INTERNET MARKETING

Internet marketing, also referred to as online marketing, Internet advertising, eMarketing (or e-Marketing), is the marketing of products or services over the Internet. When it applies to the subset of website based ad placements it is commonly referred to as Web advertising (Webvertising), and/or Web Marketing. The Internet has brought many unique benefits to marketing including low costs in distributing information and media to a global audience. The interactive nature of Internet marketing, both in terms of instant response and in eliciting response, are unique qualities of the medium.Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising and sales. Internet marketing methods and strategies encompass a wide range of services such as search engine marketing (SEM)which can be broken down into search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click (PPC), display advertising, text-based advertising, behavioral marketing, software-based ads, e-mail marketing, newsletter marketing, Customer Relationship Management Marketing affiliate marketing, web press releases, interactive advertising, online reputation management(ORM), online market research, and also Social Media Marketing Methods such as blog marketing, multivariate testing or optimization and viral marketing.Internet marketing is the process of promoting an organization using online media, typically with the goals of increasing sales and boosting profits. Internet marketing does not simply mean building or promoting a website nor does it mean simply putting a banner ad up on another website. Effective Internet marketing requires a comprehensive strategy that synergizes a given company's business model and sales goes with their website function & appearance, focusing on their target market through proper choice of advertising type, media, and design.Business modelsInternet marketing is associated with several business models. The model is typically defined by the goal. These include e-commerce, where goods are sold directly to consumers or businesses; publishing, or the sale of advertising; and lead-based sites, where an organization generates value by getting sales leads from their site. There are many other models based on the specific needs of each person or business that launches an internet marketing campaign.Internet marketing refers to the placement of media along different stages of the Customer engagement Cycle, through Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Banner Ads on specific sites, email marketing and Web 2.0 strategies. In 2008, The New York Times working with comScore published a first estimate to quantify the user data collected by large Web companies. Counting four types of interactions with company sites plus the hits from ads served from advertising networks, they found the potential for collecting upwards of 2,500 pieces of data on average per user per month.[1]When compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience, Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive. 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 quick results. Emphasize business goals and use methods such as CVP analysis when determining strategy and the overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns.There are a few important characteristics that differentiate Internet marketing from "off-line marketing." One of these is the One-to-one approach: The targeted user is typically browsing the Internet alone, so the marketing messages can reach them personally. This is seen in search marketing, where the advertisements are based on keywords entered by the user in a search engine. Another large difference is an emphasis on marketing that appeals to a specific behavior or interest, instead of broadly reaching out at a defined demographic. Off-line marketers typically segment their markets according to age group, sex, geography, and other general factors. Online marketers have the luxury of targeting by activity. For example, a kayak company can post advertisements on kayaking and canoing websites and market them with the full knowledge that the audience has some sort of related interest. This would be different from an advertisement in a magazine, where the emphasis may be on appealing to the projected demographic of the periodical. This is a deeper form of targeting, since the advertiser knows that the target audience are people who do a certain activity (upload pictures, have blogs, etc.) instead of just expecting that a certain group of people will like their new product or service.Internet marketers also have the advantage of easily and cheaply measuring statistics. Almost all aspects of an online campaign can be traced, measured, and tested. The advertisers either pay per banner impression (CPM), pay per click (PPC), or pay per action accomplished. Therefore, it is easy to understand which messages or offering are more appealing to the audience. Since the online marketing initiatives usually require users to click on the message, go to a website, and perform a targeted action, the results of campaigns are immediately measured and tracked. On the other hand, someone driving a car who sees a billboard, will at best be interested and might decide to get more information at some time.Internet marketing as of 2007 is growing faster than other types of media.[citation needed]Since exposure, response and overall efficiency of Internet media is easier to track than traditional offline media, through the use of web analytics for instance, Internet marketing can offer a greater sense of accountability for advertisers. Increasingly, however, 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, etc., instead of siloing each medium. The effects of Multi-Channel Marketing can be difficult to determine, but are an important part of ascertaining the value of media campaigns.