Like any worthwhile investment, digital marketing takes time to grow
But when done correctly, it’s a long-term investment that can have tremendous benefits on your business.
One of the most common misconceptions about online marketing is that it should be a quick fix. As a business, it’s only natural to want to see results immediately. After all, you’re investing time and resources into it. However, like all powerful advertising solutions, digital marketing requires consistency and patience.
Implementing a proper SEO strategy, for instance, can take anywhere between six to 12 months to produce results. It can take time because so many steps are involved, from research to optimization and ongoing maintenance. Whether it’s organic SEO or paid ads, you need to put in continuous effort to achieve the results you want.
Digital marketing is not an expense. It’s an investment in the present and future of your business. If you’re looking for long-term success, digital marketing is one of the best choices you can make for your company.
Top 4 reasons your business needs digital marketing
It offers unlimited reach
As of January 2022, there are 4.95 billion people, or 62.5% of the world’s total population, use the internet. This is the largest volume of people online that has ever been recorded. And the numbers continue to increase each day. In fact, Internet users are currently growing at an annual rate of 4% or more than half a million new users per day.
Digital marketing is so powerful because it has the potential to connect a business with billions of potential customers. Imagine reaching a global audience in a way that’s scalable, measurable, and cost-effective. No other form of marketing has the ability to cross geographical barriers and enable real-time communication with users from all parts of the world.
Developing personal connections is paramount
Research shows that emotionally connected clients are more than twice as valuable as extremely satisfied ones.
Now more than ever, people are craving meaningful human interactions. Amid social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and remote work setups, consumers are searching for empathy and authenticity online.
Digital marketing offers the most personal way to engage with your ideal customers and make a lasting impression. SEO enables leads to seek you out based on their needs while e-mail and pay-per-click marketing offer an effective means of outreach. Then there’s social media, which is often the first step in creating an online presence.
Ultimately, digital marketing lets you create positive relationships with both current and potential customers even during the toughest of times.
It’s easier to build solid brand affinity
Developing consumer trust is not an easy task and can’t be accomplished in a vacuum. But digital marketing makes the job easier.
You can organize several online and offline campaigns to get valuable customer reviews. You can also invest in customer service automation tools to quickly respond to queries and boost consumer satisfaction.
Likewise, highly engaging and informative content can help establish your brand as a thought leader. Providing valuable and accurate answers to your audience’s biggest questions earns you credibility that will outlast any downturn.
Digital marketing gains more value, and therefore, more ROI over time
Since digital marketing takes time to generate results, you probably won’t see a positive ROI in the first six months. But after this initial period, digital marketing tactics will not only yield high returns, but also continue providing them as long as you consistently monitor and improve your strategies. And as the number of internet users grows each day, digital marketing also offers a continuously increasing scope and audience reach.
That being said, a longer time frame will not be beneficial to you if you have a poorly developed strategy. Again, digital marketing is not about “quick wins.” It’s about continuous, long-term success. If you’re opting for digital marketing, you must be willing to keep refining your strategies and testing new ones.
Important elements of a long-term digital strategy
Fresh and high-quality content
Delivering valuable content is one of the most important things you can do to create interest and drive traffic to your business.
Your content communicates your message, informs your audience about your products or services, and persuades them to choose your brand over your competition.
Experiment with different forms of content, from blogs to videos and infographics. Make them shareable on different platforms so you can tap into more markets and sales opportunities. You can also add a comment section to drive engagement and gain a better understanding of your target audience’s opinions, problems, and needs.
SEO
72% of consumers that performed a local search visited a store within five miles. SEO remains to be one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies you can use to increase your discoverability and attract relevant traffic.
Alternatively, when your audience can’t find you, you miss out on potential leads and sales.
Social media
Social media marketing offers more than just increased inbound traffic and higher conversions. It also lets you monitor sentiment in real-time, so you’ll know if there has been a significant change in the way people perceive your brand.
Social listening is the leading tactic used by today’s marketers. Tracking brand mentions, comments, and feedback can help you determine what exactly customers want to see from your brand.
Other strategies you can explore
Podcasts
Podcasts are fun, convenient, and easy to consume. They provide a format for sharing your expertise, building credibility, and reaching out to new audiences.
Webinars
Webinars allow you to connect with potential and existing customers no matter where they are located. With webinars, you can deliver relevant content and demonstrate deep subject matter expertise to your target market.
Digital marketing is a marathon, not a race or a sprint
When it comes to online marketing, the lack of immediate results may be frustrating at times. While quick wins are great, too, it’s important to keep your eye on long-term growth even when no ROI can be made at the moment. As long as you use the right strategies, you can be confident that your efforts will pay off in the long run.
Growing your online presence may take time, but it can be less stressful when you work with someone who knows the way. At Tonic Enterprises, we specialize in SEO, PPC, social media, content creation, and website development. Call us anytime for customized digital marketing services.