Marketing is that aspect of the business that you can never ignore. As owners of a gym or studio, setting aside a separate budget for marketing is a smart idea. The expansion of the internet and social media has caused many businesses to adapt their marketing strategies to get a competitive edge over each other.  

There are many reasons why digital marketing is better than traditional marketing and those who don’t adopt or have a strategy struggle. As a business owner, it is good to stay updated with the latest marketing trends and how to use them to your company’s advantage.

1. Reduce cost: The cost of online advertising is low compared to traditional methods that companies still use out there. Most traditional methods still have their place but can be very expensive to upkeep. Newspaper ads, television ads cost a lot. Online advertising is something that doesn’t require that much upfront cost and the return on investment is high.

2. Real-time results: With traditional marketing, you have to wait for weeks or even months before results start to turn up. Online advertising lets you see everything in real-time:

       1. How many people showed interest 

       2. What time people are looking for your business

       3. Percentage of people who converted and took action on your offer

       4. Real-time data and results to make better decisions

3. Funnels: Customers go through different journeys when looking for a service. Some are ready to try right away and some take time to figure out what they want. Being able to advertise to them at different stages when they are making their decisions makes it easier for you to land those clients. For example, they see your ad and your offer but need time to consider, later they see a new ad promotion for the next month that very enticing.

4. Reach: Thousands of people use online tools for their needs such as Google or Facebook. The more money you put into online advertising the more people you can reach. Even if your facing big giant competitors its doesn’t matter online since everyone is on an even playing field when it comes to cost per click. 

5. Data-driven strategy: Through analytics and real-time result you are able to adjust your marketing strategy and create new strategies right away into your campaigns. If your business is in a peak season or a slow season you can easily turn up or down the marketing budget to what you know works. Knowing your audience and how they interact with your messaging makes it easier for you to get your message across with data to back it up.

6. Consumers: More than 80% of shoppers/buyers do their research online before investing in a product/service. Most of the research is done on mobile while people are looking for services close by that provide solutions for their needs.

Digital marketing can scale your business in a big way if you know what you are doing. Having an amazing strategy and funnel system for clients will give your company a good chance to grow. Knowing how to apply these to your marketing strategy will give you a huge advantage.