Meaning of Internet Marketing
Internet Marketing seems to be a very popular trend now a days to individuals who have opted for conducting an online business. Analyzing your marketing strategy and putting these in right combination to make your marketing efforts effective is what entails a successful business on the net.
Advantages of online marketing
1. Extensive reach - It is less expensive and saves money, an aspect that is taken into account by companies, since the online marketing campaigns do not require a large amount of investment.
2. Global reach - Presence of internet can help a company to expand from a local market to national and international markets at one time, offering much greater opportunities to improve.
3. Easy to measure the results - On the internet everything can be measured, thus it is easier for companies to know what goes well in the market. The company instantly comes to know which campaign is working, which company or user is interested in their products, their country or city as well.
4. Easy tracking - The number of clicks and impressions an ad receives and also the measurement of the amount of traffic it brings to the website can be tracked.
5. Easy target making - One can select a target market and reach it in cost effective ways very easily. If you are an online shoe retailer, you can place an ad on a fashion or shoe blog, which can prove to be a tremendous idea to reach the audience.
6. Overcoming distance barriers - With an internet access, one can reach and sell anywhere and to anyone in the world. You do not have to stick to your local region only and thus buying and selling from a distance is not a big job.
Disadvantages of online marketing
1. Lack of physical presence - One main disadvantage of it is the lack of the physical appearance of the product. In the case when buyers don’t get a chance to see the product physically and for most of the products physical sight and feel is important, so they prefer their old traditional old way of shopping.
2. Mismatch in the products ordered and delivered - Another major concern that consumers have with e-commerce merchants is that sometimes they do not receive exactly what they purchased. This can be heavily experienced in the fast moving goods that are being sold on e- commerce stores.
3. Slow internet connections - This can cause difficulties. If the companies build very complex websites, it may be difficult for users to download it and they may get bored eventually.
4. Cash on Delivery system - The COD system does not always guarantee the 100% purchase of a product. People may just mock at big companies on the internet by using false identities.
5. Online payments - Some people still do not trust the electronic methods of paying and give up buying a product online just because of this reason.
6. No personal attraction - Some customers like to shop in a store where they can get advice from the store personnel and this aspect in online shopping is absent.
