What Is Internet Marketing? – Definition and Examples

As the internet and technology continue to evolve at a rapid pace, marketing techniques have also transformed significantly. Businesses around the globe now consider online marketing as one of the crucial elements of their primary marketing strategies.

For companies seeking to expand marketing efforts, internet marketing can be a huge opportunity to bring more leads to their businesses.

Let’s dive in and explore how Internet marketing can help you build brand awareness among the target audience.

What Is Internet Marketing?

Internet marketing, also known as online marketing, refers to the digital platforms and methods used to promote products and services online.

Here’s a list of numerous digital tools and systems that you can choose for marketing purposes:

• Online ads
• Blogging
• Social media
• Paid promotions
• Email marketing
• Video/podcasts
• Website content and design

What’s more, internet marketing encompasses various strategies and tactics that businesses use to achieve their goals beyond just promoting their products or services.

That’s because by leveraging the power of Internet marketing, businesses can reach more people, connect with them in meaningful ways, and establish a strong online presence in the market.

In a nutshell, internet marketing comes very handy when businesses want to:

• Conduct market research
• Build brand awareness
• Establish expertise and authority within an industry

Do You Need Internet Marketing for Your Business Growth?

Did you know that consumers prefer using online tools to research and make purchasing decisions? Yes, research indicates that consumers often turn to Google search as their first port of call when searching about a certain product or service. With that, over 75% of U.S. adults prefer to shop online.

In today’s digital world, having an online presence is imperative for businesses around the globe.

With over 4.5 billion people spending a significant amount of time online every day, engaging in different activities such as using search engine optimization, browsing social handles, checking websites, etc., internet marketing is one of the effective tools for businesses reaching their prospects.

• Internet marketing helps you reach a larger audience than you could ever reach using a traditional channel.
• It allows you to target a more specific audience (niche specified).
• Internet marketing improves both the quality of leads as well as conversion rates.
• Since marketing is based on all, from consumer behavior to psychographics to demographics, it gives businesses insights into what consumers want.

Difference between Digital Marketing vs. Internet Marketing

Digital marketing is a broader term that refers to the marketing strategies that use different digital channels for the promotion of brands, products and services.

P.S. DIGITAL MARKETING ENCAPSULATES ALL, FROM SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO TV Ads TO DIGITAL BILLBOARDS.

Internet marketing is indeed a subset of digital marketing. It involves the promotion of products and services using the internet as the primary source, including channels such as email marketing, SEO, social media, etc.

Example of Internet Marketing Strategies for Your Campaign

Internet marketing aims to reach potential customers by leveraging their online activity for business outreach. Also, the choice of marketing techniques businesses employ depends on the following factors:

• Business model
• Target audience
• Resources
• Types of products
• Budget

Here’s what can help you expand your marketing efforts:

Website Content and Design

Content marketing is one of the techniques used by businesses that involves creating and sharing content to attract and retain consumers.

Unlike other traditional marketing channels that put emphasis on selling, content marketing prioritizes building customer relationships via communication, which is generally more favorable.

Having a website not only promotes exponential growth of the business but can help the customers in so many ways, such as:

• Locate your business online.
• Discover your company’s location and contact details.
• Browse and learn about your products and services.
• Sign up for your email list to stay updated on new offerings and promotions.
• Ask for additional information.
• Make purchases.

Businesses use SEO (search engine optimization) which involves optimizing the content on your website to rank higher on search engines, making it more accessible to potential consumers.

Social Media

Social media marketing refers to the form of marketing where businesses use social media platforms as a marketing tool.

It’s safe to say that social media is a part of everyone’s lives. Nonetheless, the type of platform consumers are using solely depends on the behavior of the target market.

Also, SMM (social media marketing) allows the brand to connect with its consumers to:

• Increase brand recognition.
• Drive traffic to their website.
• Enhance customer interaction.
• Produce leads for sales.

Although the usage of social media declines with age, social media is still one of the most viable channels to reach potential customers of all ages.

Over 60% of people over the age of 65 still use social media, and the number is only going to keep growing.

Hence, find where your potential customer base spends the most of the time because by doing so, you can connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is still considered to be one of the most effective methods to communicate directly with customers by sending them personalized marketing messages via email. The goal is both to maintain a relationship with the existing customer base and attract new clients.

Additionally, email marketing isn’t just cost-effective but helps in reaching a broader and niche-specified audience. Also, the company can contact potential customers for future marketing campaigns.

With email marketing, you can reach the target audience personally as well as individually. What’s more, over 90% of B2B marketers use email as a medium for content sharing.

SEO

SEO is a way to enhance your website’s visibility in search rankings by making changes to your digital and website content. Also, a website ranking high in the search engine is more likely to be viewed by a potential consumer.

Following SEO practices not only UP your SEO game but increases conversion rates:

• Thorough keyword research.
• Creating high-quality content using keywords.
• Link-building.
• Make your website mobile-friendly.
• Optimizing your site for voice search.

Videos and Podcasts

Seeking to add a personal vibe to your marketing strategy? Videos and Podcasts would do the job. That’s because they give leverage to businesses to connect with their target audience and share informative content via storytelling.

Also, by putting your brand’s voice out there, you won’t just increase your visibility but can build deeper connections with your customer base.

Moreover, you can invite guest speakers, which not just helps in reaching a broader audience but adds credibility to the brand.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing involves collaboration between brands and influencers that help them promote their brand’s products, services, and messages.

It’s a combination of both traditional as well as contemporary marketing strategies that takes up the concept of celebrity endorsement and adapts it to today’s digital landscape.

This kind of approach can be effective in reaching a larger audience and building brand recognition.

BONUS: RELEVANCE – REACH – RESONANCE ARE THE THREE Rs OF INFLUENCE!

Blogging

Blogging can help you boost your website’s SEO by adding content around targeted keywords. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that the website will appear in the top search results and attract new customers.

Also, writing for other people’s websites, magazines, and blogs can help in expanding your reach as well as enables you to connect with even more potential customers.

Online Advertising

There are several options available when it comes to online advertising. Pay-per-click ads target particular search phrases to connect with potential consumers. Plus, banner ads can be put on various websites, including new sites, blogs, and magazines.

Search engine advertising enables you to buy your way to the top of search results, which can be helpful, particularly for new websites and businesses in a highly competitive market.

With paid social media posts, you can target a potential customer base. By targeting specific demographics, behaviors, and interests, you can connect with people who will be more interested in your brand’s products and services.

Sponsorship and Paid Promotions

You can use the online audience of other people (generally influencers) to promote your products and services via paid promotions and sponsorship.

Such marketing campaigns enable you to pay someone with a similar audience to yours to use and promote your products with their followers.

This way, you can improve brand awareness and drive sales, particularly if you offer a promo code that is aimed at a specific audience.

Internet Marketing FAQs

Wrapping Up

Internet marketing is a proven winner that allows businesses to promote goods and services online. No matter the scale or type of your business, you can create a comprehensive marketing plan using various communication channels and online platforms to help the potential customer base to discover more about your brand.

What are you waiting for? Define your goals, identify your target audience, choose your internet marketing channel, and work on mapping your INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY!