Many people say that starting a business is the hardest part, and while this is true for the most part, expanding a business toward new customers is not much easier. Marketing work becomes more essential than ever during an expansion, and upgrading the business is a great time to consider upgrading to a digital marketing approach as well. Here are just a few of the benefits of investing in a digital approach when growing your business.
Targeting An Audience
When you’re a local business, particularly with a smaller area of operations, old-fashioned marketing approaches can still work well, such as a leaflet campaign around local stores and houses. As you expand, however, this ‘broad net’ approach loses a lot of its effectiveness, and digital communications can help you focus your efforts.
Online casinos are a great place to look for inspiration on this as they are veterans of knowing their audiences and focusing their promotions. They take the time to research and narrow down who they are talking to, meaning that if someone receives an invite to play Spin Till You Win roulette at Betfair, it means that it likely suits them as a player. Focusing your efforts like this, especially with dedicated platforms like MailChimp can do a lot of the job for you, both saving time and making your marketing more efficient.
Building Awareness
Although it may seem a little dramatic, there is definitely a feeling in modern business that if you’re not online, you don’t exist. There are plenty of small independent shops out there without an online presence but if one wanted to grow at all, online is the only way. The bare minimum would be making a Google Business profile, which acts as a kind of low-level passive marketing by making your shop appear in local searches.
Beyond this, a basic level of interaction on different social media can help a lot. The specific social platforms to use will depend on the kind of business you’re running. For home furniture or the like, Facebook is still a great place to connect with customers, but for crafts and more artisanal products places like Instagram are better suited.
Greater Expansion
It may not be an immediate advantage but if you ever look to expand further in the future, having a digital infrastructure in place can really help. We mentioned the service earlier but if you’re all set up with a Mailchimp account or something similar, things like expanding a contact list or organising new customer details can be nearly completely automated
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The brand awareness aspect also comes into play here, as having an established presence online can help integrate your business into the new area before you even get there. This is great not just for customers but also for recruitment if you’re opening a new branch.
Remember that any kind of marketing should match your goals, and there are times when traditional approaches can still help. Having digital marketing on your tool belt is just another helpful resource for you, but don’t underestimate how helpful it can be!
