Well I started this blog out of guilt really. I mean how can I call myself an Internet Marketer if I don’t have a blog, right? After all, they seem to be one of the many essential tools that everyone is using right now to promote things with.
What I love about the internet is that it’s three primary uses, which I see broadly as Information Sharing, Communication and Business, often overlap in unusual and surprising ways. In fact, it seems that many of those who are successful in Internet Marketing are those who spot such overlaps early on and harness the opportunity these overlaps present.
Blogs surely fall into this category, having been developed as Communication Tools initially, but now often touted and used as a highly effective medium for Promoting and Selling Goods and Services, the premise being that they are perceived as being more trustworthy than your average website.
Well I’ve yet to discover how true this really is, but let’s just say I’m interested to investigate any and all of the ways marketers use to get their message across. Blogs certainly feature prominently amongst these, as do Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and even MySpace.
In fact the whole concept of “Social Media Marketing” to me seems to be very straightforward and transparent. It could be well defined, albeit slightly cynically, as ‘How can I hijack the places people like to hang out on the internet, to market them my products and services?’ Well there’s actually nothing wrong with this in principle. I mean advertisers have been using the same concept for years with TV, Billboards, Magazines and the like. Even with simple Product Branding.
But what a great opportunity this presents on the Internet, when done the right way. I mean, imagine opening a magazine and seeing all the adverts personally tailored to you and your interests, then switching on the TV and seeing the same..! Whilst initially somewhat daunting, as long as people are clear about what their interests actually are, then the result is one of increased efficiency for all of the people and the platforms involved. After all, nobody likes being pitched stuff they aren’t interested in, do they? But on the other hand, you can essentially now be kept up to date with all the latest and greatest things you actually want and like to know about, without really lifting a finger, as long as you’re ‘hanging out’ in the right places.
So let’s get straight to the point: Analysis of Demographics. That’s the key to any successful Internet Marketing system. Know Your Market: What do they want and what can you give them that they don’t already have? In other words, aim to match Products/Services of Value to targeted Markets with well-defined Needs. Perhaps easier to describe than to enact in practice, but surely a vital point to understand and consider along the road to Internet Marketing Success.
SocialVibe