Marketing on the internet is more likely to reach a global market, unless you are careful and contrived about how you manage marketing. It is possible to focus on a national market through the internet; however it is almost inevitable that you will draw some degree of attention from people outside of your country, no matter what you do. For example, if you promote a product in a local newspaper, it is highly unlikely that people outside of the local area will hear about the product; but if you promote a product online, it is highly likely that you will raise interest in many different countries, even if you do not intend to do so.
Today it is difficult to differentiate target markets according to locality. The internet does however allow you to differentiate and target certain markets according to speciality. Addresses are categorised on the internet according to different interest groups, and that feature allows a marketer to target a particular group (e.g. it is easy to make contact with people interested in photography, or education, health, or any other particular field of interest).
Promote to become Visible
There are protocols (i.e. a type of informal law) that are followed by the vast majority of internet users. One of the most important protocols is that the internet should not be used for spamming. Spam is a term that encompasses hard selling by mass emailing “junk mail” promotions. In short, protocols on the internet make it difficult for marketing to apply some of the same approaches that are used outside of the internet.
If a business is perceived to be spamming, or marketing in some other inappropriate way, it is likely that other internet users will mount a campaign to disrupt that business. There are many internet users who take it upon themselves to police such situations. They are not paid by anyone. They are simply driven by a passion for the morality which should apply on the net. Such people have developed many ways to disrupt businesses they are not pleased with (eg. they may run automatic programs to send thousands of emails to you, to disrupt your business; or they may mass-email warnings to others, telling them to avoid dealing with you).
Some “anti-spam” campaigners may be considered unreasonable or even libelous at times. There have been instances of such people being taken to court by the businesses they have targeted (charged with libel). Court action can be both costly and risky though, and should not be entered into lightly.
Getting an email address and website are generally the first steps to marketing on the net; however, these are no more effective than buying a post office box or printing leaflets, if the details are not seen by a large number of people. To ensure the site is seen and the email address becomes known, you need to promote your website and email address on the internet.
Get the Marketing Mix Right
The best marketing results occur when the client or customer is seeing your message repeatedly, and in different places. To achieve this you need to advertise in a mixture of places that will allow you to be seen by the same demographic/group. That demographic should be a reflection of the people who are most likely to buy your product or service.
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Try different things, with different tools and always keep experimenting
- Don’t assume that internet marketing can serve all of your marketing needs.
Allocate some of your overall resources (time and money) to continually reviewing and tweaking your internet marketing. A good marketing mix is one that keeps changing.
So ... Why should I take this course?
- This course is an excellent introduction and foundation to the world of marketing - dynamic and ever changing.
- Understand what marketing is and how correctly applying the principles will result in increased sales.
- Learn what it takes to successfully market your own or someone else's products.
- Develop you knowledge of how to identify potential markets and translate ideas into successful business.