such as tablets and laptops, which are easily transportable, the world quite literally is your oyster and people are embracing the concept increasingly more. Businesses who stay out of the limelight and don’t embrace digital marketing run the risk of failure so the importance of it really can’t be stressed enough.

Above all else, digital marketing enables business reputations to be both established and firmly maintained – and after, all, everyone likes dealing with a reputable company.

Is digital marketing the future? Well, it certainly seems so and not without good reason. Quite what the future holds remains to be seen but it certainly looks bright!