Marketing has pretty much been around forever in one form or another. Since the day when humans first started trading whatever it was that they first traded, marketing was there. Marketing was the stories they used to convince other humans to trade. Humans have come a long way since then, (Well, we like to think we have) and marketing has too.
The methods of marketing have changed and improved, and we've become a lot more efficient at telling our stories and getting our marketing messages out there. eMarketing is the product of the meeting between modern communication technologies and the age-old marketing principles that humans have always applied.
That said, the specifics are reasonably complex and are best handled piece by piece. So we’ve decided to break it all down and tackle the parts one at a time. This week we’ll be looking at the "what" and "why" of eMarketing, outlining the benefits and pointing out how it differs from traditional marketing methods.
By the end of the series we're pretty sure you'll have everything you need to tell better marketing stories.
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 webwith the aim of attracting new business, retaining current business and developing its brand identity.
Whether you're a "bricks and mortar" business or a concern operating purely online, the Internet is a force that cannot be ignored. It can be a means to reach literally millions of people every year. It's at the forefront of a redefinition of way businesses interact with their customers.
Generally speaking, the demographics of the Internet are a marketer's dream. Internet users, considered as a group, have greater buying power and could perhaps be considered as a population group skewed towards the middle-classes.
Buying power is not all though. The nature of the Internet is such that its users will tend to organise themselves into far more focussed groupings. Savvy marketers who know where to look can quite easily find access to the niche markets they wish to target. Marketing messages are most effective when they are presented directly to the audience most likely to be interested. The Internet creates the perfect environment for niche marketing to targeted groups.
With eMarketing, responses can be analysed in real-time and campaigns can be tweaked continuously. Combined with the immediacy of the Internet as a medium, this means that there's minimal advertising spend wasted on less than effective campaigns.
Maximum marketing efficiency from eMarketing creates new opportunities to seize strategic competitive advantages.
The combination of all these factors results in an improved ROI and ultimately, more customers, happier customers and an improved bottom line.
SEO, PPC, ORM, WebPR - the acronyms are never far behind. We'll take a brief look at each, defining what they are and giving some guidance in terms of which tactic to use in a given situation to ensure optimum ROI on advertising spend.
Later on, we'll examine each of these weapons more closely and see just how they are used to produce results.
Fundamentally, what makes SEM so effective is that you get found by potential customers looking for the service you offer. So, provided you've got your keyword strategy right, you're getting targeted traffic.
Search Engine Marketing is divided into two distinct categories:
Sometimes called "organic" or "natural" optimisation, SEO involves making changes to the HTML code,content and structure behind your website, making it more accessible for Search Engines, and by extension, easier to find by users. SEO rewards relevant, helpful websites that add value and give visitors what they're looking for.
SEO is an extremely cost effective way of generating new business to your site. Once your site ranks highly on a Search Engine Results Page, you don't pay for any traffic that arrives at your site from that listing. SEO is a continuous process though; both to maintain rankings and improve rankings for other terms that may bring in relevant traffic.
Online Advertising is strongest on - adverts on websites, email newsletters and other electronic publications and is generally paid for on a Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) basis.
Unlike some of the other eMarketing techniques we've looked at, online advertising is not biased towards directly measurable ROI. Rather, it provides a means for combining the brand awareness bias of traditional advertising techniques with the immediacy of eMarketing.
The methods of marketing have changed and improved, and we've become a lot more efficient at telling our stories and getting our marketing messages out there. eMarketing is the product of the meeting between modern communication technologies and the age-old marketing principles that humans have always applied.
That said, the specifics are reasonably complex and are best handled piece by piece. So we’ve decided to break it all down and tackle the parts one at a time. This week we’ll be looking at the "what" and "why" of eMarketing, outlining the benefits and pointing out how it differs from traditional marketing methods.
By the end of the series we're pretty sure you'll have everything you need to tell better marketing stories.
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 webwith the aim of attracting new business, retaining current business and developing its brand identity.
