Introduction to EMarketing

Online marketing (e-marketing) – is an interactive process, when using information technologies long-term relations between the company and customers are developed. In the broad sense, marketing comprises strategic and tactic planning processes which are to meet customers’ needs and bring maximum profit. E- marketing can be of two types:

As a marketing strategy component of a whole organisation.

As a standalone system, which contains all traditional marketing components, but they are transferred into e-space.

In e-marketing customers are not grouped into segments by the traditional demographic method but by their behaviour. To provide more and better quality information sales advertising is used. The number of distribution channels grows and the number of intermediaries increases as manufactures discover new ways of delivering the product to the buyer directly. Companies have to introduce a different type of marketing to be able to adjust to new circumstances. E-marketing is characterised by certain features:

Figure 5.1 Characteristics of e-marketing

E-marketing is associated more with an external perspective, how the Internet can be used to liaise with traditional environment, providing services to customers and reducing costs (administrative, etc.). Internet technologies make it possible for businesses to create the following competitive advantages:

Figure 5.2 The Internet and its ability to create competitive advantages

The impact of information technology on e-marketing

A customer is the most important. In today’s business world conditions are dictated by consumers who determine competition conditions. Increased buying power, constantly changing needs and expectations lead to a shortened product life cycle.

Speed. Information on the Internet is changing at a high speed, so the customer has to constantly monitor the process.

Distance abolition. With the emergence of the Internet geographical barriers have disappeared. Companies communicate with their clients from various parts of the world. Attainability on a global scale is the factor which allows reaching markets which previously were not available. Therefore, the Internet is regarded as the global market with no limits.

Lack of time constraints. It is non-stop activity, that is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week (24/7)

The intellect-based capital – imagination, creativity and entrepreneurship are more important resources that financial capital.

The impacts of electronic technology mentioned above let us conclude that e-marketing is a complex process designed for marketing purposes using the Internet and other digital technologies related to it.

Impact of the virtual environment on traditional marketing:

Increases effectiveness of traditional marketing functions.

Provides flexibility for marketing solutions (abolition of physical limits, access to information about products and services, transformation from a passive customer’s state to an active).

ROLE OF EMARKETING

What’s there to gain by implementing a well-rounded online marketing strategy?

1. Better Visibility

Online marketing tactics like search engine optimization (SEO) enable your business to be more easily found on the channels your customers are using most. People are more likely to investigate the options that appear first in search results. So as you gain visibility online, it’s more likely that they will check out, interact with, and purchase from you.

2. Increased Authority

Online marketing is important not just because it helps you to get found online, but also because it can change the way your business is perceived by potential customers. For example, ranking high in search engine results pages, along with respected industry authorities, instantly boosts your business’ credibility. In other words, this is one of the first steps toward becoming a respected local or industry authority and a go-to provider.

3. Higher Quality Website Traffic

Various marketing practices including local SEO, social media marketing, and paid advertising involve what’s called targeting. Targeting refers to narrowing the focus of your efforts to attract only the people who’ll be most interested in what your company does or offers.

If you have a website, such targeted efforts will draw high-quality traffic to that site. There you’ll likely see more engagement and more sales than you would if your efforts were broad and not tailored to any particular audience.

4. In-Person Visitors

The same goes for in-store visits. When you zero in on those most likely to become your customers and speak directly to them, you’ll also notice an increase in visits to your physical location and, ultimately, sales.

5. Long-Lasting Relationships

Marketing boosts sales which keeps your small business afloat. However, online marketing also does something more, which has a greater long-term impact. It enables you to build relationships.

Building relationships with customers earns you repeat business. Your customers will be loyal to your brand. As a result, they will be happy to refer your business to others, which, as you probably guessed, leads to more sales and loyal customers. It’s a never-ending cycle of goodness, which many businesses are now seeing for themselves!

In reality, you’re probably a customer of several of those businesses. They’ve probably been marketing to you online without you even realizing it!

