It’s no secret how much of the world functions online these days, to the point where the entire shopping experience can happen entirely over the computer. From discovering the business, perusing their inventory, making a purchase, and having it delivered right to your door! With so much shopping happening online now, by not marketing yourself on there, you’re missing out on so many opportunities that could be helping your business finally reach its goals. Let’s go over why Online Marketing is so important and why your business should be taking advantage of it.
Accessibility
Even shoppers who support small businesses need ways to find you, and while organically discovering you through existing shoppers is still possible, you have to ask yourself if it’s viable in the long run. By marketing yourself digitally, you can exist in online communities in your area to promote your storefront, and still be able to build a customer base of shoppers who come in-person. While, for some businesses, it may be possible to exist offline, it’s blocking them off from many other customers who otherwise would have enjoyed shopping there.
Omni-Shoppers
We’ve mentioned Omni-Shoppers a few times before, but to recap, they’re the newest type of customer that is dominating the market. Not only do they do most of their shopping online, but they often compare prices across multiple sites, and perform a lot of research into the brands they buy from. If you don’t have any online presence at all, it’ll be hard for these customers to trust your business and feel comfortable making any purchases. Alternatively, if you engage with online marketing, provide information about your brand’s values and who’s working behind the scenes, you’ll be a stand-out in the eyes of these shoppers and much more likely to form lasting relationships with them.
Not Sure How to Start?
Maybe you’ve dabbled in online marketing in the past or have seen terms like SEO thrown around, and you either haven’t had much success or had no idea where to start. To businesses like these, we always recommend that your #1 priority being to establish a defined and achievable goal. Are you trying to make x amount of sales or promote a product? Once you have this goal in mind, you can develop a strategy centered around helping you accomplish it. We’ve often found that businesses will create a strategy or plan to follow, and throw money at it without thinking of a central goal that ties it all together.
Getting started in online marketing has its challenges, but once you see what it can do for you and your business, you’ll understand why it’s well worth it to take it on. To dig deeper into the intricacies of online marketing, check out more of our blogs here, and for more specific advice, schedule a consultation with our founder, Mindy Lundy Kramer, here!