The small business world is still recovering from 2020 shutdowns and the pandemic. As small business owners work hard to bounce back and adapt to this new world, RevLocal wants to share one of the most powerful tools at your business’s disposal. RevLocal believes digital marketing could be the thing that could save your business and here’s why: 

• Digital marketing can bring in quality leads faster than traditional marketing methods 
• Digital marketing gives you real-time data on performance metrics for your business
• Digital marketing offers a higher ROI than traditional methods or not marketing at all
• A strong digital marketing presence builds trust, brand recognition and brand loyalty
• Effective digital marketing gives you a competitive edge

All of these reasons make digital marketing the perfect next step for getting your business’s growth back on track. Digital marketing is what it sounds like, marketing digitally. It uses all online platforms and information sources to disseminate information about your business, products and services. 

Digital marketing is comprised of strategies using paid advertising, search engine optimization, review and reputation marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, data analytics and more. Any marketing effort that occurs online can be considered digital marketing. 

Online buying is growing fast and so is online research. Make sure your business is ready to meet the demand with effective digital marketing; It might be just the thing you need!

1. Digital Marketing Can Bring in Quality Leads Faster than Traditional Marketing Methods

Digital marketing offers a precision in advertising that traditional marketing can’t. Digital marketing utilizes information from data-giants like Google, Facebook, Bing and more to send the right ads to the right people at the right time. 

This highly targeted capability means that your ads are going to individuals who are most likely in the market for your services and who match your ideal customer persona. This means that leads who contact your business or provide their contact information are higher quality than leads generated through less precise and targeted advertising means. 

This precision isn’t limited to paid advertisements alone. High quality leads can come from your social media following, email marketing campaigns and even reviews! As you continue to market your business online, you will continually learn new information and gather new data on your ideal customers’ pain points, needs and budgets. This cycle helps you to constantly improve your online marketing assets to better target and draw in more qualified leads and turn them into loyal, lifelong customers. 

2. Digital Marketing Gives You Real-Time Data on Performance Metrics for Your Business

Through platforms like Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics, you can see which types of ads or social posts attract the most attention and engagement. RevLocal offers our clients a data-tracking marketing platform where you can see how your online marketing efforts are working in real-time and where improvements are needed. Review management and response platforms are also available so you can clearly see what people are saying about your business.

Additionally, these tracking methods can help you identify where bottlenecks or places of customer experience occur. Maybe a webpage isn’t loading correctly on your website, rogue reviews are rampant or your social media presence isn’t as valuable as you thought for your audience. While these data points might be discouraging at first, they are vital for making adjustments that you can be sure will yield real results and solve problems. 

A business running without a strong feedback loop is missing out on important advancements and ways to improve. Digital marketing fills that gap! 

3. Digital Marketing Offers a Higher ROI than Traditional Marketing or No Marketing At All 

There are several different budget-friendly digital marketing strategies that can work for your small business. Digital marketing is more budget-efficient than traditional marketing and thus offers a higher return on investment per lead. 

As with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you’re not investing in marketing at all, you may have more margin in your cash flow, but your business’s opportunity for real growth is being cut short. Digital marketing isn’t an expense, it’s an investment. RevLocal recommends giving your digital marketing efforts at least three months to start seeing positive results. Over even more time, your business will benefit from the returns! 

RevLocal recommends giving your digital marketing efforts at least three months to start seeing positive results. Over even more time, your business will benefit from the returns! 

4. A Strong Digital Marketing Presence Builds Trust, Brand Recognition and Brand Loyalty

Consumers know how to spot reputable and suspicious companies quickly. If your business’s information isn’t consistent across search engines and social media platforms, consumers will be confused, turned-off from your brand and look elsewhere for their needs. If your business’s branding is consistent, your products well presented and your online presence active, consumers will automatically trust your company and will feel more comfortable buying from you. 

Making sure your business’s online branding is consistent is more than having a clean website. Your site needs to be mobile-friendly, user-friendly and have a fast loading speed. Your social media needs to have valuable and engaging content for your audience. Your reviews should be spotless and have thoughtful responses for reviews three stars and below. Your paid advertising strategy needs to have compelling copy and visuals for the ads and be specifically targeted to get the highest ROI. 

When all of these digital marketing pieces are working together, consumers trust and resonate with your brand! If even one of these pieces is out of place, you risk coming off as suspicious and untrustworthy and could lose sales. An effective digital marketing strategy is key in creating happy customers and keeping them coming back!

5. Effective Digital Marketing Gives You a Competitive Edge

If your business does digital marketing right, your ideal customer will notice. Effective branding and advertising now happens primarily online. If your company has digital marketing, you’re already ahead of the game in the small business world. 

Digital marketing allows your business to reach new customers and gain new insights into who your ideal customer is. With the power of geofencing and demographic targeting, your online ads get in front of the most likely buyers. 

Traditional marketing efforts are much less precise and can result in wasted budgets. Digital marketing gives your business and budget the best chance at being competitive in your market because you reach the right people. 

Final thoughts…

Digital marketing is the new standard for small business marketing. While it may seem complex, the benefits are well worth the work to learn and implement strategies well! In 2022, digital marketing might just be the thing that can turn around and even save your business. If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to have RevLocal handle your business’s digital marketing, contact one of our experts today.