Online Marketing Has Become Necessary

Small businesses have limited marketing budgets and have to compete with large brands just to get a small piece of that pie. Due to the nature of this competition, small businesses have it rough. Large businesses have almost limitless budget for all the marketing ideas they have. Meanwhile, small businesses have to manage their budget carefully and choose one among the many marketing ideas that would work best for them.

Fortunately, small businesses can survive and remain relevant with the help of online marketing. Ever since we have seen a rapid growth of internet users, online marketing for small businesses became the most suitable way compete along with large businesses and make the business known to more people. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs would refuse the small business marketing ideas offered by the internet.

Why some entrepreneurs reject online marketing

Let’s talk about the common reasons why some businessmen would reject small business online marketing even if it could help them. You should understand that not all business owners have the same opinion. Also, some of these reasons are valid while some can easily be dismissed with data and facts.

I have enough customers – This is a very simple reason and you can’t argue with. If a business owner is satisfied with his existing customers and is not interested in further growth, then he will reject fresh marketing ideas or any effective online marketing plan. There’s nothing wrong about it but there’s no assurance that those customers would stay forever.

My customers are offline – This is a common reason for business owners that find customers through partners, networks, friends or word of mouth marketing.  This is a good reason but a little bias at the same time. If small business marketing ideas is limited to offline, then you would naturally get offline customers only. There are billions of internet searches and a billion active Facebook or Twitter users. There’s a chance that some of them might be interested.

Online marketing is a passing trend.  Indeed, some facets of online marketing can be considered as a passing trend – more particularly SEO. However, online marketing is an every evolving creature. It is constantly changing. It will be around forever. They would evolve into something new instead of passing by.

It doesn’t work. Some business owners have tried their hands on online marketing for small businesses but had little or no success. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Perhaps, there was a flaw on the execution or a mistake along the way. It happens, even to experts.  But with the proper execution and understanding, it will bring positive results.

It’s expensive. Online marketing can be expensive to some, but that is not true all the time. There are affordable methods to marketing your small business. Also, online marketing is a sound investment. If it’s properly executed, you’ll obtain good results, positive ROI and more revenue.

I don’t understand. If you don’t understand how online marketing works, then that doesn’t mean you should forego it. There are many resources all over the internet and communities that can help in figuring out how online marketing for small businesses works. Furthermore, you can always hire a professional or firm to execute and manage your online marketing plan.

Why online marketing is a necessity?

Consumer expectations. Most consumers today have access to the internet. Whenever they hear about a business, a product or a service, they would automatically search the internet to know more about it. They expect to see a website or a social media profile. If there’s none, then they would doubt the legitimacy and discard any notions of doing business. It is important to have a presence online. Even a simple website can be useful when marketing your small business online.

Competition. You may be reluctant to adopt online marketing, but that doesn’t mean your competitors are reluctant as well. You might be losing on potential customers because your competitors are pulling them to their sides. Worst of all, you’ll be lagging behind the race.

Convenient. Small business online marketing is a convenient way to tell your customers about you or what you offer. They don’t have to drive several miles just to visit your shop or extend your opening hours just to cater to more customers. Just by opening your business online would allow potential customers to browse your goods and learn more about you.

Wider reach. By marketing your small business online you’d be able to overcome the barrier brought by distance. You can reach out to many consumers at the same time, sell to more people and operate a network across the country or the entire world.

It’s cheaper than traditional marketing. Online marketing may be costly, but it is a lot cheaper compared to traditional marketing. For a PPC campaign, you have to pay at least $300 per month. On the other hand, you have to pay at least $10,000 for a billboard or hundreds of thousands of dollars for a radio ad.

For the changing future.  Nowadays, consumers are growing more reliant on technology and internet.  Thus, online marketing is more important than ever. If you believe you don’t need an online presence today, then there’s a huge chance you will need it in the future. Online marketing is a long term investment.

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