Internet Marketing

Internet marketing, also referred to as i-marketing, web marketing, online marketing, or eMarketing, is the marketing of products, or, services over the Internet.

The Internet has brought many unique benefits to marketing, one being the lower costs and greater capabilities for the distribution of information and media to a global audience. The interactive nature of Internet marketing, both, in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses, is a unique quality of the medium. Internet marketing is sometimes considered to have a broader scope because it not only refers to digital media, such as, the Internet, e-mail, and wireless media, but also it includes management of digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems.

Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet including design, development, advertising, and sales.

Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along different stages of the customer engagement cycle through search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), banner ads on specific websites, e-mail marketing, and Web 2.0 strategies. In 2008 The New York Times, working with comScore, published an initial estimate to quantify the user data collected by large Internet-based companies. Counting four types of interactions with company websites in addition to the hits from advertisements served from advertising networks, the authors found the potential for collecting data upward of 2,500 times on average per user per month.

Internet marketing is associated with several business models:
e-commerce — this is where goods are sold directly to consumers (B2C) or businesses (B2B)
Publishing — this is the sale of advertising
lead-based websites — this is an organization that generates value by acquiring sales leads from its website
affiliate marketing — this is process in which a product or service developed by one person is sold by other active seller for a share of profits. The owner of the product normally provide some marketing material ( sales letter, affiliate link, tracking facility).

There are many other business models based on the specific needs of each person or the business that launches an Internet marketing campaign.

The targeted user is typically browsing the Internet alone therefore the marketing messages can reach them personally. This approach is used in search marketing, where the advertisements are based on search engine keywords entered by the user.

And now with the advent of Web 2.0 tools, many users can interconnect as "peers."

Internet marketing and geo marketing places an emphasis on marketing that appeals to a specific behaviour or interest, rather than reaching out to a broadly-defined demographic. "On- and Off-line" marketers typically segment their markets according to age group, gender, geography, and other general factors. Marketers have the luxury of targeting by activity and geolocation. For example, a kayak company can post advertisements on kayaking and canoeing websites with the full knowledge that the audience has a related interest.

Internet marketing differs from magazine advertisements, where the goal is to appeal to the projected demographic of the periodical, but rather the advertiser has knowledge of the target audience—people who engage in certain activities (e.g., uploading pictures, contributing to blogs)— so the company does not rely on the expectation that a certain group of people will be interested in its new product or service.

Geo targeting (in internet marketing) and geo marketing are the methods of determining the geolocation (the physical location) of a website visitor with geolocation software, and delivering different content to that visitor based on his or her location, such as country, region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, Internet Protocol (IP) address, ISP or other criteria.

Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive when compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience. Companies can reach a wide audience for a small fraction of traditional advertising budgets. The nature of the medium allows consumers to research and purchase products and services at their own convenience. Therefore, businesses have the advantage of appealing to consumers in a medium that can bring results quickly. The strategy and overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns depend on business goals and cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis.

Internet marketers also have the advantage of measuring statistics easily and inexpensively. Nearly all aspects of an Internet marketing campaign can be traced, measured, and tested. The advertisers can use a variety of methods: pay per impression, pay per click, pay per play, or pay per action. Therefore, marketers can determine which messages or offerings are more appealing to the audience. The results of campaigns can be measured and tracked immediately because online marketing initiatives usually require users to click on an advertisement, visit a website, and perform a targeted action. Such measurement cannot be achieved through billboard advertising, where an individual will at best be interested, then decide to obtain more information at a later time.

Internet marketing as of 2007 is growing faster than other types of media.Because exposure, response, and overall efficiency of Internet media are easier to track than traditional off-line media—through the use of web analytics for instance—Internet marketing can offer a greater sense of accountability for advertisers. Marketers and their clients are becoming aware of the need to measure the collaborative effects of marketing (i.e., how the Internet affects in-store sales) rather than siloing each advertising medium. The effects of multichannel marketing can be difficult to determine, but are an important part of ascertaining the value of media campaigns.

Business Directory

A Business directory is a website or print media listing of information which lists all businesses within some catagory. Businesses can be catagorized by business, location, activity, or size. Business may be compiled either manually or through an automated online search software.

The details provided in a business directory will vary. They may include the business name, addresses, telephone numbers, location, type of service or products the business provides, number of employees, the service region and any professional associations. Some directories include a section for user reviews, comments, and feedback.

Many business directories offer complimentary listings in addition to the premium options. There are many business directories and some of these have moved over to the internet and away from printed format. Whilst not being search engines, business directories often have a search facility.

Online Business Directories can receive a bad press, and they vary in quality and content. There is a balance between professional advertising, value for money and quality of service. Business owners are looking for ROI, web traffic, exposure for their business, plus SEO benefits of backlinks.

There are multitudes of online directories, and plenty will also give free links. The major search engines such as Google and Yahoo add more value to one way links from human edited directories, as they are seen as trusted resources.


