Websites, social media pages and apps are three forms of digital platform that can be used to win over customers. But which one is likely to benefit your business the most? Below are some of the key things to consider about each platform when deciding where to invest your money.
A website
Websites are the most traditional digital platform for marketing a business. In the early days, they served as digital catalogues for many businesses. Nowadays, most websites function as digital stores – allowing customers to directly buy products through them.
Having a website has almost become a sign of legitimacy in today’s market. If you don’t have a website, a lot of customers may not trust you. This is why almost every company nowadays has a website.
If your product/service is typically a planned purchase rather than an impulse buy, you could find that a website is an invaluable tool and worth investing money heavily into. Such customers are more likely to search for your business on Google or Bing rather than choosing to purchase your product after seeing an ad, and therefore a website is necessary in order to tap into certain keywords that customers may be searching (i.e. SEO).
Social media
Companies first started using social media pages as digital bulletins in order to keep current customers in the loop about new products and events. However, social media has proven itself to be just as valuable a tool for attracting new customers.
By paying to promote posts, you can help your company reach new audiences. The most engaging ads are typically image-heavy, making social media a great tool for promoting products that are visually enticing (like clothes, food or vacation destinations). Social media is also better for marketing impulse purchases – or simply making customers aware of products they didn’t realise they wanted. This includes things like mobile games and quirky novelty gifts that people are less likely to search for.
Not everyone uses social media, which is something to consider when focusing on social media marketing. You also need to carefully consider which social media platforms to target – some have more of a B2B focus (like LinkedIn) while others are primarily B2C (like Instagram).
An app
More companies are hiring developers to build a custom mobile app. An app leaves a permanent reminder of your business on your customer’s phone. It is therefore a great tool for inspiring return business.
In fact, apps can contain all kinds of features that can help to inspire customer loyalty from serving as digital loyalty cards to providing the ability to send notifications directly to customers when a new product or deal is available.
Apps are usually not aimed at new customers (unless your app is the product itself) and may not be suitable for companies that do not get a lot of return customers (such as an engagement ring manufacturer). They are better suited to companies that customers are going to want to purchase from continuously, or ongoing services that customers may pay a subscription for.
All three?
While it’s usually worth focusing most of your attention on one of these digital marketing platforms, there’s no reason why you can’t still take advantage of all three platforms. Having a website, social media pages and an app could increase your digital presence and help you target different types of customers.