Internet Marketing

Have you  always wondered  as to what does this term called ‘Internet Marketing’ mean?

What is Internet Marketing?
The term Internet Marketing is used collectively for advertising, marketing and promoting any product, service or an idea over the internet. Internet marketing is also referred to as web marketing, i-marketing, online marketing and eMarketing.

The ease and reach of Internet marketing makes it very inexpensive.

Internet marketing has its own benefits. One of the major benefits of marketing over the internet is lower costs of distribution of information. Also the media unlike radio is global, so when choosing internet marketing one can appeal to a global audience.
Also the internet is an interactive in nature so while marketing over the internet a company can get instant feedback and responses.
Some of the main forms of internet marketing are e-mails, wireless media, banners, flash advertisements, online games, suggest a friend technique, toolbars etc. Talking of internet marketing we cannot miss any of it aspects. It includes all digital media and also the managing of customer data and electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems.
Internet marketing taps the technology of internet combining the creative and technical aspects of the internet which may include advertisings, sales, designing and development.

Internet Marketing Models
Internet marketing has various types of business models, that is, there are several types of categories under one big head of internet marketing.

Internet marketing cycle , as to how internet marketing works.

1.    Publishing – Publishing is nothing but putting up advertisements online which may include banners and brochures

2.    E-Commerce – E-commerce is also a part of internet marketing wherein the products are sold directly to its customers. The transaction could B2C(here the goods are sold directly to the end user) or B2B( where in the goods are sold to other businesses)

3.    Lead Bases websites – These are websites used to market the product or service which has already been out in the market. This is usually done to increase the sales of the product or service by making the customer a little more aware.

4.    Affiliate Marketing – Affiliate marketing is when a product or service developed by a party is sold to a third party for a share in profits before being sold to the final consumer. Here the owner of the product or services usually provides an affiliate link, sales letter, tracking facility or other marketing materials

5.    SEO Marketing – This marketing technique is used nowadays by many companies to link their webpage higher than other search results.

ADVANTAGES OF INTERNET MARKETING

One on one – Since the targeted user is always browsing the internet alone, the marketing message reaches or affects the end user more personally. This approach is also used in search marketing. In search marketing advertisements are based or search engine keywords entered by the user. So when a user types t-shirts (keyword), the search results would display advertisements related to t-shirts.

Specific Target – While marketing over the internet one has the advantage of directing a product or services to reach a specific user group or a target audience. For example, if a new ‘Counter Strike’ video game is to be launched, the company would market it on gaming websites, fan websites and other websites usually which the potential customers visit the most. Also the company may choose to advertise on other Role-Playing Game (RPG) or First –Person Shooting (FPS) websites too.

Geo targeting- Geo targeting in terms of internet marketing is when a website is customized by using geolocation software to provide different content or different types of websites according to the location of the target audience. This is done by monitoring the IP (Internet Protocol) address or ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) location. For example, an advertisement made for United States might not appeal to a person in United Kingdom. Thus geo marketing comes into play.

Cost Effectiveness – Internet marketing is comparatively less expensive than other alternate mediums of marketing.

Global Reach– With internet marketing a company can not just reach its specified target audience but also has the power to reach a global audience.

Inbuilt Research – While marketing over the internet, the market research cost is also saved as feedback is collected automatically.
There are only a few limitations of Internet marketing. Low-speed internet is one of them. Also another aspect is the products are intangible over the internet so the customer can not see, touch or smell them.