Examples of these include:
Yellow Pages
Thomson Local
BiznesDirectory.com
AME Info
Business Line Directory
cylex.de (based in Germany)

Source : Wikipedia, Business directory, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_directory (as of Aug. 31, 2009, 23:21 GMT).

Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Have A Website

Having a website has become a true necessity nowadays. Here you will find all the required website resources in one place - 24/7 web hosting services complemented with FREE bonuses such as popular php scripts, marketing tools and a website builder, among others.

PERSONAL
Having a website of your own equals entering into an invaluable communication environment. There are at least 7 reasons why it is highly advisable for you to be present online:

Represents your personal profile
A website can be your virtual portrait, showing off your personal self to the world on a 24/7 basis. Among the most popular ways of presenting your personality online is keeping a webblog (otherwise known as online diary) or a photo gallery, where your friends can stay up-to-date with your daily living.


Spreads your voice across the world
A website can be your global “tribune” where you are able to share your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm with people who have common interests, but with whom you might not otherwise have crossed paths. A very popular idea-voicing tool is the discussion board, better known as “forum”. You can also have a guestbook on your site, where people can discuss your postings.


Lets you be in touch with people at a distance
A website can be a meeting place for making new acquaintances with people of different religion, nationality and age, as well as for keeping in touch with friends who may be on the other side of the world. Thanks to the almost unlimited online communication possibilities you can conduct one-to-one conversations with many different people directly from your website.


Broadens disabled people’s interaction with the world
A website empowers people with limited access, due to handicap or illness, to broaden their communication with others. A website can be a physically disabled person’s door to the dynamic world, allowing him/her to bridge over the difficulties
of having a “different” everyday life. It can even be their office, where they can present and deliver certain home-made products/services directly from their living room.


Creates a web skill development environment
A website can introduce you to the secrets of www. The contemporary web design technologies have brought the art of creating a website just a few clicks away from the inexperienced user. Thanks to the popular WYSWYG (what you see is what you get) web design tools, absolutely everyone (irrespective of age or education degree) can build their own web page without any previous experience.


Makes extra profit for you with minimum investment on your part
A website can make residual profit for you, while you are sleeping or enjoying your free time. Thanks to the up-to-date techniques for bringing traffic to your website, you can earn easy money by simply having visitors click on certain product/service promos or links that are relevant to your site content pages (e.g. Google Adsense/Adwords ad solutions) without any initial investment.


Makes you a member of the biggest community of the world
A website is a must-have personal attribute nowadays, just like mobile phones and computers are. The fast developing technologies have converted having a website from a whim into a modern necessity. As of today, almost everyone has a web site, whereas twice as many people are expected to be having their own personal space in the global World Wide Web cosmos in the near future. Be forward-thinking, join this trend now.

BUSINESS
Having a website of your own provides your business with invaluable advantages over the traditional advertising channels. There are at least 7 reasons why you should present your business online:

Increased customers’ convenience:
Searching for businesses and products over the Internet is much easier and quicker than leafing through the Yellow Pages. Anytime a potential or existing customer wants to find out more about your business, they can easily do that, especially if you have an "F&Q" section added. Your customers can be always in touch with you, all they need to know is the address of your website.


Greater accessibility to your business profile:
Your business profile will be accessible from EVERYWHERE. No other ad channel provides such global coverage. You will not depend any more on restricted presentations based on phone book entries. What is more important, more and more customers nowadays resort to the Internet when searching for products, services and businesses.


Greater opportunities for promoting your business portfolio:
People can`t buy your products or services if they don`t know that they actually exist. Through a WEBSITE you can tell your potential audience much more than you could possibly do via any print advertisements, Yellow Pages listings, or TV/radio commercials. There are no limitations with regard to space and time, nationality and residency. You can say as many things as you want, to as many people as wish. And your business representation can be as resourceful as is the Internet.


Low-cost efficient advertising:
Practically, what happens is – your website runs a NON-STOP PROMOTION of your business! Your customers are always able to obtain up-to-date and thorough information about your services or products. Instead of having to rely on randomly aired TV or radio commercials, they can simply browse through your website whenever they have time or need to.


Around-the-clock availability:
A website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It will be your hardest-working employee, never getting sick, or taking holiday. And you can always rest assured that your website is there for you – to answer to your customers` questions, or to collect their feedback instead of you.


It saves time:
With a website, prospective customers can learn about you and your business at any time of the day or night without you having to be all the time pre-occupied with the process. The time you would otherwise spend on answering or re-directing of your customers` questions can be now saved and invested in further activities to increase your profits, in other words – in further expansion of your business.


It saves money:
You can save a lot of money spent otherwise on print and postage costs for brochures, coupons, flyers, specials, newsletters, and other mailings. Furthermore, while regular renewals of printed materials can be quite expensive and also time consuming, updating information on your website is always handy, fast and most important – amazingly efficient. As we all know, nothing is more valued in a business than optimal productivity for minimal input costs.

Source : EzyWeb Hosting Solutions, http://www.ezyweb.us.my/?lang=en&action=why_a_website (as of Aug. 31, 2009, 23:25 GMT).