As an Internet marketer, you have many options when it comes to the methods you can use to advertise. There are dozens of them and each one has its own set of pros and cons. But it’s important that you have a big picture of the marketing environment because it helps you categorize the available options and understand the strengths and pitfalls of each before you design your marketing strategy.
Let’s look at the two main areas, namely search engines and social media.
search engines
They are indisputably the main avenue of marketing due to their vast global reach. It is the first stop for people looking for something under the sun. Their global coverage is 92%, which means that 92 out of 100 people on the web use them. This market is dominated by Google (65%), followed by Yahoo (12%) and Microsoft Bing (10%). Digging deeper, there are basically two search engine marketing options: SEO and PPC.
SEO (search engine optimization)
These are the organic results based on the user’s search keywords and are based on a number of factors both on and off your site. Although it takes considerable effort to optimize your site for search engines and stay on top, nothing gives your business better exposure if you achieve this. You are not paying to get this listing as you have gotten there on merit, so to speak. The best part is that this can be used to laser target your market based on geography and time.
PPC (pay per click)
The fastest way to stay on top of search listings is to use sponsored advertising where you pay for your ads. This could be PPC where you pay each time a user clicks on your ad or PPM where you are charged for a specific number of times your ad is shown on the search engine’s content network. PPC is much more effective than PPM, since it is aimed at an audience that is actively searching for products and services. PPM ads are placed on websites that have content related to the ad you have, so the user may not be actively searching for them.
Which brings us to the next big marketing medium that is literally blowing up the web and seriously challenging the search engines in the battle for marketing medium supremacy. Yes, the burgeoning world of social media.
social media
Statistics show that people frequent and spend more time on social networks than on search engines or even on their emails. But has this translated for them into a viable alternative as a marketing medium? The answer is a resounding yes. The appeal of social media is that it provides a platform for like-minded people to come together, which builds a sense of community. The viral nature of the connection between individuals and groups gives this medium an incredible amount of power. Added to this is the possibility of targeting the market based on demographic factors such as age, gender, likes and dislikes, company or even social status, something that search engines cannot affirm.
Facebook, with more than 500 million users worldwide, is way ahead of the competition in this field. Other big players in this niche are MySpace, Twitter (micro-blogging site) and LinkedIn (more aimed at professional networking). Most social networks also have paid advertising (PPC/PPM), but it works more like the content network attached to search engines. But this is changing rapidly, which is why it presents such a potent challenge to search engines.
blurring of boundaries
That being said, the distinction between search engines and social networks is becoming increasingly blurred as the respective players fill in the missing gaps in their portfolio. This is exemplified by Google’s acquisition of the video-sharing site YouTube, which expands its video search capabilities and Web 2.0 features, as well as its foray into social media with Buzz.
The key is to coordinate your search engine optimization and social media, creating maximum synergy between the two through an integrated approach. Search engine optimization not only helps you promote your website, but it also helps you promote your content on social media. Your website and social media together make up your web presence, and SEO helps you market your overall web presence. And conversely, social media helps your SEO efforts with the off-page factors discussed above. To conclude, both search engine and social media are indispensable to your internet marketing strategy and you will be missing out on a huge market if you overlook either one.
For more information on SEO and social media follow Tanzz Mohd.