E-Commerce today includes a variety of mechanisms: websites, web advertising, e-blasts, and social media. With ever-advancing innovations in technology, the boundaries of telephones and the Internet have been blurred to the point where the two technologies completely overlap. While predicting what will transpire in the years ahead are matters of conjecture and imagination, one can very safely predict there’ll be yet new applications and opportunities for marketers.
Website
Developing your web presence as part of your positioning strategy and differentiating your company from your competition. Your website is a cost-effective means of educating and updating your prospects and customers about your business, your product and service offerings, and pricing. Beyond some of its general selling advantages, what makes a website for your company a must is it’s value to you and your customers as imperative marketing support for your customer service and sales functions.
A good website increases customer confidence and loyalty. More sophisticated customers can glean a good deal about a company from the design of a website. A site that’s difficult to navigate, is poorly organized, and devoid of pricing is a turnoff to would-be buyers looking for usable and desired information. When developing your website, endeavor to make it more interactive, inviting, and easy for your visitors to place orders, sign up for newsletters, special offers, and “hot deals.”
E-Mail Marketing
E-mail marketing is perhaps the most affordable advertising medium of all. You can send straightforward solicitations, convey new information, issue newsletters, handle online registrations for events and webinars, collect feedback, conduct surveys and questionnaires, collect payments, or simply touch base with and keep your company visible to customers and prospects. You also have the unique ability to link your message -as in “Click here to order” or “Click here to learn more” – to your website or other sites to enable those interested recipients of your messages to take the next step at will.
E-mail marketing also gives you enhanced abilities to segment your lists by various criteria or key interest groups. This allows you to send your messages and promotional offers to those individuals who are more likely to respond to or forward your e-mail to others they may determine might be interested in it, further extending the reach of your·message.
