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7 Reasons Why Digital Marketing is Essential for small and medium businesses.

What is the digital marketing?

Digital marketing uses digital media (homepage, SNS, mail, apps, search engines, digital advertisements, etc.) to collect and analyze data to take an attractive approach to customers (or potential customers). It means to realize "customer attraction, sales promotion, sales" by digital media. By combining digital "data collection + sales activities", it is possible to carry out sales activities much more efficiently than by doing it manually.

1. Leading companies are taking the lead

   According to "Digital Marketing Case Studies", the number of companies that are gradually introducing digital marketing is increasing in Japan, including major companies. The spread of the Internet in Japan started gradually from around 1996, but according to the survey of communication usage trends, the penetration rate of the Internet users from 13 to 60 years old is about 98.5%, and the usage rate of the Internet by smartphones is increasing year by year. In the last 25 years, the Internet users have spread from 3% to almost 100%.

   Since digital marketing started and actually landed in Japan as a tool around 2014, as of 2020, we are in a state of "early wins".

   A feature of the Internet is the power of "diffusion," which uses the "lever principle." By transmitting information using one medium, we have a mechanism that enables communication from "1 : 1" to "1 : unspecified number of people".However, this also means that you need to have “good content” to spread.

   Digital media is a tool, and it is human who disseminate information. In order to prepare content, "human thinking power" is absolutely necessary. By using digital marketing, you will be able to receive "ideas for thinking" and collect information on who and what kind of information should be sent to be effective. Rather than trying to tell something without knowing the other person, you can clearly take an effective strategy.

   I think that the first step to adapting to the information-oriented society in the future is to develop a strategy based on digital marketing, utilize digital media, and develop sales channels. There is a possibility that there will be a difference in the next 10 years between companies that do this and those that do not.

2. Enables an approach according to the level of prospects

   The users in the market are divided into several stages.① Continue to use your services.
   ② They have used or are considering introducing your services.
   ③ They know your services, but they have no plans to use it.
   ④ They haven't recognized it yet.

   With digital marketing, it is possible to carry out effective promotion individually for each user at each of these stages.

   For example, in order to "get recognition" for users at the stage of "④ not recognizing", it is possible to consider disseminating information using digital advertisements, SNS and blogs, and "② in-house". For users who have used the service or are considering introducing it, it is possible to carry out promotions and PR using email in order to become actual customers. You will be able to take individual measures according to the relationship with each user.

   In addition, since sales promotion is planned and examined after "information gathering" is performed by digital media before taking measures, detailed strategic design will be possible.

   Even with just one "advertisement", digital marketing will add the bonus of "measurement of effectiveness".

   In conventional advertising, mass-delivery models such as "CMs and leaflets for the general public" are the mainstream. Anyways, it is a style to increase the denominator of prospective customers to approach and open sales to prospective customers gathered from among them. However, with the advancement of IT, personal information has become more data, and it has become possible to deliver advertisements only to "interested (or likely) users".

   In addition, it is possible to measure the "reverberation" and "click rate" of advertisements. It's easy to see which ads worked and which headlines and lightings are most responsive.

   This can greatly improve the error part of "try and error". If it is not effective, the improvement will be repeated and the advertisement will be placed in a "visualized" state until it is effective, which means that the cost effectiveness of the advertisement itself will increase. It leads to eliminating waste and improving management efficiency.

3. You will be able to design leads to utilize the homepage

   The website plays the role of the main body for accepting users after attracting customers. Through the website, we will connect to the lead wire for purchasing products and services, and measure the effect at the same time.

   It means that you will be able to systematically take effective measures while collecting information with digital tools for each of the lead wire designs of "attracting customers" → "sales promotion" → "conversion acquisition".

   In order to increase the number of access to the homepage, it is effective to start SEO measures and introduce it in combination with other digital media. What kind of media will be used, what kind of measures will be taken for which user group, and what kind of measures will be effective? By planning through digital marketing and developing what is actually effective, we will lead to an influx of websites.

   Digital marketing is also effective for enriching the content of the homepage itself. What kind of content is attractive to each segmented user? What information is needed? After investigating, you can plan content production with higher appeal.

   In this era, many users want information via the Internet. The information itself is valuable, and there is also a demand for services such as Note that sell only information. Companies will be able to attract customers and promote sales by transmitting information that is more valuable to users. "Using the homepage" will become more concrete, and it will function as a homepage that can actually be used.

4. The barrier to introduction is low, and any business can be adopted.

   When you hear "digital" or "IT," many people are not good at it. However, digital marketing is familiar to us, and by learning how to use each digital media, deciding the purpose and acting, we will be able to promote it to effective measures.

