Why do I need to market online?

Small businesses need online marketing. With over a billion active Facebook users, almost 5 billion Google searches a day, and over a billion unique videos viewed on YouTube a month, the online field is a huge open space and your company could really benefit by taking advantage of this. Trust us, your competitors already have!

What is online marketing?

Online marketing is about putting your brand, company or business out there, online. This doesn’t just mean get yourself a Facebook account, although that is part of it. Online marketing is about developing your website SEO to make sure it is seen by as many people as possible, building a following via social media and posting regularly to interact with your company’s community, and making use of advertising strategies such as retargeting and personalisation.

But do I really need to be online?

The short answer, yes. There are so many benefits to being online, they really do outweigh the cost and time inputs necessary to kick start your online marketing campaign. These benefits include staying competitive, meeting your consumer expectations and boosting your sales.

Staying competitive

Showing your potential customers that you are a relevant and up to date company means being online, and being active. Attracting new customers isn’t just as simple as being there to fill a need, the internet has become the new yellow pages, and if you want clients and consumers to find you, you have to be online. The probability that your competitors are already online is particularly high, and if you want to be competitive, and have a good opportunity of attracting custom, your online marketing campaign needs to be informative, well presented and more importantly, consumer focused.

Using SEO strategies can help you rank higher than your competitors, and being active and involved with social media can really make your company more attractive than others offering the same or similar products or services.

Consumer expectations

People expect to find everything online. Searching for a local company online and not finding a company website or social media page is not only annoying, it is impractical for the customer, and they will look elsewhere. This includes people given information about a company from a friend; if they can’t find you online, or use Google Maps to find out how to get there, they can doubt your legitimacy. Customers feel more reassured if they can check out a well maintained and well-presented website before deciding to call your business or company. If you want to attract new customers, or even keep hold of your regulars, you need to get online.

Boost your sales

Google searches are only increasing, and people looking for a product or service will no doubt pick up their smartphone as the first step to finding this. Companies that rank highly and are easy to find are almost guaranteed to pick up those curious customers. You need to be that company to boost your sales and help your business grow.

In summary

Do small business need to advertise online? Yes. Can it help to gain more customers? Yes. Will it affect our sales? Yes….so what are you waiting for?