The Future of Digital Marketing – Small Business Help

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Today’s customers can purchase a variety of items online with minimum effort. Given this scenario, brick and mortar companies are fighting to stay alive with the fierce internet competition. According to a 2017 survey conducted by Square and Mercury Analytics looking at 1,164 U.S. business owners, the following observations were made:

  • 96% of Americans with internet access have made an online purchase in their life, 80% in the past month alone.
  • 51% of Americans prefer to shop online.
  • 67% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer to shop online rather than in-store.
  • Millennials and Gen Xers spend nearly 50% as much time shopping online each week (six hours) than their older counterparts (four hours).
  • 51% of seniors have shopped on marketplaces, 66% at large retailer sites, 30% on web stores or independent boutiques, and 44% at category-specific online stores.

Marketing professionals understand the importance of the internet and how to effectively leverage this power. According to Socialmedia.com, 90% of marketers use social media for their businesses. Sadly, many small businesses do not recognize this fact. Many businesses had opted to bury their heads in the sand in hopes that this ‘internet thing’ will go away. It hadn’t!

In fact, e-Commerce is growing more than 23% annually; however, 46% of American small businesses do not have a website according to Square and Mercury Analytics research. In this discussion, we will examine the concepts of digital marketing. We will also explore how small businesses can leverage their knowledge about digital marketing to enhance their market opportunities.

Digital marketing should be a tool that every serious small business should utilize. Digital marketing goes by many names such as e-commerce marketing, online marketing, and internet marketing. Digital marketing can be defined as “the marketing of products or services using digital channels to reach consumers.”[1]

The key objective is to promote brands the usage of the internet. Digital marketing extends beyond internet marketing to include channels that do not require the use of the internet. Some digital marketing channels include websites, social media platforms, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, podcasts, and online advertising to name a few.  Beyond technology gimmicks, businesses should know their customers and their core competencies. Digital marketing is not a silver bullet. Digital marketing is a tool for the savvy business professional.

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Catherine Juan, Donnie Greiling, and Catherine Buerkle, authors of Internet Marketing: Start to Finish, suggest that effective digital marketing requires plenty of careful planning. They add, “The heart of getting real traction out of your internet marketing program is to tie marketing and sales data together, with metrics. Track what you’re doing, track the impact, and track the resulting sales.”[2] Looking at the landscape of technology and internet innovation, small businesses should think strategically about the following platforms:

  • Artificial Intelligence – Some people develop elaborate doom-day scenarios of machines to control the world. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a way of life in marketing. AI can be defined as ‘the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence.’ Voice Activation technology like Amazon’s Echo is bringing AI into public attention. By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their purchases without interacting with a person.
  • Internet Searching – Buyers are more knowledgeable than ever with access to the internet. In fact, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases. Thus, exploring how to utilize search engine optimization and getting your business at the top of searches is an invaluable step.
  • Mobile Communications – Most Americans have grown accustomed to instant gratification and easy access to technology. Mobile and tablet e-commerce will reach $293B by 2018. Smartphone and tablets are part of this wave of innovation. Mobile will account for 72% of the U.S. digital ad spend by 2019.
  • Marketers recognize that mobile marketing is an untapped business tool.
  • Social Media – Social media platforms, like Facebook, allows buyers to connect with each other virtually. 65% of business-to-business companies have acquired customers through LinkedIn ads. Marketers realize this value.
  • Web Content – Good content will attract customers. In fact, customers are more likely to purchase from sellers with good, relevant videos/photos on their website. 52% of marketing professionals globally name the video as the type of content with the best ROI.

Faced with the tenants of competition, small businesses need to utilize digital marketing. Some small businesses may be hesitant to explore digital marketing due to their lack of trust and understanding of the internet. Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, authors of Marketing Management, note “Top firms are comfortable using technology to improve the way they do business with their business-to-business customers.”[3]

In this discussion, I demonstrated that digital marketing can assist today’s small businesses if they are willing and capable of securing this knowledge to enhance their market opportunities.  Hopefully, gaining this knowledge will help business owners so that they will not continue to bury their heads in the sand. The internet is here to stay. Pray that you are listening to this message.

