Out with the Old, In with the Internet

Think about it: Do you wait for the radio to play your favorite song, or do you just go online to hear it when you want to? If you miss your favorite TV shows, do just hope and pray for a rerun? Chances are, like millions of other people, you're hopping online to watch it. People subscribe to their magazines and newspapers online; no one uses the phone book (considering landlines are nearly non-existent) or waits for the paper to drop on the doorstep in the morning. People use the internet for their day-to-day tasks. How do you think they're finding the products and services they're looking for?

Traditional Marketing vs. Online Marketing

It may seem pretty basic, but when we say traditional marketing, we're referring to the different mediums through which you can market your company. Mainstays for companies prior to the advent of the internet were the Yellow Pages, direct mailings, newspaper and magazine ads, yard signs, television commercials, radio spots, fliers and more.

Online marketing refers to any marketing you do via the internet. So, starting with optimizing your website for keywords being searched in your market, from there your job lies in marketing your website on the web. Pay-per-click and AdWords campaigns. YouTube videos. Email marketing and link building. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Press releases and marketing articles. Online marketing, or really digital marketing, is the process of promoting your website and obtaining links with a vast online presence that direct people back to your company's site.

Let's Take a Look at the Statistics

    * Upwards of 2/3 of people's searching for services and products occurs online
    * Online marketing budgets have increased or remained the same during the recession
    * 73% of the American population owns computers and has access to the internet
    * According to Google, Americans spend 14 hours per week online, the same amount as they spend watching TV
    * Most people search for what they need instead of waiting to be marketed to, using the internet to find these things

    * According to eMarketer, online ad spending grew more than 8% last year

EVERY Company Needs Online Marketing

So, why does it make more sense to advertise online than it does via traditional methods?

First, branding can be achieved much quicker than it can through traditional marketing.

Second, online marketing is the most effective allocation of advertising dollars, especially on a tight budget. Why is this? Because online marketing is cheaper and you can target people buying your products with online marketing more efficiently.

What else? The results are much more measurable. You can see exactly how many people you're reaching and exactly whom you're reaching with online marketing, whereas with traditional methods, there's really no way of knowing whether you're reaching 3,000 people or 300,000.

The biggest reason why every company needs an effective online presence? Conversion rates are higher. With traditional marketing, you're reaching out to a wide scope of people hoping you find a few interested in your products. With online marketing, you're making your business appear first for people who are already searching for you. They're already looking for your business, which means you have a higher probability of making them a customer.