In Simple English – What is Internet Marketing?
The phrase ‘Internet Marketing’ can mean a number of things; originally this was simply when you had a website displaying information that is useful with banner advertising placed strategically around the content for visitors to click on. Later that has developed whereby so called, self-recognised internet ‘gurus’ advertise a course that will make you thousands of pounds using their Internet Marketing course overnight.
However, today this has now evolved in a broader sense a way that a company can increase their exposure on the internet to increase sales. A company may already have an existing marketing strategy that involves a lot of offline marketing techniques, such as network marketing, television, radio or newspaper advertising. Internet Marketing simply allows the company to increase their exposure and enhance their branding.
As more and more people decide to stop using traditional methods to find goods and services that they are looking for, Internet Marketing is becoming a more and more important method to gain trust, customers and ultimately additional revenue for the firm. As we move into the 2nd half of this decade Internet Marketing will become the primary source of many companies marketing methods and in doing so will allow good a Internet Marketing company to prosper.
Any Internet Marketing company will essentially do one of 3 things for a company it provides its services for:
- To advertise its services online, for its brand and what potential customers are actively searching for.
- Be able to track existing customers and then, find out their demographics to increase overall revenue.
- Sell goods or advertising space over the internet.
Internet Marketing Components
The creation of a dynamic, friendly content rich website that entices potential customers to use the company’s services, while viewing the website on a desktop and on a mobile device. To inform existing, or future customers of their goods and services, or perhaps to capture leads or emails.
Search Engine Marketing
There are 2 main options here to increase the exposure that a company has for their services using search engines;
- Using the Google Adwords programme, whereby you are paying Google money to display your company in the listings on their front page for specific phrases that potential clients are using to find your services. This is the quickest option an often more expensive option.
- OR you use find a suitable Search Engine Consultant who understands the complex algorithm that Google has developed to drive its rankings forwards and push your website’s positions further up the top of the natural listings. This method will bring more traffic and business, but the method takes a lot longer – in the long term this method is cheaper.
Email Marketing
This is simply using a list of emails that can either be gathered, or bought and then distributing information about goods or services that are currently being sold by a company.
There are a number of email marketing methods that are used and this is very similar to the older more known ‘direct marketing’ methods.
Banner Marketing
This is very similar to the traditional methods of advertising in a newspaper or magazine, whereby a website that has a strong following and is known in a specific niche and then charge other companies wishing to advertise in that space.
Press Releases
A press release, is exactly what is says on the tin – you release information about a company or service that wishes to have their information distributed to local news agencies online.
As you can see there are a lot of Internet Marketing options available today for marketing your business online.