The number of online users is constantly growing. They use mobile devices, voice search, and social networks to look for and review brands.
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Therefore, digital marketing is not optional anymore. It plays a fundamental role in your startup growth.
When planned and implemented strategically, digital marketing increases brand visibility, user engagement, and conversion rates.
Here are some of its key benefits.
1. Your Customers Spend More Time Online
Over the past few years, the use of the internet has grown. Let’s take the example of social networks. In 2021, the average daily social media usage was 145 minutes daily, up from 142 minutes in 2019.
Your customers use digital channels to research new businesses, read reviews, review services, etc. Therefore, by investing in digital marketing, you have a chance to expand your reach and put your startup in front of the people interested in your products or services.
2. Building Trust with Consumers
Trust is an essential part of the sales cycle. According to 2019 studies, 81% of customers say they need to trust the brand to buy from it.
That is where digital marketing steps in. By producing authentic content on your website, email newsletters, and social channels, you will tell your brand’s story and communicate its values and mission to your target audiences.
User-generated content is another powerful way to gain customer trust. Studies show that customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. For example, you can encourage current customers to review your products/services on your social channels, website, and business review platforms. Additionally, user-generated content, customer testimonials, and influencer marketing are also effective ways to build trust with customers.
3. Building Personalized User Experiences
Today, one-size-fits-all marketing campaigns do not resonate with your target audience. They expect your brand messaging, content, and offers to be highly relevant and tailored to their specific needs. That is where traditional marketing campaigns, such as billboards or TV commercials, fail.
Digital marketing takes personalization to a whole new level. With the wide range of digital marketing analytics tools, you can easily analyze your target customers. By collecting their demographic and psychographic data, you can individualize shopping experiences. For example, if you are running a UK-based model agency, you will want to target people interested in modeling in London.
Email segmentation is a perfect example of personalization. Many brands segment their newsletter lists based on customers’ previous purchases, geolocation, gender, content preferences, demands, etc. By creating smaller recipient groups, they deliver more relevant and personalized user experiences.
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, the use of VR in digital marketing has grown. It allows you to showcase your products in a more engaging way and build trust with customers who are purchasing online.
4. Digital Marketing Is More Affordable
One great misconception about digital marketing is that it is free. It requires investments in the right tools and services.
However, when compared with its offline counterpart, digital marketing is more affordable. Traditional marketing channels, such as print, television, and radio advertising, offer limited advertising space. Therefore, the advertising placements are steeply-priced and can reach as much as $8 million just to launch.
Apart from helping you reduce your initial investments, digital marketing is also highly targeted and personalized. Instead of casting your net wide, you are addressing the audiences interested in your products. By creating targeted content, you will generate them into qualified leads and boost sales faster.
Unsurprisingly, digital marketing generates a higher return on investment (ROI). For example, content marketing can generate 3X leads for 62% less than traditional marketing. Email marketing has the highest ROI of all marketing techniques. For every $1 you spend, you get $38.
5. Measuring Results is Easier
Measuring the performance of traditional marketing, such as billboards or flyers, is almost impossible. On the other hand, you can track almost any aspect of digital marketing, from paid ads to social networks.
All you have to do is set the right goals and measure the right digital marketing metrics. With digital marketing analytics tools, you can easily track the results of your marketing campaigns. You know how many users each digital channel drives, how many leads it generates, and how effectively it converts. Most importantly, you can A/B test different versions of your marketing campaigns to determine which one converts the best.
Conclusions
The value of digital marketing is clear. Startups in the modern economy need online marketing channels to attract customers and expand their reach. That is where your customers are.
Most importantly, digital marketing is more flexible. It allows you to create highly targeted and data-driven campaigns. By targeting the right customer groups, you will increase sales and boost your marketing ROI.
Finally, digital marketing boosts brand memorability and customer loyalty. It gives you a chance to communicate your brand values and deliver consistent user experiences across various channels.
Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.