No business can survive unless its potential customers can find it. Marketing has always been an essential part of running a business, and even those businesses that don’t have marketing budgets per se rely on forms of marketing to find customers; a display window on a heavily-trafficked pedestrian street, for instance, is a form of marketing.
And, in this day and age, marketing is more important than ever — especially digital marketing. In an era in which nearly everyone is using the internet and web-connected apps as a matter of course, it’s essential for even the most traditional businesses to have an online presence and a digital marketing strategy.
Everyone is Online
The internet has been important to businesses for a long time. But now, more than ever, customers are spending their lives online — which means that businesses need to head to the internet to meet their customers.
Seventy-seven percent of Americans own a smartphone. That means that 77 percent of us are always accessible through the computer right in our pockets. Then there are, of course, desktops, laptops, and tablets. Americans spend 24 hours a week — yes, that’s 24 hours a week — on the internet. In short, everyone is online, and if your business isn’t, then you’re missing out on ways to reach customers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If your customers are online, then you need to be, too. But it doesn’t necessarily mean relying on online ads alone, as not all forms of digital marketing are as obvious as a banner ad at the top of a website. In fact, one of the most important digital marketing strategies of all doesn’t look like advertising at all.
We’re talking about search engine optimization, or SEO. SEO is the process of making your business’s online presence as friendly as possible to major search engines, such as Google. When potential customers search for brick-and-mortar or online stores, store owners want their own shops to come up. Making sure that Google is as likely as possible to stick your search result high on the search engine results page (SERP) is very, very important, even for old-school businesses that might not view themselves as web-dependent, explain the experts at Bambrick Media who specialize in SEO in Brisbane.
To PPC or not to PPC?
Pay-per-click, or PPC, advertising has long been a major part of digital marketing. But it’s not without its limitations, and some observers feel that it’s on its way out. Is that true?
In a word, no. PPC is still an incredibly valuable strategy that ensures businesses get what they pay for in digital marketing. But it’s also very important for modern digital marketing strategies to integrate multiple options to keep a company’s web presence strong in every area, not just PPC. Using platforms like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or even simple stand-alone assets like a keyword search volume tool are great ways to stay informed from all angles. Altogether, an integrated digital marketing solution that includes both PPC and organic marketing is better than a one-front approach.
The Rise of Mobile Search
It’s been true for years that SEO and other digital marketing strategies are must-haves for businesses of all types. But that doesn’t mean that the digital marketing landscape hasn’t changed over time. In fact, it has changed dramatically: Google tells us that nearly 60 percent of all searches are now mobile, and studies show that people performing mobile searches related to products or businesses are extremely likely to make a purchase in the next couple of days. That means that, more than ever, it is crucial for companies to have strong SEO, working mobile sites, and access to detailed analytics.
