ONLINE MARKETING

Why is Online Marketing important? Please click on the sub-headings below to be taken to a particular section, or simply scroll down this page:

• Why prioritise Online Marketing?


• Is Online Marketing a "Black Art"?


• How does Online Marketing differ from traditional marketing?

WHY PRIORITISE ONLINE MARKETING?

When you are so busy day-to-day planning your marketing strategy using traditional media, executing promotions and campaigns, managing communications and driving sales the prospect of having to work in yet another marketing channel, especially a rapidly evolving one, may be unappealing. But whatever the size and type of your business or organisation and your target audience, the Internet cannot be ignored. It offers relatively low cost access to individuals and mass markets alike.

Simply having a static web presence with a website online is not enough. With billions of pages of information available on the Internet and every user subject to numerous calls to action each time they use the web, it is vital to invest time and resources in Online Marketing to secure market share.

In their July 2006 Report ZenithOptimedia predicted that advertising spending on the Internet will account for 7% of global advertising spend by 2008, citing the "pace of development in Internet advertising" as the factor behind Online's increasing proportion of advertising spend. Certainly it is keeping ZenithOptimedia on its toes, the company has had to upgrade its estimates for Online's share of advertising spending three times in less than a year, having estimated Online Marketing's share at 6.5% in April and 6% in December.

ZenithOptimedia's predictions for spending across different media shows starkly where businesses and organisations believe the best ROI can be found. While ZenithOptimedia predict growth across all media channels, spending on the Internet is expected to increase 76% from 2005 to 2008 as compared to the next fastest growing channel (Cinema, up 27% 2005-2008).

ZenithOptimedia's latest advertising spend estimates (2005-2008) globally in $ millions were as follows:

ZenithOptimedia's estimates follow very positive figures reported by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) in their March 2006 Report on 2005 UK advertising spending, showing significant growth of 66% compared to the previous year, up to £1.4bn.

According to the IAB, Online advertising is now taking a 7.8% share of the UK advertising market, which is a larger share of spend than radio, consumer magazines and outdoor advertising. It is also expected to take a greater share than national newspaper advertising within the next 12 months.

It is clear from these reports and others that the smart money is moving to Online Marketing. Businesses, organisations and individual marketeers who continue to rely too heavily on traditional media channels, do not have an Online Marketing strategy to support an existing website or do not properly manage their investment in Online Marketing, will lose ground to their competitors in an increasingly noisy and complicated virtual world.

The dot.com boom and bust fall-out has served to mask the steady expansion of Internet applications and technologies into every aspect of commercial activity. Even to the casual observer it is now apparent that the Internet plays a major role in local, regional, national and international trade and this can only increase exponentially.

As a channel for reaching individual consumers the Internet is also coming into its own with the proliferation of broadband. Around half of UK households now have fast, permanent 24 hour access to the Internet. People of all ages are using the Internet for entertainment, for communication and self-publishing, for education, for file sharing, for online banking, for research and for buying and selling.

The Internet is now “like turning on the TV” according to Nick Rawlings of ntl:Telewest, “a significant number of our broadband customers are online more than they watch TV” (Daily Telegraph 29 July 2006).

The impact of broadband over the next few years should not be underestimated, not only for marketing but also for the opportunity it offers for small and medium-sized businesses and organisations to “level the playing field” with larger competitors for the exploitation of new communication technologies, opportunities to create alliances locally and internationally and the ability to identify and respond more quickly to sales leads and new trends etc.

The Internet and emerging technologies will increasingly play a central role in the lives of individuals, families, communities and commercial trade. It is irresistible. Consumers will have fast Internet access on the move; they will be able to buy programmes, films and sports coverage direct from producers; all of their “Four-play” needs (fixed and mobile telephony, TV and Internet) will be delivered by one broadband provider; they will communicate with friends, family and suppliers online, shopping and selling with confidence and paying with electronic money.

