Let’s look at the following statistics: 80% of U.S. adults are online, and this number is constantly growing as the next generation goes into adulthood. Not only are people going online, but they are also spending more and more time in the digital space. In fact, 33% of consumers spend more than 3 hours online a day. A day!
If we had to draw a conclusion from these numbers, it is easy to see why the debate about digital marketing vs traditional marketing is taking new and interesting turns. Gone are the days when online advertising was considered the new kid on the block and something that mattered to only a handful of businesses.
Going back to consumers, they are not only chatting on Facebook or stalking their high school crush. People are actively researching products they plan on buying. 80% of users do an online search prior to making a purchasing decision. What does that tell you? You simply must be online.
However, being online is not enough. When looking for information, be it about products or services, around 85% of users never go past the first page of results. So, you should not only have a solid online presence, but you also need to have a killer SEO strategy in place to ensure you are the first answer to your target audience’s search questions.
Do you need more data to convince you of the indisputable reign of digital marketing?
To begin with, consumers today prefer to find you online rather than make the extra effort to visit your store or talk to you over the phone. Moreover, around 87% of people’s shopping experience happens through either a PC or a laptop, which means you get to target only 13% of users through traditional, non-digital, marketing.
