6 Reasons Why Going Digital Is Great for Your Business

Can you think of a business that doesn't have a website or at least some kind of presence on social media? Chances are, it's impossible to come up with one. In the last twenty years, just about every business has gone digital, with good reason. Extensive reach and potential for popularity plus low startup costs make it an effective and convenient way to operate. Business visibility requires online visibility. Still not entirely convinced? Here are several reasons why going digital is a wise choice for your business.

1. Your Market Is Online

Consider the time it takes to facilitate group discussion and administer surveys to get a better picture of your target market or niche. An online presence means you can easily obtain valuable information about your audience and potential customers; their demographics, geographical location, number, and preferences. Tracking the bounce rate (how many people clicked on your website and left immediately) is an important metric, too.

2. You Show Up In Searches

The overwhelming majority of customers first search online before they purchase a product or service. If you don't show up in search engines, you're not on the radar of most consumers. Combining social media and content marketing with a strong web presence also helps drive a sense of familiarity, trust, and goodwill — a powerful boost to the reputation of your business. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key driver of your visibility; make it a high priority.

3. You Get Better Organized

Archiving and filing information the old-fashioned way (i.e. filing cabinets) is inefficient and time-consuming compared to digital alternatives. Not only does the old way take up too much space, but it also compromises security and confidentiality. While "hard copies" will never go away completely, there's much you can do to organize and streamline the documents your business generates. Helpful tools like CRM (customer relationship management) software and/or a web database can make a big difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of your operations.

4. Your Content Is the Focus

Deciding to go digital will allow you to embrace a convergence of trends including SEO, social media, and display advertising which make up content marketing. Good content marketing tells a story; it has a human narrative. This approach is preferred by customers and a growing number of content marketers. Custom content is as much an art as a science and is a rapidly developing area of focus and expertise. Going digital enables you to embrace all that content marketing has to offer and personalize your offerings in a way that's authentic and persuasive.

5. You Save Money

It's affordable and straightforward to make the shift to digital operations. Developing and maintaining a website, while important, does not require a large workforce. Downloadable enterprise collaboration systems will allow you to communicate with employees and coworkers efficiently — including virtual teams. You can store paperwork and data on a computer system, with an external drive or online storage backup. It's much less expensive than maintaining reams of files in storage or multiple cabinets.

6. Your Interactions Increase

If you go digital, your customers can engage with you using the platform that they prefer. You're providing a varied multimedia experience, using visuals, videos, links, or well-written copy. Your interactions become more plentiful and personal, with the chance for you to cultivate a unique and sincere brand "voice." Granted, it's a bit of a learning curve, but well worth every minute of effort you put in. As you gain more information through your customer interactions, you can tweak aspects of your content marketing plan to meet the needs of your audience.

Digital media and the online world have a potent influence on today's culture. Going digital means that you can take advantage of a world of opportunities. Make it easy for your customers to discover you, learn about what you do, communicate with you — and make the experience as effortless and pleasurable as possible.