I’m sure you’re thinking, does my business really need to market itself digitally? Having a business requires constantly promoting your company to ensure customers come to you and don’t visit a competitor instead. While there are many things that can be done to keep your customer base such as providing exceptional customer service, firstly you need to reach your target market.

Traditional marketing doesn’t easily and affordably allow your business to tailor its advertising strategies to specific markets and it can be very difficult to get a quantifiable return on your investment this way, additionally, this form of marketing is becoming less effective as time passes. Effectively promoting your business requires your business to have a digital presence.

Even if you think a website is not necessary, your business should have a social media presence. In today’s world social media is the equivalent to the yellow pages in the ’80s and ’90s, so forget directory assistance if you want to find someone and they aren’t on social media it’s like they don’t exist.

Ideally, you’d want to have a steady social media presence on one or more of the major networks whereby you can regularly share information and updates about your business as well as any other details you think your target market would be interested in. This can include memes, fun videos and cool articles sourced from the internet. Your business’ page can be as fun or serious as you want it but should reflect the tone of your business and the industry you’re in.

Sharing trending content from the web can help grow your social media presence organically and introduce your business to new potential customers. You can also produce original content for your page that can be used to help market the business and set the tone for what to expect from your company. A company’s business page should not be used to express any religious or political views or to take a stance on potentially controversial topics unless it’s industry relevant. Remember your personal views should be separate from that of the business especially if your views might alienate your customer base.

Another way to market digitally is through email marketing. This is the modern version of sending flyers in the mail expect so much better. With email marketing, campaigns that are sent out can be targeted to specific groups thus ensuring messages sent to your customers’ inbox resonate directly with them which ensures they not only look forward to but open and read the messages sent.

A great benefit of email marketing is that you can see what percentage of customers read your email and what percentage followed links in the email to your social network pages or website. This along with sales data from the corresponding period can tell you what products and services are in demand or not and what marketing techniques were successful or not. This data can even give you an idea of whether you’re targeting the right groups.

Depending on the business you run or the industry you’re in your business needs more than a social media presence for legitimacy, you will need to have an actual website for customers to visit. The website you have will, however, depend on what you need from it. Will your site have a landing page just so you can have a presence on the web or will it act as a digital storefront where customers can interact with your business and purchase goods and services. Or maybe it will fit somewhere in the middle.

Once you make the decision to create a website it is important that it is designed and laid out well as it is a representation of your company and what it stands for. Your site should be functional, accessible and easy to use to maximize the benefits of it. A website that is difficult to use can be a turnoff and can dissuade potential customers from working with you, so ensure your site is meeting W3C web standards.

Of course, having a social media presence, website or even an app is a great way to interact with your current client base but a major component of marketing any business is to grow that client base and Google Ads and SEO marketing is the way to go. Imagine having potential customers find you just by searching a specific keyword or by seeing your ad on the website they visit or app they use. Reaching customers is easier than ever and unlike with traditional advertising, this form of advertising gives real-time analytics so you know how well your ad is performing and what changes you should make to improve its performance.

The future is digital so isn’t it time your business and approach to marketing goes digital as well?