Digital marketing key to success in business — expert

AMMAN — Websites seeking to boost their visitor numbers and businesses or start-ups striving to grow should allocate 5-20 per cent of their budgets to  marketing, an expert said on Tuesday.  

With the increasing use of social media, an online presence coupled with a well-studied digital marketing strategy helps to increase the profitability of businesses and the growth of start-ups, digital marketing trainer Paul Smith told The Jordan Times.

Speaking on the sidelines of a digital marketing seminar held by the agency Ideas Corporate Communication in Amman, Smith said it was important to budget for marketing from the start of an enterprise. 

“Sometimes start-ups, websites and businesses start without allocating enough budgets for promotions and marketing online, and this will not help at all,” Smith said, stressing that digital marketing ensures wider reach than traditional marketing can.  

“Good products do not deliver [on their own]…. No matter how good a product or a service is, it does not ensure its success and roll out…. It is all about proper marketing,” he added. 

Utilising smartphones is a great tool for start-ups and businesses to increase their growth and reach out, Smith said. 

Some 70 per cent of mobiles used in Jordan are smartphones, according to the ICT Ministry.

The number of Internet users in the Kingdom rose to 6.3 million in the third quarter of 2015 from 6.2 million in the second quarter, according to figures released by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.

Prior to going online, start-ups and businesses should develop their credibility by ensuring that they have relevant content for the users, according to Smith, who added that business websites should be easy to navigate, with frequently updated content.  

“Businesses should test, test and test their websites and services before launching to the masses as any flaws might greatly harm the business, even if it is a typo,” said Smith, who has written several books on marketing. 

The three-day seminar, which concludes on Wednesday, attracted representatives from private and public sectors, and covered topics like search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and content marketing.