Gigi Catalin Neculai - What is Internet Or Online Marketing?
Most of us probably consider ourselves rather well informed on the subject of internet marketing, which is also known as online marketing, web marketing, i-marketing, or e-Marketing. After all, we browse the internet, do some blogging, communicate in social media sites, and also see how online advertisers are trying to persuade us to buy. While most people probably do understand what internet marketing is, the word itself has often been misunderstood and used loosely even by those in the internet marketing field.
When a blogger speaks of internet marketing, he is actually
talking about blogging. When an affiliate marketer speaks of internet
marketing, he is actually talking about selling. When an online network
marketer speaks of internet marketing, he is actually talking about recruiting
and prospecting. Each of these people is talking about one part of the total
internet marketing structure.
So what really is internet marketing?
Internet Marketing is a total system of interacting web
business activities designed to plan the product, price, promotion, and how to
distribute the want-satisfying products and services to present and potential
customers.
Product (Is your product: innovative - truly unique,
adaptive - replacement of existing product, or imitative - new to your company
but not new to the internet marketplace. Branding and packaging do influence
products),
Price (How much do you think I can get for this item? If the
price of the product is too high or too low, it may have positive or negative
effect on the company's internet marketing campaigns),
Promoting your business online is to persuade internet users
to accept, resell, recommend, or use the product, service, or act favorably
upon the idea being promoted, and
Distribute or Place (Since your product is now ready for its
market, you need to establish distribution strategies, including selecting
channels of distribution).
Most internet marketers define internet marketing as the
advertising of products and services on the internet. This narrow definition
reflects the sales and selling orientation which has permeated so much of
online business. Advertising on the internet is one part of online promotion
(others include online personal selling, online sales promotion, and online
publicity), and online promotion is one part of the total internet marketing
program. It should be noted particularly that "online promotion" and
"online sales promotion" are different. Online marketing is not any one
activity, nor is it exactly the sum of several; rather, it is the result of the
interaction of many activities such design, development, online advertising,
and online sales.
However, we need to also recognize that i-marketing has
other dimensions far broader than our definition. In the design aspect of
internet marketing, your web site is very important. It is where the traffic
will be directed to and also where most of the sales will come from. So you
need to have a uniquely designed web site that is well structured, search
engine optimized with the right keywords and description, contents and graphic
rich, and has the marketing elements to improve your visitors' conversion
ratio.
In the development aspect, the product planning is very
important. You need to plan on developing or getting the right product or
service to the internet marketplace, and at the right price. Will your product
be sold through affiliate marketing, network marketing, directly to consumers,
or directly to other businesses (B2B)? There is many other online business
models you can develop based on the specific needs of each person or business
when launching your web marketing campaign.
Your online advertising aspect is also one part of the total
online marketing program. There are several online media you can use to create
brand awareness about your product, service, idea, or company.
In the online sales aspect of your online marketing
campaign, you will need to plan how your goods or services will be distributed
to your customers, how payments will be processed (is it through PayPal,
liberty reserve, or other merchant accounts?), and how sales can be increased.
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