Why Is Digital Marketing Important?

Can’t understand why all you hear about is ‘digital this’ and ‘digital that’? Why do you need a Website, a social media strategy and what the heck is ‘search engine optimisation’? Here are a few statistics about the online world that may help you understand its importance

To borrow a well known sales phrase; ‘go where your customers are’ and from every report and research article, your customers are now online! Just look at the essential headlines recently published by Hootsuite:

  • There are 11 billion unique mobile users in the world today, up 100 million (2 percent) in the past year.
  • There are 39 billion internet users in 2019, an increase of 366 million (9 percent) versus January 2018.
  • There are 48 billion social media users in 2019, with the worldwide total growing by 288 million (9 percent) since this time last year.
  • 26 billion people use social media on mobile devices in January 2019, with a growth of 297 million new users representing a year-on-year increase of more than 10 percent.
  • On average, the world’s internet users spend 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day

why digital marketing is important

Digital marketing activity is still growing across the world according to the headline global marketing index. A study published in September 2018, found that global spend on digital marketing activity is approaching $100 billion. Digital marketing continues to grow rapidly and whilst those marketing budgets are expanding, traditional media spend is declining (World Economics, 2015).

Digital marketing’s evolution has changed the way businesses use technology for marketing purposes and as people use more digital devices instead of visiting physical shops, digital marketing campaigns are becoming more prevalent and important to influencing purchasing decisions.

Digital Marketing is not restricted to just online purchases either. Customers are often researching online and then buying in stores and also browsing in stores and then searching for other options online. Online customer research into products is particularly popular for higher-priced items as well as consumable goods. Consumers are increasingly using the Internet to look up product information, compare prices, and search for deals and promotions

By 2021 it is estimated that global retail ecommerce sales will reach $4.5 trillion (Shopify 2018). According to (Status Labs 2018), 90% of searchers have not made their mind up on a brand before they start their search, showing how important it is for every brand and business to develop and implement a coherent digital marketing strategy!

“The Automated Responder Chatbots BMD created for our company have been a game changer. They run 24×7 answering all FAQ’s and even navigate interested visitors in booking a meeting with us!”

In addition, 28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase (Google 2016), whilst local searches lead 50% of mobile users to visit stores within 1 day (Google 2018). This again highlights the impact of digital marketing to physical stores and shops.

The Nielsen Global conducted interviews in 26 countries to observe how consumers are using the Internet to make shopping decisions in stores and online. Online shoppers are increasingly looking to purchase internationally, with over 50% in the study who purchased online in the last six months stating they bought from an overseas retailer.

Social networks allow consumers to quickly and easily create content and publish their opinions and experiences about the products and services they have purchased and the companies that they purchased them from. In short, consumers have never had access to so much information before making a purchase and so many options as to where to purchase from.

If you are looking for a digital marketing agency Belfast call us today on 07739 010266