Please share your thoughts related to digital marketing.

© 2017 by Daryl D. Green

 

[1] “Digital marketing definition” by Financial Times Lexicon

[2] Internet Marketing: Start to Finish by Catherine Juan, Donnie Greiling, and Catherine Buerkle

[3] Marketing Management by Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller

 

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57 thoughts on “The Future of Digital Marketing – Small Business Help”

  1. Hi Dr. Green,

    Thank you for sharing this topic and analyzing the importance of digital marketing for small businesses. Recently, I opened an Instagram account named May4Leaf which shares my modern calligraphy artworks. There are a variety of social media platforms, but I chose to start with Instagram first. The reason why I decided it depends on my industry and my target customers. I have lovely photos, videos of my artworks and I have researched that a part of Instagram users would be interested in my content, so it is an excellent chance to grow followers from there. Bowers (2017) states about a feature of Instagram that “Regardless, it’s important that the person running your account have a good eye for detail and at least basic photography skills, so the photos and videos posted to your account are high-quality.”

    I currently have only 22 posts on my account in about 15 days, but I have 100 followers (none of them is my friends or my relative). This result shows that start-up businesses must consider digital marketing as a great tool for building their network.

    Reference:
    Bowers, J. (2017, August 3). Social Media for Business: A Marketer’s Guide. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7832-social-media-for-business.html
    [WC – 200]

    Reply

    • Hi Grace,
      Thanks for your contribution to this discussion! I applaud your efforts with your Instagram account ‘May4Leaf.’

      Based on your modern calligraphy artworks, you might want to utilize Pinterest too. The social media platform is great for visual images.
      Below is how I use this medium to promote my expertise and brand:

      Dr. Green’s Pinterest

      Let me know what you think.
      Dr. Green

      Reply

      • Hi Dr. Green,

        Thank you so much for your support!

        I have Pinterest too, and I followed your Pinterest. As your advice, I will try to “invest” my stuff on Pinterest to market my brand.

        I love your Pinterest boards; they are high quality and so helpful to me. I observe that Pins are allowed users are accessing to articles. It is a great tool which Instagram doesn’t have because Instagram is just focusing on photos and videos. One of your Pins in Marketing board catches my eyes. It is 13 Instagram Marketing Tips from the Experts which is contributed by King (2015). Digital marketing for start-up businesses does not spend too much money but must spend a lot of efforts. It is a long run of a premeditated plan.

        Reference:
        King, C. (2015, July 22). 13 Instagram Marketing Tips From the Experts. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/13-instagram-marketing-tips-from-the-experts/
        [WC – 146]

      • Love love love pinterest. I find so many good ideas there as well. I could totally see that as a platform to post your art. I have more followers who I do not know on Pinterest than anywhere else. I find that it is so easy to find people who share your interests and style on Pinterest. Its a good way to reach a market that is interested in your work. I am often surprised how many people share my pins. Good luck to you! Ill watch for you on other sites 🙂

        WC 93

      • Hello Dr Green. I think digital marketing is very important to small business and medium business. Because first of all the digital marketing is very benefits to the company. As a small to medium size business they probably will not have too many free resources for marketing their products, however, they have to do it, and regular marketing would cost them too much resources or money to marketing their product. on the other hands digital marketing would save so much human resources and time. Also consumers would more easier to accept digital marketing than regular marketing. As the article says “96% of Americans with internet access have made an online purchase in their life” that means people are rarely spending time walk out looking for new stuff instant they stay home and spending time looking stuff online, that means they will have more chance to find your goods online than find your goods on the street.[WC 157]

    • Hi Grace
      With about 27 posts, 115 followers counting me, and 216 following I am glad to say that your May4Leaf is a piece of art. Thanks to your post I have been able to go to your Instagram page and see what job you are doing and appreciate the beautifulness of what you are doing. That shows how important it is to have, in addition to a physical store, a digital platform like Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest or for you case, Instagram. Customers are plenty and some of them do not have a chance to go to a particular store like yours, to see what you are doing and be able to make a purchase or an order. Daryl (2017) claim that “Today’s customers can purchase a variety of items online with minimum effort.” This statement illustrates how customers rely more on internet to make a purchase decision. It means that having an open window on the digital world is a real advantage.

