In this world that’s transforming to digital at a very fast pace, digital content is being consumed by people on a daily basis. This is what companies have started recognizing and so have started recognizing the importance of getting digital. The marketing departments of various companies all round the world have started adapting quickly to the new circumstances and are even actively hiring professionals in the field of digital marketing.
Of course it’s the technology that has put business in the digital age but the change is a boon for businesses, for digital marketing methods are not only easier and faster but even more practical and versatile than the old traditional ones.
It is not just its rapid growth that has made it so crucial but the fact that it is the future of marketing has made it highly important. In a few years down the line all other traditional marketing forms will almost fade away and digital marketing will replace them altogether.
Of course, there would be a few people who might have laments for or miss the newspapers or books made of paper and old fashioned communication methods however the new generations who have grown up with mobile phones and internet are already embracing the change and accepting the whole new world of digital consumption willingly and enthusiastically.
This is why; marketing experts say the sooner you embrace digital the better it is for your business. Here, in this article I am going to talk about 7 signs that tell most likely you will be out of business in 4 years from now. Let’s go through them one by one …
1- You don’t have a website
Your customers are already online. They are posting reviews, hunting for information, making a purchase online, talking about people & companies they want to do business with and so on. It is of course a good signal for you to extend your product to them by putting across your marketing messages but then to join the conversation you need to have an online presence…as by not having a good online visibility, you are actually missing out to a number of sales that you could have made easily. And, obviously to have a web presence the first things you need to do is to get a website for your business.
2- You have a website but you are the only one to visit it…oops
Getting a website is great but then the idea is it should be visible to the masses as well. After all, why have you created a website? Just to connect with your customers and make them more aware about you and your business. Right…???
That’s what! You certainly need a strong visibility for your business in today’s competitive environment when a large part of your potential customers are already online. Moreover, you have plethora of tools and services at your disposal in online that can help you get a better visibility for your website even if you want to do it yourself.
You can easily get visibility for your website through SEO, PPC, blog, posting articles on various offline and online channels, displaying banner ads on targeted websites, by having a Facebook fan Page, by starting a group on Linked In , by running a video on You tube and so on. So, gets started now before it is too late!
3- Your website seems too promotional…Hmmm!!
So you did all sort of things to get a good visibility for your website and you finally ended up doing it! Wow! You have a decent traffic coming to your website but sales is nowhere in the picture. Seems you are selling!! 😛
Yes! Perhaps you are too loud on your website about you and the consumers are hardly getting any value, they rather are getting a message which is only and only trying to sell them something. So had you been that customer, did you ever wish to buy from them? Certainly not! Not even me! I need some education, some value before I make up my mind that the product somehow is going to fix any of my issues. Isn’t that?
So, this is what you are not expected to do in digital or say inbound marketing. Don’t ever be too promotional. Let, your customers come to you themselves and simply generate the need for your product by educating them correctly….and a li’l prudently as well! After all, you want sales! Even I! 😀
4- You solely rely on the word of mouth/referrals, friends, family to get business
Word of mouth does wonders! No doubt! But then, relying completely on it is like underestimating you, your business and your products & services. Why if you think anyone who would come across will buy your product, you are limiting yourself rather your business to this word of mouth thing. More than ever when digital marketing presents a plethora of tactics, channels and ways to promote your product to your consumers by engaging, educating and helping them. Reaching out to not just the masses at random buy even your potential customers has become very easy with digital marketing platforms like social media, search engine, email, mobile and so on.
5- You mailnly rely on cold-calling to generate leads
In spite of knowing the fact that how frustrating it is for you and the consumers both when you try to make a sale by interrupting them and making cold calls and they hang up, you are still relying on cold calling rather lots of cold calling for lead generation. Why don’t you act a little smarter and try to tap into the platforms where your customers are, at the right time. Not only they can hear you, but listen you and might even buy from you…depending on the way you communicated things I mean your message.
Digital marketing platform such as email marketing can not only help you generate leads efficiently but also help you cut on your employees’ expenses as instead of hiring people to make calls again and again and inform the potential customers about the offer, you can send auto e-mailers to them with the required information.
6- You are outsourcing your marketing without even having a clue of what’s going on with it
Outsourcing isn’t bad at all but then you should always be vigilant about each single penny you invest. No! Trust me! This is how even the biggest business tycoons have covered their entrepreneurial journey no matter if now their one second is more valuable than even a million at times. So, value your money and your money will value you! And, yes, don’t ever think, thinking about or caring about your moolahs will in any which way is a matter of being a miser.
So, monitor minutely as to where your money is going, what part is actually an investment and what part is going waste. The world is filled with so called such smart people in the world who can befool you easily anytime in order to take some more money out from you and you being an unaware needy can’t even make out, forget about dealing with it.
Hence, you must be aware with the basics of anything and everything you are getting outsourced for your company whether marketing, finance or just anything other part of your business.
7- Either you are afraid of change or too rigid to adapt it
Last but not the least, you can be one of those who are well aware with what I have talked up till now in this article but either you are too afraid of change or too rigid to adapt it. Then, of course, no one will be able to rescue you from the drawback of negligence. You yourself have to come out of the rigid mindset and adapt to the kind of marketing which is adapted by your consumers, already and in fact way back. Internet marketing is here booming high and if you are still afraid, rigid or skeptical to adapt it and are totally dependent on traditional advertising and communication channel, then kindly Google the stats on how not only the big champs but even the small players when it comes to business are making big and then RETHINK!!
We can’t deny that the world is rapidly shifting from analogue to digital and that the consumers who always have longed for sophistication has become even more particular about it, for technology has empowered them to do so.
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