How to Get into Digital Marketing to Take Advantage of SA’s Growing Internet Economy

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Digital Marketing

Anyone who wants to forge a successful career path in one of the many industries that the internet has created should look at what has worked well in the west first. South Africa is more than ten years behind Europe and North America in terms of internet penetration, but online availability is on the rise. Now is the perfect time to get into digital marketing in the country, which has become a billion-dollar sector over the last decade. 

 Why is Digital Marketing the Way Forward?

 Digital marketing is the future for both online and offline industries. This is because fewer people are using physical tools to find what they are looking for. For example, in the pre-internet era, people would look for a plumber in the phone directory. Nowadays, it’s a quick Google search. Likewise, people found out about local restaurants through leaflets in the past. In 2021, they see them appear while they scroll through their social media

 The figures for digital marketing is astounding. In the USA alone, businesses spent $356 billion on online advertising in 2020. That number is expected to grow by another $100 billion by 2024. Internet penetration in SA is now at just over 68 percent of the population. This is where the USA was in 2006, highlighting how the market in the African country is over a decade behind the USA. This means that industries that have blown up across the Atlantic in recent years are set to explode in SA soon too. 

 Of course, digital marketing is just one of many industries that South Africans could look to jump on as internet access improves in the country. The reason why it is such an attractive prospect is that it’s easy for anyone to get involved and you don’t need much capital to get started. For example, you can start increasing your TikTok views for as little as US $4.00! 

 Offers and Promotions are Key to Online Advertising

 Online marketing has traditionally had a heavy focus on offers and promotions. This is because the internet has opened swathes of new options for people, and there is no longer any need for consumers to stick with a particular brand just because it’s available to them. If you want to be a successful digital marketer, you need to position offers in such a way that people feel like they’re missing out if they don’t snaffle them up. 

 The figures say it all. A whopping 80 percent of consumers will buy from a new company if they are offered a discount, and two-thirds of people will make an unplanned purchase based on a promotion. Social media marketing is all about deals and promotions, and you need to give readers a reason to click through by presenting something enticing. 

 Internet users in SA have already seen a rise in offers in the most competitive industries that cropped up as online access boomed. The best place to find major bonuses is in the casino industry, where sites are vying for customers over their rivals. Players now use review sites to find the best casino bonuses in South Africa, simply because there are so many of them. There are first deposit bonuses, exclusive bonuses, and free spins offers. These sites also recommend places based on other aspects such as whether they have a mobile option, but it’s the bonuses that draw most people in. Keen digital marketers need to learn about the power of attractive offers and use them to their advantage. 

How Can You Get Your Name Out There?

 Digital marketing is a lucrative prospect because there are so many businesses out there that need help with their advertising. Once you get started and develop a feel for things, it’s easy for the number of clients you take on to snowball. In the early stages, though, it’s wise to pick a niche and focus on mastering advertising strategies for them first. 

 For example, you could only contact personal trainers, to begin with, and through trial and error, you will find the best marketing solutions to suit them. LinkedIn and Facebook are the perfect places to find these potential clients, and you can message them to tell them what you have to offer. 

 Digital marketing is about to blow up in SA, the same way it did in the USA. Savvy business-minded individuals who pounce on it and get established now seem set to reap the rewards over the next few years.