Digital Marketing and Social Media: Why Bother?
In running a business, the key information a business man or woman should have on the tip of their finger is that “the customers make the business”. You may want to ask why but we'll tell you. You see, in every business venture, there has to be a product or service(s) you are providing. There is no business that runs without a product/service to render. If you can name one, we'll wait for it. Anyways, when a product or service is being offered to the market, the idea is that people would come up and pay for what you have to offer. Without the customers, there is no business and this is why most businesses focus more on their target audience i.e customers than their products itself.
How do they focus on their customers?
Marketing is the one way in which businesses get to reach out to their customers. In recent times and with the rise of technology and social media, we’ll say mostly digital marketing. But before this, existed traditional marketing where they reached out to their customers just as well and made sales. Why then, would there be any need for digital marketing or social media marketing? Why should businesses bother using these forms of marketing if the traditional marketing served well and even has a lasting impression?
Customer Behaviour
The inevitable fact about life is that people are different. There is a need for firms to research on their customer's preferences and restrategize. Restrategizing meaning that they have to look at every available option of reaching out to their target market.
With the rise of social media and technology, people have become more different when it comes to communication. There are some people who find it easier to pick up a magazine or newspaper or anything in print as opposed to those who never let their phones or computers down. Digital Marketing must be considered because it covers those customers who deal more with technology.
The Rise of Technology and Social Media
People are getting more empowered with technical devices and social media that it has become a lifestyle for most. People deal online for all kinds of things; shopping, booking travel tickets, ordering food, getting books, and all kinds of services available. So the need for digital marketing is growing daily. How else to intercept and attract the attention of someone than through ads online.
The Need for Communication in Marketing
For communication to be effective and efficient, there is a need for it to go in both directions. By this, we mean, from the marketers to the customers and from the customers back to the marketers. If a business puts out a marketing ad for their product without a form of feedback, it leaves lots of questions. How many people saw the ad? How many people were interested? What do people think about the product or service(s)? Many questions!
With digital marketing or social media marketing comes the options for fast and direct feedback to the marketers. Now marketers get to know the answers to those unanswered questions and see where they can make improvements. For example, if a customer complains about a business’s customer services, the business can run a fast survey to trace the problem and solve it. Once the problem is solved, the customers become happy.
Marketing Analytics
One thing about traditional marketing is that there is no way to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. With digital marketing comes analytics and ways to gauge your marketing success. This is also like feedback but not directly from the customers. How have sales gone up in relation to your marketing strategy? How many customers viewed the marketing ad? How many of them clicked your link to see what your business is about? How many of them showed an interest in your business? What is the turnout of customers in relation to your last ad? These questions can be answered with digital marketing. You get to know the ways in which your ads can be improved to attract more people.
Digital Marketing Advantages
When considering a marketing form or strategy, you have to also consider the advantages gained from such a form of marketing. With digital marketing, outreach is massive. It is possible to reach out to millions of people from across the world with such a form of marketing. You can also confine your marketing within the target consumer description. For example, if a business product is meant for only people older than 18 years, with digital marketing, your content only reaches those above the age range. You get to control your marketing choices and how it is perceived by your target market.
Why Bother?
Asking why you should bother using digital marketing or social media marketing is just like asking why you should pick a piece of cake over breadsticks. It is more profitable and beneficial. Digital marketing gives insight into effective and controlled marketing. Also, when we talk about giving a brand a competitive advantage, digital marketing can get you there. Other brands are picking it up. They are using digital marketing to build their platforms and the earlier you get on it, the better for you and your business.
Statistics in business marketing is now a growing need today. Businesses need to track their improvements and see where they can improve to increase profit. With digital marketing and social media marketing, these can be done fast, effectively and easily.
Conclusion
Marketing has evolved from the one-way communication format it used to be into an interactive one. Digital marketing with its advantages should be reason enough why people should bother using it. The question right now shouldn't be why to bother, but ‘how can I use digital marketing and social media to build my brand or business?’.
Why don't you get on that bandwagon and put your brand on the same level as the greats? Technology has handed over the power to you, you just have to use it right.