Digital marketing continues to trend upward

Marketing has always been present within the small business marketplace. For many years marketing was thought of as paid advertising. However with B2B formal networking groups to content marketing, how small businesses market their businesses continues to evolve.

Today this evolution now includes digital marketing, which is the marketing of solutions (products or services) using technologies including the Internet, smart devices, display advertising and any other digital medium. This new marketing channel has spawned "native advertising" where the paid media follows the user. For example, search for a book on sales in Amazon and then receive emails or pop up ads suggesting other similar sales books.

Some small business owners and sales professionals who participate in social media fail to recognize digital marketing requires engagement.

Darlene McCarty Cohn, founder of D. Cohn Communications in Valparaiso, said "customers want quality and expertise" along with "instant customer service."

She emphasizes "digital marketing is a must" for small business owners and sales professionals who want to increase sales and build loyal customers.

Digital marketing does require new skills or the honing of existing skills such as writing. Not everyone is a good writer.

Another skill is researching to find quality content that will prompt the reader to recognize both quality and credibility of the writer. There are numerous free tools that help gather market trends to industry trends such as Google Alerts, SMART Briefs to industry or association newsletters.

As digital marketing is directly connected to social media, time becomes a limitation. How do small business owners and sales professionals handle this relatively new marketing channel when they are wearing so many other hats?

As noted in the Post-Tribune column, "Outsourcing and remove workers a small business new reality" published on Nov. 12, small business professionals may have to outsource digital marketing to ensure, as McCarty Cohn said, "a meaningful return on investment."

Far too frequently, the return on investment for marketing is ignored. Some involved in marketing believe ROI can't be measured. That is 100 percent nonsense.

For example, when I write an article on LinkedIn Pulse, I secure a client within six months from that article. Another example is monitoring LinkedIn connections and making outreach to those who wish to connect with me. Provided the person is a potential sales lead I usually convert the inquiry by the second call.

Digital marketing can be measured for return on investment.

Hubspot, in a September 2016 blog posting entitled "107 Mind-Blowing Sales Statistics That Will Help You Sell Smarter," revealed 63 percent of people requesting information on your company will not purchase for at least three months and 20 percent will take more than 12 months to buy, according to Marketing Donut. Digital marketing (nurturing sales leads) keeps those potential buyers engaged as well as creates continued top of mind awareness (TOMA) because nurtured leads make 47 percent larger purchases than non-nurtured leads, according to The Annuitas Group.

Additional sales research collected by Knowledge Tree suggests decision makers read at least three pieces of content published by the successful awardee of the sales contract. The research also noted a significant rise in the importance of digital channels in the overall sales process.

Of course to identify return on investment for digital marketing or any marketing initiative requires monitoring and recording incoming information such as, "Where did you hear about our firm?"

When small to mid-size businesses establish a process to monitor the results of marketing, they may be actually surprised by the results or the lack of results.

To think digital marketing is a fad is foolhardy. Now is the time to align your small business marketing efforts from website to social media to nurture marketing. Delaying effective implementation may leave you behind your competitors.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith is an author, speaker and executive coach. Her weekly column explores issues that impact the bottom line of firms with fewer than 100 employees. She can be reached at 219-508-2859.

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