The techniques of marketing have evolved significantly over the past several years, and businesses that want to stay ahead, need to change their marketing methods too. The shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing is needed for all businesses nowadays, to reach more customers as they spend most of their time on the Internet. Current data shows that 41.0% of the population which is around 830 million people in India are currently active users of the internet, and the numbers are expected to grow to over 970 million active users by 2025. 

Furthermore, according to a study by eMarketer, people spend more than 2 hours per day on social media sites; however, only one-third of businesses are using this channel for marketing purposes. Social media provides an opportunity to connect with customers in ways you can’t in traditional marketing channels. Hence, more and more businessmen and Entrepreneurs are choosing to do their business with digital marketing agencies rather than marketing companies. However, numerous businesses in India don’t understand the importance of digital marketing, but this article will help them to understand exactly why they need to make the switch from traditional marketing to digital marketing.

                             Difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing.

Prices

 Traditional marketing is a really expensive mode of advertising. It can cost between $2,000-$160,000 to run a print ad. Still, it doesn't give a guarantee to reach the target audience. Hence, results are difficult to measure.

On the flipside, Digital marketing costs you approx. half of it and that implements on the targeted audience from their age group to their location.

Lack of Immediacy

One of the biggest flaws of traditional marketing is that it doesn't allow you to respond quickly to changes in the marketplace as quickly as digital media marketing. It takes weeks or months in advance to create your message when you run magazine ads. Even newspaper ads take several days to publish an advertisement.

 In digital marketing, Businesses easily change Facebook pages, send DMs, and tweets, or update a website within a minute.

Targeting audience.

Digital advertising has already exceeded traditional advertising in 2019, according to a Forbes magazine analysis. Marketers can now more accurately target potential clients based on the quantity of data they have. Personal information about visitors is collected by websites. Small businesses can predict not only who visits their website, but also what type of person they are.

On the other hand, in traditional marketing, once a magazine is shipped, a newspaper is delivered, or an advertisement is broadcast, you never know who reads it and who saw it.

                                         How Digital marketing is beneficial for businesses

1. Achieving More Targeted Customers

The central aim of businesses is to accomplish the marketing goals & objectives and to reach out to the target audience. And digital marketing makes it easy to reach out to your potential customers through online mode.

2. High Conversion Rate

The conversion rate means the percentage of visitors to your website who take the action asked. And using digital marketing for your small business will accelerate your conversion rate.

Through Conversion Rate Optimization, your small-scale business will reach out to a high number of visitors completing your desired aim out of the total number of visitors. For example, a pay-per-click (PPC) strategy will help you to achieve your goals.

3. Higher ROI at Lower Cost

As a startup or a small-scale business, your main goal is to sell your product or service with minimum cost and get a high profit. Larger associations can afford high marketing costs, whereas startups and small enterprises try to work hard to keep costs low and increase earnings.

4. Enables Outdoing Competitors

The main difficulty with small-scale businesses is the money. They are not able to compete with big firms and brands due to a lack of funds and resources. But if you use digital marketing methods smartly, then it will help you to compete with any form of business whether it's a big brand or small.

                                                 How To Use Digital Marketing for Your Business?

There are various methods and types of digital marketing through which you can grow your business and also help you to reach your desired goals.

A mobile-friendly website

 The web is only getting bigger. It’s expected that in 2015 more people will be accessing websites via mobile devices than desktop computers. In 2016, it’s projected that mobile internet users will outnumber their PC counterparts for good—and advertisers know it.

This means that if you want your business to reach as many people as possible, you need a strong mobile presence. Investing in a beautiful, responsive website design and functionality is essential these days.

Personalized Content & Ads

 Customers today want personalized and relevant content. They don’t want to read about a product or service that’s irrelevant to them. Personalized content and ads are designed for a specific audience, which makes it easier for customers to connect with them and follow through with purchases.

Advertisers can even optimize their ad campaigns based on customer behavior, so they only spend money on people who are interested in their products or services.

Social Media

It’s no longer a choice or an option. According to a recent study by CMO Council, 92% of consumers expect companies to have an active social media presence, and 73% expect customer service through social media channels.

Millennials especially rely on social media for their purchasing decisions (66%), and 64% turn to family and friends for advice.

Video Advertising

 It’s no secret that videos are powerful. People are much more likely to watch a video online than they are to read text, especially if it is delivered in an entertaining format. Even if a viewer doesn’t want to buy what you have to offer immediately, Videos help build brand awareness and trust.

When people go looking for a product or service you provide, chances are good they will think of you first.

Influencer Marketing

In today’s competitive landscape, brands can no longer focus solely on their target audience. Many companies are moving beyond one-to-one customer interactions and aiming for mass influence instead. That is, they’re attempting to influence everyone—instead of picking a specific group of individuals—through tactics like influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is like a partnership with an influential person or entity (for example, a celebrity or major publication) to expand brand awareness.

SEO

 Search engine optimization is one of those things that can sound complicated, but once you get down to it, it’s quite simple. It is simply a way for people to find your content on Google by using words related to your subject matter. If you are a retailer selling high-end women’s clothing, it makes sense that someone searching for plus-size prom dresses might click on your listing when they see what you have available.

Email Marketing

Email is a fundamental tool for many businesses, and it’s easy to understand why. It was cheap, it’s versatile and it works.

Email can be used in conjunction with social media (SEO), search engine optimization (SEM), and other technologies to boost engagement with potential customers, or simply to keep those who are already loyal happy.