INTERNET MARKETING

Internet marketing, also referred to as i-marketing, web marketing, online marketing, or e-Marketing, is the marketing of products or services over the internet. The Internet has brought media to a global audience. The interactive nature of Internet marketing 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 the Internet, e-mail, and wireless media, but it includes management of digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management systems.Internet marketing also ties together creative and technical aspects, including: design, development, advertising, and sales.

Business models

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).
• LOCAL INTERNET BUSINESS- this is the process of a locally based company traditionally selling belly to belly and utilizing the Internet to find and nurture relationships, later to take those relationships offline.

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

* ONE TO ONE APPROACH:

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.

SPECIFIC INTEREST:

Internet marketing and geo marketing, places an emphasis on marketing that appeals to a specific 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 also the luxury of targeting by activity .

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 METHOD:

Geo targeting in internet marketing and Geo marketing are the methods of determining the geo-location -the physical location of a website visitor with geo location 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, (IP) address, or other criteria.

A typical example for different content by choice in geo targeting is the FedEx website at FedEx.com where users have the choice to select their country location first and are then presented with a different site or article content depending on their selection.

ADVANTAGES

* 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 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 CLICK, PAY PER IMPRESSION,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 ANALYTIC S for instance, Internet marketing can offer a greater sense of accountability for advertisers.