Your Digital Presence is More Important Than Ever for Your Business' Success

The Coronavirus pandemic has taught us that relying on traditional business models is not enough to succeed. In 2021, brands need to invest more in their digital presence to stay competitive. This article explains a few essential benefits of digital presence and breaks down a few ideas on how to improve it.

Customers do not use Yellow Pages to find businesses anymore. Instead, they use Google. By having an intuitive website, optimizing it for search engines, and building your presence on social networks, you will meet customers on the online channels they use. 

That is an opportunity to attract more customers to your website and drive online sales.

For local businesses, building a digital presence is also an opportunity to maximize physical store visits. According to research studies, most local customers visit brick-and-mortar stores after online research.

Invest in a local SEO strategy to put yourself in front of local audiences. Optimize for “near me” searches, as well as local keywords.

Claiming Google My Business listings is also a great way to boost brand exposure. When your customers look for local businesses in your niche, your brand will show up in front of them. 

Finally, registering on local and industry-specific business directories is another way to get yourself noticed by local audiences. 

Today, social networks now have the functionality of search engines. Searchers use them to find relevant brands, view products, read reviews, and even finalize purchases.

Therefore, by building your digital presence on major social networks, you can boost business visibility and attract the right audiences. 

Just make sure you link your social accounts with your website and keep all business information consistent. 

While SEO is the backbone of your digital presence, it takes time. That is why combining them with PPC is crucial. Google Ads and social media ads help you boost brand visibility faster. 

The ads start showing up for your target keywords as soon as your campaigns are live. 

Most importantly, they appear at the top of the SERPs. That is immensely important knowing that 75% of customers do not scroll past the first page of Google’s search results.

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the majority of your competitors have shifted to eCommerce. That means your customers have more choices when making purchasing decisions.

To stand out and grab their attention, you should first build trust with them. That is where digital marketing helps.

Content marketing allows you to engage users, evoke emotions in them, and convert them faster.

Most importantly, informative and engaging content helps you position yourself as a credible industry player. Starting to see the value of your content, customers will trust you more and purchase faster. 

According to an eBook by the AdVisible digital marketing agency from Sydney, content marketing has gained momentum since the pandemic outbreak. People now have fewer places to go, so they spend more time-consuming digital content.

The eBook further explains that digital marketers should experiment with different content forms, such as articles, infographics, podcasts, webinars, or 360-degree tours to appeal to various customer groups. Above all, always keep your content helpful, specific, data-backed, and easy-to-understand.

Research studies found that customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. For you, that is an opportunity to build trust with them and maximize purchases.

For starters, if you run an eCommerce website, show product reviews. Many online retailers, including Amazon, use this practice. That way, they increase information transparency and help customers make purchasing decisions faster.

Encourage reviews on social networks. Do not delete negative comments. That can only frustrate dissatisfied consumers and prevent them from purchasing from you. Instead, reach out to them and try to help them resolve the problem.

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, most small businesses struggle to attract new customers and retain existing ones. That is where influencer marketing shines. 

According to the eBook mentioned above, the goal is to connect with the right influencers to grow your following. 

Make a list of influential people in your niche you would like to work with, from micro-influencers to big industry names. Start following them on social networks, comment on their posts, and share their blog. Next, shoot them an email and ask whether they are open to brand collaborations. 

Traditional marketing works on the one-size-fits-all principle. When you invest in a TV commercial or billboards, you focus on quantity, not quality. However, casting your net wide does not always result in conversions. To maximize sales, narrow down your audiences and focus on customer groups interested in purchasing from you.

Digital marketing helps you build highly targeted digital marketing campaigns.

Email marketing provides numerous personalization opportunities. 

For example, you can start by segmenting your newsletter list. The goal is to break customers down into narrower segments based on their demographic and psychographic data. You can segment them based on their age, gender, location, interests, etc.

With AI tools, you can track behavioral patterns, such as customer browsing habits, to deliver more relevant and targeted content. 

PPC campaigns can also be highly personalized. For example, Google Ads lets you target campaigns based on customer locations, languages, interests, zip codes, etc.

Social media ads also offer multiple personalization opportunities. For example, with Facebook’s Create Audiences, you can set targeting criteria to identify customers that match your buyer personas. 

Facebook's Custom Audiences, on the other hand, offer remarketing opportunities. With it, you can connect with audiences that have already expressed interest in your brand and products. For you, that is a chance to re-engage leads and boost sales.

In 2021, establishing a digital presence is a necessity. It helps you maximize reach, built trust with your target audience, and boost sales. Most importantly, digital marketing helps you build deeper relationships with customers and retain them.