      Reference:

      Green, D. (Nov 20, 2017) The Future of Digital Marketing – Small Business Help. Retrieved from https://nuleadership.com/2017/11/20/the-future-of-digital-marketing-small-business-help/

      [WC – 180]

      Reply

    • Hi, grace,
      I really like your post, and I am also thinking about using social media platforms to create professional connections. I agree with you when you say, “Start-up businesses must consider digital marketing as a great tool for building their network.” The internet and social media allow entrepreneurs and startups to present their works, their products, and achievements and increase visibility. Sorokina (2014), states that:
      Success stories of startup companies such as Distractify and Airbnb prove that a great social media strategy is the cornerstone of a strong company launch. An effective social media presence can help brand new companies create meaningful, lasting relationships with their clients. Using social media for customer service, recruitment and feedback can put your company ahead of the game.
      Reference
      Sorokina, O. (2014, October 8). 7 Essential Social Media Tips for Startups. Retrieved from Hootsuite Website: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-tips-for-startups/

      [WC: 143]

      Reply

    • Grace, I have started following you on Instagram. I’m hooked. I like your style!
      Have you thought about using Facebook to bring folks to “May4Leaf?”
      It’s been my experience to use multiple platforms to promote products or events.
      Let me know what you think.
      Dr. Green

      Reply

    • Grace,
      Thank you for sharing all of your business information and ideas. I really admire that and I went ahead and followed your page on Instagram. Using Instagram is perfect because it’s pictures. According to comScore, Millenials spend up 420 minutes on Instagram alone. What I like about your Instagram page is your objective is clear. It’s obvious it’s a calligraphy page and the pictures are very easy on the eyes. I also saw that you use several hashtags in each post. You are using the tools Instagram offers and utilizing them. I hope your business keeps expanding because you are taking several steps in the right direction.

      [WC-108]
      Curtin, M. (n.d.). Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/neuroscience-says-listening-to-this-one-song-reduces-anxiety-by-up-to-65-percent.html

      Reply

  2. When thinking of how social media has changed society it made myself think of a video that talked about how youtube changed as well. It is about how youtube changed its algorithms to show viewers longer videos on youtube so that they will stay on youtube for longer periods of time and it is very interesting to watch. How does this relate to business? Well longer videos show multiple adds per video for people to watch which are commonly related to the video you watch. (Oath tech network, 2017) says YouTube today introduced a series of new tools for marketers, one of the more notable being “Director Mix,” a technology that allows a company to create thousands of video ads tailored for different audiences all using a single creative asset. Google says that using intent-based audiences like this on mobile can help with ad recall (20% lift) and brand awareness (50% higher), versus demographic-only based campaigns. The data was based on early results from over 1,000 advertisers(Oath tech network, 2017).

    WC-170
    Perez, S. (2017, September 25). YouTube’s new ad tech automatically personalizes ads, can now target using Google Maps, app install data. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/25/youtubes-new-ad-tech-automatically-personalizes-ads-can-now-target-using-google-maps-app-install-data/

    Reply

  3. Dr. Green,

    I personally love this topic and have found it extremely important for big and small businesses alike. I actually did my expert article on SEO (search engine optimization) where I recommend and helped implement SEO into their marketing strategies. Most B2C companies like the one I was consulting for need SEO to drive through the rankings on google. SEO can help your business from finding the terms and phrases or keywords that generate traffic to your website, to making your site friendly to search engines, to building links and marketing the unique value of your site. Since the world is getting smaller now with the internet and the various social media platforms, I also suggested that they utilize there Facebook page and possibly create an Instagram as well.

    Reference:
    Michael Monther (2017, Sept) Inc: 6 Big myths about SEO. Retrieved November 22, 2017. From: https://www.inc.com/michael-mothner/seo-marketing-myths.html

    (WC – 130)

    Reply

  4. Digital marketing represents the new era of marketing. Indeed, companies allocate a lot of energy in that particular field for good reasons. Consumers behavior evolves every day, and consumers become more wide and exigent on what they want. Today with all those recent technologies that growing so fast, we see a change on how consumers now interact with their environment using these new technologies like internet, phones, computers, etc. From a consumer’s perspective, the use of information communication technologies offers a number of benefits, including efficiency, convenience, a broader selection of products, competitive pricing, cost reduction, and product diversity (Bayo-Moriones & Lera-López, 2007). The World Wide Web represent a huge platform of exchange for companies who want to reach customers around the world. These new technologies require less money waste for a greater profit margin.

