Whether we like it or not, we’re currently in the digital age of technology. It’s transformative, fast-paced, and ever-changing.

It’s had a huge impact on our lifestyles as well as the way we learn, work and buy. Today, consumers are now dependent on search engines like Google, and social media to help them make even the tiniest of purchases. In fact, it was found that 81% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. Its enabled people to educate themselves to be more scrupulous when making decisions to buy.

As a result, organisations are realising the importance of acknowledging and adapting to this digital growth. Especially if they want to achieve lasting customer success and be as profitable as possible. 76% of marketers think that marketing has changed more in the past two years than in the past fifty – which means continual upskilling for employees is vital.

The truth is, there is a long list of benefits of having digital marketing skills within your business. It builds brand awareness, saves you on cost, and drives revenue are just to name a few.

Here are 5 benefits of having digital marketing skills within your business:

1.       It motivates employees

At the moment, there’s a shortage of digital skills throughout all industries, and companies are struggling to find talent suited to their needs. However, the easier and ultimately more cost effective option is to cultivate skills within current employees.

According to Adobe, organisations with a plan for their digital maturity aim to train and develop the skills of their existing workforce. They recognise that training, and the opportunity for professional and personal development is often a major priority for employees. And without it, they tend to feel unstimulated and disillusioned.

Empowering employees with a digital education not only gives them new digital capabilities, and a renewed work attitude, but they can leverage their training as a powerful retention tool as well.  90% of companies claim that the main benefit of digital transformation is the increase in employee productivity.

2. It can help drive more revenue

Organisations have begun to acknowledge the benefits digital can bring, causing an increase in digital ad spend and marketing budgets. According to a Capgemini, companies with a stronger digital intensity derive more revenue and are between 9%-26% more profitable.

Consumers have become more empowered by digital technology, and now rely less on sales reps and more on their own ability to research when making purchases.

To accomodate this change, organisations need to revitalise their marketing strategies to utilise the same channels and platforms customers do in order to reach them effectively.

Investing in digital skills can enable your organisation to better nurture it’s customer relationships and ultimately convert more buyers throughout the customer journey.

3. It can save you money

Digital Marketing’s main principles are based on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. More specifically, you can save money through:

• Precise ad targeting, which results in lower cost-per-lead
• Easy and immediate online interactions with a segmented target audience can generate more conversions for less cost
• Data from analytics tools provide invaluable insight that can help you refine your digital strategy and avoid unnecessary spending.

According to Gartner,  40% of organisations claimed they experienced major cost savings from using digital marketing methods to promote their products and services. These savings can then be taken and reinvested into more digital marketing strategies and tactics to increase revenue with lower expense.

The fact is, with anything digital, it’s so much easier to track your expenditure. For every dollar you put in a campaign, you’ll have total visibility on how much you will gain and track whether it’s working effectively, or if changes need to be made to optimise the campaign.

4. It can help your organisation develop a competitive edge

Despite digital skillsets being a fundamental need for organisations to succeed in today’s world, there is still a large number of organisations who remain disengaged with digital strategy.

Digital Marketing methods are enablers for success, and if leveraged successfully, it can help organisations develop and maintain a competitive advantage.

5. It’s easier than you think

It’s true that the unknown can be a little scary, but once you’re equipped with the knowledge and tools, it all becomes much more familiar.

Same goes with digital marketing. The biggest barrier to digital adoption is the lack of expertise and the lack of organisation commitment to the area. In order to unlock the potential that digital holds for your organisation, it’s essential to train your employees in digital marketing skills to reap the benefits.