It’s no secret that these days, more and more consumers are using the internet to make purchases, with studies showing that three quarters shop online and 66% are using the web to search for information about goods and services. Black Friday saw a huge spike in online sales not only on the day itself, but throughout the whole month of November, causing a 37% month-on-month spending surge. Online sales figures have been creeping up over the years, with many consumers now using mobile phones and tablets to buy online. In fact, the sales engagement platform Buzzboard, reported that a significant 30% of online sales on Black Friday were made via mobile devices. Yet compare this statistic to the fact that 80% of SME’s websites are not available over platforms such as smartphones and tablets, and you’ll get an idea of the profit that SMEs are missing out on by not digitally marketing themselves effectively.
While the digital age offers huge opportunities to SMEs, allowing them to generate business 24 hours a day, most are not taking advantage of this enormous potential. 44% of SMEs don’t have a website, while 93% of the ones that do fail to provide a contact number on their homepage. E-mail marketing is a gift to SMEs as it is reliable, cost efficient and can reach a huge audience, however surprisingly only 15% use it, while a minuscule 11% of this group use e-mails to send promotions. Digital marketing allows SMEs to expand and operate in a way, and on a scale that would not be possible without the internet, yet there is such a small percentage who take full advantage of these digital opportunities.
It is time for small businesses not only to see the huge potential digital marketing has to offer, but also to realise that a digital strategy needn’t be complicated, expensive or time consuming. The Click Hub are digital marketing specialists with a great deal of experience and expertise in helping SMEs excel online. In this day and age, no businesses should be without a digital marketing strategy, so get in touch today for a free audit and discover how we can transform your business and help it reach its full online marketing potential.