As a form of marketing that utilizes different internet mediums, online marketing is rapidly taking advantage over the traditional forms of marketing. SEO campaigns, e-mail subscription, banner advertising and pay-per-click are some of the most popular approaches to online retail. The main potential of online marketing is that it can reach wider groups of prospects and customers, while keeping the low cost when compared to television marketing and billboards.
1. Old ways vs New
Color pages in magazines and television ads are costly and reach only to the specific group of customers. In other words, only those buying a specific magazine or watching a specific TV channel in a given time have a chance to see the intended advertisement. Printed brochures cost time and money, not mentioning postal fees and people usually just dump them in bins as spam. Online marketing is cheaper and more cost-effective than any other form of marketing strategy.
2. One continuous effort
What is more, the increasing number of companies are turning to omni channel retailing, which encompasses all existing marketing channels, brick and mortar, online websites, catalogues, mobile apps or social networks, in a way making bridge between online and offline. The main idea behind it is to provide a seamless experience and consistent customer support. For example, a customer can test a product on a fair, check availability on a mobile app, make a purchase on a website, and receive full support at a local outlet.
3. Feedback is invaluable
In order to target and isolate specific demographic or social group of people who are likely to purchase your product or service, online marketing gives demographic platforms that help retailers measure the interest form different regions and social strata. People who visit your website or click onto an embedded widget can be asked to fill in a questionnaire that collects data on their ages, interests, wishes, etc. Information gathered in that way provide valuable feedback that can help you adapt your product or services to customers.
4. Tracking the changes
The fourth benefit of online marketing is that the results of advertising strategy and the customer feedback can be presented in the form of elaborate graphs that can indicate the traffic increase or sales conversions. Additionally, there are free traffic analysis tools like Google Analytics that give you the opportunity to track your advertising impact on the traffic.
5. Room for customization
One of the driving forces behind the young generations is the urge to be unique. Individual customers’’ accounts can be personalized according to their previous experience and interests. By analyzing their recent purchases or clicks, the software can make a special offer or discount targeted precisely on a specific customer. This also includes gifts and giveaways. Some companies such as Nike go even further, allowing their customer to personalize their trainers online.
Online marketing campaigns work for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all over the world. It transcends the geographical boundaries and if fueled with aggressive SEO research can easily reach large groups of prospects, allowing them to pay for a product or service from halfway across the globe.
Author Bio
Dan Radak is web hosting security professional with ten years of experience. He currently works with a number of companies in the field of online security, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a co-author on several technology websites.
