Everything is happening online these days. There is a lot of purchasing that everyone is doing through their phone or computer: buying groceries, booking a cab. If you have a business, whether big or small, being online is not a choice anymore, if it is, then an online business is a must. As an Indian businessperson, it is essential to understand what digital marketing is. It is also important to know why it is crucial for businesses today. Digital marketing plays a key role in business growth, especially in the current digital age.
1. Everyone Is Online
Your customers are already online, first thing’s first. There are more than 900 million internet users in India in 2024, the number grows every day. And the best part? A great chunk of these users is made up of Google, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and other platform users.
Example: Think about your own habits. Don’t you just Google ‘best restaurants near me’ or Zomato when you’re hungry? Then, what if a restaurant doesn’t have a website or social media presence? Are you going to visit it? Probably not, right? Exactly these businesses are rolled out across India. Nobody sees you online if you don’t, so you’re leaving behind a large chunk of your potential customer base.
2. Cost-Effective Advertising
Compared to TV ads, radio ads, or newspaper ads, digital marketing is more affordable. The return on investment (ROI) is much better. It works well for small businesses and new startups.
Example: Imagine a small startup from Bangalore selling their handmade soaps. They don’t have to spend lakhs on a TV commercial, rather they can start a Facebook ad campaign on ₹500 a day. They’ll get to thousands of potential leads, it’ll be run in a targeted way and they will be able to see exactly how many clicks their ad received. Well that’s the power of digital marketing!
3. Reach a Global Audience or Stay Local
That’s one of the biggest things I love about digital marketing—you can do it however far you want to go. You can choose to target a local audience, a national audience or even the global audience.
Example:
India has great potential for small businesses. A small business in Jaipur can sell traditional Rajasthani crafts. They can reach buyers in the US or Europe through an e-commerce website. Targeted Facebook ads can help them attract customers.
Meanwhile, a local vegetable vendor in Mumbai can use WhatsApp Business to connect with customers. They can share daily offers and receive orders directly.
No matter the business, digital marketing allows you to reach the right person, regardless of their location.
4. Target the Right Audience
Digital marketing is also the most powerful medium to market to a particular group of people. Whether it’s based on age, location, interests, or behaviour online, digital marketing can get you there.
Example: For example if you own a gym in Hyderabad. Here, you don’t want to target everyone. That means you can only display your ads to people within 10 km of you, aged 20 to 40 and who’ve already exhibited interest in fitness. The last thing you want is to waste money on ads shown to random people. You can instead target ads to people who are more likely to sign up for a gym membership.
5. Build Brand Awareness
It is super important to build a brand that people can trust in India, where there are many such big brands. This is one of the best ways to do this through digital marketing.
Example: Mamaearth and BoAt were not built on traditional advertising. They were built on creating content and engaging customers. They used social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. This made it easier for them to build trust with their customers and get strong brand loyalty.
This approach can be followed by small businesses too. No matter if you are selling with a local bakery or handmade jewellery, digital marketing is a great way to reach your users and create loyal fans.
6. Interactive and Engaging
Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing enables real time interactions between them. It helps strengthen your relationship with your audience. This is because it creates more engagement with them.
Example: For an example, let’s say I am talking about Zomato. Random people see something they find funny on Twitter or Instagram and they leave a comment, a meme, or a joke. The fact that you are listening, interacts with the brand in a more human and relatable way. Now they’re not just telling you what they think, now it’s a conversation.
Just like, if you’re running a local store, you can engage with your customers through comments, messages or even live chat. It is good because it builds trust and means your customers will keep coming back for more.
7. Track and Measure Performance
You can measure (almost) everything in digital marketing. You can see how many people clicked your ad, visited your website, or make a purchase.
Example: Well, we assumed that if you are running a fashion store in Delhi then you be running a Google ad campaign. However, after a few days you’ll be able to see how many people visited your ad, how many actually visited your website, and how many even bought something. When sales are low, you can easily change an ad or website to get the results you want quickly. Traditional marketing can’t offer this.
8. Stay Competitive
There is so much big and small business going on in India with tonnes of businesses all fighting for the same customers. Digital marketing is your secret to staying ahead of your competitors.
Example: Suppose there’s a new mobile shop in Mumbai and its competitors run social media, Google Ads and YouTube to market their products. None of these tools is being used by the new shop. And in this case the new shop is already at a disadvantage. If you keep an active presence on the web, your business will stay competitive, and even your customers will remember you.
9. Adapting to Changing Consumer Habits
Consumption is changing fast in India. They’re tech savvy, more mobile dependent and researching and shopping online more than ever. Digital marketing keeps you in touch with these changing habits.
Example: For example, a small farm-to-table business can use Facebook and Instagram. It can reach health-conscious millennials who want organic food from Punjab.
Similarly, a local clothing store in Kolkata can use WhatsApp Business. It can run sales and contact clients directly.
10. Mobile Dominance in India
India is a mobile first country. Most people use smartphones or tablets to access the internet. This means your marketing strategies should be mobile-friendly.
Example: This happens during major events like IPL. We receive SMS updates from e-commerce websites. These updates include flash sales and discounts from Flipkart and Amazon. That means they get to people even if they’re not browsing social media. In India today, one of the most effective ways is to reach out to customers through mobile marketing.
11. Supports Small Businesses
Digital marketing reaches almost the same level field for small businesses in India. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot out of it.
Example: Suppose you are running a small food delivery based in Chennai. Post pictures of food you ate, using local hashtags and spend ₹300 – ₹500 a day, you can run ads there. This is how to get a ton of people without spending a ton of money.
12. Boosts Revenue and Growth
Digital marketing directly applies to your sales and revenue. If you focus on reaching the right audience, producing quality content.
And running successful ad campaigns, your business income can spike up.
Example: In Pune, a language coaching institute can drive YouTube ads to students who wish to learn a foreign language. Thus, the enrollment is made possible with a small budget and they can grow their business.
13. Content is King
With digital marketing in present day world, content can be the backbone of the whole marketing. Those businesses who are able to write valuable and relevant content will be able to skew a stronger relationship with their clients.
Example: For starters, free educational content proved to be a big draw for Byju’s. Through this strategy, they built a huge following and a strong reputation.
14. Works for All Types of Businesses
No matter whether you own a small local shop or a big national brand; digital marketing will work for you.
Example:
- In Gurgaon, Facebook Ads can be used by a real estate agent to reach people who want to buy homes.
- If you want to showcase your latest fashion boutique designs, Instagram is the solution. It helps you attract more customers through your social media presence.
Bringing It All Together
The world of business today mandates digital marketing. Businesses that do not use digital marketing will fall behind. This is especially true as people spend much of their time online. Digital marketing doesn’t need to be complex. It doesn’t matter if you are a small business or if you are a big company, you can make it to your customers, increase your sales and grow your business.
If you haven’t started using digital marketing yet the time to start is now, finally It’s time. Don’t wait to get your business online and build your digital presence now.
Is there anything you’ve loved or anything you’ve hated about digital marketing? What are you going to use it for your business? If you didn’t know, let me know in the comments below.