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Online Marketing Overview

Online Marketing is using the internet and online methods to market a product or service. Online Marketing, also known as Internet Marketing or Online advertising, has become popular for a couple of reasons. One of the main reasons is that marketers can target a larger audience for a relatively lower cost than traditional media. Also, the medium is more interactive and generally solicits a more instant response than other methods.

Types of Online Marketing

There are many different types of online marketing available to promote products or services. Some of the most popular involve Search Engine Marketing, which is the process of increasing the visibility of a website in search engine results. An SEM campaign specialist will work with link building off of your webpage to let others know about your company. Marketing services and online advertising marketing can be difficult to comprehend and follow through with if you aren’t a trained specialist. For the most effective campaign, work with a qualified vendor with seasoned expertise in the field.

There are essentially two categories of SEM:

• Sponsored Links or Pay-per-click (PPC) allows advertisers to advertise, typically on the right side of the search page. The advertiser's ad appears whenever someone searchs for designated keywords and the advertiser pays each time someone clicks on the ad.  However, once the ad budget has been spent, the ad no longer appears unless the advertiser deposits more money.
• Organic Search or "Natural Seach" uses Search Engine Optimization (SEO) methods in order to increase a website's liklihood of appearing in natural search results. Natural search results are typically the main body of a search page. Unlike PPC, if your site is ranked in natural results, you will improve the visibility of your website and distinguish yourself from your online competitors. Plus, organic results are not directly tied to a budget like PPC. Approximately 70-80% of clicks occur in the natural space versus 20-30% in the PPC space. The benefits of attaining natural rankings can significantly benefit your business and is a quick and accurate way to attract new customers.

   

Other types of Online Marketing include:

In addition to SEM, Email marketing is a commonly used business marketing technique. Business owners gather useful information about their customers in order to to build a relationship with the consumer and connect them with information that may lead to a purchase. Interested shoppers can submit their personal information and email address to receive information in the future.

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace have been growing in popularity and are other ways business owners can spread the word about their company to likeminded “friends” on the Internet. The potential for a profit increases drastically when you target a new audience that is already interested in what you have to say. Online advertising marketing is also made simple through social media because it is easy to share a link, blog, image or video through your profile or webpage. Online marketing services are becoming more creative as time progresses so keep your eyes open for these new applications and determine how they would best apply within your own company.

Banner ads follow the typical advertising approach where businesses can place an ad on another, complimentary website with a link to drive users to their website.

Affiliate marketing has also become a trend. This referral program pays when a someone clicks on an ad from someone else's website and becomes a paying customer.

Questions to Ask Your Online Marketing Business Vendor

One thing to remember about choosing an online marketing business vendor is that they should have three main goals. Online marketing services should increase the Internet visibility of your company, enhance your customer relations, and improve your profits through e-commerce and/or lead generation. You may surprised as to how many business marketing vendors are eager to assist in your needs so you will need to ask them a few questions to find the most qualified candidate. Marketing services can vary by each firm so determine your needs before settling down with any firm.

Read more about how to choose an online marketing expert from our Buyer Guide.

Ask your vendor for references. The online marketing business can be tracked easily and previous clients will be happy to tell you how the vendor helped them to reach a larger audience. Online advertising marketing may be another tactic that you will want to look into, so ask the business vendor if they can provide any examples of positive results with their former clients and do a little research beforehand. Lastly, to save yourself some money, ask your business vendor if they offer all inclusive packages to include SEO, PPC and SEM management services. Research online marketing trends as they are consistently changing. Shop around to find the best online marketing specialist and make sure to ask them important questions to ensure a positive marketing campaign.