Internet Marketing is one of the greatest phenomenons of our time; it has help to change the ways and modes that business activities are now being conducted the world over. So, what is this almighty phenomenon?
Please, allow me to chip at this point that Internet Marketing is not something that can be explained and made totally clear in just a basic write-up like this, but it helps a good deal if you get a grip on the basics and I can guarantee you the best in the basics. Please read on..
Internet marketing is the process of promoting a company, a product or a service using online (internet) media, usually with the main aim of increasing sales and boosting profits. Internet marketing doesn’t simply mean building and promoting a website neither does it mean just putting a banner ad up on another website.
In essence, totally effective Internet marketing demands a comprehensive scheme that synergizes a given organization’s business model and sales goes with their website function and appearance, focusing on a target market through appropriate choice of advertising media, design, and type. That is, leveraging the Internet as a means of communicating a company’s messaging, attracting prospects and customers, and conducting market research.
Internet marketing can also be referred to in a variety way;
* Online marketing – The Internet is also being referred to as the online.
* Internet advertising – The soles aim of advertising is marketing and marketing cannot be archived without advertising, therefore the two are absolutely synonymous
* E-Marketing – In full Electronic Marketing is the marketing of products or services over the Internet.
* Webvertising (Web Marketing) – That is when it applies to the subset of website based ad placement.
Strategy and Methods:
Internet marketing can be said to tie together a wide range of creative and technical aspects of the internet, these includes design, development, advertising and sales. Internet marketing methods and strategies encompass a wide range of services such as:
* Search engine marketing (SEM) - Search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click (PPC),
* Affiliate marketing
* E-mail marketing
* Online market research
* Text-based advertising
* Behavioral marketing
* Display advertising
* Software-based ads
* Newsletter marketing
* Customer Relationship Management Marketing
* Web press releases • Interactive advertising
* Online reputation management(ORM)
* Social Media Marketing Methods such as blog marketing and Viral marketing.
Internet Marketing vs. Offline:
MarketingResponse and immediate results: Since the online marketing initiatives usually require users to click on the message, go to a website, and perform a targeted action, the results of campaigns are immediately measured and tracked. On the other hand, someone driving a car that sees a billboard will at best be interested and might decide to get more information at some time.
Behavioral targeting vs. demographics targeting: off-line marketers typically segment their markets according to age group, sex, geography, and other general factors. Online marketers have the luxury of targeting by activity. This is a deeper form of targeting, since the advertiser knows that the target audience are people who do a certain activity (have blogs, upload pictures, …etc.) instead of just expecting that a certain group of people will like their new product or service.
One-to-one vs. one-to-many approach: The targeted user is typically browsing the Internet on their own, and the marketing messages reach them personally. This can be very clearly seen in search marketing, where the users find advertisements targeted to specific keywords that the users asked for.
Measurability: Almost all aspects of an online campaign can be traced, measured, and tested. The advertisers either pay per banner impression (CPM), pay per click (PPC), or pay per action accomplished. Therefore, it is easy to understand which messages or offering are more appealing to the audience.
Benefits of Online Marketing
To Marketers:
* Customer Relationship Building - companies can interact with customers to learn more about their needs and to build customer databases.
* Reduce Costs & Increase Efficiency - avoid the expense of maintaining a physical store, costs of rent, insurance, and utilities. Digital catalogues cost less to produce than printing and mailing paper catalogues.
* Greater Flexibility - unlike a paper catalog whose products and prices are fixed until the next printing, an online catalog can be adjusted daily or even hourly, adapting product availability, prices, and promotions to match changing market conditions.
* Access to Global Markets - The Internet is a global medium, which allows buyers and sellers to click from one country to another in seconds.
* Relatively inexpensive - Companies can reach a wide audience for a small fraction of traditional advertising budgets. The nature of the medium allows consumers to research and purchase products and services at their own convenience: An internet marketing campaign puts an organization's message in front of consumers precisely when they want it.
* The interactive nature of Internet marketing - both in terms of instant response and in eliciting response, are unique qualities of the medium.
To Customers:
* Convenient - customers can shop 24 hours a day from anywhere without going to the store physically.
* Interactive & Immediate - consumers can interact with the seller's site to find the information, products, or services they desire, then order or download them on the spot.
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Contributor's Note
Finally, like I said at the beginning, that Internet marketing is not the type phenomenon that can be explained and made absolutely clear in just a single blog post like, if you have read thus far I believe you will agree with me now but then I hope you have grasp the basics above. Ok, maybe I should make it a series as it will not be complete without some practical “how-to” guides, so keep checking back for more details.
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