You may be familiar with the old adage “digital marketing is forever”. While the truth may be quite the opposite, marketing on the internet is definitely here to stay. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, 75% of American businesses have adopted some form of digital marketing.
If you’re starting a business, it’s important to understand how much digital marketing you’ll need. A 2015 report from HubSpot found that business owners must balance marketing and sales, while also considering the needs of their customers.
So How Much Businesses Do Online Marketing? Let’s Find Out.
The Rise In Adoption
This year, 66% of American businesses adopted some form of digital marketing, according to a HubSpot Blogs research. The research also found that most business owners (67%) found it somewhat easy to get started with digital marketing.
These businesses ranged from small organizations with fewer than 10 employees to large enterprises, and they used a variety of platforms such as blogs, websites, and social media to grow their audience and engage with customers.
It’s important to note that these numbers do not specify the amount of digital marketing each business implemented. They only show the overall percentage of businesses that adopted some form of digital marketing. It is also important to understand that not all businesses that adopted some form of digital marketing implemented all of the techniques cited below. However, the majority of these businesses did implement some combination of the techniques discussed below.
Blogs Are Key To Having A Successful Online Marketing Strategy
Blogs are incredibly popular platforms among American businesses. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 62% of businesses use blogs to engage with their customers. In addition, 43% of businesses use blogs to disseminate company news and announcements, and 39% use blogs to share industry insights.
In today’s world, traditional magazines’ readership is on the decline, which means there’s ample opportunity for small news websites to arise and thrive. If you’re starting a business, it’s essential that you take note of these numbers, as well as the fact that nearly all businesses (96%) cited above have blogs.
Blogs give you a space to connect with customers on a personal level. Unlike some other marketing platforms, such as social media, blogs allow you to have greater control over the message you disseminate, as well as to tailor content to suit each individual reader. This makes blogs ideal for creating content a specific audience will value, enjoy, and engage with.
Website Design Is Also Key To Having A Successful Online Marketing Strategy
Even though blogs are extremely popular, they’re not the only platform American businesses use to create content and engage with their audiences. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 49% of businesses use websites to engage with customers, and 30% use websites to disseminate company news and announcements.
In addition to blogs, websites give you the opportunity to host online stores that customers can visit and make purchases from. If you’re starting a business, it’s important that you take note of the fact that 67% of businesses use websites, as well as the fact that 36% of businesses use websites to sell products online. Creating and maintaining a quality website is a monumental task, so it’s important to hire a professional to help you get the most out of your site.
Social Media Is Increasingly Popular
While 64% of American businesses use blogs, only 14% use Facebook for marketing, and 6% use Twitter. This means that, as of today, 26% of businesses have chosen to forego social media in their marketing strategy.
This is likely because the majority of businesses (62%) use blogs, which are more popular than most other social media platforms. In addition, blogs allow for greater customization, meaning you can have greater control over the information customers receive, as well as the opportunity to engage with them on a personal level. Also, the figures cited above do not specify the amount of digital marketing each business implemented, so it’s important to keep all of this in mind when trying to decide how much this platform will be used on your behalf.
Video Is Playing A Growing Role In Marketing
While video isn’t new to marketing, it’s becoming an ever more important aspect of the industry. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 24% of businesses use videos to engage with their customers, compared to 7% who use images and 6% who use text only.
This is likely because customers increasingly prefer to learn about products and services via video content. Today, consumers have various channels where they can consume content, ranging from social media platforms to video websites like YouTube. In addition, many people find it difficult to learn about products and services via text alone.
If you’re starting a business, it’s important that you take note of these trends, as well as the fact that nearly all businesses (94%) cited above have used some form of video in their marketing strategy.
With all of this in mind, it’s easier to see how much businesses do digital marketing. Though many of the platforms cited above have changed, and continue to change, over time, the fact remains that marketing online is here to stay. It’s important to understand the role that each platform plays in your marketing strategy, as well as how much of a role each individual platform will have in the future of your business.