What is Internet Marketing?

Depending on who you talk to, Internet Marketing or Online Marketing can cover a whole variety of things.

Internet Marketing can just consist of a website selling your own products and services, or possibly placing banner ads on other peoples’ websites. Your website can also promote other peoples’ products and services for a commission of any sales generated (i.e. Affiliate Marketing).

Beware though, there are many companies on the web telling you that you can make a fortune overnight, trying to sell you some form of “Get Rich Quick Program”. Many of us have investigated these schemes to our cost and have lost money. If it seems to good to be true it probably is!!

Today, Internet Marketing/Online Marketing has evolved into a multi-faceted animal that any business can use to increase sales. Even if your business is done partly or completely offline, the decision to use Internet Marketing as part of your company’s overall marketing plan is up to you. But, as a general rule, Internet Marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of every company’s marketing stratergy. For some businesses, it is the only form of marketing being practised.

Internet Marketing Objectives

Internet Marketing means using the Internet to do one or more of the following:

· Sell your own or anothers’ products/services using the Internet

· Promote your Company’s Branding i.e. get your name known

· Carry out research on your existing or potential customers requirements, needs and their demographics

What you will need to succeed

The Correct Mindset

The correct mindset and focus is a large part of the ability for anyone to succeed.

It can be all too easy to get swamped by the vast amount of information on Internet Marketing that can all too easily lead to a loss of focus .

Domain Name

Before you build your website you will need a “Domain Name” for the site.
This is the name that people will use to find your internet marketing site online and should be relevent to the content of the site or to promote your branding.

Website

This may consist of text, audio, images and/or video used to inform existing and potential customers of the features and benefits of your company’s products and/or services. The website should include the ability to capture leads from potential customers. Websites are the Internet Marketing equivalent of brochures or mail order catalogues and they are a great way of establish your branding.

Website Hosting

Once your internet marketing website is completed you will need to have it hosted, ie uploaded to a hosting account, so that it can become live on the Web.

Traffic

Any business will fail if it cannot draw people to its offline or online shop.

In the internet marketing world visitors to a website are known as ‘Traffic’. The job of the website is to convert this Traffic into Buyers.