Impact of Digital Marketing on small businesses
Conventional marketing that uses print and view media are way costly than digital marketing and pose challenges to small businesses.
In order to encounter slow growth, decrease in sales, decline in revenues; small businesses are in dire need to increase awareness and the best platform that they can employee is through Digital Marketing.
Today, the usage of digital devices is on the rise globally and it provides plenty of opportunities for new and small businesses. These businesses have to use their capabilities and their resources positively in exploiting this segment and gain market share.
Awareness created by digital marketing is so profound and extensive and usually at the fraction of the cost. There are many ways digital marketing can be employed and it depends on the business owners themselves.
The tools that can be used in digital marketing to drive sales, increase revenue, create awareness and engage prospects are plenty. The following are tested and useful tools; mobile marketing, search engine optimization (seo) marketing, pay-per-click (p.p.c), and online marketing.
Furthermore, the downside on small businesses are the lack of digital marketing knowledge the owner or his employees has. They need to upgrade themselves in absorbing the needed information on the trends and updates are extensive and time-consuming.
It also extends to the adoption of digital marketing in the business norm. The adoption rate to an Android phone itself took a few years and the possibility of other hardwares and softwares are unimaginable for small businesses. But the adoption rate can be increased by the right attitude of the entrepreneur.
And certainly the lack of suitable digital marketing techniques pose another big hurdles to these small businesses. It’s not easy as it sounds but digital marketing techniques are effectively manageable only by those who really has the passion and interest to break the technology barrier and usually it does not happen overnight.
Another great obstacles faced by the small businesses globally are the lack of funding to finance their purchases of hardwares and softwares and the need to hire skilled staff to run the digital marketing campaign for them. Costs are low in digital marketing compared to traditional marketing but it still need initial capital investment outlay to kick start.
Small businesses are highly recommended to train and sensitize people on all the aspects discussed above and especially to understand the reality of digital marketing techniques it’s contribution for their businesses.
