ONLINE MARKETING

1. INTRODUCTION
The Internet has changed the world we live in. Never before has it been so easy to
access information; communicate with people all over the globe; and share articles,
videos, photos, and all manner of media. The Internet has led to an increasingly
connected environment, and the growth of Internet usage has resulted in the declining
distribution of traditional media: television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.
Marketing in this connected environment and using that connectivity to market is eMarketing. E -Marketing embraces a wide range of strategies, but what underpins
successful e-Marketing is a user - centric and cohesive approach to these strategies.
While the Internet and the World Wide Web have enabled what we call new media, the
theories that led to the development of the Internet have been developing since the
1950s.
Even before the Internet there were many different ways to advertise, in different
media such as radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, as well as via telemarketing or
pamphlets. Usually the goal was to get a company- and/or product name, a statement etc.
communicated to as many people as possible for the smallest price possible.
When the Internet arose, a number of search options became available.
Companies had the option to advertise themselves on a larger scale. Due to advertising
perception at the time, many businesses were assumed to have great value, and thus
traded on the stock exchange at extraordinary high rates. This collapsed in 2001 at what
is commonly known as the dot-com bubble.
After the dotcom collapse, the Internet was almost disregarded because of many
failing website-based businesses that had expectations to the market and assumptions
about consumers. However, both consumers and companies continued exploring online
options. Soon more substantial business models emerged; search advertising1 and ecommerce were the new possibilities. Enhancements in targeting advertising, and
understanding how websites maintain visitors, became relevant. Researching consumers
behavior and buying patterns online began to interest scholars.

Due to the technologies available today, as well as broadband implementations in

most homes, advertisers are able to make massive leaps and create global campaigns
(become control.
(...) are likely to continue as marketing and advertising are increasingly peopled with
individuals for whom the internet, eBay, Amazon, Google, and YouTube were always
there and which played some role in forming their worldviews, just as television, film,
radio, and print did for prior generations. (Rappaport 2007)
So, let us face the facts: The Internet is no longer a medium of new economy,
and E-business as a term has rather been rendered obsolete. The Internet is used in any
and all industries, as a branding and marketing tool, as an internal communication tool,
and as the start of most business transactions. Today companies use the Internet as one of
the most powerful tools in a big number of ways. The Internet has unlocked a large
number of search options and new ways of highlighting the important aspects of any
item. Thus marketing has been redefined via the Internet, and given even small
businesses a chance to promote and brand their products on a larger scale. The Internet
has therefore experienced enormous growth in online advertising, since its inception in
the early 1990ies. It is still however executed in the usual one-way-communication, as it
has always been done. Success stories in advertising are easy to find: Amazon is using
their customers to market products to others via the other buyers, who looked at this,
also looked at this. Coca Cola are storytelling via the Internet, MasterCard use
humorous clips, and through that viral marketing.

1.2 Needs of Online Marketing

Content marketing, Internet campaigning, Web-based advertising, online outreach
whatever you want to call it, modern marketers understand the benefits of utilizing websites
and social media to boost customer interaction and sales.
Whether youve already launched online campaigns or are contemplating
outsourcing a marketing company, there are plenty of factors to consider before making any
investment. To help, I thought Id share a few of the top reasons companies need to use
online marketing.

1.2.1. Brand-Controlled Press

Websites, Facebook pages, blogs, and other online assets are owned by you. Because of this,
youre better positioned to leverage the benefits of your products and services than ever
before.
The press you publish is usually in a press release format and pushed through an online
agency. In addition, youre more than able to post updates, discounts, and major
announcements through social media.
1.2.2. Customer Interaction
This is a big one for Web-based companies, not to mention businesses with little customer
interaction. With social media, youre able to ask your customers and clients what they think
about certain products, pricing, and updates. It is much more efficient for a customer to
respond to a Facebook comment than send in a survey form, after all.
1.2.3. Competition
The If your competitor is doing it, you should, too idea applies to social media and online
marketing more than anything. In fact, the modern customer is more likely to look up a
business on social media or Google. If you dont have the right online assets, the odds of
them finding you is much, much lower.
The trick, of course, is to launch campaigns that outdo your competition and work in favor of
your brand.
1.2.4. ROI
The return-on-investment for content and social media marketing is incredible. For a few
hundred bucks a month (from most firms), you can reach thousands of customers on social
media, talk with industry leaders through blogs and LinkedIn, and build up a stronger market
base.
Better yet, online marketing is easy to monitor. This allows you to see just how effective
each of your online assets is.

