E-marketing Basics: Pro And Cons Of Hour Targeting
For those unfamiliar with the idea of e-marketing and its impact on consumers, it is important to look at how e-marketing differs from traditional marketing. With traditional marketing, companies advertise their product or service to a large amount of people around a certain demographic, such as age or gender. E-marketing is different in that companies use the internet to target individuals rather than broad demographic groups. This enables them to be more focused and specific in their advertisement strategies which can lead directly towards an increase in sales.
Matching sales with promotional communications is a key component of any integrated marketing communications program. Both parties need to be able to track sales and customer response. "The challenge for marketers is to target the right consumers in the right way at the right time with the desired message."
Focusing on database marketing is another use of e-marketing. Database marketing allows companies to gather consumer information from other sources, such as consumer surveys, opt-in databases and purchase history information from loyalty programs. E-marketing can be used by companies who have been doing database marketing for years as well as those who are new to this type of marketing strategy.
Companies that have been using e-marketing long enough and have several campaigns under their belts can use it as a personal tool to meet the needs of their customers. They can also use it to look into customer problems and trends. According to an article by Scott Shane, "The rise of the Internet has meant that executives are finding new ways to get insight into how customers actually use their products and services." This is why companies are now looking into customer feedback from a customer service standpoint. While this is not specifically e-marketing, companies now utilize email surveys more than ever before.
Because there are so many different types of e-marketing, companies must take caution when choosing which type works best for them. David Taaffe states that "Companies are overwhelmed with technology, especially in e-business. This can result in having a lot of technology but not having an accurate concept of how to use it to be competitive." Technology overload is becoming a very common problem for companies and the solution is to choose which electronic strategies will work best for them.
Email marketing is one example of how e-marketing works for businesses. It allows them to do three things: build a list, write copy and then send the message out. However, e-marketing does not have to be done through email. There are other ways to reach a customer through an e-marketing strategy--for example, social media. Some other electronic strategies that companies can use include: display advertising and online communities (forums).
Email is one of the most popular forms of e-marketing and is used by a lot of different companies. Email does not require any special software or equipment for the company, only for the consumer. It's easy and cost effective for the company to create their email advertisements, send them out and see how many people responded. An article from www.advisorone.com states that "Email is simply the fastest growing channel in terms of the dollar amount of business being transacted through it."
When emailing, companies must be wary of getting caught up in their own technology. Although they have so many choices, they do not have to use them all. It is important to narrow their focus and only use the ones that will get them results. Email has a reputation for being very impersonal because it can be sent from any computer or email address. Companies must avoid this because an impersonal message does not help build trust or relationship between the company and its customers.
The campaign should be customized to fit the market segment that will be served. The "best" way of targeting the right audience at the right time is by first understanding how to determine the target audience and then matching those targeted consumers with a specific product or service that they are most interested in.
Companies can use e-marketing strategies for all types of campaigns, whether it is for a new product or service launch, or a follow-up promotional campaign. An article from VistaWon .Com states that "Email is emerging as a powerful channel for all factors of business. Whether it's to increase sales, reach customers through marketing or enable customer service, email is fast becoming an indispensible way of doing business."
Companies should not use e-marketing just to help their business grow but also to help the environment as well. E-marketing has a minimal effect on the environment. According to Laura Kutler and Sandy Smith, "One of the most significant factors in deciding whether electronic marketing is preferable to traditional marketing has more to do with manufacturing than anything else—the amount of paper and other materials required for production and distribution." With e-marketing, less materials are used because it does not rely on paper or plastic advertisements, flyers and brochures.
Companies should strive to understand how their customers think about and use their products and services. This helps them better understand their customers and gauge their needs. According to Rita Kirkpatrick, "At the end of the day, the greatest benefit from e-marketing is the ability to stay in touch with your audience and build a relationship with them."
Many companies rely on e-marketing as a way for them to conduct research about their customers and market themselves effectively. E-marketing allows companies to create a relationship with their customer by offering discounts and specials, as well as advertising promotions. E-marketing allows companies to determine which of these discounts or promotions will appeal most to its customers. An article from www.