What is internet marketing?

Internet marketing is the combination of many different elements to successfully promote a website, products, services and information online. In terms of internet marketing, 2009 is a time when the marketing of products online incorporates elements such as search engine optimisation, social media marketing and joint venture marketing, as well as longer standing internet marketing techniques such as pay per click advertising and banner ads.

How it has evolved since early days

In the early days, the use of banner advertising and static pages was part and parcel of the internet. The web was a place that provided information, but gave users few options to share their own knowledge or interests online. With the advent of web 2.0, the changing face of the internet saw the exponential growth in social media, forums and blogs. Following the trend of these new forms of media, internet marketing 2009 style is done by tapping in to social media and other interactive spaces to promote goods and services. A key phrase that reflects this new form of marketing is customer relationship building.

Customer relationship building is about taking that interactive and social aspect of the web and using this as a powerful tool to share information and encourage interaction with potential customers. This means that users get to know the people behind products and web pages in a way that simply didn’t happen when the internet was ‘one-sided’. Marketing your products and establishing yourself as an expert in your field is part and parcel of internet marketing and this is about repeat patronage and trust building between buyer and seller.

Current trends in internet marketing

Where 10 years ago, static web pages could be compared to a silent film from the early 20th century, today’s interactive web pages are High Definition colour with surround sound. The difference that web 2.0 has made to the net is that it not only provides people with information, but it actively encourages the sharing of thoughts and ideas. For internet marketing, 2009 is a time when customer relationship building and product promotion is achieved via a number of different internet marketing strategies.

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO – This is not strictly about relationship building, but if you want to talk about internet marketing, it’s virtually impossible to ignore this topic. In simplest terms, SEO is about increasing the page ranking of a site through the fine tuning on and off site aspects that influence site position in search engines. This displays the site more highly, for more targeted visitors and an increase in sales and profits.

Blogging – If you have a particular passion and this is the basis of your business and the products and services you sell, then sharing your knowledge with a blog is a way of drawing in interested readers. This is a stepping stone of relationship building, as sharing your knowledge builds a connection and keeps you in the forefront of potential customer’s minds. If you’re blog is about home handy man tips and you sell customised DIY kits, then you’ve got an audience of potential buyers that come to your via your blog. This group of buyers trust your expertise and are loyal as customers because they have followed your blog – and that relationship is just what internet marketing 2009 style is about!

Viral Marketing - Viral marketing is a form of promotion that is based upon getting the message out about your product to a wide number of people and by rapid information dissemination. With internet marketing, 2009 has seen a lot of coverage about the continued popularity of YouTube – one of the most favoured sites for viral marketing. Across all social type networks, this one is the most popular with people in the 50 plus age group, so you may find this to be a good way of promoting to people that you would miss on other sites.

Social media networking – This includes the use of social sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. In internet marketing, 2009 could be the biggest year yet for Twitter. Celebrity tweets have become massive following Obama’s much followed election campaign, which included regular Twitter updates throughout. Using social media networking is another way to interact with people and build your rapport with would be customers.

As trends change in internet marketing, 2009 is a time when the use of social networking as a marketing tool seems to be more popular than ever. For online marketers, this means that mastery of social networking is a must for increased success and profits in the online marketplace.

To your massive success

Guy

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