It is possible for the term “internet marketing” to have several different meanings. It could mean simply having a website and using banner advertising on the website. On the other hand, there are many companies that boast overnight success on the internet through specialized “internet marketing programs.”
Internet marketing is now a wide variety of methods that a business can employ to increase sales and efficiency. Internet marketing campaigns can be successful for a broad range of businesses- those who are completely online, only partially online, or those who are completely offline. Not every business chooses to make internet marketing a part of their marketing strategy, but it has become a very important and fast-growing component in today’s marketing world.
A company’s Website should feature informative text, images, and sometimes audio and video components that inform potential customers of the company’s mission, products, and services. Some websites include the capability to sell products directly online and the ability to capture leads on potential customers. You can think of a company’s website as the online equivalent of a mail order catalog or brochure, and is one of the most effective ways of instantly establishing a company’s identity.
E-mail Marketing is also a method of distributing information about a company and its services and/or products via e-mail. This form of online marketing can also be used to solicit feedback from customers about the company. E-mail Marketing Strategies can also include the collection or purchase of customers or potential customers e-mail addresses. A company can use e-mail marketing in other ways as well, such as an online newsletter or mass e-mailing to announce special offers. To simplify, e-mail marketing can be thought of as the online equivalent of a direct mail marketing campaign.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a very important component of a company’s internet marketing strategy that uses internet search engines to market a company’s website. This usually includes improving a website’s ranking through search engine optimization; the purchase of pay-per-click ads (PPC) with search engines that are based on selected keywords which are then displayed on search engine results pages when an internet user uses those keywords in a search, and/or they are displayed on websites that include the selected keywords; and finally, pay-for-inclusion (PFI) listings in website directories are also a form of SEM. These are similar to yellow page listings in a phone book.
Online promotion campaigns include press release distribution that involves distributing a newsworthy story about the company on an online newswire service. These releases may also be distributed to blogs as well. A company may either host their own blog or alternatively also post comments or URLs on other blogs that are related to the company’s products and/or services.
Banner advertising includes placing ads on a website for a specified fee. This is the online equivalent of traditional advertising in magazines or newspapers.
Of all of the components of the aforementioned components of Internet Marketing, prospective clients expect a company to have a functioning website. These days, not having a website can hurt a company’s business; some clients would prefer to do business with a company that they can have access to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It’s not just larger companies that benefit from having a website. A small local business with a single location benefits from having another avenue to attract customers. Businesses that are not restricted geographically would not have such an effective way to reach customers at a low cost and global reach without the internet and a website.
Because of the low cost of starting and maintaining a website, home businesses have thrived in recent years. Therefore, if you plan on starting a home business, you should seriously consider Internet Marketing to be a part of your business plan and marketing strategy.
Most home businesses are “virtual” by nature and having a website is almost an absolute necessity. Most home businesses do not have a physical location or storefront and their website acts as an inexpensive way to let potential customers know what kind of products and services are offered and how to access those services.
IWS - Intelligent Web Solutions
Último trabalho realizado UOC - Universitat Oberta de Catalunya - Hotsite
confira em www.theglobalonlineuniversity.uoc.edu
