E-Marketing - The 'What' And The 'Why'

Businesses have been using technology for many years, but the Internet created a flood of new and exciting ways to provide benefits to the customer. These opportunities create lots of questions you must consider. How can your business leverage the Internet to maximum benefit? How much commitment should you make to eMarketing campaigns? Is your market online?

E-Marketing is traditional marketing using the Internet. E-Marketing affects your traditional marketing campaigns in a couple of ways. First, it increases productivity in your existing marketing functions. Second, eMarketing transforms many of your marketing strategies. The transformation can create new business models that add customer value and/or increase revenue to the bottom line.

There are many tools available to the E-Marketer... websites, microsites, email, newsletters, postcards and other mailers that direct to the web, contests and other web-based features - too many to mention. If you are thinking of a website and haven't thought about all of the other possibilities, think again. Your website is just the beginning... the foundation. We recommend a complete E-Marketing plan that is incorporated with your regular marketing plan before you decide on any one eMarketing tool.

It is important to carefully select an E-Marketing partner. The firm you select should have an understanding of what eMarketing really is and that it is not just about a website or eMail marketing. Even credible insitutions such as the SBA describes E-Marketing as eMail marketing, which does not provide the whole picture.

Why E-Marketing?

Buyers, not sellers, are now in power.
This is probably the most important change as a result of the Internet. The days of holding one's attention for 30 seconds in front of a television are coming to a close. First it was channel surfing with the remote control, now it's about the click of the mouse. Consumers and business customers are more demanding than ever because they know they are just one click away from your competition.

Distance is no longer a factor.
Where a business is located is no longer a factor when interacting with vendors, partners or customers. This 'death of distance' allows people to bypass traditional business channels.

Time isn't an obstacle.
Thanks to the Internet, time is no longer a factor. Online stores are 'open' all day, every day. Rain or shine. People can shop when their schedules permit.

Your customers, vendors and partners expect it.
We live in a 'connected' world. You can check your email, participate in an important conference call, check stock quotes, upload data and almost anything else you can think of... away from your desk. Your customers, vendors and partners will expect to be able to communicate with you in a variety of ways.

Results.
One of the biggest advantages to incorporating E-Marketing into your traditional marketing strategy is the ability to effectively measure results of a campaign. Traditional marketing campaigns are difficult to track. With E-Marketing you are able to measure the effectiveness of a campaign by running reports on sales, traffic, electronic responses and much more. You will know which campaigns to run again and, more importantly, which campaigns are losing money.

About Frank Cowell
Frank Cowell is a Certified eMarketer and CEO of Cowell eMarketing. Frank brings years of sales, marketing and business experience to a technical industry. His experience in these areas has helped create an eMarketing firm that focuses on results for its clients. Frank Cowell is available for speaking engagements. Contact Frank direct: fcowell@cowellemarketing.com or 800-590-3064.

About Cowell eMarketing
Cowell eMarketing is a small and innovative eMarketing firm for businesses seeking new ways to attract customers. Cowell eMarketing provides web and eCommerce development as well as ongoing eMarketing services such as eMail marketing and search engine marketing. Visit www.cowellemarketing.com to learn more.