Orji-Oko Uzor- Introduction
- What is electronic marketing?
- Types of electronic marketing
- Advantage and disadvantage of electronic marketing
- Benefits of electronic marketing
- Strategies of electronic marketing
- How can electronic marketing help your business?
Introduction
Calling the shots with electronic marketing. This has to do with using electronic marketing to grow your business.
But before we look at how it will grow your business, we will try to know what is electronic marketing. Before then using it to call the shots.
Generally, the concept of marketing is adaptable and changeable to keep pace with technological advancements. Therefore, according to the market sectors, traditional marketing did not depend on divided customer demand.
Due to the advent of many variables which includes advertising, products, distribution, and prices. Electronic marketing targets to increase market share and business for companies.
The growth of electronic marketing requires the presence of these four variables:
- Individuals
- Distribution
- Technology
- And information
These variables are means of which now offer or attracting new customers are developed.
Electronic marketing is based on the use of the technology that aims to improve the profits of business. And also make an effort to satisfy the personal needs of customers, both in an interactive and permanent manner. Digital advancements have made the view towards electronic marketing equivalent to that of traditional marketing.
What is electronic marketing?
Though electronic marketing is not really new field, but it has witnessed a big growth and development in the past few years. Moreover, it is an area that is evolving constantly, and which is always new. It is not just a branch of marketing in general, but it represents the technological age in which we live now.
So you shouldn’t be surprised, that you find out that electronic marketing has contributed greatly to the development and formation of the concept of marketing in general.
Then, what is electronic marketing?
Electronic marketing may be defined as the advertisement of products and services and their sale using the Internet, the use of websites and email.
It can equally mean the process whereby a product, service or brand is marketed using the Internet. It is the very future of shopping today, as it has contributed immensely to change the ways to buy and sell services and products.
E-marketing is all the activity that is done on the internet to be able to reach a potential customer. To be able to market a product, service, or content and achieve the biggest level of sales, and equally gain the biggest level of profits. It relies majorly on the advent of e-commerce, which helps to reduce the gap between the manufacturer and the customer. It manages to get the satisfaction of a large number of customers because it provides many options to buy online.
Types of electronic marketing
Electronic marketing is divided into different types namely:
Electronic marketing targeted to end customers: A type of marketing that is concerned with the use of electronic means on the internet and with the aim to reach customers.
Electronic marketing applied between institutions: It is marketing that focuses on building a relationship between institutions and it contributes to achieving the benefits related to each of them.
Dual distribution electronic marketing strategies: This is the marketing with the aim to achieve the goals of customer-oriented marketing and electronic marketing applied between institutions.
Government electronic marketplace (GeM): GeM depends on the use of electronic means to be able to provide services for both business and government institutions. This leads to achieving benefit for all, and helps to save time. Also it reduces the effort that is dependent on routine procedures.
Methods of electronic narketing
The success of implementing electronic marketing solely depends on the method used. The most important electronic marketing methods include the following:
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engines are depending on the use of a special type of website that provides information for internet users. And this help in achieving the desired goal of electronic marketing.
SEO is a powerful tool of attracting customers to your website thereby increasing the traffic.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
It is a kind of digital marketing and equally one of the electronic marketing channels. SEM always seek to increase and improve the appearance of your site in order to be marketed on the search engine results page.
As an owner of a product or service, your site ranking highly in the search engines will increase the number of visitors and thus increases your profits.
Paid advertising
Paid advertising is the first among the methods used in electronic marketing. However, it is regarded as one of the most popular advertising methods across the Internet. Reason being that many website users see them.
Affiliate Marketing
A performance-based marketing system in which a seller of a product pays a commission when someone buy his product. However, the “product” can be physical (books, clothing, jewelry etc.) or digital (e-books, programs, online courses, etc.).
When a visitor clicks on your affiliate link, they are immediately redirected to the seller’s website. From the point the visitor lands on the seller’s site. The seller will close the sale; much easier and faster after you’ve prepared for them! When a visitor to your site buys a seller’s product, you will get a commission.
