Digital Marketing Basics for SMB Owners: What is Digital Marketing?

If you own a small or medium-sized business, you’ve probably asked yourself this question: “Should I dive into Digital Marketing?” The answer is YES! A huge reason to get started, or to expand your presence, in digital marketing is that’s where your audience is already hanging out. For example, when someone has a question about something, they google it. Similarly, when they’re bored, they scroll through Facebook or Instagram. Those are HUGE opportunities for you to put your offer out there. Not to mention, your competitors are probably already on social. Why should they get all the low cost, high-quality connections?

Now, you’re probably thinking — “That all sounds great, but I wouldn’t even know where to start and to be honest, I don’t have a huge budget.” Those are some valid points! Fortunately, you’re here, and we’ve got you covered.

What even is “Digital Marketing”?

Digital Marketing encompasses a LOT of different areas, but it boils down to different forms of advertising online. Whereas “Marketing” for your business used to mean, flyers, phone calls, doorknocking, yellow-pages or newspaper ads, etc. “Digital Marketing” means Google Ads, emails, Facebook/Social Media Ads, Website Optimization (SEO/SEM), etc.

Now, don’t get overwhelmed. Just like all those forms of traditional marketing weren’t appropriate for your business, not all forms of digital marketing will be either. For instance, taking a couple that works great for your industry and plays well together is enough. This is where working with a professional can help you sort through the clutter and come up with a strategy that works just for you.

Why Should I Invest In Digital Marketing?

There are over 2.6 billion monthly active users on Facebook alone. Over 5.6 billion searches on Google per DAY. So when people say “everyone is doing it,” they’re actually right this time. Above all, the potential to not only reach your audience, but convince them to buy is crazy high, and relatively cheap too. In addition, here are a couple of other interesting facts:

• The internet has 4.54 billion users of which 3.725 billion are active social media users
• Facebook is the most widely used social media platform
• On average, people have 7.6 social media accounts
• 54% of B2B marketers say they’ve generated leads from social media
• 81% of all small and medium businesses use some kind of social platform
• 91% of retail brands use 2 or more social media channels

Sources: WebFX, Brandwatch

Of course, not everyone should be doing everything. To clarify, making smart investments will get you farther than just throwing money at Facebook. Assuming you have a marketing team, they could really come in handy here. If you don’t, outsourcing might be the best solution for a comprehensive marketing strategy that works.

If any of these sounds like you, you should be investing in digital marketing…

1. I sell physical products online… Read More
2. I offer an expensive service which requires a lot of convincing to sell… Read More
3. I have a physical store in a hard to reach location… Read More
4. Your ideal customer is under the age of 65
5. You’re in a highly competitive field
6. Your work is seasonal or cyclical
7. You have an online-based product (trainings, services, etc.)
8. You’re currently mostly relying on word-of-mouth

How Do I Get Started?

The best place to start is a strategy session with us! We’ll go over exactly where your business is at, where you’d like it to be, and how we can help you get there. This kind of business-specific advice can be really helpful for someone who is just getting started – especially if you have a limited budget you need to maximize.

In short, to get started right now, here are some general best practices:

1. Make sure your website has complete and accurate information. Who are you, what do you sell, how can people contact you?
2. Same goes for your Facebook page — fill out EVERYTHING.
3. Make sure your Facebook page notifications are turned on. Answer messages and comments ASAP.
4. Claim your Google My Business profile. Make sure that information is filled out and accurate.
5. Are you asking your customers for reviews? Implement a review generation system.
6. Keep track of your customers — Who converted and when? Could they buy again? What’s their contact information? Have they referred anyone to you?

These tips can go a long way to helping spruce up your online presence. Try out a couple at a time or delegate to your team! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.

Ready to learn more? Check out the rest of our blogs!