Benefits to Business of Embracing Internet Marketing

Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed a revolution that swept across the world. It was the revolution of the Internet and all its accompanying features. From social media to the rise of Facebook to e-commerce marketing, the internet has not only transformed the way we live and socialize, it has also changed the way businesses should view marketing forever. Gone are the days when businesses could only market to their local area. Today, with the entire Internet available to billions of people, the potential to tap into these customers is incredible.

In today’s tech-driven world, no business owner should even think to ignore internet marketing. We can’t just accept the fact of internet marketing, we need to fully embrace and take hold of all the benefits it can bring. The truth of the matter is that internet marketing provides any entrepreneur with a size of audience so large, it would be impossible to ignore it.

To get an idea of how essential internet marketing is to any business, this article will take a look at statistics and quotes from the leaders of the business world, in order to help you get a picture of why internet marketing should be fully embraced.

1. Most Customers Research Online Before Buying

According to a study by Interconnected World, they found that 61% of customers research products online before making any purchase.

This means that 61% of your target audience is actively searching online for a business or product like yours. They are out there, right at this moment, scouring the web for a service that can provide them with what they’re looking for. In fact, eight people join the Internet every second.

If that’s hard to wrap your head around, consider this stat: 4 billion searches are made on Google each day.

Even if you could tap into the tiniest slice of those 4 billion searches, your revenues would skyrocket. The Internet has become an integral part of the consumer’s daily life, and before purchasing anything, the majority of customers today research online for the best brands and products, as well as reviews, experiences of others, and so on. This means that you should have an active presence on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as a solid SEO foundation so that they can find you on Google.

Moreover, if you own a business, consider making a Google My Business account. This ensures that your business will get visibility on the right hand side of the search results, giving your business an extra boost in search results.

2. SEO Is More Important Than Paid Advertising

Yes, while PPC advertising is one of the most versatile forms of advertising (helping you deliver your business to the world quickly), about 70% of search users click on organic links rather than the paid results.

This means that integrating SEO into your daily marketing routine is essential for the survival of your business on the web. PPC advertising is still a worthy marketing option, but it can be costly for small businesses and doesn’t offer a long-term solution for those who want a continual stream of traffic to their website. It also helps to note that most customers click on organic links first, and many paid links are often ignored. On average, the click-through-rate on a standard paid link is 2%, so only 2% of searchers end up clicking on one of the paid links. This is a very poor CTR, considering that the first few organic search results have CTRs of 10% to 30%.

Yes, while PPC advertising is still a viable option, it may not be a solution for the future, and by having a solid SEO campaign set in place and always ongoing, you’ll always be furthering your site on the search results and this will lead to more clicks and traffic in the long-term.

3. Social Media Marketing Is Essential

Social media marketing can generally be likened to positive word of mouth for your business. By actively taking part with your customers on Facebook or Twitter, you’re creating a ripple effect, since your customers may share your posts, and those posts will generate yet more likes and comments.

While social media marketing may not be considered a direct form of advertising, it definitely helps your brand’s image and keeps your customers continually engaged with what you offer.

In fact, on average, people spend about 4.6 hours per week on social media. This is the highest amount of hours spent on average for any online activity. Social media has become an integral part of our day to day lives, and by placing your business on these platforms, you’re continually pushing your business to the forefront of your current customer base and further.

In fact, over half of US SMBs have said that social media plays an important role in generating business and sales.

As if that weren’t enough, many business owners have said that by taking part in social media marketing, their PageRank has increased as a result (45% of businesses said this), as this has helped drive inbound links to their site. So by embracing social media marketing, you are also helping your search engine results get a boost also.

The effects are shown in these statistics, but if you think about them, it makes sense, because so much of our lives is absorbed in the social media world. Much of your news is gotten on social media, also, and by placing your business out there on the virtual sphere, you’ll have more exposure as a result.

Social media can also keep your current customers. If they buy from your site and enjoy your product, they just might return again and if they become a fan of Facebook, they’ll be able to enter competitions, see announcements and buy from your site again.

Conclusion

Not only will the Internet help bring customers to your website, it will also help you retain those customers. With a solid SEO base and an SEO-friendly website (with plenty of content), you will have a strategy in place to help people find your website. With social media marketing, you’ll be able to gain more customers and retain the current customers you have, as well as enhancing your brand’s image.

So why not get out there and start working on internet marketing? The results will be extraordinary.