    Reference:
    Bayo-Moriones and Lera-López, (2007). A firm-level analysis of determinants of ICT adoption in Spain, Technovation, 27 (6/7) (2007), pp. 352-366 retrieving from Digital marketing and social media: Why bother? Business Horizons Volume 57, Issue 6, (2014), Pages 703-708.

    [WC – 174]

    Reply

  5. Dr. Green,
    You stated, “Digital marketing should be a tool that every serious small business should utilize.” I agree, and I think that the internet and social media allow small businesses to be more visible, reach global markets, grow, and interact more with customers, who can share their experience, give feedback, and recommend the business to their friends, relatives, or followers. The latest report of The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development states that
    “With dramatically reduced costs of collecting, storing and processing data, and greatly enhanced computing power, digitalization is transforming economic activities around the world. It is expected to affect value chains, skill requirements, production, and trade, and will require adaptations of existing legal and regulatory frameworks in various areas” (UNCTAD, 2017).
    Customers needs and habits are changing. Therefore, every business is expected to adapt and take advantage of the unlimited possibilities that technology offers.

    Reference
    UNCTAD. (2017). Information economy report 2017: Digitalization, trade, and development. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (p. xii). New York and Geneva: United Nations Publication.

    [WC – 175]

    Reply

    • Amalan,

      Thanks for your response! I will build on your point: “I agree, and I think that the internet and social media allow small businesses to be more visible, reach global markets, grow, and interact more with customers, who can share their experience, give feedback, and recommend the business to their friends, relatives, or followers.”

      Agreed!

      Digital marketing allows individuals to think globally. Thus, physical borders are no obstacle for a savvy business person (using digital marketing).

      Dr. Green

      Reply

    • Amalan,
      You are correct that an internet presence is almost mandatory. It has even made lists on why businesses fail. I have noticed in discussions on purchasing items, the first thing people tend to do is “Google it”. This gives them the merchant an opportunity to tell the potential buyer that they can find the item at their establishment and why they should buy it from them. If someone is online and has the opportunity to tell their story before you, there is a good chance you won’t get the sale.

      https://www.businessknowhow.com/startup/business-failure.htm

      Reply

    • Amalan,
      I agree the small business need to adapt not only to the changing market but also the customer base. With the ability to virtual research any product and increase acumen, consumers have increasingly become more intelligent with almost little to no effort. It is important company’s, regardless of size, ensure they are keeping up with this knowledge and presenting true concrete facts about their products. Research over consumable goods continues to be a highlighted point when dealing with consumer knowledge and spending patterns. The internet is a great tool, but if the product being presented is not accurate, consumers will find out.

      Reply

  6. Digital marketing is going to continue to get more necessary. You are right advancement in the IOT is going to make sure of it. People are having the things they need shipped to their door or delivered to their trunks. Why go to a boutique when you can search millions of products to find exactly what you are looking for? Understanding how to get the right thing in front of the right customer is key. What worries me as a consumer is, how did facebook know what I was only thinking of buying? Can they read my mind? I am only kidding, kind of.

    Reply

    • Hi Jessica, I agree with you when you say, “Digital marketing is going to continue to get more necessary.” Because the internet and social media are widely used, they can help businesses define a better strategy to attract and keep customers. “Due to its gargantuan size, social media can provide you with more exposure and brand awareness than any other traditional marketing tool out there. Some of the most popular platforms have become such an integral part of our lives that we are willingly telling the world about our needs, preferences, problems, and burning desires.” (Bullas, n.d) .
      Therefore, taking advantage of social media can surely benefit any business.
      References:
      Bullas, J. (n.d). The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing. Retrieved from Jeffbullas.com website: http://www.jeffbullas.com/social-media-marketing-guide/

