Digital marketing dashboard that provides real-time metrics.

Why Is Digital Marketing Important in 2022 — and Should You Make the Switch?

Digital marketing is one of the most effective ways to market a business. Digital marketing techniques provide flexibility, scalability, and personalization that traditional advertising can’t match. As more people go online for information about products and services, digital marketing becomes increasingly important for businesses that actually want to keep up with the times. So, why is digital marketing important? We’ll tell you.

The Importance of Digital Marketing

We get it. You’ve been using traditional marketing methods for decades — and if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? Well, not really. Sure, a lot of people drive by your billboard on Route 224 every day, but how many of those people come in because they saw your sign? Online marketing puts your company directly in front of your target audience, and what else could you ask for as a business owner? Get the most out of your marketing efforts with digital marketing strategies like SEO, social media, email marketing, PPC (Pay Per Click), and more.

Benefits of Digital Marketing

Still not convinced? Let’s take a look at the cut-and-dry benefits of digital marketing. First off, digital marketing offers real-time feedback and statistics. Let’s say your billboard marketing campaign brought in 20 different customers last quarter. How would you track those metrics? Digital marketing helps businesses by offering concrete data on what customers are searching for, what they’re clicking on (conversion rates), who they follow on social media platforms, and even what website pages they spend the most time reading.

Newspaper ads can be great, but is everyone who reads that particular magazine truly your target demographic? Digital marketing reaches your target audience directly and efficiently while still being cost-effective. Ad campaigns adjust to target specific demographics of internet users like age, gender, and even location. Plus, you have full control over your ad spend. Choose exactly how much money you want to dedicate to each digital ad campaign

Search Engine Optimization

SEO content and optimization are crucial for digital marketing success. SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in the results page of a search engine. You can accomplish this with content relevant to your target audience‘s search terms and including keywords related to your products or services on those pages. 

In today’s world, your business needs to appear high up on Google if you want to stay competitive. An SEO strategy helps you battle your competitors for website traffic while covering all the topics your target customers are already searching for. You can even go the extra mile and pay for ad spots at the top of the page (search engine marketing).

Social Media Marketing

Just about every smartphone on planet earth has at least one social media app downloaded on it (even if it’s just LinkedIn to search for jobs). Social media directly links your business with your customers (both returning and potential customers). Social media marketing connects you with your audience so they can see your company as the trustworthy source you are. Unlike other types of digital marketing, social media focuses less on lead generation and more on managing and nurturing customer relationships. A strong social media presence puts your business top of mind for your followers (so when they need your product or service, they won’t head to Google and start from scratch).

Social media is a form of marketing crucial for a business in the 21st century but doesn’t necessarily have the highest return on investment. Instead, it’s a great opportunity to strengthen your brand awareness and customer relationships. An effective digital marketing strategy will utilize social media to keep customers engaged while intriguing potential customers. Influencer marketing is another way to use digital media to reach a broader audience through popular accounts they already follow.

Content Marketing

Effective digital marketing campaigns typically involve some type of content, whether that’s blogs, emails, videos, or social media posts. Content marketing mainly focuses on providing your audience with helpful content and information (another way to build trust with potential customers so they see you as a helpful source of information for your field). 

Blogging

One aspect of content marketing is blogging. Blogs are a multi-purpose digital marketing tool. SEO-optimized blogs on your site help potential customers find your business on the search engines. This marketing tactic looks at what real-life people are searching for online and throwing your own content into the mix. 

But that’s not all; blogs also have another benefit. Share your blogs on social media to show your followers that you know your sh*t. Plus, if people are searching for that topic on the SERPs (a fancy way to say “search engine results page”), it’s safe to say that they would read it on social media, too.

Email Marketing

It’s 2022; you don’t have to hope your returning customers drive by your billboard advertising your newest sale — put it directly in their inbox. A digital marketing plan with lead generation should build your database and email list.

Email newsletters allow you to send information to your current address book to communicate sale details, promote a new product, or highlight a specific service — without paying for ads on Google or Facebook.

Don’t Go It Alone: Call the Marketing Experts at Lift

As you can imagine, there are many more digital marketing channels that we couldn’t explain in this one blog. Small businesses can benefit from a marketing plan that takes initiative — and in today’s world, that means being online. So instead of asking, “why is digital marketing important,” you should ask yourself if you actually want to meet your marketing goals. If you do, call your local marketing experts at Lift Marketing.

Strap in; we’re about to change your (business’s) life.