But despite the massive growth in the use of the Internet, the rapid increase in spending on Online Marketing and the incredible capacity of emerging technologies, these are still early days.

Professor Peter Cochrane (formerly CEO of BT and now co-founder of Concept Labs California) puts the future potential in context when he says that “by 2015 you’ll be able to buy an iPod that can store every music track ever recorded, by 2025 it will store every movie ever made.”

The “revolution” has only just begun and it is not too late to establish a foothold for your business or organisation.

Incredibly, while some businesses and organisations are already exploiting Online Marketing techniques successfully the great majority are not, and a minority remain completely ignorant.

The IAB reported in March 2006 that Business to Business companies are failing to take full advantage of the Internet as a marketing medium with only 39% of companies using Search Marketing or display advertising, and just 29% using Online classifieds.

However the market is expected to grow rapidly and 63% of Business to Business companies surveyed by the IAB said that the Internet will take up more of their marketing spend in the next year or so, either to build their brands, grow their client bases and to save on distribution and customer management costs. 96% of respondents also stated that Online Marketing was appropriate for their business audience.

No question, the Managers and Directors who move quickly to understand and utilise Online Marketing techniques to promote their brands, products and services will enjoy significant competitive advantage over their competitors and a high Return on Investment (ROI).

We will help you ensure your business is not left behind. We will train and support you in all aspects of Online Marketing, from Search Engine Optimisation (SE0) and Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising to E-mail and Affiliate Marketing, from RSS, Podcasts and Blogs to Online Advertising.

Through our training and consultancy services we will provide you with the ongoing help you need to succeed online.

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IS ONLINE MARKETING A BLACK ART?

Contrary to first impressions, Online Marketing is not a black art and should not be feared or treated with suspicion. It is a new and rapidly evolving field but one which any Manager or Director can learn to exploit with confidence.

As with all media channels it can be very complicated but there are numerous techniques that can be implemented “in-house” or through external suppliers at relatively low cost by those responsible for sales and marketing in businesses and organisations of all sizes.

Managers and Directors attending the Online Marketing Seminars will gain an understanding and appreciation of the different channels and techniques available, their suitability and the most appropriate methods for exploiting them.

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HOW DOES ONLINE MARKETING DIFFER FROM TRADITIONAL MARKETING?

Online Marketing uniquely provides businesses and organisations with the opportunity for personalised, relevant and immediate access to their audience in ways that can be constantly monitored, evaluated and changed.

Whereas traditional media cannot be easily altered once a campaign is launched and often relies on a relative “mass market” approach, the Internet allows very specific targeting and the ability to assess impact and conversion rates minute-by-minute, day-by-day.

Through consistent monitoring marketers can adjust Online Marketing campaigns quickly to maximise the ROI. The cost savings achieved can be considerable over traditional media campaigns as marketers “cut out the middleman” and identify the content and techniques which are delivering against objectives, concentrating their resources on them.

The Internet enables two-way communication, real-time monitoring and massive data collection and analysis. Marketeers can use Online Marketing analytics to identify the habits, interests and needs of their consumers without having to run separate, costly and time consuming market research, whilst also personalising the brand and building strong relationships with customers online.

There are a wealth of services, systems and techniques which can be used by marketeers to prepare and test Online campaigns and map and engage key target audiences. These will be explored during the Online Marketing "Masterclass" Seminars.

ONLINE MARKETING "MASTERCLASS" SEMINARS - BOOK NOW

Following the success of the Online Marketing "Masterclass" Seminar tour earlier this year, extra Online Marketing Seminar dates have now been arranged around the UK, from July to October 2007.

Clearly presented in a non-technical way without bias to any particular service or systems provider, the Seminars will equip Managers and Directors responsible for marketing and communications for businesses and organisations of all sizes across all industry sectors (profit and not-for-profit) with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve a higher return on investment for the marketing budget, and to benefit from personal learning and development.

For full details and to book see the Online Marketing Seminar pages. (Places are limited.)