      Reply

    • Hi Jennifer,
      I’m in digital marketing and have a pretty good idea of how consumer preferences are tracked. What is even more interesting is the concept of re-targeting. Marketers are becoming more sophisticated about how they engage and re-engage their audience. HubSpot wrote a simple article explaining the concept using a business website and Facebook. Marketers are going further and performing cross-device tracking as well. An important factor in understanding the consumer journey is to determine that the person viewing merchant content on their smartphone is the same person who then uses their tablet and may complete the purchase on their laptop. This information enables firms to retarget that person accordingly. It may give you comfort to know that “pixel based” retargeting is the most common method marketers use. “When someone comes to your website, an unobtrusive piece of JavaScript (often referred to as a pixel) is placed on their browser — making their browser “cookied.” When they leave your site to surf the web, that cookie notifies retargeting platforms to serve specific ads based on the specific pages they visited on your website.” (Hecht, 2017) Personally identifiable information (PII) is not usually transmitted and site visitors remain anonymous.
      Nancy
      [WC-200]
      Works Cited
      Hecht, D. (2017). HubSpot. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/retargeting-campaigns-beginner-guide

      Reply

  7. In talking with small business owners I’ve noticed a common thread in why they are not using internet marketing. Many small businesses are run by just a few people and they spend a lot of time with regulations, records and other administrative tasks in addition to running the actual operations of the business. Adding an internet presence is somewhat time consuming at first to learn, especially if that function is not in your toolbox of skills. Bringing in an additional employee to develop and operate the internet presence can be risky. Every web presence is an art and can entail a combination of the personality of the business as well as the personality of the web developer. A small business can become dependent on that person and if that person leaves the small business without the owner being involved, it can be an expensive loss or become a stagnant.

    Reference:
    7 Social Media Fears that Keep Small Business Owners Quiet Online
    by Tiffany Monhollon

    https://blog.reachlocal.com/7-social-media-fears-that-keep-small-business-owners-quiet-online

    (WC-150)

    Reply

    • Larry,

      Thanks for your observation about why many small businesses have not invested in digital marketing!
      Yes, digital marketing is risky.

      Yet, digital marketing can provide a cost-effective approach for small businesses.

      All,
      When does it make sense for a small business to consider the application of digital marketing?
      Dr. Green

      Reply

      • Hi Dr, Green

        Today with the accelerate growing of the digital word, small businesses who are afraid or have some doubt whether digital marketing is right for their business, or because it represents something new for them in that way that they are unsure of their investment should not be afraid to step into the process. When you direct competitors have an online presence and you are aware of that, this represent the first red signal. Also, customers today talk a lot about their experience toward a product or a purchase experience they had. It means that companies who have a digital print built their reputation by what customers experience. Another signal is customer shopping behavior. Morrison (November 2014) said that “Eighty-one percent of shoppers conduct online research before they make a purchase.” They use social networks, sites review, and many other tools to evaluate offers available and make the buying decision.

        Reference:

        Morrison, K. (2014). MineWhat.com compiled data to provide insight into what motivates shoppers. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/digital/81-shoppers-conduct-online-research-making-purchase-infographic/#/

        [WC – 169]

      • Dr. Green,

        I would have to say the best time is at the beginning. Everyone uses their phone or the internet today and that is the quickest way to reach someone. A simple post about the business can reach thousands of potential customers with one click of a button. A business can create a simple instagram page that shows off the building and the product that it sells. This will reach out to so many users without very much man power. This statistic gives information on the number of monthly active Instagram users as of September 2017. As of that month, the mainly mobile photo sharing network had reached 800 million monthly active users, up from 600 million in December 2016(statista.com,2017). Without digital market, small businesses are missing out on a lot of potential customers so it is very important to learn and understand at the beginning.

