|
Success! Your email has been sent.
Bhopu / Tags /
Business Blogging
|
|
 |
Posted On
Jul 02, 2008
in
|
 |
|
Remember the Vodafone Dog or the old Hutch? Or the bold Subway hoarding on a United States Expressway, having SEX written prominently over it and below,” Now that we have got your attention, come and eat at Subway.” Advertisements are basically to build brands and reinforce the product in the minds of the consumer through different media like radio/TV/Print/New Media etc.The whole chain of events leads to the consumption of the brand product in the market or simply the sales of the company move up.In our previous blog we already discussed how you can build brands online - Building Brands Online.
17 years after Sir Timothy Berners Lee developed the internet, it is on the brink of second revolution that is going to have far reaching consequences in every business domain, be it hospitality,services,transportation, or for that matter anything you can think about.Yes! It's internet advertising.Organizations are using this new platform to effectively build brands and for sales promotion purposes at all levels.Earlier if it was TV that was in the lead role to promote a product, of late the balance has been shifting towards internet.In this section we will delve into the intricacies of Internet Advertising and how it can generate more sales for you.
Lets begin with the basics first. Internet advertising is simply branding your project using the strength of the World Wide Web.It is somewhat different from TV or Print advertising. Read More
Why Internet Advertising?
The web market includes micro, home-based, and small and large business organizations that are interested in tapping into a potentially huge market.An online advertisement allows the business owner to reach this market using only limited resources.Most important of all, this market is growing all the time. It is on the cutting-edge of technology with thousands of Web sites being created and placed on the Web daily throughout the world. Most companies have turned to the Internet to serve their advertising needs.It is the most efficient, cost effective method of advertising since the introduction of television. The notable difference is that your Web site remains on the Internet advertising your company indefinitely.There are no limited advertising time frames.
Colours of Internet Advertising
Internet advertising comes in a variety of colors that enable you to reach to a wide class of customers halving specific requirements, interests, purchasing capacity, knowledge across different demographics through out the world.These are some of the most popular types of internet advertising:
The Good Old Banner Ads
 Banner ads are usually relatively simple pieces of HTML, generally rectangular in shape which may considerably vary in appearance and subject matter, but they all share a basic function: if you click on them, the Internet browser will take you to the advertiser's Web site.Studies have shown that banners are terribly good at generating traffic through click-throughs and have a powerful branding effect.But bear in mind that banner ad content should be in sync with the site content and the taste of the visitors visiting that space.
Mailing Lists & Newsletters-The easiest One!
So often you would have used this application without realizing its power.Mailing lists and News letters are one of the best and easiest ways to effectively brand your product across specific demographics targeting people who really are interested in knowing about your product and purchasing it from the market.
What about Sponsorships! 
Sponsoring on internet is bit similar to sponsoring on television.You can sponsor a particular section/page of the website and project your brand strongly by integrating into brand elements along with the content of the website.Or you can sponsor a particular page saying,” This Page is sponsored by…” and showcase your brand more prominently.The main advantage of sponsorships are that they are more target specific as you already have an idea which class of consumers will visit that page or particular section.
Need a Break? Interstitials!
Interstitial ads (interstitial means "in between") are a way of placing full page messages between the current and destination page during file downloading. Interstitial messages, like TV commercials make viewers a captive of the message. Typical interstitials last ten seconds or less. That's five to ten seconds of doing nothing but looking at the ad.
Interstitial reminders would be placed between your main page and your most popular secondary pages. Through sensory input-filtering, your clients may miss the banner ads, but there is no avoiding with Interstitials. Care should taken that it is not over done or they will be annoying.
Flashy, Vibrant and Eye Catchy- The Rich Media Advertising
With Java and Flash becoming the norms of the modern day advertising, a large of ads are designed in rich media format with sound files and videos. These are more entertaining and cast a strong image of the product in the mindset of the viewers. Organizations like Nike,Adidas,Reebok,Levi’s are using these ads more frequently.
Searching...Searching...Searching..Found! Keyword Advertising
Sometime when you search for a particular term in the Google, you will notice an ad displayed at the top of the search result. This is what keyword advertising is all about. It is quite an effective means of promoting and selling your product. You just have to pay the search engine, directory or site for having your link/ad displayed at the top of the results page when the particular key word is searched. But there is a catch, higher is the popularity of the word, higher is the cost.
The New Age Specials- E-Coupons/Digital Coupons
Digital coupons are electronic twins of the usual paper coupons that we have been using for ages. Also called e-coupons, they offer you special deals for e-commerce purposes. But they are still in their infancy and still a lot has to be done.
Heard the punchline of latest NIke ad? “Stop talking, start doing”. This is the what it says. So start working on your online advertising strategy by using any or all of the above advertising methods that best suits your business requirements and budgetary constraints.For further information read our previous stories on Internet Marketing and Advertising.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted On
Nov 16, 2007
in
|
|
Its time to take out your head from the sand and identify the very real business opportunities around this Web 2.0 stuff. For many its may just seem another bubble of sorts, but startups like MySpace and Digg are wildly popular and have a few lessons to teach the corporate establishment.
We all must have read a number of articles and writeups on the Web 2.0 buzz that has taken over the web. But now its time to benefit from this tool and actually making business and consumer needs. Mashups, Wikis, blogs all have ended up having immense impact, especially within the enterprises.
Here I would want to give my readers an insight of Web 2.0 and how essential can it be for any Internet marketer.
