| What is Internet Marketing? I have seen many | | | | experiencing the highest growth. 73% of internet users |
| definitions of internet marketing out there, but to make | | | | click on an internet video at least once a month and |
| it really simple to everyone, internet marketing is, in its | | | | this number is growing, in comparison to only 33% last |
| core (yes, you guessed it), marketing. It is referred to all | | | | year. The main challenge I see here is production |
| the activities that will place your product in front of | | | | costs; if you want to do something professionally |
| hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of potential | | | | produced. |
| customers, but with just one subtle difference; internet | | | | 6. Online Public Relations: in here, I like to throw in all |
| marketing uses the internet as its communication | | | | activities that make your voice heard on the internet or |
| platform. In other words, internet marketing is defined | | | | allow you or your company to get more exposure. |
| as the ensemble of techniques that leverage the | | | | Some of these include writing press releases, articles, |
| Internet for driving traffic to your site and hopefully | | | | or just posting your opinion about something in a forum. |
| more customers to your business. What are some of | | | | Have you heard about blogs? A blog is just someone's |
| these activities or techniques? The list is growing | | | | personal or business journal. If you like to write, this is a |
| everyday but I will venture myself to list most of them | | | | great way of people learning about you and your |
| and provide a brief explanation for those who are | | | | company. |
| planning to enter in this sometimes obscure but exciting | | | | 7. Affiliate Marketing: I like to think of affiliate marketing |
| world. Some of them are very basic but others not as | | | | as tens, hundreds, or thousands of virtual salesmen |
| much. | | | | women of my product or services on the internet to |
| | | | which you pay a commission for bringing traffic and/or |
| 1. Building a website: believe it or not, with no website | | | | paying customers to your website. |
| there is no internet marketing. Websites are the | | | | 8. Online Directories: remember the big yellow phone |
| internet´s building blocks and the face of every | | | | book? There are millions of yellow book types of |
| single business or individual on the internet. It is your | | | | websites on the internet, so the more directories you |
| image to the entire world (and probably you need to | | | | are in, the higher the probabilities of people finding you. |
| ask yourself if your website accurately reflects the | | | | 9. Social Networking: you may have heard about |
| image you want the world to see of you and your | | | | facebook, myspace, linkedin, twitter, or others. Well, |
| business.) | | | | these tools have become one of the most effective |
| 2. Newsletters: email newsletters are about telling the | | | | and viral forms of advertising in the internet. It is based |
| world what is new about your company: new | | | | on the following notion: It is estimated that the average |
| products, new offers, new people. It is the periodic | | | | person knows about 250 people. And each of those |
| contact with your loved ones (i.e. your customers). | | | | people knows on average another 250 or so people. |
| Research suggests that companies that send | | | | This means that for each new person you meet, you |
| newsletters to their customers sell more than those | | | | gain access to a potential pool of 62,500 people |
| who do not, especially since the newsletters are | | | | separated from you by just two degrees! In other |
| usually sent to current customers. | | | | words, for each person you meet you may be able to |
| 3. Banners: have you seen the Geico billboards lately? I | | | | tell an average of 250 people about your business. |
| really do not like those plastic eyes looking at me, but | | | | 10. Web Analytics: I recently heard that tracking is the |
| you know what? The ad really works, it got my | | | | key to success. I could not agree more. If you cannot |
| attention and I cannot take those eyes and that stack | | | | measure it, you cannot manage it. Web analytics is |
| of bills out of my mind. Banners are billboards on a | | | | referred to the tools or methodologies used to track |
| website and if properly designed, they really work to | | | | the results of everything you do in relation to internet |
| your advantage. | | | | marketing. These may include numbers of visitors to |
| 4. Search Engine Marketing: Google processed around | | | | your site, opened emails, clicks to your ad, etc. |
| 250+ million searches today, so I am sure that some of | | | | What is the most effective form of internet |
| those searches are about the products or services | | | | marketing? I believe there is no silver bullet in marketing |
| you offer. Would you like to show up on Google when | | | | but a trial and error effort to see what works and not |
| people are specifically looking for your products or | | | | for your products and customers. However, if I have |
| services? Well, search engine marketing or also | | | | to choose my top 3, I would go for a professional and |
| referred to as search engine optimization is about that. | | | | engaging website (no website, no internet), a decent |
| In fact, in some industries, more that 80% of | | | | investment in search engine marketing (who is not |
| prospective buyers use Google or other search | | | | using Google today?) and web analytics (if you cannot |
| engines to research a product or services before | | | | measure, you cannot manage it) Enjoy! PD: If you are |
| selecting a vendor. | | | | not doing some kind of internet marketing today, you |
| 5. Online Video: online video does not really need a | | | | are not doing marketing. |
| definition but it is one of the areas of internet marketing | | | | |