6 Compelling reasons to increase your Digital Marketing effort: with latest statistics

Is this the right time for you to increase the digital marketing activities for your business?

Yes. Absolutely.

Why? – Here is a list of 6 compelling reasons why, with the latest 2015 statistics on digital marketing trends – Web, Mobile and Social Media.

Early in my traditional marketing career, I learnt that most of the decisions taken based on research numbers and statistics turn out to be right. The following list of statistics will hopefully help you understand why you need to focus on increasing your digital marketing efforts, right now!

6 Compelling Reasons To Increase Your Digital Marketing Effort

Reason 1: Your customers are starting to spend more time online

• Internet usage around the world is exploding. Right now, in 2015, there are more than 3.2 Billion people using the internet (that is 43% of the total world population of 7.3 Billion), of which 2 Billion are from the developing world (source).
• Communication watchdog Ofcom reports that an average adult spends more than 20-hours a week online.
• 2015 statistics show that ‘Search‘ (for product, service, news or information) and ‘Social Networking‘ are among the top activities of online users worldwide.

Questions for growth:

1. Are you visible to your target audience who might be searching for your products or service?
2. How would you rate your current online presence – website, mobile presence, content and social media presence?
3. Are you ready to interact, engage and influence your online audience?

Whether you are in B2B or B2C business, a substantial percentage of your prospective customers are already online. If you do not have an effective online marketing strategy, you might be missing out on a huge opportunity for growth. It’s time to increase your online presence & work on an implementation strategy.

Reason 2: Your customers are starting to get faster internet access

• Akamai 2015 reports say that the Global average internet speed rose 10 percent in 2015, compared to last year, and now stands at 5 Mbps (as of Q1 2015). The report also says that 134 countries experienced an increase in average connection speed ranging from 4% in Japan to 181% in Fiji.
• Even on the mobile front, speeds are increasing. Another study shows that the mobile-broadband subscriptions are growing in 2015 and 39% of all global mobile connections can be classified as ‘Broadband’ (3G or 4G).

Questions for growth:

1. With growing internet & mobile connectivity speed, do you think more of your target audience are getting online?
2. When they do, are you ready to meet their need?
3. How can you make use of this growing internet speed for your business?

What if I am a traditional business with an offline business model? – Even if you are an offline business, it is time for you to start start thinking about online-offline ‘integration‘. With increasing internet speeds on desktop and mobile, most of your stakeholders – your suppliers, vendors and customers are all connected. May be you could add value to them by implementing technologies like cloud applications, mobile apps, video streaming technology and social networking strategy in creative ways. Its the evolving breed that thrives. If you do not have an online-offline integration strategy, this could be the right time to start thinking about it.

Reason 3: Your customer are starting to use their smartphones (more)

Mobile phone usage and its influence on the daily life of your customers is growing rapidly. Study shows that an average person looks at their mobile phone 150 times a day! Lets look at some latest industry research and statistics.

• GSMA Global data says that as of August 2015, there were 7.5 Billion mobile connections in the world. (That is more than the number of people currently living in the world!)
• These mobile users do not seem to be buying just simple call-and-text phones, Ericsson Mobility Report 2015 says that 75% of mobile phones sold in the first quarter (Q1) of 2015, were smartphones. So smartphones ownership is increasing. Which means people can access internet & information easily.
• More than 1.8 million smartphones are sold every day.
• 80% of internet users own a smartphone, says the Global Web Index report.

Questions for growth

1. What is your mobile marketing strategy?
2. Again the keyword is ‘integration’. How are you planning to integrate your web, mobile and social media strategy for users on their smart mobile phone?
3. Is your website mobile optimised? (Read our blog on website marketing checklist)
4. Is your social media presence optimised for mobile users?

I recommend that you do not look at ‘mobile marketing’ as a separate strategy. Try to integrate mobile strategy with your other marketing activities.

Reason 4: Your customers are starting to get on more social media channels

Here is a list of current social media user statistics that will help you understand the trend of growing social media usage globally.

• In just the last 12 months, 180 million new users were added to Facebook (that is 6 users per second!)
• As of June 2015, Facebook reported 1.49 Billion monthly active users
• At least 61% of those investing 6 hours per week in social media marketing saw improvements in search engine rankings (source)
• At the time of writing this post, the number of active users in top social media channels (Source: Statista)
  • Whatsapp – 800 million active users
  • LinkedIn – 364 million active users
  • Twitter – 316 million active users
  • Instagram – 300 million active users

Questions for growth:

1. With potentially millions of customers on social media, do you have a social media strategy in place?
2. Are you engaging your audience on Social Media?
3. What is your reach? Are you measuring your reach and influence on social media? (Check out our blog on social media measurement.)
4. Do you have a plan for social media marketing for the coming new year, 2016?

Social media is not just a good brand building tool, but it helps in sales, support, hiring, employee engagement and many more business applications. In our earlier blog, on social media trends, we showed you that now it is possible to measure the ROI of social media efforts. State of Inbound report from Hubspot says that marketers who have prioritised blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI. Its effective, measurable, result-oriented and triggers-growth. What more reasons for you to start focussing on social media marketing?

Reason 5: Your customers are ready to spend on the internet & mobile device (not just browse)

The eCommerce industry is witnessing an unprecedented growth. Customers are comfortable buying stuff and spending money with just a few click – using both desktop and mobile. Innovative logistic solutions like cash-on-delivery and same-day-delivery are revolutionising the eCommerce space. To give you an idea of growth, specially on a mobile, here are some latest study findings on mobile commerce.

• Think with Google reported in their holiday season sales study, that sales of $1 Trillion, which is 28% of all retail sales, last year, was influenced by mobile ‘search’ related to shopping
• The same report says, 53% of all the people that shopped online used a smartphone or a tablet. This is up from 41% the previous year. 

See the trend?!

Questions for growth:

1. Are your products and services available for customers when they wish to buy it online?
2. Is your eCommerce-workflow optimised internally?
3. What is your mobile commerce strategy?

Answers to these questions will help you adapt your existing online sales plan to the current trends or will help you come up with innovative new methods of making your products available to your online customers.

Reason 6: Your customers are starting to read reviews and reports online, before making a buying decision (Social Proof)

Reviews are important. It is proven that human psychology depends on positive and negative reviews, comments and social proof for taking decisions.

• Google says that out of the people who watched online videos during holiday season, 80% watched product reviews and rating. People always look for affirmation from others before buying.
• Another study reveals that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
• And 85% of the consumers said they need to read up to 10 reviews before being satisfied

Questions for growth:

1. Does your business have the facility to get reviews and recommendations from customers?
2. Are you showcasing those reviews on your website, mobile apps and social media?
3. How strong is your local marketing strategy (Google MyBusiness, Directories, etc) where your customers have the ability to review your product quality or service levels?
4. Are you tracking your Social Media reviews regularly? And responding to the not-so-good ones? (which is more important than responding to the good ones)

Plan to get and showcase more reviews from your existing customers and stakeholders. Spend time in optimising your website and mobile app to enable your customers to leave their reviews.

So, after looking at all these statistics, do you think you will increase your digital marketing effort in the coming months? I strongly encourage you to plan for it & to do so.

Wishing you the very best for your online success. Cheers!