Online Marketing in Daily Life

Another approach to understanding the importance of online marketing is to take a step back and see just how prevalent it is in our own daily lives. You may be surprised to see just how frequently you’re being marketed to every day. Consider some common practices that you’ve seen in action, whether you noticed it at the time or not.

Search Engine Optimization

Think of the last time you typed something into your favorite search engine. Were you on the hunt for information or looking for a specific type of business, product or service? Regardless, if you found what you were looking for, you owe it to SEO. This powerful online marketing practice is what helps search engines like Google show you the most relevant information. In the past, this may have even led to your making a purchase!

Social Media Marketing

If you’re on social media, you probably follow some of your favorite brands there. And even if not, it’s likely that you’ve at least engaged with them in some way after stumbling across their accounts. This engagement, whether it happens often or not, exposes you to the marketing efforts of those brands. No doubt you can recall seeing a social ad or a post about an upcoming sale or popular product. In other words, social media marketing.

Content Marketing

Without content, the internet would be empty. But it’s most certainly not empty today. It’s filled with billions of pieces of content, both written and otherwise. Each piece is a part of someone’s content marketing strategy, even when that content is purely informational. In such cases, it’s easy to think that you’re simply being provided with useful information. However, you’re also being marketed to by the businesses that produce that content.

Are you beginning to understand how widespread online marketing really is…and how well it works, even on you?

Don’t Resist Online Marketing Any Longer

Trying to avoid digital marketing is not accomplishing anything positive for your business. Why not give it a good try and see the benefits? It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch as you’re probably already using some digital marketing methods unknowingly! For example, that’s the case if you have a website set up for your small business. Take this opportunity to build upon what you may already be doing. Your small business will fare better if you do!

Web Advertising

Marketing is one of the vehicles businesses use to attract customers. The Internet provides a platform to place advertisements with the potential to reach millions of consumers around the world. Several advertising options are available on the Web. You can place banner and text ads on popular websites that are relevant to your particular business. For example, if you sell your own brand of hot sauce, you might consider buying ads on food-oriented websites such as Allrecipes.com, focusing on pages that feature recipes that use hot sauce. You can also place ads on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

The Web as a Sales Channel

The Internet also gives retailers an additional channel to sell products. Thirty years ago, a retail store without a physical storefront was all but unheard of. Today, you can buy almost anything you want on the Internet by visiting a company's website. This lets you sell more products without the cost of having to rent out and stock additional retail floor space. The ability to sell goods without the cost of a physical storefront is especially helpful for entrepreneurs who want to keep start-up costs low. If you don't have storage space yourself, you can use a third-party drop shipper to store and distribute your products.

Market Research

Gathering information about the preferences and habits of consumers is an essential part of marketing. If you don't know what your customers want, how much they are willing to pay for products, and who your competitors are, it is difficult to offer the right product to the marketplace. The Internet can be used to gather consumer data through Web-based surveys, email surveys and online tools that let you track user activities and preferences.

Communication and Customer Service

Building a base of loyal customers that come back and buy products repeatedly is essential to creating a successful small business. The Internet can help companies improve customer service by giving customers an additional channel of communication that is available at all hours of the day. In addition, the Web lets businesses distribute important consumer information such as product manuals, guides and answers to frequently asked questions. This can help customers make informed decisions about their purchases.

Here our top 15 advantages of internet marketing for your business.

1. Convenience and Quick Service

The incredible convenience of marketing online is one of the biggest advantages of internet marketing. The internet has extremely easy accessibility with consumers using the internet and reaching markets anywhere in the world. Because of this, purchasing goods from across borders now reduces the cost of transportation.

For importers, this is a huge advantage as it means they can order online right from the comforts of their home. In addition, you can easily track sales items online as they make their way into delivery. You can download digital products from the internet with just a click of a mouse. Internet marketing is great for business as it gives consumers a better and more comfortable shopping experience.

