The growth of online marketing in the country has been tremendous in the last few years. And 2010 marked the entrance of significant number small and medium sized companies in this digital marketing. Though there are many internet marketing options, local businesses seem to embrace Face book ads and Google (Adwords) more. There are of course reasons behind popularity of these two methods; one being that the high use of Facebook and Google search engine by local internet users.
The adoption of Pay per click (PPC) marketing is indeed very good online marketing strategy, especially for short-term and medium-term goals. However, depending on only one option to reach clients and prospects can be detrimental and expensive in the long run. It’s for this reason that Kenya firms should start experimenting on other online marketing avenues, such as search engine optimization (Seo) and Online brand promotion.
With fast and increased broadband internet connections, more Kenyans are expected to be spending more time on the net. And what does this means to companies? Internet is set to become a very big medium to reach customers and would-be customers.
Here are three reasons why your business must take online advertising very seriously :
If you can’t get to where your customers are, then who would you sell to?
More Kenyans are looking for information, entertainment, news, products and services online; it’s no longer a big deal to order movies online or reserve local hotels on the internet now. With improved internet connectivity and penetration, a lot of people will be spending a great deal of time surfing.
That implies that they will be watching less TV, reading news online, conducting research on the net etc. If you can’t follow them to where they are going, then expect reduced sales and lower profit margins.
Reduced Marketing costs compared to conventional methods
It’s true that TV, radio, newspapers and billboards adverts are very effective in reaching the target audience. It’s also a fact that not all Kenyans are using the net; but the number is rapidly increasing.
One of the major reasons why local small and medium-sized businesses are seen to adopt digital marketing faster that big brand is one-the costs. For instance, buying a 30 seconds advert on popular TV station or small banner ad on local dailies is absolutely out of reach for many small firms.
Getting started on the internet is, however, very affordable. With few hundred shillings, your small company is ready to run Face Book Ads or Google Adwords campaigns. No wonder internet is seen to provide a more or less fair marketing field for both small and big businesses.
Brand promotion and reputation management
What if my offline marketing strategies are working fine? Do you still need to invest in online promotional campaigns? Big Yes! Strengthen brand presence online have been seen to impact positively on other convectional advertising methods.
Customers /prospects continuously seeing your brand online will be highly likely to buy from you. If they aren’t constantly seeing your company name, they can’t remember your products/services, can they?
Responding appropriately to negative reviews and mentions is also very crucial in keeping your brand reputation intact. And with more people using the internet to make their dissatisfaction known, then you have to be online to respond. How you respond is guaranteed to have a big impact on your other advertising means.
Confused on how best to start online marketing? Barizi Web Solutions is a Nairobi-based internet marketing agency, with three years experience. We are offer consultation on effective digital marketing, including email marketing, Google Adwords, Facebook ads, website optimizing, social & content marketing.