        Wc- 147
        (n.d.). Instagram: active users 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/

    • Hi Larry,
      Thank you for your observation about small businesses worry about digital marketing.
      I have a real example of my parents who are living in Vietnam now. They are planning to switch their farm to home-stay service. I suggested them using Facebook to advertising their home-stay service because people use Facebook more than any other social channels in Vietnam, but they ignore it. They really enjoy internet things such as using webpage, but they do not like social media channels because they assume that their personal life is revealed. I have explained to them that how social media channels would help them improve their business. From that point, I encouraged my parents to start using Facebook for fun, then controlling which information they want to share, and visiting other Facebook pages, especially their competitors’ ones. I hope that they will realize how digital marketing would bring benefit to their business.
      [WC – 149]

      Reply

    • Hello Larry,
      I would have to agree that most small businesses do not utilize digital marketing because of the skill level it takes. However, there are new platforms now that give template websites that are very user friendly and can be updated with a simple click of the mouse. Sites like WordPress have been a great advantage for those who are not “Code Friendly”.The most recent stats are showing that since March 2016, WordPress is actually powering 26.4% of the Web, and it’s on the rise(managewp,2017). Sites like this are very user friendly and the basic package is free which is all that some small businesses need at the moment.
      WC-110
      More Surprising Statistics About WordPress Usage. (2016, September 20). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://managewp.com/statistics-about-wordpress-usage

      Reply

  8. Digital marketing is very important in this day and age because advertisements are literally at peoples fingertips at this point. Digital marketing refers to advertising delivered through digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media, email, and mobile apps (2017, Marketo.Inc). It’s important to recognize that the majority of people have a Facebook or some kind of social media which works in large and small business’ favor. For example, there’s a small boutique in Rockwall, Texas called Hazel and Olive and they have a large amount of followers. They have almost 100,000 followers on Instagram. I actually heard about them from a friend in Florida who had posted about her sweater and how cute it was. She tagged the boutique in her picture and I was shocked to find out that the little boutique was where I’m from. This particular boutique has found digital marketing and they have utilized it very well. They do a good job of posting every day, share new items daily and also have a Facebook page. Because they are out of Texas, they also have an online account where you can buy all of their clothes and it’s just a click away and offer free shipping to everyone in the US. When Hazel and Olive first started out, they were a very small local business. Now, I would say they are nationwide because of their online shopping option. Hazel and Olive is a perfect example of why “digital marketing should be a tool that every small business should utilize.”

    [WC-256]

    M. (2016, December 15). What is Digital Marketing? Overview & Resources. Retrieved November 23, 2017, from https://www.marketo.com/digital-marketing/

    Reply

    • Stephanie,
      Thanks for joining our virtual discussion! I picked up on your point: “It’s important to recognize that the majority of people have a Facebook or some kind of social media which works in large and small business’ favor.”
      Yes, more and more people are online. Buying online is easy and convenient.
      Yet, many brick and mortal businesses have resisted digital marketing and any online interaction with customers.

      All,
      As a marketing professional, how do you grow your business online while not ignoring those buyers who do not embrace social media or Internet activities?
      Dr. Green

      Reply

      • Stephanie,
        I’m finding that most people are on Facebook, I do know of some that are not, I was not for a long time. The instances are becoming more rare. I have been trying to figure out how to make a post go viral and get people talking about it. I found a website that suggests ideas on how to make that happen. The client I’m working with for my project is a place I hope to attempt this method.

        https://www.postplanner.com/how-to-write-viral-facebook-posts/

      • Dr. Green,
        I’m sure the majority of the people who don’t embrace the virtual world are the much older generation but I think I’ve found a solution to that question. A way that you can actively engage people who don’t prefer online is to offer some incentives that are only available online. One of the best benefits of social media for business is using it to increase your website traffic (2017, Barclays PLC) For example, having your associates tell your costumers to go online to submit their email subscription for a 25% off coupon. Show them that it’s so much easier to pull up the coupons on your phone than to look through the daily newspaper and cut them out. That way they go online and now you have their email in your database to notify them about future sales. Another way is to offer discount codes. With online, you need to make sure your costumers know that online is more convenient. Americans are always looking for the short cut option so as a business owner you need to express to your customers how easy and quick it is to shop online. Once you do that, those people are more likely to spend more time online. I lived with a host family while I was in college and they were the traditional, small town people who didn’t spend any time online. After I showed my host mom how easy Facebook was and how she could find new recipes and buy things online so much quicker, she ended up asking me to make her a Facebook and amazon prime account. Needless to say, she uses both often!
        [WC-275]
        Marketing your business through social media. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://digital.wings.uk.barclays/for-everyone/milestone/marketing-your-business-through-social-media/

