When it comes to digital marketing, just about every company uses at least one form in their campaigns. Its simplicity and availability in the market make it super attractive to entrepreneurs. With increased social media platforms and marketing, every company strives to have at least an account on these platforms to build and engage their customers.
With the help of technology, many businesses can execute and manage simple digital campaigns in house. In addition to social media platforms, developers have also come up with various apps and software that are relatively straightforward and available in the market. You need not have an extensive background in programming as the heavy work in designing already exists. Many of these tools are quite easy to install and deploy.
3 Hidden Costs of Digital Marketing
While the ease of use makes digital marketing appealing, it also provides an illusion that digital marketing is free. For example, it’s free to set up a profile on a social media platform. There are many free graphic design tools available for a design novice to explore. From headline analyzers to email marketing providers, there are a plethora of tools for you to use to create and schedule content.
However, as business owners, we have to consider a number of factors before we embark on a digital campaign. Let’s face it, we’ve all been lured by the appearance of “free” as it relates to digital marketing campaigns. But looks can be deceiving. Even if you are a one-person operation, you still have costs associated with all the “free” associated with using the internet for marketing.
Here are some of the hidden costs you need to consider and factor in to your budget when using digital marketing.
The Expense of Time
You will probably use more time handling digital marketing due to the numerous processes and editing you need. First, you need to come up with appropriate content for your audience. Then, since it is a daily activity, you need to schedule a specific time and deadline to submit the content.
If you are working alone in the content creation department, you’ll likely spend alot of time performing research – on best practices, competitors, and of course you will have to ensure you keep the inspiration going. You also have to engage with your audience, which is quite time-consuming. Social media marketing alone can drain you, due to the demands and the goal of keeping the platforms active.
Here are some of the hidden costs you need to consider and factor in to your budget when using digital marketing. Click To TweetContent Creation and Editing
Content creation and editing are some of the most daunting tasks in digital marketing. You need to ensure that you are putting out correct information in an appealing manner. Most people choose to hire content creators to lift the burden off their shoulders. However, you can still choose to do it yourself. Or if you have a team, you would likely task your in-house department to work on it.
The kinds of digital marketing campaigns you employ will have specific needs as it relates to content creation. For example, if you’re putting up a social media profile, you may need a graphic banner. If you are hosting an educational webinar, you may need promotional graphics in different sizes, in addition to graphics for the actual webinar itself.
Are you launching a podcast? You will need to write a podcast description, with a graphic for the profile. This in addition to writing the description for each podcast episode, as well as creating the cover art. And we haven’t even covered the graphics and editing needed for videos!
As you can gather, the tools and platforms may be free to use, but you must consider all of the production costs associated with using each platform. From the visual elements to the text, someone has to write and design every part of the content.
You only need to ensure that your team gets the proper guidance from the experts (like Joey Armstrong) to present impressive campaigns. The content’s quality needs to be progressive and engaging to make your campaign a success.
Digital marketing may seem cheap on the surface, but there are 3 key hidden costs every business must consider. Click To TweetExtra Costs for Additional Human Resources
Since most digital content will need additional human resources in your company to ensure quality and moderation, this is an additional cost in your campaign that was otherwise (on the surface) cheap.
For example, using social media marketing as a customer service tool requires that someone pay attention and be on the receiving end of messages to ensure the customers are satisfied with their inquiries. If you would like to use social media for paid advertising, you need to factor in additional help and the extra advertising costs. As you know, these platforms have many people frequenting them, and can serve as an unbelievably valuable tool to market, sell and otherwise engage with customers.
You will also need to have an extra set of hands during the design, updates, and upgrades in the tools you purchased to keep your company secure and working towards its goals.
Bottom Line
Digital marketing may seem easy and cheap due to the numerous benefits and accessibility. However, you have to be keen on the costs associated with each part of your digital marketing campaign. When you factor in these additional costs of time, content creation and management (at a minimum), you will give yourself and your business the best chance for success with your next digital marketing campaign.
Ciao,
Miss Kemya
- Why You Have To Hire People To Make More Money - 04/17/2024
- Why Is Your Business In A Rut? - 04/02/2024
- Your Sales Offer Isn’t Special If Your Sale Never Ends - 03/15/2024