Updated: 2/7/2022
These days, just about every small business needs a digital marketing plan. With the right marketing plan, you can grow your practice or business, bringing in new customers, clients, and patients. Ultimately, the best way to learn online marketing is to work with trained digital marketing professionals.
You may want to find an expert with the best online digital marketing certificate or formal education. That said, many skilled digital marketers also learn and hone their skills by reading online and taking web courses, sometimes without ever getting a certificate.
These days, many argue that digital marketing is the best source of advertising. You can measure results, increase your search engine rankings, and monitor how pay-per-click campaigns are performing. Accomplish all of the above and you may find yourself spending less on digital marketing while producing better results.
So is digital marketing the best form of marketing? Arguably so, however, other marketing efforts can still pay off. You may be able to find companies that offer not just top-notch digital marketing, but that also excel at other forms of marketing, such as print and TV. With a multi-pronged digital and traditional marketing plan, you may be able to amplify results.
Developing a digital marketing plan is important to business success. While 50% of companies are currently using digital marketing, most do not have a plan. Rather than creating a marketing plan, these businesses are guessing and spending money on internet advertisements and social media, without really understanding the intention or benefit of these dollars spent. Creating a digital marketing plan is important for the following reasons.
It allows you to target a specific customer
Digital marketing is useful for many reasons, but it is perhaps, most useful for the ability to target specific customers. Most business owners are aware of their current customer base. It is possible that you are currently reaching older, baby boomer generations, but you struggle to bring younger generations in. It is also possible that you have a strong local following, but cannot seem to expand into the internet business market. Developing a digital marketing plan based on reaching these specific customers can extend your reach and increase your results.
It prepares you for negative feedback
All feedback is helpful, if handled accordingly. Online marketing is not only a great way to target new customers, but to also connect with current customers. The average buyer consults 11 consumer reviews on their path to a purchase. Digital marketing a software development programs make it easier to track your reviews. While you do not have the ability to influence and change these customer reviews, you can use them to improve. Correcting customer complaints can prevent other customers from experiencing the same problems. Eventually, your reviews should turn positive.
You can track your digital marketing spending
Why spend money on a marketing effort that is not returning you results? Simply spending money on digital marketing and software development is not enough if you are not receiving positive feedback. When you create a plan for digital marketing, you are also giving the campaign a measurable quality. When you set goals, you can see if, and how close you have come to meeting them. You can create statistical databases that give you a better idea of your digital marketing efforts.
Your business will stay updated
In today?s technological times, customers expect the businesses they frequent to be advanced in terms of technology. An outdated or slow website, for example, will cause a customer to abandon their order and choose another business. They also expect a convenient experience, including the ability to order, communicate, and follow their favorite businesses. Developing and maintaining a digital marketing campaign is one of the best ways to keep your business updated.
It will increase your search results
Because the majority of your customers are on the internet in some way, this is also how they will find new businesses to frequent. SEO, or search engine optimization is important in ensuring that your local customers are able to find you. Digital marketing is beneficial, both directly, and indirectly to SEO results. Everything needs to be developed with SEO in mind, including your businesses software development, brand management, and social media branding. This aspect of digital marketing will be important in attracting and holding new customers.
Asked to name their number one challenge, 15% of digital marketers said meeting the expectations of the always connected customer, 14% chose executing consistent campaigns that drive desired business outcomes (i.e. leads or revenues), and 13% cited the proliferation of channels across paid, owned, and earned media. One thing is for certain, however, digital marketing and careful SEO software development is extremely important and necessary for success in today?s business world.