  9. In today’s ever-changing marketplace, digital media and digital marketing have become the norm for which consumers look for potential products. Advertisements have become a way for large and small companies alike to target potential customers by monitoring public servers to watch what demographics and regions are looking at. Small business entering this digital era at a disadvantage because of the lack of funds and expertise needed to start. While there are some who are embracing this new form of marketing, there are still some which do not understand this social change and do not want to be a part of it. Accessibility, cost, and convenience all play a vital role in the consumer’s decision to utilize online stores rather that “brick and mortar”. The ever-changing digital arena causes small business to avoid utilizing this form of communication in fear they might be wasting their time and resources. The simple fact is, online marketing is not going away anytime soon, and the quicker a small business harness the power of e-commerce the faster they can grow and capture new potential customers.
    WC 183

    References
    Lister, M. (2016, Dec 5). 13 Best Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses. Retrieved from Word Stream: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/06/23/small-business-strategies

    Reply

  10. Dr Green,
    Wonderful post, this is right up my alley as I currently work for two coupon media companies; valpak.com and savings.com. Valpak in particular works directly with SMB’s to connect with consumers online through a variety of digital media options. In our experience, SMB’s are primarily focused on business operations, and aren’t always engaged in monitoring their digital media footprint. However, this attitude is changing albeit slowly. According to a Get Response survey, 70% of the 200 SMB’s surveyed plan to expand their budget for digital marketing. (Puchalska, n.d.)

    Roughly half of all SMB’s have a website. Despite this, they have a presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. SMB’s are aware of the influence of digital media on consumer buying behaviors, however, there is a concern in translating engagement to action. (Morsello, 2017)
    It is my opinion that as a whole SMB’s still have a long way to go with regard to the use of digital media as a marketing tool. As digital media marketing becomes more sophisticated, these SMB’s will rely on service providers to manage their online marketing. It doesn’t make sense for Joe at “Joe’s Pizza” to spend hours after closing working on SEO or updating websites.

    References
    Morsello, J. (2017, January 23). LSA Insider. Retrieved from http://www.lsainsider.com/the-smb-digital-media-attitudes-vs-adoption-gap-is-closing/archives#sthash.ndmOZJKS.M5Dyveu2.dpbs

    Puchalska, E. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://blog.getresponse.com/smb-online-marketing-budget.html

    Reply

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  18. I totally agree with you. What’s happening with the companies like Ogilvy & Mather type of marketing companies. Are the digital marketing companies going to rule the marketing segment completely or the traditional marketing companies would also exist and the current digital marketing companies will share the market. What’s the future for traditional marketing methods.

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  19. Yes, guys, Nowadays the Digital Marketing is an important base of business industries, everywhere we can see the wonderful progress and scope of Digital Marketing. If we want to any types of brand advertisement in particular or specific area, then the Digital Marketing is so useful for that’s brand. We can say that Internet is the base of connectivity to each other, But now it’s easily possible through the Digital Marketing. Digital Marketing alludes to the utilization of computerized gadgets to advertise your items or administrations. Hence, Digital Marketing is a type of showcasing that influences utilization of electronic or computerized gadgets to like PC and web, cell phones, tablets, advanced voice recording, versatile applications, web pennant promotions, and so on to connect with potential and existing clients. In this manner at times, it likewise alludes as Online Marketing or Internet Marketing. From sending a straightforward email to your client or a week after week pamphlet with late updates, transferring a fascinating post on your organization’s fan page or notwithstanding sending a content update, all these are distinctive types of Digital Marketing.

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  21. I’ve been applying AI and cognitive science to marketing campaigns for about six months, and it works great for small businesses.

    From what you’ve written, Dr. Green, I think both big and small companies with little or no online presence are threatened to disappear. Think of insurance companies – their major customers (in their 40’s, 50’s) might still pay attention to more traditional marketing methods. What about their customer twenty years from now?

    That’s our challenge!

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  23. Pingback: The Future of Digital Marketing – Small Business Help — Nu Leadership Revolution Blog – SHARE YOUR BUSINESS

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