Why Do You Need Online Marketing?
Online marketing is the process of promoting your business, products or services online to potential customers. There are many online marketing methods and techniques, including social media, search engine optimisation (SEO), email newsletters, paid advertising, content writing and more.
As a business, you may be wondering why you need online marketing. In this article we’ll look at why online marketing is so important.
Your customers and competitors are online
Billions of people use the internet every day and many of them are looking for answers to questions and solutions for their problems. Online marketing allows you to reach a vast audience as well as allowing you to effectively target potential customers who are already searching for what you offer.
Your competitors are already utilising online marketing techniques to reach customers and unless you join them, you’ll be losing out. Online marketing allows you to see what your competition is doing and whether or not it’s working for them. This can help to inform your own strategies.
Online marketing increases your visibility
Online marketing makes your business visible to the billions of potential customers online. This is a huge benefit as customers are less likely to buy products or engage services from businesses they haven’t heard of.
Online visibility is important even for smaller, local businesses who aren’t aiming for global reach. These days people expect to be able to find all the information they need online and will often check out a business before buying from them or using their services. If they can’t find who you are or what you’re about then there’s a risk they’ll find your competitors instead!
Online marketing helps build relationships with your customers
Building a relationship with your customers and engaging with them in an authentic way helps to create brand loyalty.
Social media marketing is a great way to do this. It allows you to find your potential customers on established platforms they already use and to engage with them in two-way conversation.
Online marketing through social media improves interactions, allowing conversations to take place in real time on a platform your potential customers already use, instead of placing the onus on them to pick up a telephone and call you before they even know you. Social media marketing allows for brand familiarity, so potential customers can get to know your business and become familiar with what you offer and how you work. This increases the likelihood they’ll turn to you in the future.
Social media marketing also makes customer care easier as it allows you to respond to queries or concerns more easily, resolving any issues swiftly and demonstrating to other potential customers who may be watching that you have high levels of customer care.
Online marketing is efficient
Online marketing is efficient, taking up less time than other forms of marketing and advertising. It’s also cost-effective and measurable.
Targeted online marketing, generates interested leads and high quality traffic by aiming your business at people who are already looking for what you offer. Additionally, analytics take the guesswork out of what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to measure the success of what you’re doing and make alterations to your strategy as needed.
Online marketing saves time and money, which is great news for all businesses but if you’re worried that you don’t have the time required for online marketing, you can engage the services of professional marketing agencies who can offer advice or even manage your marketing efforts for you.
Here at Shine On Digital, we offer a full range of digital marketing services from social media management to Adwords management. We can come up with a social media marketing strategy for your business or help you with local SEO, leaving you to get on with what it is you do best.
Online marketing is 24/7 and mobile
Online marketing works around the clock, taking away time zone issues and avoids wasted time trying to reach audiences that aren’t there.
With online marketing, your hard work is working for you even when you’re out of the office and you’re able to make changes, respond to customers, update information and keep on top of your marketing at any time of day or night.
What’s more, online marketing can be done from anywhere with an internet signal, meaning you’re not tied down to one location and your marketing strategy moves with you.
Get in touch
If you need help with your online marketing or just want to chat about your options, Shine On Digital is a North West digital marketing agency working with businesses in Manchester as well as across the country. We have over 20 years of experience helping clients with their online marketing. To find out more, get in touch or give us a call on 01706 482017.