Internet Live Stats says that there are approximately 1.7 billion websites online at this very moment (the figure is continuously changing)! That, in itself, makes the internet an exciting space to be.
But that is only true if you are a random internet surfer. You find information from a plethora of different websites, and there is absolutely no limit to the information you can find online.
The other side of this spectrum can be pretty scary.
Ok, maybe a lot scary….
Imagine you operate a business and want to ensure you want to reach out to your customers.
HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO STAND APART FROM 1.7 BILLION WEBSITES?
What is an Online Strategy?
With that one line, we have summed up the problem that the sheer size of the internet poses to any business. Now let’s talk about what you actually can do. The number one priority for any business out there today is to establish an online strategy.
What is this online strategy? This is a strategy that your business follows throughout its functional life online. This strategy informs your business’s online marketing tactics and goals. But before we get into how or why this strategy is essential, let’s burst a bubble.
If you think your business can survive on a solid, traditional strategy, it cannot. Traditional methods are one of the endangered species. Surely, by following that you don’t want to become one. Do you?
Do not be deluded by that age-old myth because it keeps you from progressing. It holds you back.
Establishing your Online Strategy
While every business might have its trends and operations that dictate its online strategy, the first step is almost always an audit. This audit reveals how effective your current efforts are and what you can immediately achieve with minimal efforts.
This very audit goes on to reveal the long-term strategies to use in the future.
Why Is NO Strategy the Ultimate Nightmare?
But while it may seem to be common sense to establish a proper strategy, most businesses want to put in minimal effort. Why invest in an appropriate strategy when you could just figure out along the way what you want to achieve and how you want to do it?
We’ll give you plenty of reasons in a second. But let us take this moment, at the very outset, to say that it is always worth investing in a proper strategy. Here is why:
1. The World is Changing
The most basic reason for investing in an online strategy is that the world is not static (Duh!). It has been changing for millions of years, and it will continue to. With that said, some statistics are warranted.
People believe that in the next five years (sometimes from which has already passed and the results, apparent), digital will account for about 75% of marketing budgets. And while you may think people are naïve, you should keep in mind that mass naivety often leads to self-fulfilling prophecies that can be the realization of your worst nightmares.
So when the world does move to digital marketing budgets of over 75% of total marketing budgets, you will still be grappling with your traditional means. Before long, your business will die out because it will be marketing where nobody listens.
And if you think they are naïve, shed some light here: the number of people on the internet has continuously been rising. In June 2019, 58.8% of people were on the internet, compared to 51.7% in June 2017, compared to 42.3% in June 2014, compared to only 8.6% in August 2001. (*shrug*)
You know you couldn’t keep up with this change without an online strategy.
2. Smartphones are the New Personal Computers
But if you thought changes were only restricted to how many people were on the internet today, think again. It is also about how these people are on the internet. By this time, you should already have seen this coming: cellphones!
Be it in Asia, Europe, America, Middle East, Africa, or North America; smartphones are soon catching up with traditional browsing means (pronounced “PC and Laptops”).
And if you thought the world ignored this rising dependence, think again.
Today, Google’s algorithm favors the ranking of mobile-friendly websites. As a result, the most significant and worst e-commerce websites are making sure they are mobile-friendly too.
If they weren’t, how would they take advantage of the rising mobile commerce we are seeing for quite some time now. And with that said, we can guarantee your business could not have seen this coming without an online strategy.
Now that you know to remember to add those black and white Friday sales to your online strategy. God knows you need it.
3. Nobody Stays on Top Forever
Facebook just recently closed 2.5 billion monthly active users. But no surprises there, right? Facebook has always been the best of the best when it comes to social media.
But what if we told you it is not essentially growing at all. The chart below shows that Facebook is at the very end of the spectrum, with the growth in active users at negative 9% as compared to Pinterest’s 97% in 2014.
We guarantee you did not know that. You probably still argued with Gen Z about why having your business on Facebook was more important than on any other social media website. But the gen Z knows better.
Of course, you would, too, only if you believed in having an online strategy. With the said strategy, you can not know but observe the numbers in real-time.
Final Word
If, after all, that convincing, you still believe that traditional marketing is all you need, we believe we have failed you. But we must make it clear that while we are in absolute favor of online strategy, we have never rejected the need for a conventional strategy for your business presence too.
But there is no denying that the future is online.