2. Low Cost for Operations

One of the main advantages of online marketing for businesses is its low operating cost. You can advertise cheaper with internet marketing than with traditional methods of advertisement such as ads in newspapers, on television and on the radio. In online marketing, you can easily get a free listing in a wide range of business directories.

In addition, the internet allows you to contact your customers more in comparison to how you would contact them traditionally. Online communication is more affordable than traditional communication methods such as sending mail and printing brochures. For example, you can send the same information in an email rather than a mail-out, saving you on printing, paper, and postage.

3. Measure and Track Results

An aspect of internet marketing that is rarely available with traditional marketing is the ability to measure and track results. With online marketing, your business can utilize varying tools for tracking results of your advertising campaigns. Using these tools, not only can you measure and track but also illustrate the progress of your marketing campaign in detailed graphics.

Measuring and tracking results gives your business a better idea of how your marketing campaign is faring. It gives you an idea of how you can better grow your traffic, leads, sales, and conversions. Without the ability to measure and track your results, you cannot alter or modify your marketing campaign so that it can better deliver the results you desire.

4. Demographic Targeting

Marketing your products and services online gives you the ability to target audience based on demography. This allows you to concentrate your efforts on the audience that you truly want to offer your products or services. With demographic targeting, you can better target your marketing efforts on specific demographic regions.

Demographic targeting gives you the ability to target specific customers you think are likely to purchase your product or hire your services. Every time someone visits your website and fills in a form, it gives you an idea of who your customers really are and lets you discover important details about them such as age and interests, which better shapes your services to match their needs.

5. Global Marketing

The ability to market your products and services globally is one of the biggest advantages of global marketing for business. Within several months of aggressive SEO, you can secure millions of viewers and reach huge audiences from across the world.

With internet marketing, you can easily reach beyond your geography to offer your products or services to customers worldwide. Wherever your target audiences are, you can easily reach them 24/7 and from any country all over the world. If your audience consists of more than your local market, utilizing global marketing offers you a great advantage.

6. Ability to Multitask

One of the core benefits of online marketing is its ability to handling millions of customers at the same time. As long as a website’s infrastructure is efficient, numerous transactions can easily take place simultaneously.

However, even with a large number of transactions taking place, your website is capable of providing satisfactory service to every customer who makes a purchase online, without the risk of diminished satisfaction. This high adaptability of internet marketing is an important benefit that businesses can take advantage of to provide their consumers the best shopping experience.

7. 24/7 Marketing

Internet marketing reduces cost and runs around the clock. That means that your marketing campaigns run for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Compared to traditional marketing, internet marketing does not constrain you with opening hours. At the same time, you would not be worrying about overtime pay for your staff.

In addition to this, there is no regional or international time difference for you to worry about that will affect the reachability or availability of your offers or online campaigns. Whenever someone opens their computer and connects to the internet, there is a higher chance of them seeing your marketing campaign. Furthermore, customers can look for your product at their most convenient time.

8. Automated, Tech-Savvy Marketing

Another advantage of internet marketing is that marketing this way is easy with a one-mouse-click automation. Compared to traditional offline marketing where marketers delegate various tasks to the best hands and talents, internet marketing takes advantage of a more tech-savvy method. With internet marketing, everything can go automated.

Internet marketing gives you the chance to turn every aspect of your business’s operations into a fully automated system. All you need to do is find the right tool and technology suited to your marketing campaign and you are done. By automating your marketing campaign, you can choose to do something more valuable with your time.

9. Data Collection for Personalization

Transactions through the internet allow you to collect data. Whenever a customer purchases a product through a company’s website, the data is captured. Your business can use this data in varying ways. Most businesses analyze the data to find out what product and/or services sell frequently.

Furthermore, the data collected can help segment customers, so your business can send them ads and other promotional materials based on their buying habits and interests. There are various ways that you can collect customer data including customer profiles or through their behaviour while on your website.
The information collected through this method typically includes age, gender, location, how they came to your site, what sites they visited after they left, viewed products and the pages visited on your site.

