Internet marketing explained

Its objective is the building of preference, promotion of brands, engagement with consumers and increase of sales through the use of a range of digital marketing techniques. There is selection of brand marketing methods, products and services using the internet as a promotional medium as well as traditional TV, radio and mobile.

Digital marketing activities include search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), e-commerce marketing, content automation, campaign marketing, optical disks, games, display advertising, e-books plus any other form of digital media. Even though mobile phones (SMS and MMS), on-hold mobile ring tones and callback are non-internet channels, they are also part of digital marketing. Digital marketing is customer centric or based on the inbound marketing approach.

Digital marketing channels

There are multiple channels available that one can use but you need to find the channel that results in two-way communication and that is good for the brand. Some of the channels include:

1. Search engine marketing (SEM)

This is a type of internet marketing in which there is promotion of websites through increase of their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) through paid advertising. It may include search engine optimisation (SEO) which rewrites or adjusts website content in addition to site architecture to achieve a better ranking in search engine results for enhancement of pay per click (PPC) listings.

2. Affiliate marketing

A form of performance-based marketing where a business rewards one or more affiliates for each customer or visitor brought through the marketing efforts of the affiliate. The business involves the network (containing offers from which the affiliate may choose from and also ensures payments), the merchant or retailer, the publisher or affiliate and the customer. As a result of affiliates using regular advertising methods such as email marketing and display advertising, affiliate marketing sometimes overlaps other internet marketing methods.

3. Email marketing

This involves marketing a commercial message directly to a group of individuals through the use of email. Every single email sent to a current or potential customer may be considered as email marketing. The emails may be requesting business, sending ads, or soliciting donations or sales with the aim of building trust, brand awareness and loyalty. Email marketing may be done on new or older customers.

4. Display advertising

This is advertising on websites and it may include a variety of formats and include items such as images, text, audio, video and flash. Its main purpose is to deliver brand messages and general advertisements to visitors of a site.

5. Social marketing

This involves tools that are mediated by computers enabling companies or people to create and share information as well as career interests in networks and virtual communities. It initiates pervasive and substantial changes to communication between individuals, businesses, communities and organisations. Social marketing differs from traditional media in terms of frequency, immediacy, quality, reach, usability and permanence.

Digital marketing regulates itself through transparent mechanisms that enable consumers choose not to have any of their data collected for marketing or advertising. In the case of a social network site, there should be a clear indication that it is under the influence or control of a marketer.