Inspired by this article in Search Engine Land here are three reasons why small businesses digital marketing is important.
1. People Are Expressing Interest In The Services You Offer
On Google when people search for solutions they are stating unequivocally that they have a need that your business can fill. When people post on social media about things that interest them, businesses get to target those people with ads. Businesses are also able to push out relevant information to their social media feeds that speak to the needs they fulfill on. Businesses also get to engage in one to one communication with people. That’s as easy as sending a tweet, or posting a message on Facebook. These are just three examples of ways that businesses can tap into the ongoing stream of consciousness where a consumer is looking for businesses to provide a solution. So, it’s likely that your business should be engaging with consumers in digital environments. Consumers are there, waiting for you to solve the challenges they face.
2. Scalability
There is no minimum spend threshold for digital marketing, and there is ample opportunity, regardless of how niche your business is. If your business appeals to a lot of people, like if you are a restaurant, there are lots to do in digital environments that will be worth your investment.
For businesses with small budgets, at or under $500 you can start by populating your social media feeds with great content that shows how your customers can use your product. This work is free if you do it yourself. You can also engage in search engine optimization practices by updating your listings across many sites like Google, Yelp, Foursquare, Yahoo, Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List, Mapquest, Citysearch and Local.com. There are over 100 sites where business listings are updated. Through centralized services we are able to update listings regularly to change holiday hours, share offers and ensure that your customers have the latest updates available when they search on those sites. SEO can also be improved by regular blogging efforts on your site. This too is free if you do it yourself. Finally, Facebook ads is a good place to start if you want to reach new consumers directly through their powerful targeting capabilities.
If you have $1,000 scale up Facebook ads and search ads through Google. Engage professionals to help you with your social media marketing practices and SEO work.
If you have over $5,000 to spend monthly it’s time to develop a digital marketing strategy so you have a holistic view of the dollars you spend. You’ll want to focus on measurement, attribution and competitive analysis.
Unlike traditional media there are no barriers to entry to market your business.
3. Attribution
If you setup the campaigns correctly and maintain an eye on your campaigns you can measure attribution in proxy metrics like clicks, video views and likes. You can measure leads generated and products purchased if you sell online. For businesses transact in the physical world take a broader view of your business. Identify the key elements of your business that matter, whether it’s the volume of business, size of your customers’ order, or even aging down your customers. Each business is different, but fundamental rules apply. Identify your unique success metrics and devise a way to measure them over months as you run your marketing efforts.
