Why online marketing is important
Online marketing is important because it aligns with the way consumers make purchasing decisions. Studies by analysts 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.
Convenience
Internet marketing enables you to be open for business round 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.
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.
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.
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.
Social
Internet marketing enables you to take advantage of the growing importance of social media. An article on a well-known 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.
Why digital marketing is important to business?
The world is on a fast to become digital. People are consuming digital content on a daily basis. Companies are starting to recognize the importance of getting digital and it is essential that marketing departments adapt quickly to the new circumstances and actively hire professionals in the field of digital marketing.
Digital marketing is extremely important, not only because of its rapid growth but also because it is essentially for the future of marketing. Soon all other traditional marketing forms will disappear as digital marketing will replace them altogether.
While some generations will no doubt regret the loss of newspapers, books and old fashioned communication methods, new generations who have grown up with internet and mobile phones are already embracing the brave new world of digital consumption.
Digital marketing methods are faster, more practical and versatile than the old traditional ones. Technology has put business in the digital age. Some of the most common forms of digital marketing are:
Website (SEO content)
Blogs
Internet banner ads
Online video content
Pay-per-click advertising
Email marketing
Social media marketing (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tuenti, Pinterest, Tumblr, G+, etc)
Mobile marketing (SMS, MMS, etc)
Now let us bring forth some of the key reasons of using digital marketing:
More affordable than traditional marketing.
An e-mail or a social media campaign can transmit the same message to customers for less money than a TV-Ad or a newspaper one. Moreover social media campaigns can reach a wider audience in any part of the world.
Easier to track results.
With a wide range of analytics and data we are able to analyze our own marketing campaigns and find out how the campaign performed and how it can be improved. Of course you can get this data for traditional marketing campaigns but a digital campaign will allow you to measure the success in real time, giving you the advantage of planning more effectively and making changes almost instantly.
The number of consumers.
Traditional marketing has lost a huge amount of consumers. Most people read their newspapers on their iPad or some type of tablet. You need to develop your marketing and embrace the digital age. According to a study of UK National Statistics more than 82% of UK adults went online in the first three months of 2011.
To conclude we can say that the digital age has arrived and it’s time for those who have not yet adapted to the new way of marketing, to open themselves to the new way of interaction.
How does online marketing work?
There are several ways and means of really bringing out the very best in an online marketing strategy. Understanding how online marketing works is of vital importance. Below is an overview as to why online marketing is as effective as an advertising medium and the various tools that you can make use of to achieve the most desired results.
Online marketing gives business owners the freedom to advertise and promote their products or services and receive immediate response. Business owners can reap the benefits of this method of marketing as it is inexpensive and easy to start.
All you need to do is choose an advertising medium that works for you and your businesses objectives. Your site will ultimately receive more traffic and thus more sales.
The online marketing strategy you choose will increase your site’s visibility so that you get more qualified visitors. Notably, the following types of online marketing strategies are trackable and enable advertisers to ultimately increase their return on their investment.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Pay per Click (PPC)
Social Media Advertising (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest)
Blogging
Email or Newsletter Marketing
Affiliate Marketing
Banner Advertising
Rich media ads – interactive media such as online video directories
Online classified advertising
Advertising networks
The sole purpose of effective online marketing is to utilise a strategy that has the lowest possible cost and risk investment, in order to maximize sales potential and receive a high return on investment. Online Marketing is a very powerful medium of advertising, it targets the correct audience and zones in promoting your business. Whatever method of online marketing you decide to use, you will soon see that the money you have spent on the campaign is in fact worth the effort in terms of the success of your business.
Advantages of online marketing
Online marketing is a form of marketing that uses different forms of internet marketing such as pay-per-click, search engine optimization campaigns, email marketing campaigns and banner advertising. Many small businesses advertise the traditional way, but are looking to expand and explore online marketing. Online marketing is different from traditional marketing because you have the potential to reach people globally.
There are several benefits of online marketing which can have a positive effect in the way a company markets its brands. They are as follows:
Lower Operation Cost
You can advertise more cheaply than you can with more traditional methods of advertising, such as television, full page ads in the newspaper and directories. For example, you can get a free listing in many online business directories. You can contact your customers more than you normally would and contact is more affordable than methods, like sending mail, printing brochures, and paying for postal costs. For example, an email message is more cost effective than sending thousands of direct mail pieces with savings in postage, paper and printing.
Tracking Results
Another advantage of online marketing is that you can track the results of your advertising through ratings and that will be illustrated in detailed graphics that will give you traffic growth, leads and sales conversions from your marketing search campaigns. Using free traffic tracking analysis tools like Google Analytics can help you easily track how your advertising translates into traffic.
Target different demographics
Online marketing also offers analytical platforms that help you to target and measure the response from different varied regions. It allows you to target specific people or specific consumers that are likely to buy your product. You can ask prospects that come to your website to fill out a questionnaire that allows you to discover exactly who your customers are, their ages and their interests -- and all of that information will help you mold your services to suit your customers.
Global Marketing
In a matter of months with aggressive research you can secure millions of viewers and reach large targeted audiences. This can take your advertising message beyond the scope of your geography and offers the means and ease for people to buy from you around the globe. Your online marketing has the advantage of selling to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and from all over the country.
To sum up we can say that online or digital marketing is the new mantra in today’s tech crazy world where consumers of all types are busy peeking into the digital media for one or the other reasons. Digital or online marketing is the corner stone for the success of any business in this competitive world.