Today in the age of complete digital transformation, digital marketing is fast becoming the most essential medium of marketing and brand building for businesses across the world. If we talk about the UAE, it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UAE today. In the last 10 years, internet users have grown exponentially in this Arab country, making it even more opportune for the business owners to go digital. Dubai, one of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates is the most promising city with an ever-growing number of digital marketing strategists, thriving to grab the huge opportunity the industry presents.
However, you will have to be very careful while searching for a digital marketing company in Dubai, to avoid fraud and also to ensure you succeed in achieving your online goals.
Irrespective of what business one deals in, including every small and medium brick and mortar business, one should take advantage of this massive digital transformation without delay. Online marketing opens many doors of business for small as well as big companies. There are options for small budget companies too as it can be done on just about any budget, and can also be scaled as and when the business grows to meet their growing needs.
In this post, we will discuss a few points that will suggest why small businesses should start marketing their businesses online.
Consumers Are Online
Over the last two decades, UAE has grown up to become the most digital-friendly country in the Middle East. It is playing a prominent role in the growth of digital technologies in this part of the world. UAE has 9.73 million active internet users that are almost 98.98% of its total population. Out of the total population, 9.06 million are active mobile internet users, and 9.52 million have active social media accounts. Several surveys indicate that an average Emirati spends 7.03 hours on the internet every day, out of which 2.57 hours are spent on social media. Moreover, the rate of internet usage is very high in UAE with 93% of the total population accessing the internet at least once in a day.
The statistics prove that the scope of online business in the UAE is growing rapidly. So, any innovative looking web or mobile application willing to enter the market will have a large audience to target. In the last couple of years, there has been an increased focus on the digital sector. The ground is ripe, and the opportunities are immense as increased innovation in both the software and hardware sector has resulted in the rise of remarkably speedy internet connections, giving a boost to the web and mobile application market and also a dramatic increase in social media engagement.
Your consumers are online. They are present everywhere, be it social media, search engines, watching videos or shopping. Your customers are waiting to find you online. Whether you are a small or a big business owner, your online presence can help you reach out to a larger audience within a fraction of a second.
Allow Your Customers to Find You Easily
Usually, when a consumer searches for something, they first start with a search on Google. They search for products or services “near me” so that they can find the businesses closest to their location and with the products and services they are looking for. So, now if you do not have an online presence, then your consumers won’t be able to find you and most likely go to your competitors for the same products and services.
Even a basic digital marketing solution can help small business owners build an online presence and help your consumers become aware of your business. Google My Business Listing is available to help you create a simple page with all the necessary information. This page can help your audience find you easily, and they can have access to your phone number, business hours, address, and even directions, etc.
Build an Online Presence that Consumers Look For
Many times, people learn about a storefront while on their way to work. It is very natural for them to look up for information about the storefront online to find out their business hours so that they can visit it when they want. However, if you do not have an online presence with all the necessary business information, your consumers might decide not to visit your store and go to your competitor’s store.
In this digital age, when everything is available online, you consumers want you to have at least a minimum online presence. It can be a Google My Business listing, your business address, phone number, business hours, photo gallery and more. They also want you to own a website for business and social media channels, irrespective of how big or small you are. All they want is to find a place online where they can have access to all your business information and your offerings. Most of the time, not owning a website is not taken healthily by the online audience as they tend to conclude, your business is not genuine.
Build Your Consumers’ Confidence for Your Brand
By just creating an online presence and a website makes you appear credible to the online audience. With the help of digital marketing strategies, you can easily engage with your target audience, making your potential customers reach out to you conveniently. Using digital marketing services, you can also boost your sales and revenue. Whatever is your business size, you can always start with a low budget solution, and as you grow can continue with more beneficial digital marketing services. Digital marketing techniques help online businesses reach out to their potential consumers effectively. Moreover, if your consumer has a query for you, you can respond promptly with a convincing answer, making you look genuine and trustworthy.
Monitor Your Analytics and Implement a Strategy
Contrary to traditional marketing methods, when it was difficult to figure out how effective the methods were in digital marketing with the help of regular analytics reports, this is easier. Analytics play a significant role in improving the marketing strategy of a business and connecting to prospective clients.
It helps in systematic tracking of a marketing campaign, so that irrespective of your business size, you can easily monitor every detail and make improvements wherever required. You can easily see who has visited your website and for how long and on which part of your website they spend more time and which are the sections they visit often. Once you have detailed information about your customer’s online behaviour, you can easily make an effective digital marketing strategy and get the desired results.
Make Right Use of the Higher Returns
Return on investment is very high in digital marketing than in any other type of marketing. It is easily scalable, and the strategy can be adjusted, as per the business need. Because of its scalable nature, even small businesses can take advantage of digital marketing by starting on an affordable budget. They can still gain a huge return on investment. Later, when they grow they can easily adjust their budget for more services.
Takeaway
Whatever is the size of your business, digital marketing can easily help you expand your customer network more effectively than other types of marketing. The higher ROI compared to other forms of marketing is a good reason for small businesses to go online. Start with a small budget if you are hesitant to invest, or use the free platforms such as creating a page on Google My Business listing or creating social media profiles, and you will start seeing the impact soon.