Add Internet Marketing to Your Marketing Mix
By Michael Fleischner
©2006 All rights reserved
The importance of Internet marketing is continuing to expand. Surveys of all kinds show a major shift in traditional
marketing budgets to dollars being spent online to market all types of products and services.
Internet marketing defined
Internet marketing is the use of the Internet to advertise and sell
products and services. Within the definition of Internet Marketing, you
will find mention of pa-per-click advertising, banner ads, e-mail
marketing, search engine marketing (including search engine
optimization), blog marketing and article marketing. Each of these
subject areas is important to consider prior to planning your Internet
marketing strategy.
Internet marketing provides many benefits
There are many advantages to having a fully executable Internet
marketing strategy. These benefits include measurability, flexibility
and affordability. Many online marketing tactics provide marketing
professionals with the ability to customer acquisition costs. Moreover,
marketing professionals are better able to track what marketing
campaigns are working and quickly allocate their spending towards higher
producing media placements.
Internet marketing tactics
As the Internet has expanded, so have the opportunities for marketing online. Here we will take a brief look at each type
of Internet marketing and explain the benefits of each.
1. Pay-per-click advertising
Sites like Google offer pay-per-click advertising for anyone interested in getting their message in front of the right
segment or prospective buyer. This method is highly targeted and offers one of the best and most popular forms of Internet
marketing. Marketers using pay-per-click advertising only pay a fee, based on the competitiveness of a keyword or ad title,
when a link is clicked on.
2. Banner ads
Once the king of Internet marketing, online banner ads have evolved to include animated and flash banners, but the premise
remains largely the same. Marketers purchase a specified number of impressions to run on a single site or network of sites
and are generally not guaranteed a specific number of clicks.
3. Email marketing
Effective among current clients and prospects who have requested information from your company, email marketing is a
well-established means to communicate and market your products. However, be aware of CAN-SPAM requirements and contact
preferences of those you plan to reach.
4. Search engine marketing
If you want web browsers to visit your
site, then focusing on search engine optimization and search engine
marketing is a must. No Internet marketing plan is complete without
ensuring that your site is submitted and included on major directories
like Google, Yahoo! and DMOZ. The dollars spent on search engine
marketing of any type will pay huge dividends.
5. Blog marketing
Getting mention of your site or information related to your products can quickly scale if you are able to effectively tap
into the countless blogs that are being created everyday. It is essential that you focus your efforts on blogs covering
topics relevant to your product or service offering.
6. Article marketing
One of the most important aspects of Internet marketing, is to improve the link popularity to your site and improve the
awareness of your product or service offering. To do so, many companies are focusing on publishing valuable content and
making it available for others to post to their websites.
Regardless of the Internet marketing tactics you choose, be sure to consider an integrated marketing strategy. Be sure
that your Internet marketing has a specific goal and is supported with a definitive plan and budget. Lastly, be sure to
pick up a book, conduct some research or work with professionals to enhance your Internet marketing know-how.
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