Brief Guide to Internet Marketing

Internet marketing, also known as online marketing, web marketing or eMarketing, is the marketing of services or products over the Internet. This type of marketing has many unique benefits, a major one being a low-cost alternative for the distribution of media and information to a global audience. Another of its unique qualities is its highly interactive nature, both in terms of eliciting responses and providing instant responses.

Internet marketing ties together technical and creative aspects of the Internet, including development, design, advertising and sales. It also refers to the placement of media along different stages of the customer engagement cycle through search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), e-mail marketing, banner ads on specific websites, and Web 2.0 strategies. It requires a comprehensive strategy that combines a given company's business model and sales goals with its website function and appearance, focusing on its target market through proper choice of advertising type, media and design.

Internet marketing is mainly associated with the following business models, although there are many other models based on the specific needs of each business or person that launches an Internet marketing campaign:

• publishing - the sale of advertising
• e-commerce - goods are sold directly to businesses or consumers
• affiliate marketing - a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts
• lead-based websites - an organisation generates value by acquiring sales leads from its website

Pros and Cons of Internet Marketing

Advantages

• Appeals to specific interests - it places an emphasis appealing to a specific interest or behaviour, rather than reaching out to a broadly-defined demographic; for example, a camera company can post advertisements on camera and photography websites knowing that the audience has a related interest.
• One-to-one approach - because the targeted user is usually browsing the Internet alone, the marketing messages can reach them personally. This approach is used in search marketing, where the advertisements are based on search engine keywords entered by the user.
• Geo targeting - the physical location (known as the geolocation) of a website visitor can be determined using geolocation software, and so different content can be delivered to that visitor based on their s country, region, city, postcode or other criteria.
• Cheaper - Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive when compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience, which means that companies can reach a wide audience for a fraction of traditional advertising budgets.
• Tracking - Internet marketers can measure statistics inexpensively and easily; nearly all aspects of an Internet marketing campaign can be measured, traced, and tested. This means that marketers can determine which messages or campaigns are more appealing to the audience.

Disadvantages

• Internet marketing requires customers to use newer technologies than traditional media.
• The inability of shoppers to smell, touch, taste or "try on" tangible goods before making an online purchase can be limiting.
• Consumers mistrust that their personal and financial information will remain private.
• Consumers may be wary about merchants, and whether they can be trusted to provide reliable products and services.