Gone are the days when it was felt that only large companies with a statewide or national audience needed an effective Internet marketing campaign. With consumers nowadays reaching for a computer or hand-held device to search the Internet rather than opting for traditional offline methods like Yellow Pages, it has become necessary for local businesses to construct a comprehensive Internet marketing plan.
If you are the owner of a local business and still wondering if your business needs an Internet marketing plan, here are five reasons as to why you should consider including Internet marketing as part of your advertising mix.
Internet marketing helps you expand your customer base
A study done by The Kelsey Group has shown that the amount of consumers doing online research for local products or services has reached 97%. Statistics also show that 80% of all local searches result in a phone call, a visit to the store or an actual purchase and more than 65% of those who do their research online will purchase their product in person offline. By using an effective Internet marketing strategy, you will be able to attract many new customers who are looking online for local products and services.
Internet marketing is cost effective
Traditional ways of marketing like word-of-mouth, customer referrals, television and radio ads, roadside billboards, preparing and distributing of flyers, etc., are both time consuming and expensive. On the other hand an effective Internet marketing plan can provide you with a cost-effective way to reach your target audience and generate sales leads.
Internet marketing gives you 24 hour visibility
With customers being able to access information about your products and services irrespective of time and place, you gain a greater chance of being approached rather than someone who does not appear in the local search results.
Internet marketing lets you compete with large businesses
Your presence on the Internet gives you a greater chance to compete with larger businesses. By improving your brand awareness through a well constructed Internet marketing strategy, you have a better chance of attracting local customers who are loyal to big companies. Also, if you sell a product that can be shipped, you can target a much larger audience.
Internet marketing offers a wide variety of marketing options
According to your specific need and type of local business, you can use pay per click campaigns, search engine optimization, social media marketing, link popularity building, local search submissions, local search optimization and many other ways of Internet marketing to promote your business online.
Making sure that your local business has a prominent online presence canhelp you increase your market share dramatically and stay ahead of your competition.
