6 Reasons You Should Take Internet Marketing more Seriously

With COVID-induced stay-at-home orders keeping people indoors, businesses are working harder than ever to stay connected with their customers. Thankfully, internet marketing gives you numerous ways to reach your customer base online.

You can grow your audience with website content and signup forms, reach new customers with digital ads, and boost sales through landing pages. You can interact with clients through social media and offer discounts through email. Or you can put a smile on people’s faces by providing fun content through TikTok, Spotify, and other apps.

The possibilities are endless. But are you taking advantage of the numerous ways available to market your business online? 

If you’re one of the many entrepreneurs who haven’t been giving internet marketing their full attention, now is the time to do so. 

What is internet marketing?

Perhaps because the term is frequently tossed around, internet marketing has become as confusing as it is ever-changing.

However, the definition of internet marketing is really simple. Internet marketing is any promotional activity being conducted online. Suffice it to say that email marketing, search engine ads, content marketing, and social media campaigns fall under the online marketing umbrella.

As more and more online platforms sprout up, internet marketing also becomes increasingly complex. It’s no surprise that entrepreneurs, with their myriad other responsibilities, inadvertently leave online marketing on the back burner.

These online marketing findings illustrate this fact:

• 6 out of 10 small businesses don’t have a website
• 70% of marketers admit they don’t have a solid and cohesive content strategy
• In 2018, 46% of small businesses lacked website presence
• 35% of entrepreneurs believe their business is too small to need a website

Of course, you can always delegate your marketing efforts. But while this is a feasible move, keep in mind that you’re still responsible for overseeing the process.

Why? Because internet marketing is too important to simply “set it and forget it.”

The following 6 reasons will illustrate why you should take internet marketing more seriously
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It’s your round-the-clock product catalog

Amazon, WordPress, Shopify, and social media channels made it possible to start a business without having to pay for real estate or print ads. Now you can display your products, update your pricing information, or showcase your portfolio through a website or social media.

Through web marketing, you can optimize your website so that the right people can find your products. Because your business isn’t limited by a physical store’s closing hours, people can look you up 24/7. This helps customers make faster purchase decisions and makes it that much easier for them to spend money on your products or services.

It’s significantly cheaper than traditional marketing

According to a report by Endless Revenue Marketing, companies would need to shell out $200 on newspaper ads, $900 on direct mail, $500 on magazine ads, and $150 on broadcasting just to reach an audience of 2,000. And that’s without any guarantee that those people are buying or becoming interested in the product.

Nowadays, small businesses don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on ads that may or may not reach their target audience. In fact, many business owners start out by creating social channels and growing their audience organically.

Of course, you can fine-tune your marketing campaigns and get a better chance of reaching more people through online advertising, which is still significantly cheaper than traditional ads. You can send up to 10,000 emails to 2,000 contacts every month with Mailchimp for free, pay only $0.27 for every click that your Facebook ad gets, and allocate only $10 per day for a YouTube ad.

It helps you beat the competition

Did you know that you compete with 25 similar companies on average? With just a few taps on their mobile screen, customers can find 25 other brands selling the same products or services as you.

Your best shot at rising above the competition, then, is through internet marketing. When you post helpful and entertaining articles on your blog, respond promptly to social media messages, and send out promotions via email, your brand doesn’t get left behind. Apart from social media marketing, email, and website marketing, here are other ways you can beat your competitors.
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It bolsters your credibility

Today, people do most product research on Google and social channels. When consumers are still mulling about which brand to buy from, they read or watch reviews on the internet. This is why a solid online presence is essential.

Apart from helping potential customers make quicker purchase decisions, an established online presence will also help you find business partners and collaborators. Small- to mid-sized companies can build mutual partnerships through influencer marketing, guest posting, and product collaboration. When you can clearly present your marketing strategy online, you’re better poised to find partners that can add value to your business.

It’s easy to get assistance

Many marketers struggle with generating leads because they don’t have the budget or the time for it. The solution? Virtual assistance.

When you hire a virtual assistant, you can get trustworthy and expert help without breaking the bank. What’s more, working with specialists will significantly boost productivity and cut work hours.

It’s great for research and development

To zero in on your target market, you need to find out what makes them tick. This means knowing your customer’s specific shopping preferences or what makes them pick out a specific brand from an array of similar products.

These are the kinds of questions you can answer through a comprehensive analytics report. Web and social media analytics help entrepreneurs figure out customer behavior so they can improve their campaigns and products accordingly.

Marketing your brand online may be complex at first glance. Still, it’s worth investing the time, money, and effort to get better at internet marketing, especially when the future of your business depends on it.

Catherine vanVonno

Catherine vanVonno is the President and CEO of 20four7VA, one of the fastest-growing virtual staffing companies in the eCommerce industry. She is passionate about helping small business owners scale by giving them access to reliable and highly trained virtual talent. She is also deeply invested in providing employment opportunities for skilled individuals from around the world, especially those in disadvantaged areas.