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Promotion and advertising of products through social media on the Internet. A branch of electronic marketing that is considered as Word-Of-Mouth Marketing (WOM Marketing) online.
This particular tool is created to assist digital marketers know how effective social media marketing is. And what improvements you may need to improve this effectiveness.
Email marketing
Email marketing is an active, cost-effective path to get your message to your existing and potential customers. There are very relevant in electronic marketing. Many marketing professionals are interested in designing electronic mail forms. This will contain many different and interactive designs of products that will reach customers. It majorly depend on having a valuable email list. So, if you haven’t had a chance to create it before, then it’s time for that.
Advantage and disadvantage of electronic marketing
Advantage of electronic marketing
- Internet provides service to its users irrespective of the time or day, meaning 24 hours and 7 days service. So you have everything you need to build customers relationships worldwide. And your customer can shop or order product at any time of the day.
- The cost to spread your message on internet is all most nothing. Social media sites like Facebook, Linkedin and Google plus gives you its platform to advertise and promote your business.
- You may easily and instantly update your existing customers or subscribers through detailed email.
- Potential customers or visitors on your website can easily get up to the minute information on each visit.
- When you are having a sale, your existing customers may start shopping at discounted prices literally immediately they open their email.
- A company may have an information sensitive business, like a newspaper or online magazine, a law firm. This kind of company can easily deliver its products directly to customers without using the service of a courier.
- advantages and disadvantages of internet marketing
Disadvantages of electronic marketing
- When you need a strong online advertising campaign you will certainly spend money. The cost to design a website, software, hardware, business site maintenance, invested time and online distribution costs. All these must be factored into the cost of providing your product or service online.
- Nowadays, many households shop online. While this is continuously growing, your company needs to be able to reach maximum people.
- Some people do prefer the live interaction when they are buying any product. And if your company has a very small business with one location. It may equally discourage customers from buying who lives on long distances.
- Your company must have updated information on your site regularly. Certainly this requires research and skills and thus timing of updates is equally very important.
- Is your website secured? There are a lot incorrect stereotypes about internet security. As a result, many visitors of your website will be discourage to use their credit card to buy any product.
Pulling all these together we may have to say that there are many pros and cons. So it’s very important for your company to consider the above points when designing your electronic marketing strategy. You can easily overcome the disadvantages. It’s only possible when you view the customer experience with the eyes of your customer, not from the eyes of a digital marketer.
Benefits of electronic marketing
Convenience of internet marketing
Electronic marketing will enable you be open to business around the clock without even worrying about opening hours for your store. By offering your products online is also convenient for your customers. They will equally browse your online store at any time and place orders when is best convenient for them.
Reach of the internet
By marketing online, you will overcome barriers of distance. You will sell your products in any part of the country without local outlets, thus widening your target market. You will equally build an export business even without creating a network of distributors in different countries.
However, if you will sell internationally, you should make use of localization services to ensure that your products comply with local business regulations.
Cost of electronic marketing
Marketing products online are less expensive to market them through a physical retail outlet. You do not have to pay for property rent and maintenance. No need to buy stock for display in a store. What you only do is to order for stock in line with demand, just to keep your inventory costs low.
Personalization of offers
Electronic marketing will enable you in personalizing offers for customers by building a profile of their buying history. In order to track the web pages and product information that they had visited. You will make targeted offers that will reflect their interests.
Relationships with customers
The Internet provides a relevant platform to build relationships with customers and increase customer retention levels. When a customer has bought a product from your online store. You will start the relationship by sending a follow up email to confirm the transaction and equally thank the customer. To email customers regularly with special, personalized offers will help maintain the relationship. You will equally invite customers to submit product reviews on your site, to help build a sense of community.
Growing importance of social media
Electronic marketing will enable you take advantage of the growing relevance of social media.
An article from the Harvard Business School Executive Education site highlight the link between social networking and online revenue growth. According to the article, a group of customers that respond strongly to the influence of social networks generated increased sales of around 5%.
https://www.exed.hbs.edu/
You need to take advantage of this kind of influence and incorporate social networking tools in your Internet marketing campaigns.
