Digital marketing for SMEs

Marketing as a key ingredient in successful commerce is well established, as is the fact that it costs money. That fact is never more keenly felt than in small and medium-sized enterprise where resources, particularly those dedicated to marketing, are often tight. The question of whether to include digital marketing platforms is frequently consigned to the 'not now' pile or the 'don't know how' pile or 'the poorer cousin of marketing pile'.

Progression to knowledge-based marketing has evolved together with the mediums and mechanisms used by consumers and business to communicate. SME owners often shy away from engaging in digital marketing because they're not sure it will work for them and they don't relate to it on the same comfort level that they do to mediums such as magazine, print advertising or television.

The tough news is SMEs engage, and engage quickly, or lose market share and relevance because the way consumers live and communicate has changed and there really is no going back. The good news is that the SMEs are able to exploit digital marketing as effectively as those companies with seemingly limitless marketing budgets. It's all about finding the relevancy and arming yourself with the right digital technique that is going to drive the greatest return on investment (ROI); be it awareness, customer care, services, purchase consideration or even purchase.

Below is a quick guide to the what and the how:

How can SMEs use social media to effectively create brand and product awareness?

As with any marketing platform, consider what your business objectives are, as well as the consumer journey (play where they are playing). Increasingly, consumers no longer trust advertising, but do trust their network of real world and digital friends. As an SME you may be better able to integrate into that sense of 'community' via social media than a corporation is able to do. It's all about being authentic and real. Take the example of a bakery in London that notified its customers via SMS and Twitter when its bread was fresh out of the oven.

But just because social media is instant and potentially easy to use, doesn't make it a no-brainer. Do your homework and plan a digital marketing strategy as you would any traditional marketing strategy. Know your touch points and target group, set desired outcomes, and gather market intelligence or research by engaging with your customers to find out which digital mediums they most frequent or prefer, ie, Facebook, Twitter or SMS.

The simple steps are:

* Listen to what is being said in the digital space, by who and where (eg, competitors, consumers)
* Monitor these conversations, dialogues, likes and comments
* Devise an engagement plan (including a rolling content plan and don't underestimate the resources and expertise required)
* Set up a governance policy behind the engagement plan (rules of engagement)

* Engage with honesty and transparency
* Monitor and evaluate on an ongoing basis

What are the cost implications? Can I afford it?

The truly exceptional characteristic of online marketing is that it is measurable. Consider it a sales cost. What do you pay per sale in the traditional marketing world? Remember also that while access to social media is essentially free, you must cost or budget for the resource time it takes for you or a member of your staff to update, monitor and engage your customer network online.

Cost implications are also elastic and scalable. You may choose to engage in an SMS campaign that targets only your top 50 clients or one that targets the top 500. Know your budget and within your planned strategy define the tactics most appropriate to achieve your desired outcome.

A simple but cost-effective digital technique for attracting more customers is the Google advertising network, AdWords. You can connect with potential customers at the magic moments when they are searching for your product or service. You can display your adverts and only pay when people click on them. Essentially this means you are only paying for qualified leads.

Consider what your business objectives are, as well as your other marketing initiatives and ensure they integrate with a consistent brand message or call to action. Investigate the digital landscape as it pertains to your target market. Are they news junkies, focused on fashion, sports mad or all of the above? And where do they go online to have their voice heard and talk to their peer group or community? Know that, and you'll have a clearer idea of where to begin your digital brand conversations. Once you have the platform, plan the content and make sure it answers a specific need in a way that is credible, believable and appropriate. The key is knowing what you want to achieve and mapping out the most relevant digital technique.

What are some of the questions to consider before launching a Web or online campaign?

Ask yourself the same questions you do whenever considering budget spend. Does this offer value to my customers and to my business? Is this where my customers play? For example, if your target market is a lower LSM, don't assume an immersive and engaging Web site will do the trick. Consider the difference in Internet penetration of PC vs mobile in South Africa for this target group (twice as many people access the Internet via their mobile devices than the PC). If their budget is tight and they are cost-conscious of Internet charges, a great functioning mobi site (which doesn't eat up precious data), 'please call me', SMS or mobile advertising campaigns are likely to be the best options.

What's true and what's not about the state of connectivity in SA today?

Driven predominantly by the proliferation of mobile devices able to connect to the internet and lowered data costs, connectivity levels are surging ahead at an astonishing rate. Presently, approximately 6 million South Africans access the Web from their desktops and 13 million via their mobile phones - with a 3 million cross-over. It is estimated that this will climb steadily for accessing via PC to about at least 8 million people and at least by 15 million - 18 million via mobile phones by 2015. The biggest factor driving penetration will be the cost of mobile devises coming down combined with data charges. So, it's a safe bet that your business can find a viable market and customer base within that number.

Which is better in South Africa today; digital or traditional advertising?

This is a question often asked by business owners with limited marketing resources, but the question really ought to be 'what is the best way of engaging my customers so that they will buy my products/services'

Brand advertising will continue to be effective using traditional media as it enables you to transmit a static message to a large number of people (arguably greater reach). It is a different story, though, when it comes to running sales campaigns, as these now need to be cognisant of the conversation space offered by social media and digital platforms. The ROI afforded by permission and conversation marketing far outstrips the measurability traditional platforms can offer. In simple terms, the technology exists to engage customers and potential customers at the right time and in the right place, albeit virtually, so it would be foolish not to use it. In sales speak it's the difference between the staff member who can source leads (the opener) and the staffer who can make sure the deal happens (the closer). In summary digital marketing offers businesses the perfect end-to-end solution from awareness building, aiding consideration through to purchase all online seamlessly.

Change is a constant in any business, and change in consumer behaviour - whether driven by technology, economics or circumstance - is change ignored at your peril. Make sure digital communication with your customer and potential customer base lies at the heart of your brand strategy and take full advantage of the opportunities it presents. The future is bright, the future is digital! We Dig.it.al