Another way of collecting customer data is the use of internet tools or with tracking software. Compared to traditional marketing, online marketing allows for better data collection as well as personalization.

Through this advantage of internet marketing, businesses can serve millions of customers with various items and products based on their personal interests. Thus, shoppers can easily get their desired products without having to comb through the internet all day.

10. Diversified Marketing and Advertising

When targeting your audience, diversification plays an important role in your marketing and advertising campaigns. Diversification means that you can use a variety of tactics and strategies in order to reach your prospects. With online marketing, diversification becomes a lot easier. In addition to that, it is possible for you to run varying marketing techniques simultaneously to better implement your marketing campaign.

11. Easy Tweaking to Your Marketing and Advertising Campaigns

It is inevitable in marketing and advertising that something needs to be tweaked in order to optimize your campaigns. Compared to traditional marketing, online advertising is much easier to tweak. Whenever the campaign needs to be modified, online marketing allows the modification to happen without having to worry about downtime, service interruption or even halting the entire system.

This means that you can easily change the appearance of your online shopping mall – your website – by changing a few lines in the CSS that link to the web page.

12. Instant Transaction Service

Executing transactions is easy and nearly instant online. You can do this through a digital payment service so that there is no need for a cash to go between the marketer and the customer to buy and sell merchandise. This is all possible due to payment processing solutions executed by third party payment processing companies such as PayPal.

13. Better Sales Relationships

In traditional marketing, merchants often give their business cards or pamphlets to their customers after a sale. However, what happens is often on such occasions, the customers lose the cards or misplace it. The only time the seller would remember about the card was if they had the intention of visiting the seller again.

In the end, most customers do not remember the seller much less the card, so this marketing method does not work to convince buyers to return. This is different with internet marketing where the marketers can easily collect email addresses of their prospects and buyers, which they can use in reaching out and forming a relationship with the customer.

The marketer can use this email address to provide customers with valuable information such as information about the purchased product, available coupons on their products and services, special discounts and introducing new products. Aside from email addresses, they can also use social media for consistent interaction with customers.

14. Time-Effective Marketing

Unlike traditional marketing, internet marketing is easy to start and quick to implement. You can easily set up a marketing campaign at any time that is convenient for you. In fact, you can set up email marketing for your business within only a matter of hours. Within the next few minutes, you can setup an autoresponder and create a marketing list for your business.

15. Continued Marketing Campaign

Marketing campaign’s later effects are one of the greatest advantages of internet marketing for business. For example, content marketing efforts, such as blogs, and websites have the capacity to remain functional and promote your products and services years after you started your marketing campaign. Almost every online marketing technique has viral and long-term effects that can continually improve your site’s traffic.

Limitations of Online Marketing

1.    Online Marketing  is not free as the cost of hardware, software, wed site design, online distribution costs, maintenance, hosting of website and yes time, all should be factored into the cost of providing your product and service

2.    Still, the internet is considered as a source of information gathering for the majority of your customers. Many people are there who still prefer the live interaction when they buy. This may deter customers from buying if you have a small business with one location

Related Read – Why Zimbra is Better than Gmail?

3.    Over 50% of households shop online and this number is continued to grow, you are reaching less than two out of three households

4.    So many scams on the internet.

5.    Timing of updates is critical so it’s easy to have outdated information on your site

6.    Is your website safe? Because of the fear of website’s security, many of the visitors will not want to use their credit card to make a purchase if they don’t know that your site is secure.

Related Read – 5 Types of Website Vulnerabilities that Could Affect Your Website

7.    No replacement is there for good old fashioned customer service. The majority of online marketers lack inquiry response programs and customer service. Therefore, your many online visitors will already have painted your website as poor service before contacted you. Also, the majority of sites have poor navigation that makes it tough for the visitor to find what they are looking for. Many sites were created without a customer service point of view.

8.    A lot of competition for your product already out there. When your visitor finds you then it means they have been checked many links already. Until and unless they can find what they are looking for quickly, they are gone.