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What is eMarketing?
Very simply put, eMarketing or electronic marketing refers
to the application of marketing principles and techniques
via electronic media and more specifically the Internet.
The terms eMarketing, Internet marketing and online
marketing, are frequently interchanged, and can often be
considered synonymous.
eMarketing is the process of marketing a brand using the
Internet. It includes both direct response marketing and
indirect marketing elements and uses a range of
technologies to help connect businesses to their
customers.
By such a definition, eMarketing encompasses all the
activities a business conducts via the worldwide web with
the aim of attracting new business, retaining current
business and developing its brand identity.
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 (ECRM) systems.
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 marketing
- 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.
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-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..
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.
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