Web Marketing: Strengths and Weaknesses
I work for an online marketing firm, so I tend to spend a lot of my time evangelizing web marketing in all its many forms. And, although web marketing is a great tool that can radically alter the way a company operates, it does have its weaknesses as well. Therefore, before you decide to drop some money on a web marketing campaign you should get acquainted with the strengths and weaknesses this medium has.
One of the major strengths of web marketing is how targeted it can be. In a way that’s even more directed than magazine advertising ever was, with web marketing you can be sure that you’re reaching your target demographic in that it lets you personalize advertisements in a way so they show up when potential clients are looking for the exact keywords that relate to your product. You are able to reach niches that are difficult to target properly via traditional media. You can advertise on a website devoted entirely to bulldog breeders, but you would be hard-pressed to find a channel where you can be positive you are reaching folk who enjoy breeding bulldogs.
The second strength goes with the first: cost. Through smart use of online marketing, you reach a wide audience for a fraction of the price that you would have spent on old media. Television commercials, as you are aware cost thousands of dollars to produce and then thousands more to broadcast on television stations in a local market, even more if you want nationwide. And, best of all, with web marketing you can be certain that the people you reach are into your product.
However, one to the bad stuff: the one significant weakness of web marketing is that there is no easy way that a consumer can interact with your product. If a potential consumer were to see a commercial and then travel to a store then they would be to touch the product, feel it in his or her hand, and even try it on. This opportunity is not available to clientele who are being marketed to online. If they are purchasing a product online they don’t have the chance to interact with that product and choose if it is right for them.
Therefore, web marketing is the best option when the product is something abstract, like a trip, or something that isn’t overly personalized, like a CD. If you really do expect that the client will only buy the product if they can feel it or try it out (makeup, shoes, women’s clothing), then maybe web marketing is not the way to go. However, there are successful companies that operate in all three areas I mentioned, so it really is up to you.
So, do you think you would like to find out more about hiring an online marketing firm? Would you would like to find out more about web marketing? Check us out at fishbat.com to find out more!. Unique version for reprint here: Web Marketing: Strengths and Weaknesses.