There is nothing like a recession to promote the search for a marketing edge. Does Internet marketing create the opportunity for achieving an edge over the opposition? The answer may depend on how savvy you are in making use of the multiple technologies available under the banner of Internet marketing. To gain real traction you probably need more than just a web site acting as a static catalogue. You need to aim for interactivity, seeking feedback and building community. Think networks, with your site as the hub.

Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive compared with conventional marketing; it has a worldwide audience; it can be used effectively by anyone from small home-based business (think Joe the plumber) to large corporations, or businesses like Amazon.com that deal exclusively online. So where’s your edge?

Benefits of Internet marketing include low cost and the speed with which it can reach its target audience. Nanoseconds after you upload that classy banner it is potentially visible to millions of people, who can, if they wish, immediately contact you in return. How do you maximize the possibilities?

Start with your web site itself. A good web site totally reflects your company’s goals, objectives and broader aims, complementing what goes on in the real world rather than acting as a substitute for it. For that reason, the site must be continually updated. If your business is standing still, it is not growing – the same goes for your web site.

Online sales are good, but target Internet marketing at offline sales as well. It has been shown that more than two thirds of people who search online proceed to go out and buy offline. Think of your last major purchase – car, boat, house? Did you look online first? Did you compare quality and prices, access forums, read opinions? If you are reading this online, you undoubtedly use the Internet for “retail research” – and a useful tool it is too.

One key difference between Internet marketing and traditional marketing lies in how you can target specific individuals – those with an interest in old coins, say, or in hiking, anti-aging treatments or fashion. No need to waste money in the hope the right person will pick up the publication containing your advertisement – because you can be right there, on the web sites they visit. Remember that Internet users love choice – make it so they want to choose to click on what you are providing.

Various factors inescapably limit the effectiveness of online marketing. One is the inability to view an item (touch, taste those strawberries) before buying. Cleverly used, technology can provide an experience for the Internet user that is almost as good as being there. The Internet experience also needs to be backed up by old-fashioned real-world standards of service: for example, adequate trial and return policies should ensure everyone is satisfied.

Security, or, rather, people’s perceptions of a lack of it, is also frequently cited as a reason for deferring or resisting online marketing. Encryption to implement your (publicly stated) privacy policies is essential and the software is readily available.

And don’t believe those who say other media have a bigger audience. A study by IBM, back in 2007, showed that people were spending almost as much time online as they were spending watching TV. Today we could drop the “almost”.

So our advice is, don‘t hesitate. Get out there – and get noticed!
Internet Marketing

Not two weeks ago I had a chat with someone (an SEO) about some online media buying and although the figures made an infinite amount of sense (6 figure monthly page views – prime location banner purchase for less than £90 per month!), he said, “but there is no SEO value from the banner link” (it was JavaScript)! Astonished, I spent the next hour arguing the case for buying the coverage, but it would seem that the majority of SEOs just don’t see the value of applying traditional marketing techniques to the web – they just don’t “fit” into the SEO mindset.

What is really bizarre though is that while the optimisation industry doesn’t see the value in some less search engine focused marketing techniques, they will pay a veritable fortune for paid links. The likes of ReviewMe (http://www.reviewme.com) change up to $250 for a single “review” (which is SEO speak for a plain text link not so subtly hidden in a purpose written article). One text link. One! Not just that, but a single text link on a new page that has no PR (and will maybe only will ever receive minimal PR filtered through from other page links)!

For that $250 (around £150) there are so many different options you could aim for. While a lot won’t have any direct SEO benefit, we still need to consider traffic and branding benefits.

$250 would allow me to buy banner advertising on a niche site / forum / blog for a limited amount of time. Depending on the type of site and its subject area you could be looking at a decent amount of traffic, enquiries and exposure – certainly enough to justify the cost.

An alternative would be to spend the money on a directory listing on a site such as TheBestOf (http://www.thebestof.co.uk) – £10 per month for a year and you get a full page listing (written by your local contact), an audio advert where you can pitch your service, inclusion in a high traffic site and a direct (SEO friendly!) link back to your site. A link AND qualified traffic – that’s like SEO Christmas!

Online marketing professionals do focus on SEO a lot and that isn’t a bad thing – it just isn’t the only thing and you should be looking to spend your budget wisely and spread your marketing scope.