The internet has made marketing more complicated for businesses in several ways. In the past, marketing was a one-way street- companies would put out an advertisement, and consumers would see it. There was no way for businesses to track how effective their marketing campaigns were or get feedback from customers in real time.
Now, many channels businesses can use to reach their target audiences, and customers can provide instant feedback. Additionally, thanks to data analytics, companies now have more information about their customers than ever before. While all of this may sound like a good thing, it can be quite overwhelming for businesses trying to keep up with the latest technology and trends. Let’s look at some ways the internet has made marketing more complicated- but also more effective.
SEO
Due to the increasing popularity of search engines like Google, businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to include search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of optimizing your website for Google’s search algorithm so that your site will appear higher in the search results
This is important because people are likelier to click on a result that appears on the first page of the search results than on the second page or beyond. To optimize your site for SEO, you need to do keyword research to figure out which keywords people are using to search for your products or services, and then use those keywords throughout your website, from the titles of your blog posts to the alt text of your images.
Additionally, you must ensure your website is optimized for local SEO if you want to rank for searches that include a specific location. For example, if you’re a plumber in Hong Kong, you’ll want to include the keyword “plumber Hong Kong” throughout your website so that people who search for that term will see your site. Hiring SEO services in Hong Kong can be a great way to ensure that your website is properly optimized for SEO.
Cost Per Impression vs. Cost Per Click
In the olden days of marketing (i.e., before the internet), businesses typically purchased advertising space based on cost per impression (CPM). CPM is the cost of your ad divided by the total number of impressions it receives. This pricing model made sense at the time because businesses were focused on getting their message out to as many people as possible, regardless of whether or not those people were interested in what they had to say.
However, with the advent of the internet, businesses began shifting their focus to cost-per-click (CPC) pricing models. CPC is the cost of your ad divided by the total number of clicks it receives. This change in direction was due to two main factors: firstly, it became easier for businesses to track how many people were clicking on their ads, and secondly, online users became more sophisticated and began to tune out ads that weren’t relevant to them. As a result, CPC quickly became the preferred pricing model for online advertisers.
Nowadays, an even newer pricing model is gaining popularity among online advertisers: cost per acquisition (CPA). CPA is the cost of your ad divided by the total number of conversions it generates. This pricing model is especially popular among eCommerce companies, as it allows them to track how many people are clicking on their ads and how many are completing the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
Big Data
Thanks to technological advances, businesses now have access to more data about their customers than ever before. However, with great power comes great responsibility- and sifting through all of this data can be pretty daunting for business owners who aren’t overly familiar with tech jargon and acronyms. To make matters worse, this data changes rapidly. If you don’t keep up with the latest trends, you risk using outdated information to make important decisions about your marketing strategy.
Some examples of data that businesses commonly collect include:
- Online activity data- what websites are they visiting? What content are they engaging with? What times of day are they most active?
- Social media data- what platforms are they using? How often do they log in? Who do they follow/engage with?
- Purchase history data- what products/services have they purchased in the past? How much did they spend? When did they purchase them?
While this information can be incredibly valuable when used correctly, it can also be very easy to get lost in all of the numbers and lose sight of what’s important: your customer’s needs and wants. That’s why it’s essential to have a team of experienced marketers who can effectively gather and interpret this data to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy moving forward.
The internet has made marketing more complicated in several ways- but it has also made it more effective. With so many channels available and such big data at our fingertips, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. But we can easily navigate these changes by taking things one step at a time. After all, complicated does not mean impossible.
