Internet Marketing And Its Different Forms

People use the virtual world to carry out real shopping. In fact, 71% of the Americans who were interviewed by the Pew Internet and American Life Project responded positively when asked whether they indulged in online shopping.

Now this is good news for millions of goods manufacturers and service providers who are always keen on exploring new opportunities. Thus, Internet can open a floodgate of big chances.

But there are various ways in which you can display your products and services. So, which form of Internet marketing is the most suitable for you? To answer this question, it is imperative for you to know about the various forms of Internet advertising that exists.

Some of the popular forms include:

· Contextual advertising: Contextual advertising is one of the most popular forms of search advertising. Contextual advertising entails the placement of ads on web pages, whose content match with the content displayed on the website. For instance, an ad on watches will get displayed on sites that feature watch reviews, watch care articles etc.

· PPC [Pay-Per-Click]: Under, Pay-Per-Click, the URL of the advertiser gets displayed on the left, bottom or top of the search results. The URL gets listed only when the keywords typed in by the user matches with those selected by the advertiser.

· Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing refers to an advertising form wherein the advertisers enlist the services of other websites to market his product. Basically, the affiliate has to display a banner, products or URLs of the advertiser on its website. The commission can be paid on cost-per-click, cost-per-sale, cost-per-lead basis.

· Rich Media Advertising: Rich Media Advertising refers to the use of streaming audio and video as well as applets for the promotion of the website. The audio or video placed on a web page offers interactivity to the viewers. It also enables the advertisers to communicate their message more effectively.

· RSS: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a web feed format that enables one to keep a tab on updated content. In other words, if a web surfer chooses a RSS option for a particular website, he will be able to keep abreast of the latest content that is being uploaded on a website. Advertisers often use RSS to convey the latest information about the launch of new products and services. RSS is also being popularly used by the advertisers to inform the customers about the latest discounts, bargains and offers.

· Blogging: Blogging too can prove to be a great medium for advertising. Many corporate houses maintain blogs as it enables them to interact with the netizens in an informal environment. It also allows them to slip the information about the likely new launches in a rather stealth manner. Businesses are also exploring the option of sponsoring a blog, which shares its synergies with the products and services of the company. Many business entities are also going in for getting their ads displayed on blogs. However, experts believe that including advertorials is a better idea. Advertorials can quickly get into the flow of the topic that is being discussed on the blog. On the other hand, the inclusion of advertisements might not go down well with the blog readers.

· Viral Marketing: ‘If one person knows about it, he will ensure that others come to know about it’ seems to be the working philosophy of viral marketing. If you are a regular visitor to the web, you will notice the ubiquitous ‘Tell a Friend’ below each article. Well, this is what viral marketing is all about. A friend reads an interesting offer, article or informative write-up and informs his friend. This friend then forwards, the same to his friend and the chain continues; thus, acting like a virus. Experts have noticed that the spread of information is faster if there are some freebies, discounts or special offers up for grabs.

· Auto responder Marketing: Not many would be aware of the fact that auto responder can fulfill the purpose of marketing. But it can and in a very effective manner. Most business entities use auto responder to deliver courses through auto responders. Most of these courses are of long duration usually spread over weeks. Auto responders can be used to deliver the course every week. Companies have realized that the courses can be designed in a manner that the company can indirectly promote its product or service. For instance, if you are a manufacturer of a video editing software, you can use start a course titled ‘ Basics of video –editing’. One can also use auto responders for delivery of articles that are in a way connected with the core business of a website. For instance, if you are a cheese producer, and also have a website, then you can consider delivering recipes based on cheese. You can also considering adding a word or two about your new variety of cheese.

· Search Engine Optimization: Search Engine Optimization is tweaking the site to enhance the rankings obtained by it on the search engines. It involves processes such as optimizing the content with a proper set of keywords or key phrases as well as making the site navigation structure much more friendly to users. It also includes taking small but vital steps such as getting linked to sites having higher page ranks, submission of sites to directories etc.

· Podcasting: Podcasts can be used for the purpose of information dissemination. Podcast is a portmanteau of the word Ipod and broadcast. This form of Internet advertising entails the insertion of audio clips in the audio files that are available for listening. The biggest advantage of podcasting is that it allows one to target niche audience. For instance, if you are a guitar manufacturer, you can insert your ads into clips that focus on music, especially that focus on guitars.

· Behavioral advertising: Behavioral advertising is one of the latest forms of Internet advertising. Here the ads that are visible to a web surfer are actually based on his previous surfing behavior. For instance, if a web surfer frequently visits sports section or sports site, then under behavioral advertising, he will mostly witness ads that are related to sports. So, even if he is surfing the net to buy that occasional pizza, he will be able to view sports ads. Thus, under behavioral advertising, the content of the site becomes irrelevant and the ads shown to a visitor are purely related to his past surfing habits. Behavioral advertising is proving to be very effective in reaching out to the customers as the ads are directly related to the interest of the readers.

· Mobile marketing: Under mobile marketing, the target audience is usually sent a SMS or a MMS to inform about the latest product or services that might be of interest to them. The fact that more and more people are availing mobile services has definitely led to a spurt in mobile marketing.

These are some of the most popular forms of Internet advertising.

Source by isedb.com