Internet marketing, simply put, is making money online. Interesting to begin on this note, right? I know I know you have read the Wikipedia definition of internet marketing i.e. marketing of products and services on the Internet. Bang on!
Internet marketing has made the virtual world as the most dynamic medium for expanding business and building clientele. Enterprises now are not restricted to geographical barriers and can reach out to audiences far and wide, making the scenario extremely vibrant and competitive.
Scope of Internet Marketing
Internet marketing comprises of three major areas:
Website designing & development:
- Creating user-friendly websites
- Using the right themes, colour schemes, headers.
- Easy navigation
- Strong landing pages for different products and services
- Integrating shopping cart
Marketing or advertising the website
- Search engine optimization
- Search engine marketing
- Social Media
- Banner ads
- Email marketing
- Rich media
- Affiliate marketing
Actual sales
- Selling products & services (B2B & B2C)
- Monetizing content on websites
Forms of internet marketing
Internet marketing can be used for
- Generating hard core sales (ecommerce) online.
- Providing leads
- Offer content and rich media.
Depending upon the nature of the business, entrepreneurs need to decide on the approach that they should adopt in order to maximize the returns. From building the perfect website and landing pages to using the right advertising mediums, marketers need to make the correct choice.
Internet Marketing – Some Key Factors
So, now you know (if you din’t already!) the scope and exact essence of internet marketing. However, here are some key points to focus on while you embark on it:
- Spend quality time and resources on site design. Your website is your base and the base must be strong for you to build on it. Also, remember the KISS principle. The most successful websites are those that are simplest to comprehend and navigate. This is half the battle won!
- Whatever advertising medium you choose (SEO, pay-per-click, banner ads, emailers), make sure you invest in a strong analytical support. Web Analytics can make or break your internet marketing program. Thus, get a good web analytical tool (there are plenty) and an even better web analyst or a team of web analysts who can provide truly actionable insights based on the data captured. Data is King!
- Talk to your customers and get regular feedback about the good and bad points of your website. Thank them for the good and thank them even more for the bad points. You know now where to improve; for a 100+ page website, this would otherwise been so much difficult, isn’t it?
- Keep a regular tab on the changing consumer trends and make the necessary changes to your site and advertising programs. Also, check what your competitors are doing and benchmark your site against them. You will know instantly where you stand.
- Experiment! The internet is an ever-evolving sphere and you need to conduct several experiments with your landing pages, products, services, customer retention strategies etc to stay ahead always. If you do not experiment, you are doomed! (a sad smiley here).
This was just an overview of online marketing and each and every facet can be explored in details. Meanwhile, I would like to hear from you your experiences with internet marketing, especially while dealing with a nascent market like India. So, your turn now!
