subject: Benefits of Online Marketing [print this page] Benefits of Online Marketing Benefits of Online Marketing
Marketing rules are the same no matter how big or small your business is:
brand your product,
determine who your target audience is,
get the sales
establish repeat customers.
Online marketing is very efficient in managing all four of these rules.
Definition of Online Marketing
The definition of online marketing is "placing your business or product on the Web for thousands and thousands of customers to access so that you can turn your website into a strong tool to make best use of your sales and business potential."
However, online marketing is much more than putting your advertising online. Marketing online includes such areas as communicating with your customers, marketing your business or product online, and making sure that your website content is useful and up to date. The great thing about online marketing is that you do not require to have a huge budget to put together a marketing promotion that is effective. There are tools that you can use to create your marketing techniques easy and profitable such as website templates, shopping cart templates, and online marketing templates.
What You Need for Online Marketing to be Successful
There are some important points to consider before you get into the strategies and intricacies of online marketing:
Communication. A necessary part of online marketing is how you take action to your customer's e-mail. You don't want to lose possible customers after you've made the attempt to have them visit your website and then get in touch with you for more information. E-mail is a very effective and cost efficient way for you to generate more sales. The key to this effectiveness is "consistency". You need to be consistent in your response to your customers. You will also want to make sure that the tone of your e-mail corresponds with the tone you have set in your website content.
Human Resources. If you want to succeed online, you need to have sufficient people working with you. Efficient websites incorporate a personal touch with a speedy response time to customers. Your goal is to turn the visitors to your website into customers. The typical time for a return e-mail is from 48 to 72 hours. If you wait any longer to e-mail back you risk losing the customer. This means that if you do not have the manpower to return e-mail in two to three days you need to take another look at your marketing plan.
Products people want to buy online. Prior to you start marketing online, you want to be sure that you have a product or service that people want to buy. Customers want to find a value in what you are selling. There are two motivating elements when it comes to selling online: cost and convenience. Ask yourself if customers will find it easier to buy online than finding a local store. Is it cheaper for them to buy this from you online?
Online Goals
Once you have established that there is a need for your service or product you will be ready to determine your business goal and whether or not you can meet this goal online. If your main goal is to sell a product online, you should come to a decision how you need to make those sales. For example, do you want customers to buy from you online or do you want them to come to you to close the sale? You will need to decide what action is required for the sale to be closed.