1.2.5. Opportunities
Most businesses use a combination of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, blogging,
websites, and press outlets to market on the Internet. These online assets give an in-house or
outsourced marketing team much more to work with than traditional billboard and news
advertising.
1.2.6. Targeting
Local businesses with a strong emphasis on online marketing are able to target specific
markets and customers. With Facebook, for instance, you can promote your page to certain
cities and demographics. This is another reason content marketing has such a high ROI for
smaller, local businesses.
1.2.7. Branding
Branding, of course, is the big one. Businesses that initiate online campaigns are capable of
positioning their brands higher up on search engines, appear more professional to customers,
and reach out to new markets while building a stronger brand.

1.3. Primary Objectives Online Marketing:

There are too many objectives of online marketing, and here are the basic objects
that you must take into the consideration before the start of building your web site.
1. Brand building
2. Advertising
3. Selling
4. Provide products or services Information
5. Provide business information
6. Provide customer service and support
7. To Improve interaction with current and potential customers

1.4. Secondary Objectives of Online Marketing

When you know your primary objectives for an online marketing, you must consider
secondary one that can help you to achieve the primary. This is one type of logic that
must be followed by every website for business purpose.
1. Web site should be designed to be search engine friendly and to encourage repeat
traffic.
2. Web site should have a viral marketing incorporated in it to encourage visitors to
make a recommendation of the products, services or Website to others.
3. Web site should enable visitors to stay longer on them.
4. Web site should be able to encourage interest about your company, products and
services.
5. Web site should convert visitors into potential customers.
6. Web site should have incorporated e-mail marketing that will convert potential
customers into buyers.
As you can see the first type primary objectives are goals or targets that you
want your business online presence to make for your business. Ask yourself one
simple question: What I want my web site to make for my business? Is it branding or
advertising or all 7 objectives? Maybe your primary and only objective will be to
promote your products and services without selling them online. But, also an objective
can be to sell that products and services in addition to advertising them.
When you decide about what you want your web site to make for your business
you must go with secondary goals that will help in achieving of primary. The
secondary must be standard for every type of web site. You can see that secondary
goals start with attracting visitors, that will come back from time to time. They can
also recommend your web site to other persons. They will have an interest about your
products and services and will be converted into real customer buyer. With these
secondary goals, you will build your business brand and advertise your products and
services. Moreover, you will make all primary goals to become reality.

1.5 Benefits of Internet Marketing

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Internet marketing is important because it aligns with the way consumers make
purchasing decisions. Analysis indicate that increasing numbers of consumers use social
media and research on mobile Internet to carry out preliminary product and price
research before making final decisions. Internet marketing enables you to build relations
with customers and prospects through regular, low-cost personalized communication,
reflecting the move away from mass marketing.
i.

Convenience: Internet marketing enables you to be open for business around the
clock without worrying about store opening hours or overtime payments for staff.
Offering your products on the Internet is also convenient for customers. They can
browse your online store at any time and place orders when it is convenient for
them.

ii.

Reach: By marketing on the Internet, you can overcome barriers of distance.

You can sell goods in any part of the country without setting up local outlets,
widening your target market. You can also build an export business without
opening a network of distributors in different countries. However, if you want to
sell internationally, you should use localization services to ensure that your
products are suitable for local markets and comply with local business
regulations. Localization services include translation and product modification to
reflect local market differences.

iii.

Cost: Marketing products on the Internet costs less than marketing them through
a physical retail outlet. You do not have the recurring costs of property rental and
maintenance. You do not have to purchase stock for display in a store. You can
order stock in line with demand, keeping your inventory costs low.

iv.

Personalization: Internet marketing enables you to personalize offers to

customers by building a profile of their purchasing history and preferences. By
tracking the web pages and product information that prospects visit, you can
make targeted offers that reflect their interests. The information available from
tracking website visits also provides data for planning cross-selling campaigns so
that you can increase the value of sales by customer.

v.

Relationships: The Internet provides an important platform for building

relationships with customers and increasing customer retention levels. When a
customer has purchased a product from your online store, you can begin the
relationship by sending a follow-up email to confirm the transaction and thank
the customer. Emailing customers regularly with special, personalized offers
helps to maintain the relationship. You can also invite customers to submit
product reviews on your website, helping to build a sense of community.

vi.

Social: Internet marketing enables you to take advantage of the growing

importance of social media. An article on the Harvard Business School Executive
Education website highlighted the link between social networking and online
revenue growth. According to the article, a group of consumers that responded
most strongly to the influence of social networks generated increased sales of
around 5 percent. You can take advantage of this type of influence by
incorporating social networking tools in your Internet marketing campaigns.