In today’s world, owning a small business is more than having a great product or service; it’s about making sure people know who you are. This is where digital marketing comes in. Regardless of if you’re a local boutique, a freelancer, a home baker or a start up creating a splash, digital marketing is not optional, it’s essential.
Let’s explore why it’s a great time to start marketing online.
- 📍 Your customers are online
Let’s be honest – when we need something, what’s the first thing we all do? We Google it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local cafe, a handmade gift, or a service provider; people are used to looking online for answers.
If your business is not being found online, your competitors probably are.
When you have an online presence, potential customers will see you in Google searches, Instagram reels, Facebook pages, and even emails in their junk mail. You are not waiting for customers to walk by your physical storefront; you are reaching them where they already are!
- 💸 It’s cheaper than traditional marketing
Big companies might have the cash for billboard signage and tv advertising, but digital marketing is a godsend for small businesses with tight, truthfully non-existent budgets.
You can start with free or low-cost things like:
- starting an Instagram page
- creating a Google Business profile
- sending emails with free email campaigns, like Mailchimp
- advertising with very small budgets and being able to target only the people you want
And even SEO (search engine optimization) won’t have to break the bank when you start rolling out some of the basics, and just learning as you go.
To recap, digital marketing allows you better management of your budget and better outcomes.
- 🎯 You Can Clearly Target Who You are Wanting to Reach
With digital marketing tools like Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) and Google Ads, you can target customers based on:
- location
- age
- interests
- buying habits
This means instead of shouting into a crowd, you are whispering directly to the people that are most likely to buy from you. For a small business, that is earth shattering.
- 📈 Track What Works (and What Didn’t Work)
Traditional marketing is very difficult to track. How do you know if someone came into your store because they saw your flyer?
But digital marketing is completely measurable. You can:
Know how many people visited your website.
Understand how many people clicked your ad.
Find the number of people that opened your email.
This data lets you know what is working or not working; where you were succeeding or how you can continue to grow.
- ❤️ Build Real Relationships With Customers
Digital channels give you the ability to get closer to your audience than ever. You can create real relationships via comment sections, DMs, emails, and reviews.
When customers feel appreciated, or educated, they tend to return, and share your name with others.
Social media is a super powerful tool, as it allows your brand to have a voice.
It can change your business’s identity as a nameless identity in the directory to something your audience trusts, and is aligned with.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to be a digital marketing expert, or have a the big fancy budget to get started—what is most important is to show up online; consistently and authentically.
In a world that is getting faster and more digitally driven every day, your small business has so much (positively!) to gain by increasing its visibility, searchability, and engagement in the virtual space.
So, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to start investing in digital marketing for your business— this is it!
