Digital Marketing for Small Businesses
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to be the backbone of the Australian economy, accounting for 93 per cent of all businesses in Australia. The market for small businesses is expanding at a steady pace, with the number of SMEs increasing by 3.8 per cent in 2020-21.
It is becoming easier to enter many markets as a new business, increasing competition across industries and making it easier than ever to lose customers. Even if your company has been around for a long time, there are plenty of ways other businesses can draw customers to them, causing your own sales to drop. If your competitors market better, provide more reasons for customers to rave about their experience, or even have a more user-friendly website, new customers will find your competitors more easily. Acquiring and retaining customers has become a challenge for businesses, but having an effective marketing strategy is the best way to reach new customers and build your brand’s reputation.
Small Businesses Are Getting Left Behind
Many Australian businesses have relied on traditional advertising like print ads, letterbox mailers, and outdoor advertising. This isn’t a bad idea, but going digital is more efficient and trackable, not to mention environmentally friendly. Who else has ten different fridge magnets for local plumbers? Unfortunately for businesses still relying on traditional marketing, most Gen X, Y and Z’ers will Google the best-reviewed business in their area before they make their decision.
Today’s businesses operate very differently because of digital technology and the changing purchase behaviours of younger generations. Considering that most Gen Ys are now in their late-20s to mid-30s, this is a valuable audience of potential customers that you can’t ignore. According to Google, 76 per cent of people conduct a local search on their smartphone before buying. Not to mention that 28 per cent of those searches result in a purchase. As a result, marketing agencies for small businesses have needed to change how they approach their marketing and advertising strategy significantly. In recent years, agencies like Crunchy Digital have shifted their attention to building holistic digital marketing plans for businesses with less than 20 employees.
So What is Digital Marketing, and Why Do You Need It for Small Business?
Digital marketing is defined as any form of marketing that is carried out exclusively through the use of electronic media. Businesses use a variety of digital strategies to connect with their customers, including creating a website, doing digital ads campaigns, social media marketing, search engine optimisation, content marketing and more.
Your small business can take advantage of digital marketing in a number of effective ways, so it’s vital to decide what works best in your industry and for your customers. For instance, if you operate a local business, how do you compete with the well-known franchises down the road? Lots of industries are already dominated by corporate giants, but the key is to establish your business as the local hero. How will you make this known to your intended audience? To put it another way, how will you get them to buy your product or service over the established competitor?
Digital marketing allows you to target a specific audience. Your ad campaign, for example, can be directed at people in a particular area with specific demographics and interests. Aside from that, getting started in digital marketing isn’t as expensive as booking a newspaper or radio ad or printing thousands of flyers.
Creating brand awareness can easily be achieved through digital marketing, but small businesses must also focus on promoting the value of their name, services or products to ensure long-term loyalty from their customers and clients. The brilliant thing about digital marketing is that for each digital platform, you can track your results with the help of specialised tools. See how many visits, impressions, clicks or leads our digital marketing is getting your business with easy-to-understand analytics.
Doing digital marketing for a small company can have a positive impact on your business in numerous ways. However, a successful digital marketing campaign can only be achieved if it is performed by a team of experts. If you are concerned about your small business’s digital marketing campaign, Crunchy Digital is a marketing agency for small to medium businesses that is here to assist you. Use digital marketing to grow your business, and increase your visibility online. Contact our team for a chat about your best strategy and get your business’s digital marketing started today.
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