Strategies of electronic marketing
Produce original content
The first step in setting up a website is to create content for it. By creating high-quality and original content will help set you up for success because it will always resonate with your customers. This way it will make them want to interact with you and buy from you.
Be original. Be creative.
To promote original content is a powerful way to make a strong statement and make a mark on your user’s mind. There is a distinct line between content that engages users and content that deters them.
Why not take a step forward, put in just a little effort, and then create something that will be genuinely compelling?
Optimize your website layout
After you have launched your site, it’s very important to test your website’s layout, language, and placement of conversion elements. When a customer visit your site, make sure it’s very easy and simple to check out what they need. Through this, they feel naturally inclined to buy your products and it’s pretty clear how to do so.
You should try and test the language written on your landing and product pages. The language in your conversion elements, and even the strategic placement of icons and elements.
Content marketing
A proper content marketing will attract many positive attention, interaction, and sustainable conversions in a way no other marketing method can. By creating and promoting original content, you ensure that your audience receives new information that matters to them constantly.
Always brainstorm with your team to create different types of content you wish to create. This includes blog posts, videos, and newsletters. Equally, make sure you utilize your marketing budget by consulting with specialists, outsource work when necessary. Invest in quality software, subscriptions, employees, and training for your team.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is a powerful tool. It gives you the opportunity to communicate with your industry, customers, and market in a very personal way. You utilize social media to generate more engagement and interaction. And boost traffic for your website, and develop a huge base of customers.
Utilize different social media platforms for separate purposes. You will equally creates a rich presence for your company that will diversifies your abilities, efforts. This will certainly help you to handle your customers’ needs in a way that grows your business over time.
Email marketing
One of the most powerful forms to reach out to your customer base is through email marketing. However, you must be very careful with the content in your emails and who is included in your list. The reason being that email marketing has been here for so long is because it works.
In order to reach your customers effectively, always provide useful content in your emails. Make the content personal as you can, give valuable promotions, and use it as a means to socialize.
How can electronic marketing help my business?
The requirements and needs of the customers will be better understood, by knowing more about your customers. And equally analyze ways to provide their needs. This will certainly help in convincing the customer’s or requirements, earlier than your component.
The information curve of the marketer’s will be better enhanced based on the growing information of the customer’s. It is significant to deliver the best products and services to the customers with precision, in order for the customers to be satisfied. To establish the principle of adding value to the services of every customers. You can be warned in advance of an ineffective and expensive competitive approach can be achieved by the usage of electronic marketing.
The use of electronic marketing will help to improve such circumstances. Also how can the use of electronic marketing help your business.
Point 1
An instance of how electronic marketing can help your business, is through the use of a cheap and extensive method of communication is email. Email an easy and lasting medium. This is used to send messages to unite people with an already listed names and addresses. It has been and is still a growing means of communication within the organization.
Point 2
A difficult task that has been improved by electronic marketing is marketing research. The approaches used by the different business will be examined. And discussions with the business will be preserved for discussions over a extensive phase of time.
Point 3
Another business condition where electronic marketing can be utilized is marketing planning and sales support. It’s very possible for more people to use this intermediate for advertising information.
Point 4
Electronic marketing can be equally used in another situation – productivity innovations. The use of the electronic medium helps the sales representative. This help to speed up the answers to a customer’s queries about the product particulars.
Point 5
With electronic marketing and sales practice, both are useful to business-to-business relations in the instant future. Prospects and high confidence will be accepted by the customers since your business sections overlay the pathway for them.
Point 6
Electronic marketing is equally used in the scenario of customer loyalty. The buying pattern of the customers will be tracked by your business, for which deep databases are created.
Point 7
However, another way in which electronic marketing can help your business is globalised reach. Meaning international marketing will be obtained easily as internet helps to interconnect businesses.
Point 8
Lastly, your business can be helped by electronic marketing and that’s by obtaining competitive intelligence. You used it to analyze market information using the World Wide Web, and vice-versa.