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Online Marketing

It has become vital for most businesses to have an online presence, but what good is it to have an expensive website if no one can find it? Online marketing is a fairly recent field that has sprung up around the Internet to help businesses make a splash in the virtual world. A good online marketing plan can push your business higher in search results and increase the rate of consumers clicking on your website from among a list of search results. The following guide explains some of the benefits and pitfalls of online marketing, with explanations of some key terms, and provides a brief pricing overview.

Benefits

Affordable Cost

Online marketing is ideally suited for small and medium businesses that cannot afford expensive forms of marketing and advertising. Unlike traditional print and electronic media advertising, Internet-based promotion campaigns are much cheaper. Each business can tailor the size and scope of the campaign according to its needs.

Companies can hire SEO marketing professionals to design and develop their online campaigns in a professional manner to achieve optimal results. Small entrepreneurs may even develop and manage the campaign on their own, and use free marketing tools such as e-mail marketing and social media networking.

Targeted Reach

Internet search engine technology has improved substantially in recent years. This has allowed businesses to reach out to highly localized and targeted audiences by using innovative SEO techniques. Search engine marketing is one of the most popular forms of Internet marketing, particularly for small businesses and professionals such as doctors, lawyers, architects, and other service providers.

eMarketer, a major statistics database, reveals that U.S. search marketing spending has seen a steady rise in recent years. The total spending is forecasted to nearly double from 2007 through 2011. The key advantage of search marketing is for small businesses that operate within a specific geographical territory. Search engine technology allows the websites of such businesses to achieve high visibility among searchers who are looking for relevant local information.

Fewer Space Limitations

Unlike the traditional print and electronic media, Internet marketing campaigns do not have to face severe constraints of advertising time and space. A Web site can include hundreds of pages and offer comprehensive information to its target readers. This is perfectly suited for various businesses that need to explain the different aspects of their products and services for consumers.

Personalized Approach

Internet marketing can be highly interactive and allows scope for customer feedback, suggestions, and comments. Such high customer engagement levels are usually not possible with the conventional forms of advertising. Social media networking is becoming increasingly popular with small businesses because it allows the development of local online communities. Many companies are including social media and other online promotion tools in their marketing mix to make their marketing strategies more effective.

Pitfalls

E-mail Marketing

Online marketing takes on many different forms, some of which are much more effective than others. While e-mail marketing was once a strong option for driving consistent and long-lasting leads, many users have become weary of giving out their real e-mail address and will often give out a fake one, or one they use only for spam e-mails. Since so many e-mails that are given out are never read, e-mail marketing has begun to take a dive for the worse. Steer clear of this form of marketing.

Statistical Proof

When searching for a company to take control of your online marketing, make sure that the company you are interested in can provide adequate proof of the numbers they claim they can produce for you. Ask for copies of page views and total visitors for previous months. This is a foolproof way to see if the company is worth the time they are claiming. These numbers are especially important for any type of PPC marketing.

Demographics

Another group of statistics to watch out for when searching for the correct marketing strategy is demographics. Make sure to do excessive research into the websites you are interested in advertising on. This is especially vital when working with a tight marketing budget. The most important demographics to look out for are gender, age, income, and race. Education and other statistics are still important, but will not be as nearly as helpful for most researching the best marketing techniques.

SEO Claims

One of the biggest buzz words currently in online marketing is “SEO.” Many companies will have magical ways of reaching unheard of numbers in traffic statistics in very short amount of time. If a company is claiming to be able to put your Web site at page rank one within a couple days of the conversation, they are generally using flash in the pan techniques that will quickly be found by most search engines and ranked much lower than most Web sites even start at. When researching SEO-based marketing, make sure that the numbers don’t sound too good to be true. Good SEO techniques involve slow and organic methods that will take multiple weeks and sometimes months achieve results.

Pricing

Online marketing has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade. A survey conducted by Econsultancy earlier this year found that 72% of respondents believe that they achieve either an “excellent” or “really good” return-of-investment (ROI) through their email marketing campaigns. According to Datran Media’s 2010 Annual Marketing and Media Survey over 39% of the marketing executives surveyed believe that marketing by email is their most powerful advertising channel.

The Cost of Planning

Just sending out some email or slapping up a website can be extremely inexpensive or even free. However, in order to launch a successful online marketing campaign you need to reach your target market and inspire them to action. Accomplishing that can require a hefty financial investment. You will need the advice of someone with experience in online marketing to help you plan an effective strategy. The cost for this will vary depending on whether you need to hire an additional person or whether you can use the services of a consultant. Consultants generally charge more hourly, but you use them only when you need them. 

Buying Lists

You can buy targeted email lists or hire someone to put one together for you. The price for these lists varies dramatically depending upon how targeted they are. It is important to make sure that you buy from someone with a proven track record. Don’t be afraid to talk to previous clients.

Buying Ads on Social Media Sites

Most social media sites sell advertising. Facebook claims to be able to connect your business with more than 750 million potential customers who can be sorted by age, sex and location. They also offer several different payment options so if you can choose to spend a set fee or pay only when people choose to click on your ad.

Conclusion

Online marketing has the potential to drive considerable traffic to your website and send customers through the doors of your business. By hiring a good online marketing firm, your business can target specific demographics with exactly the message you want to send, for much less than renting a billboard along a busy stretch of highway. However, it is important to remember that not all online marketing firms are equal. Some are not able to deliver what they promise and a few are downright dishonest. Having read this guide, you can now be a more informed decision maker. As always, make sure you have the needs of your business in mind before you seek online marketing services.