   Each digital media has its own characteristics, and even if information is sent blindly, it may not reach the user, so it is important to formulate a policy for effective use.

   By nurturing each digital tool as a medium and making it a "channel", the digitization of the company itself will gradually progress, and the overall management power will be raised.

   Having information media is a great strength for both individuals and companies. By disseminating information using information media, users become customers and customers become fans. High-quality content is indispensable for putting this into practice. By assigning a person in charge within the company and practicing it little by little, it will be possible to eliminate the awareness of weakness in IT.

   The problem with promoting IT in small and medium-sized enterprises is that there are no human resources who can handle it. There are many cases where there are high barriers to IT, such as no one who is familiar with IT, or a ridiculous estimate of the amount of money when you ask a company to introduce it. If you are lucky enough to have IT-savvy personnel in your company, you may be able to respond. However, if IT education does not progress throughout the company, there is a risk that there will be no human resources who can handle the situation when the person quit.

   By "practicing digital marketing and gradually promoting IT," we will raise IT literacy throughout the company and gradually make it usable as a business by addressing the high barriers to IT due to lack of human resources. It develops into the merit. It is important to understand and use "SNS, blogs, homepages that anyone can use" and "How can I use it as a business tool?" Combine ideas and marketing to make them more appealing and strategic.

5. IT can streamline operations and further enhance appeal

   By digitizing "questionnaire collection" and "sending sales letters" that were previously done manually, it is possible to carry out "collectively", and also collect data such as opening rate and response rate at the same time. You can do things. By conducting surveys and implementations at the same time and being able to perform batch work, it will be possible to save the business resources that is handled by human wave tactics.

   You will also be able to use email marketing to sell personally to good prospects. (A dedicated tool is required to install it)

   For example, an email delivery system such as a sales letter. Have you ever received an e-mail with the "person in charge" after requesting the materials? The personalized e-mail system uses an e-mail delivery system that gives users a "special feeling" and "friendliness" and gives the illusion that a person in charge is assigned to them.

   Users who receive an email without knowing anything are more likely to "reply" to an email from the person in charge who arrived "to me" than a business letter sent by the company name. Through these “individual” sales activities, major companies have taken measures to bring them closer to users and further increase sales.

   As the times progress, small businesses may only be able to do business in the form of "more personal relationships" or "picking up potential customers missed by large companies." By taking action early, you can implement initiatives for the future.

6. Can respond to diversifying user consumption behavior

   When purchasing something, recent users use not only the "store" but also the "Internet" to collect information, perform "word-of-mouth and reviews", "comparison of prices and service contents", and then " It leads to the decision making up to "purchase". There is also data that the Internet is used at almost 86% of the time in this "until the user decides to buy" process.

   In other words, not disseminating information means that we are not able to carry out any sales activities for users who collect information using the Internet. Even if you visit a customer and approach a product with the traditional "foot-based sales style", the user will surely collect information about the "product" on the Internet and make a decision to purchase.

   Furthermore, in 2020, due to the “nesting” caused by the covid-19, people's lives have gradually moved to “online”. Until now, services that were provided "face-to-face" are now being supported by "wherever we can respond online, let's respond online." As a result, consulting, seminars, meetings and business communications have all become recognized as "online." If you stick to "face-to-face" without incorporating this, time loss may occur. It is also important to provide services that meet the needs of the times, by distinguishing between "necessary face-to-face" and "online support".

   By changing the company as the users change, it will be possible to continue the business that matches the times.

7. By nurturing each and every media, you can grow into a strong company.

   If you utilize digital marketing and operate each digital media properly, each channel will influence each other and will be effective mutually. As a result, the parent "homepage" will have power, and it will be possible to attract customers and promote sales from each channel, so in the long run, in-house media (owned media) that can be used will grow. It will be awesome.

   What is needed to nurture the media is "marketing" and "human resources (operators)". You can also decide that the time required for media development is one hour a day and start operation. You can effectively fill in the free time of work, and you can practice it without difficulty.

   Let's build the know-how little by little. What information is useful to the user? Solving the problem? Achieving self-actualization? Sharing emotions? Consider measures according to the other party's desire for action.

   At the root of content creation is the spirit of "compassion for the other person." It takes time and effort to manually deliver the information analyzed by AI etc. in digital marketing to others, and finally it will lead to high quality content. First of all, it is important to work on it.

   Rather than spending time without doing it, you can grow into a company that is strong in IT by collecting "effective means" while collecting data properly. When that happens, your company's power should be a great force.