Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the vast majority of businesses in the country. Compared to giant corporations with a nationwide or worldwide name and brand recognition, they have a tougher challenge when it comes to growing.
Effective digital marketing strategies are essential for success in today’s online marketplace.
Efficient and productive SME digital strategies will help your business get seen and will help it grow. Without staying ahead of the competition by enhancing its visibility and providing quality content, a business is likely doomed to sink in today’s online marketplace.
With how competitive and quickly things change, climbing back up can be exceedingly complex. While that business may stay afloat thanks to a loyal client base, its growth prospects and long-term success are dim.
There are several ways digital marketing helps a business grow, and we’d like to share some of the best tips on growing a business both online and in the “real” world.
Keep Up with (and Stay Ahead of) the Competition
Online, every business is just as large or just as small. Your website is a 24/7 business card, and it’s your opportunity to stand out from the competition, showing how you’re different or how you fill a niche that no one else does.
Digital marketing will help you keep current on trends so that you can update content and not fall behind your competitors in visibility and search engine rankings.
Build Brand Awareness
Being recognizable and memorable is a huge asset in the marketplace. Effective digital marketing increases your brand’s presence. As you do that, people remember your name and your logo, and they’re more likely to search for you instead of getting random results and going through them. Another advantage of increased brand awareness is that it helps customers feel more connected to your business as they have a greater sense of who you are, what you value, and what you do. It’s one of the cornerstones of building customer loyalty.
Improve Customer Targeting
In digital marketing, there are tools and strategies to reach an audience consisting of people more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. More traditional advertising methods tend to reach large audiences where only a relative few are interested. More targeted marketing is far more efficient and successful since more of your audience is already receptive or is more likely to be. Email lists are ways to reach target audiences with news, special offers, and other information, but they’re not the only options available.
Track ROI and Make Adjustments
When you employ digital marketing, you can track results in real-time. This includes traffic to your website, open rates for emails, and engagement on social media. With this information, it’s possible to see what’s working well and what isn’t, and then you can make adjustments to improve your ROI and outreach.
Boost Customer Engagement
Email marketing and social media campaigns are ways you can interact with customers as part of your digital marketing efforts. Others involve questionnaires and surveys and soliciting feedback and reviews. When you engage with your customers, it’s a way of telling them that you’re there to listen and that you care. This also leaves them feeling more connected to your business and feeling valued as an individual, not just another dollar. These are the kinds of customers who are likely to reward you with loyalty in the form of repeat business and also recommend you to others.
Attract Mobile Users
Have you ever encountered a website that creates a perfectly good user experience on your laptop, but it’s not very user-friendly on a phone or other mobile device? That occurs when a company isn’t mindful to pay extra attention to the mobile experience as they implement their digital marketing strategies. Overlooking is something you can’t afford to do when so many people are accessing websites and doing business entirely on mobile devices nowadays. These customers are ready to do business right then and there, and if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, they’re not likely to wait until later when they’re back on a laptop; they’re likely to go to a competitor’s site instead.
Build a Reputation for Expertise and Trust
Many businesses have discovered the efficacy of blog posts on their websites. One thing that they can do is enhance your SEO (search engine optimization– how your website does in search results) through the use and repetition of trending topics and keywords. Another way they help is by giving you a chance to show off your knowledge and expertise. Let’s use a lawn care company as an example. If that company is regularly posting articles about different topics related to lawn share, explaining important concepts, and sharing tips, they’re establishing themselves as an authoritative voice in their field. Which would inspire more confidence in you, a lawn care service with a wealth of informational articles or one that just lists services and asks you to give them a call?
Improve Lead Generation and Conversion Rates
Finally, with the combination of customer engagement, better SEO, enhanced brand awareness, customer targeting, and other aspects of your digital marketing, you’ll see better lead generation. That means not just more leads but better leads, people who are more likely to convert.
Need Help with Digital Marketing? Ask Hughes Media!
Now that you know how digital marketing can help a business grow, it’s fair to ask how exactly to implement it. Telling you it’s important is one thing; putting it in motion is another. Plus, if you were a digital marketing expert, that’s what you’d be doing, not running the business you currently have.
At Hughes Media – Atlanta digital marketing agency, we have a team of digital marketing experts who can help you develop and run a digital marketing strategy tailored to the specific nature and needs of your business. We’ll help you reduce the stress of running a business by helping set you up for success and growth.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation!
About the Author:
Deedra Hughes
Experienced President with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Digital Strategy, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Integrated Marketing, Advertising, and Pay Per Click (PPC). Strong business development professional with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Communications from Ohio University.