Brands needed to shift their thinking from traditional advertising to digital advertising, according to Covid-19.
According to an IAB survey, South Africans are using the internet more than ever before to shop, game, and watch TV. South Africans are online, so as a brand, you should be too.
Are you taking advantage of digital marketing? Here are three low-cost marketing ideas.
- Begin with e-mail marketing
- GetResponse
- Instant messaging for smooth customer service
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Begin with e-mail marketing
If you aren’t using email marketing yet, now is the time to start. Email marketing outperforms all other digital marketing channels in South Africa, according to research.
TouchBase Pro found that clients reported a 30:1 ROI when using targeted email marketing. This means that for every R1 spent by clients, they get back R30.
Use free tools like MailChimp to keep your email marketing budget low.
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GetResponse
GetResponse is also free for businesses with 500 or fewer contacts. These packages are ideal for SMEs (SME). Both tools provide analytics such as open and click-through rates so you can make data-driven decisions rather than launching a campaign based on guesswork. To make email marketing work for you, you need to invest time and patience.
Is your brand ready for the Gram?
Instagram is the place to find millennials and GenZers. Unlike other platforms with complex ad placement systems, boosting a post on Instagram is simple and intuitive.
The platform is great because you no longer need an Instagram profile or account to run ads. You can redirect users to a landing page, your website, or any other URL using Facebook. Instagram also allows you to pause or cancel your promotion at any time during the campaign if you don’t get the results you expected or if your budget runs out.
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Instant messaging for smooth customer service
Using WhatsApp – the country’s most popular instant messaging app – is one of the cheapest ways to reach your target audience. WhatsApp for Business, a dedicated channel for SMEs, allows them to communicate with their customers via instant messaging. With WhatsApp for Business, you can create a profile with your company info, set up automated responses, and label your chats. Several innovative small businesses are using WhatsApp as a digital marketing tool.
Coffee shops are allowing customers to order via WhatsApp and have it delivered to their workplace. Retailers use it to promote daily deals and specials. Musicians and artists use it to promote their shows and recruit new fans. If you want to grow your database without spending money on ads, WhatsApp can be a powerful marketing tool.