Also known as e-marketing, web marketing, internet marketing or search engine marketing (SEM), online marketing is the term used to describe the way in which the internet can be used alongside other media to market a whole range of goods and services to a global audience. Use of the internet has flourished and the proportion of business done over the internet continues to grow. It can only increase in the future as the forms of information and communication technologies expand.
The benefits of online marketing over traditional marketing are numerous and include:
24-hour global access - Not only can you market your goods and services 24 hours a day but your clients and future customers can access information about your business throughout the day wherever they are in the world. This means that you can maintain current markets as well as explore new possibilities without the need for massive investment. The key is the ability to communicate effectively and profitably with your audience developing and publicising your brand identity.
Cost-effectiveness - The ability to accurately target marketing means that you are not wasting time and expense targeting the wrong audience but can more precisely identify and pinpoint potential clients and customers. With a carefully structured online marketing plan it is possible to maximise the potential of the internet to direct your business at the people most likely to be interested giving you a higher return on investment.
Interactivity - The interactive nature of online marketing means that there can be genuine communication between you and your clients. This means that you can gauge the customer response to your pay per click advertising thus measuring immediately the effectiveness of your campaigns. Having immediate authentic customer feedback results in your ability to be reactive and modify your strategies in return. The ability to analyse and measure response means that customers are far more likely to be satisfied with your business and will return in the future.
Speed and convenience - Just as you can advertise your business quickly and accurately the customer can also make purchases with just a few clicks of a mouse. With traditional, often paper-based marketing techniques there may be many steps between consumers seeing a product to actually making a purchase. With online marketing there may only be one step and they can do all this from the comfort of their own home or office.
Personalised Targeting - Extensive use of the internet has resulted in the tendency of people with a shared interest to gather together in groups. This creation of available niche markets in a public sphere provides ideal opportunities for targeted marketing. Not only can you target new markets in this way you can also enhance your current customer base. By integrating customer information with your website you are able to respond whenever they visit with specific offers which you know are likely to interest them. This targeting could extend to other forms of electronic media such as via mobile phones and e-mail.