Digital Marketing is critical to the success of SMEs

Advertising is about trying to influence people to take an action we want such as choosing our brand in a supermarket, visiting our social media sites or even our website.  Digital marketing can be viewed as an equalizer in business; this is because unlike conventional forms of mass media marketing through radio, TVs and the likes which are beyond the reach of most SMEs, digital marketing through the internet is relatively cheaper and accessible to all businesses.

The question of whether to embrace digital marketing or not depends on the nature of business and its future plans.

Take for example; a dairy farmer in Githunguri supplying milk to a local cooperative on a fixed contract with no ambition to diversify and grow their farming business; similarly a butcher located at City Market with an established client base who is satisfied with the status quo may not find any good use in digital marketing.

On the other hand, a butcher seeking to diversify from their current product offering of maybe Beef to Pork, Rabbit and goat meat; broaden the their business to include restaurants, retail and hotel chains in Kenya needs to incorporate digital marketing as part of their strategies.

SMEs that don’t use the digital sphere to market their wares are missing out on opportunities. An increasing number of consumers are relying on the internet everyday to research, evaluate and purchase products and services they intend to consume.

SMEs can take advantage of the uniqueness of the internet to transcend constraints such as geography and time zones to connect a wider audience.

A small business can start by setting up a social media page or a basic website with your brochures letting people know what you do and sending out periodically an update of your products to existing customers an email newsletter.

Whether you are running a boutique from your house, a small scale pastry producer, second hand clothes seller or upcoming farmer seeking to expand business you must know that a growing proportion of your customer base is already online. As more and more people rely on the internet for product information, research and purchasing needs; SMEs must realize that digital marketing will certainly be critical to their continued success.