Add Internet Marketing To Your Marketing Mix
The importance of internet marketing is continuing to expand.
Surveys of all kinds show a major shift in traditional marketing
budgets to dollars being spent online to market all types of
products and services.
Internet Marketing Defined. Internet marketing is the use of the
Internet to advertise and sell products and services. Within the
definition of Internet Marketing you will find mention of pay
per click advertising, banner ads, e-mail marketing, search
engine marketing (including search engine optimization), blog
marketing, and article marketing. Each of these subject areas is
important to consider prior to planning your internet marketing
strategy.
Internet Marketing Provides Many Benefits. There are many
advantages to having a fully executable internet marketing
strategy. These benefits include measurability, flexibility, and
affordability. Many online marketing tactics provide marketing
professionals with the ability to customer acquisition costs.
Moreover, marketing professionals are better able to track what
marketing campaigns are working and quickly allocate their
spending towards higher producing media placements.
Internet Marketing Tactics. As the Internet has expanded, so
have the opportunities for marketing online. Here we will take a
brief look at each type of Internet marketing and explain the
benefits of each.
1. Pay-per-click Advertising. Sites like Google offer
pay-per-click advertising for anyone interested in getting their
message in front of the right segment or prospective buyer. This
method is highly targeted and offers one of the best and most
popular forms of internet marketing. Marketers using
pay-per-click advertising only pay a fee, based on the
competitiveness of a keyword or ad title, when a link is clicked
on.
2. Banner Ads. Once the king of Internet marketing, online
banner ads have evolved to include animated and flash banners,
but the premise remains largely the same. Marketers purchase a
specified number of impressions to run on a single site or
network of sites and are generally not guaranteed a specific
number of clicks.
3. Email Marketing. Effective among current clients and
prospects who have requested information form your company,
email marketing is a well established means to communicate and
marketing your products. However, be aware of CAN-SPAM
requirements and contact preferences of those you plan to reach.
4. Search Engine Marketing. If you want web browsers to visit
your site, than focusing on search engine optimization and
search engine marketing is a must. No Internet marketing plan is
complete without ensuring that your site is submitted and
included on major directories like Google, Yahoo!, and DMOZ. The
dollars spent on Search Engine Marketing of any type will pay
huge dividends.
5. Blog Marketing. Getting mention of your site or information
related to your products can quickly scale if you are able to
effectively tap into the countless blogs that are being created
everyday. It is essential that you focus your efforts on blogs
covering topics relevant to your product or service offering.
6. Article Marketing. One of the most important aspects of
Internet Marketing, is to improve the link popularity to your
site and improve the awareness of your product or service
offering. To do so, many companies are focusing on publishing
valuable content and making available for other to post to their
website's.
Regardless of the Internet marketing tactics you choose, be sure
to consider an integrated marketing strategy. Be sure that your
internet marketing has a specific goal and is supported with a
definitive plan and budget. Lastly, be sure to pick up a book,
conduct some research, or work with professionals to enhance
your Internet marketing know-how.