To start with we will have to understand how important Web can be for enterprises online.
Today 9 out of 10 companies sell on the Web, and most of them acknowledge that Internet is among their most profitable channels. E-commerce can be seen as everyday business now, but it's not about to make your sales force and telemarketers obsolete. Field sales, retail stores, telephone sales and distributors are all more profitable channels, despite the additional labor costs.
The Web is most adept at reaching niche markets—the so-called "long tail"—and most profitable when a company's Web site attracts new customers. Still, old and new customers prefer other ways of doing business, and the best way to use technology may be to help salespeople instead of replacing them. However, it's worth noting that the Internet is most successful at companies that serve both consumers and businesses. For example, the complexity of financial-services companies seems to make the Internet an effective alternative to traditional channels. Also noteworthy: Few companies have found a way to take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies to turn a profit.
Significance of Web 2.0 to Online Marketers
 Though relatively new, Web 2.0 has taken the world by storm. Familiar old technologies such as Flash and newer technologies such as AJAX and RSS feeds offer ground breaking new ways for retailers and consumers to connect with each other and communicate. These features are changing the face of online marketing.
Some traditional thinking industry leaders found it difficult to believe that blogs and social networking could have world wide consequences on any level—start-up or otherwise. A few months later, Web 2.0 marketing has sky-rocketed, proving them wrong and leaving them scrambling to strategize and integrate this once innocuous marketing structure into their existing models.
The distinct characteristic of Web 2.0 marketing is that it is leads by innovative means for keeping open the channels of communication between marketers and buyers. As the choice of communication channels increase, retailers are forced to think more about revamping their traditional online marketing campaigns. Blogs, social networking sites and RSS feeds are the three main areas of Web 2.0 that have the strongest impact on retailers.
Some tips that would help your company succeed Web 2.0 marketing
I don’t think Web 2.0 involves any any complex technology instead it is a shift in the manner organizations think about marketing.
Here are a few things you may want to consider when entering the Web 2.0 marketing arena:
- Social media marketing is a critical component of Web 2.0 marketing. Taking some time for you as well as your staff to understand and participate in social media marketing is an important first step. Some of the new services you need to understand and be familiar with include MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Technorati and del.icio.us.
- There are several Web 2.0 methodologies that are available for your use. Brainstorm with your staff and your loyal users and develop a strategic plan about how and where your marketing resources can best be put to use for online marketing.
- Keep your mind open and be prepared to accept the revolutionary new ideas that fit the nature of social media marketing. Invite staff and loyal customers to submit relevant photographs or videos and add catchy titles. These can then be sent as postcards to their friends and contacts, widening your customer circle.
Web is all about audiences, people do not just want to come, buy and walk away. They want to be enlightened, engaged, and entertained. The only way you can succeed in that is by thinking of your web visitors in terms of an audience instead of just regarding them as market to "pitch" every week.
We cannot cannot enlighten, engage, or entertain our audience if your web site looks and sounds like it came from an academic textbook. So weave a little creativity and imagination into your story and present it to your audiences in a compelling way. Capture their attention by delivering your message the Web 2.0 way.
Some Related Articles:
A new niche Web 2.0 community for Internet Marketers
Web 2.0 portals key to Online Companies
Web 2.0 Fundamentals
The Web 2.0 blog
Web 2.0 for Business
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted On
Sep 04, 2007
in
|
|
|
Blogs are changing the world? Yes, you bet they are! They raising money, awareness, hope for causes all around the world. And the best part of blogging is that anyone can do it from anywhere.
What is Blogging?
Blogging is a certain way of collecting links to webpages and sharing your thoughts and ideas with other Internet users.
Blogs (or Weblogs) are basically online journals or diaries, which are great for sharing information and ideas.
Why people blog?
As we all know that surfing is no fun if you can't tell people what you've found.
Not many of us send emails to our friends with URLs of a particularly interesting webpage, annotated with your own opinion on it.
Wouldn't it be good to get your own web page where you could publish these comments, plus the links you find, turn it into a daily journal of thoughts and ideas and make the whole thing available to the world?
Well now you can, and if you do, you'll be joining the phenomenon that has become 'blogging'.
Business and Blogging
Today most of the small-business owners and managers are a bit overwhelmed by the available Internet communication tool like blogging. But often when they face some unfamiliar technology, most the users simply avoid it. Well, I would like to discuss how small business can benefit from using blogs. They can help raise awareness, increase customer loyalty, and boost sales.
A business blog is a window into your business's people, culture and values. It allows your customers to connect to your brand in a way that encourages community, trust, and, of course, repeat sales. In today's crowded marketplace, you businesses are embracing any opportunity to win consumer loyalty.
It covers the company culture, industry trends, or even items that are of interest to your business.
A business blog can also serve as a crisis communications tool, providing customers with company’s opinion or defense—instantly.
How does blogging get more transparency to a business?
As we all agree that online visibility is very important for any business in current wired society. People regularly turn to the Internet instead of to phone books, newspapers, or TV to find the vendors they need.
Business blogs has proved to be an incredible online marketing tool that has saved a sum of money and still provided great business opportunities in just one click. They have helped effectively position products in the market through the most user friendly and flexible medium.
There are a number of ways blogging is helping business grow:
A huge amount of blogs are added each day and millions of blog readers reading it. We can well imagine how much gain a company will have, if their products are advertised through blogs. With internet information making a spread so quickly, one impressive writeup with a product can grab hundreds of possible customers.
| | | |