What Makes Digital Marketing Important for Startups

There are an estimated 67,000 new businesses started every year for an average of 184 per day. In order to succeed, each must effectively communicate what makes them different from all the others like them in their space and build a brand image that consumers come to know and trust. Easier said than done considering these businesses have competitors who’ve had years to build a recognizable brand and loyal customer base and far more capital to use on ad spend. Competing with these giants can seem like a daunting task, and while there is no “cheat code” to immediately carving out a space for one’s business in a given industry, something that will help greatly is digital marketing. Marketing better than established businesses is the only way a startup can become more successful, and with how much of the world has gone digital in the last several years, the main focus should be on the digital space.

Unfortunately, because startups are typically operating on such a small budget, they may not allocate enough funds to make their digital marketing efforts worthwhile, or they may not even spend any money on it when starting out. A startup may also reason that their product or service is already so good that it’ll market itself or overestimate the value of word-of-mouth advertising. Whatever the reason, not spending enough time and resources on effective digital marketing strategies is a recipe for failure.

So, what is it that makes digital marketing so important for startups? Here’s what the digital marketing experts at SocialSEO think:

Digital Marketing Provides a Better Understanding of Customers

With digital marketing, startups will get to know their customers far better than they would with print and television advertisements. Certain technologies and web-based services like Google Ads let startups track, monitor, and interpret consumer behavior. This data is an invaluable resource and can help startups make better, data-driven decisions for growth. Digital marketing firms like SocialSEO can also help startups analyze this data and understand which products and demographics work best for their advertisements.

Digital Marketing Involves True Engagement

Digital marketing brings products and services one step closer to consumers, reaching them on the platforms they use the most and encouraging them to interact with advertisements rather than passively view them. One aspect of digital marketing that perfectly exemplifies this is social media marketing. Social media marketing means consumers can interact directly with advertisements – liking, commenting, sharing, et cetera – and brands themselves, bridging the gap between brands and those who consume its products or services. As interaction increases, brand awareness grows, as does the traffic their websites receive.

Digital Marketing Offers a Cohesive Strategy

With how many different brands are out there today, building a brand image is just as important as providing a quality service or product. This is especially important for startups because they don’t have years of experience and thousands, if not millions, of loyal customers to leverage when crafting their brand’s image. With digital marketing, brands can grow by delivering a strategy that seamlessly captures and communicates their brand’s image across any platform and any device. This kind of strategy is referred to as omnichannel marketing.

Digital Marketing Provides Data and Metrics to Drive Success

Digital marketing gives startups metrics so they can gauge the success of their campaigns in real-time, eliminating the guessing game of how many people saw an ad and whether or not they sought out the products or services advertised. All digital marketing services analyze a wide variety of different data points, including demographics like age, gender, and household income, to analyze consumer behavior and customer segments to identify opportunities and predict future actions.

When a startup defines its marketing plans, those plans must include effective digital marketing strategies, and the digital marketing experts at SocialSEO can help you identify which strategies are best for your new business. Contact us today to learn more!