This week you can expect a series of articles dedicated to internet marketing. Find out how it developed, in which direction it is going, and how you can use it to successfully develop your business. Check out our previous post about the stages of building the content marketing strategy.
At the turn of the 21st century, the Internet has become a full-fledged medium of information. This was of great importance for the global market, as the new opportunities in the sphere of communication appeared.
The way of sharing
The Internet has proven to be an extremely useful marketing tool, mainly because the communication on the Internet is always two-way and takes place in real-time. It allows for the global spread of messages without the help of intermediaries (which distinguishes it from the traditional media), regardless of time and place. A huge advantage for the marketers is the fact that
A huge advantage for the marketers is the fact that the Internet is a medium for enforcement reception – requiring the full commitment of the recipient (as opposed to radio or television, because messages from these sources can be received in the course of performing other activities). Marketers can monitor the behavior of Internet users, which enables them to individualize information and track consumer response to the message.
The development of new technologies has given rise to a new way of communicating with potential customers –internet marketing which uses digital media to broadcast advertising messages.
Dave Chaffey’s enumerates these media in his book about internet marketing:
The access platforms or hardware include PCs, mobile phones and interactive digital TV (IPTV) and these deliver content and enable interaction through different online communication tools such as organization websites, portals, search engines, blogs, e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging.
In contrast to the marketing communication done through traditional media, Internet marketing not only offers certain goods and services to the customer but also allows the marketer to learn, collect and monitor information about the audience. Its effectiveness is based on the personalization of communication, adapting it to the preferences and needs of the client.
Feel the power of digital marketing!
The multimodality of the Internet is important for marketing. The information delivered through it engage multiple senses at the same time –that is, because they may consist of text, images, and video with the accompanying audio, as well as hyperlinks to encourage the further deepening of knowledge about a subject. It is therefore much more attractive than the message included in the traditional media. The Internet also lets the marketers directly interact with customers by communicating via a form which is an integral part of the website, as well as by emails, blogs, and social networking sites.
The multimodality of a webcast is directly connected with the phenomenon of media convergence – the “flow of content between different media platforms, cooperation between various media industries and the migratory behavior of media consumers.”
It is somewhat the result of the digitization process which made the boundaries between the media less visible.
This phenomenon is clearly visible in the case of the press – currently, the majority of titles have online editions, which can be displayed on a computer, smartphone or tablet. It also increases the functionality of multiple devices, with which you can receive information transmitted through various channels.
Interactivity is the key
The interactivity of the Internet is directly related to this process; it enables the network user not only to receive advertising messages but also to establish a dialogue with the creator of the statement or express an opinion about the promoted product or service.
The Internet user in case of problems or questions through especially has the opportunity to personally contact the marketer via the contact form or through the comments system. Internet marketing also helps to sustain the once established client relationship with through specially designed newsletters and personalized advertising.
Interactivity also has a psychological effect on the behavior of the recipient – an individual approach to each user increases the boundary with the company.
The Internet user is much more inclined to visit the store again to make additional purchases, and tell his or her friends about the quality of the service.
The Internet is an extremely fast type mass media. It is perfectly reflected by the ability to conduct conversations via instant messaging services, like Slack or social networking sites. Their big advantage is the possibility to transmit non-verbal and emotional communications through video broadcasts (as most computers have webcams).
The network is thus a rich medium since it enables transmitting and receiving various pieces of information in a short time. Marketers can use the Internet to create the message of a very complex nature, engaging the feelings and beliefs of consumers, referring to them in a direct way. Also, such message will be received much faster and with a greater efficiency than one sent through the traditional media.
Web 2.0
The Internet is being used by over 3.5 billion people around the world. Every day they receive thousands of messages, which are classified as important or unimportant basing on a general interest criterion. Similar interests and needs encourage people to gather into groups in which the bonds between members are determined by the strength of the binding agent (the more specific is this factor, the closer the relationship between the participants of the group). These “clubs” are informal, and the status of all the people in them are equal. They can form spontaneously in response to specific phenomenon or shape in a natural way (e.g.,. The residents of the city gathered in the sales group on Facebook).
The origins of online communities date back to 1985, but the biggest impact on the formation of virtual communities has had an introduction to the Web 2.0.
This term was used for the first time in 2004 in the USA during the conference devoted to this phenomenon, organized by O’Reilly Media and journalist John Battel.
The term is used to describe the second generation of the Internet, which allows everyone, not only the administrators, to create its content. With the creation of Internet 2.0, began the emergence of new communication tools, such as interactive websites, discussion forums, wikis, websites, blogs, instant messaging or social networking sites. The users quickly realized that they are not alone on the web and that they can find people with similar beliefs or problems in it.
The emergence of online communities made it considerably easier for marketing specialists to find the target group for their advertisement.
The Internet is, in fact, a treasure trove of knowledge about its users, which helps in determining the receivers of marketing message more accurately.
Join our community!
More and more people “exist” in virtual reality, thanks to the activity of various social networking sites – now 1 out of 6 minutes is spent on the social media services like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Users are often sharing information, such as personal details, interests, and current location. Such information makes it easy to assign a person to a particular audience, and thus – to create a personal message based on his or her interests. The search engines also help in matching the content and themes of the advertisement. The web users’ preferences can also be specified thanks to Cookies.
The web communities are divided, but from a marketing point of view, the most important factor in distinguishing a particular community is the type of relationship they have with the company. There are, therefore, the groups that are created and managed by the company – being the direct effect of the company’s actions.
And there are groups formed from the bottom up, as a result of the activities of Internet users. The first category consists mostly of the official fan pages of companies. They are administered by the employees hired especially for this purpose or by the outsourcing marketing agency. The second one is represented, for example, by a discussion group on online forums, where consumers can exchange opinions and post tips.
The effectiveness of online marketing is closely linked to the fact that the Internet is extremely fast when it comes to global communication. The transfer of information about a brand or product is done immediately, and opinions are acquired through the exchange of views. Virtual Marketing enables us to build a relationship between the potential consumer and the company. Such relationship operates on the principle of mutual trust, magnified by the individual approach to every customer.
Imagine the all websites are responsive that’s a world of online digital marketing.
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