Why is it important?
When implemented correctly, the return on investment (ROI) from eMarketing can far exceed that of traditional marketing strategies.Whether you're a "bricks and mortar" business or a concern operating purely online, the Internet is a force that cannot be ignored. It can be a means to reach literally millions of people every year. It's at the forefront of a redefinition of way businesses interact with their customers.
What is E-Marketing and how is it better than traditional marketing?
Demographics and targetingGenerally speaking, the demographics of the Internet are a marketer's dream. Internet users, considered as a group, have greater buying power and could perhaps be considered as a population group skewed towards the middle-classes.
Buying power is not all though. The nature of the Internet is such that its users will tend to organise themselves into far more focussed groupings. Savvy marketers who know where to look can quite easily find access to the niche markets they wish to target. Marketing messages are most effective when they are presented directly to the audience most likely to be interested. The Internet creates the perfect environment for niche marketing to targeted groups.
Adaptivity and closed loop marketing
Closed Loop Marketing requires the constant measurement and analysis of the results of marketing initiatives. By continuously tracking the response and effectiveness of a campaign, the marketer can be far more dynamic in adapting to consumers' wants and needs.With eMarketing, responses can be analysed in real-time and campaigns can be tweaked continuously. Combined with the immediacy of the Internet as a medium, this means that there's minimal advertising spend wasted on less than effective campaigns.
Maximum marketing efficiency from eMarketing creates new opportunities to seize strategic competitive advantages.
The combination of all these factors results in an improved ROI and ultimately, more customers, happier customers and an improved bottom line.
Next up in the E-Marketing :
Having identified the "why" of eMarketing, our next article in the series will look at the "how". We’ll be glancing at some of the weaponry in the eMarketer's arsenal, and looking at how these tools should be used to target customers.SEO, PPC, ORM, WebPR - the acronyms are never far behind. We'll take a brief look at each, defining what they are and giving some guidance in terms of which tactic to use in a given situation to ensure optimum ROI on advertising spend.
Later on, we'll examine each of these weapons more closely and see just how they are used to produce results.
Search Engine Marketing - SEM
Daily search volumes run into the hundreds of millions and Search Engines drive a huge proportion of all web traffic. Search is usually the first port of call for anyone looking for anything online. Those who seek online, search.Fundamentally, what makes SEM so effective is that you get found by potential customers looking for the service you offer. So, provided you've got your keyword strategy right, you're getting targeted traffic.
Search Engine Marketing is divided into two distinct categories:
Paid Search and Organic Search
Talk about Paid Search and you're talking Pay Per Click or PPC. Talk about Organic Search and the focus isSearch Engine Optimisation or SEO. They're similar enough to be classified together under SEM but they're different enough to warrant separate explanations.SEO - Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is PPC's roommate in the house of SEM. (I warned you the acronyms would come thick and fast.) Strictly speaking, SEO is about optimising websites to achieve high rankings on the Search Engines for certain selected key phrases.Sometimes called "organic" or "natural" optimisation, SEO involves making changes to the HTML code,content and structure behind your website, making it more accessible for Search Engines, and by extension, easier to find by users. SEO rewards relevant, helpful websites that add value and give visitors what they're looking for.
SEO is an extremely cost effective way of generating new business to your site. Once your site ranks highly on a Search Engine Results Page, you don't pay for any traffic that arrives at your site from that listing. SEO is a continuous process though; both to maintain rankings and improve rankings for other terms that may bring in relevant traffic.
Online Advertising
Eyeballs. They're a large part of the traditional advertising equation. For brand awareness, you need your brand to be seen.Online Advertising is strongest on - adverts on websites, email newsletters and other electronic publications and is generally paid for on a Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) basis.
Unlike some of the other eMarketing techniques we've looked at, online advertising is not biased towards directly measurable ROI. Rather, it provides a means for combining the brand awareness bias of traditional advertising techniques with the immediacy of eMarketing.
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