Okay, so your sales numbers look great. Your fishing pole manufacturing company are exceeding sales goals at a record pace thanks to the efforts of your entire organization. You don’t have a digital marketing plan because you don’t need it...or so you think.
Some people like to just sit and wait for the fish to bite. Or they keep going back to their “lucky” fishing hole, knowing that, by the end of the day, they’re going to have a bucket full of fish ready to filet and fry.
But what happens when the fishing hole runs dry? It’s bound to happen sooner or later.
When it comes to your manufacturing business, it is vital that you are always looking at the future. Yes, your sales and profit numbers are sufficient right now...but what about the future? Do you have any plans in place to ensure that your company is not only retaining current customers but also attracting and closing new leads? Let me tell you something: the future is going to be all about the digital world. And you must be proactive, not reactive.
76% of buyers start their research process with Google.
Three in four people start the buying journey online! This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are buying stuff online, but they are starting there to get more information about the product/service they want, compare prices, etc.. I bet you didn’t think it was that high, did you?
I have news for you: that number is only going to grow. Like it or not (and believe it or not) the internet is going to be an even bigger part of our lives in the future. Just think how the buyer’s journey has changed over the last ten years--hell, even the last five. And when it comes to today’s customers, 40% have stated that they want companies to offer more digital interactions than already provided.
If you don’t offer what your customer wants now--the ability to interact with your company online--they’re going to go somewhere else that fills their digital need. This shift may not happen today, but it will happen, and as I said before: being reactive to this will not help you one bit. You know why? Because once your customer has made the jump to another product/service provider, it’s going to be hard to lure them back. Oh, and it’s six to seven times more expensive to get a new customer compared to retaining the ones you already have.
Why Digital Marketing Is Needed
First off your business must have a website, no questions asked. If you don’t have a website, it is vital that you get one built now (we can help!). Get one yesterday for that matter! With that being said, however, simply having a website is no longer enough. Every company has a website these days, except for you if you clicked on that link above and are browsing the awesome services Marketing Essentials has to offer. Anyway, back to the point:
You need to get found.
When buyers are going online to research future purchases and compare prices, they’re looking for YOU. You might want to rank #1 on Google when someone searches “fishing poles in Ohio” but the fact of the matter is that you can’t control Google, and just because you want to rank high doesn’t mean you will. In difficult industries, it can take a full year to rank on the first page (top 10) search results of Google even with a well-defined (and well-executed) digital marketing strategies.
Implementing a solid digital marketing strategy now will only help you to further succeed down the road. We cannot say it enough: you need to be proactive here, not reactive. More and more buyers are beginning their search for products/services online, and if you’re not there, they’re simply going to go somewhere else. You might be able to retain your current customers, but it’s going to be very difficult to get new buyers.
Not sure where to start when it comes to your digital marketing strategy? That’s what we’re here for! Contact one of Marketing Essentials’ amazing Digital Strategists today at 419.629.0080 to learn how digital/inbound marketing can help you get found now and into the future.
