Whether you are a “bricks and mortar” business or an online travel portal, e-marketing is a force you cannot ignore.
Stephen Dann and Susan Dann take us through a brief history of the Internet and the journey of how e-marketing strategies have evolved. The authors combine theoretical knowledge with case studies and present useful tips for businesses looking to build their presence online.
What is e-marketing? The authors begin by defining the communication methods that qualify as e-marketing. Unlike print and other non-electronic marketing media, e-marketing or computer mediated communication (CMC) methods are interactive. To set the definitions, the authors have used the Hoffman and Novak one-to-many-to-one communication model. After setting the framework, the authors also discuss the various tried and tested e-marketing strategies, such as a product’s life cycle on the Internet and online consumer behaviour.
Initially, when e-marketing was still a novel domain, online and offline activities were deemed as independent of one another. The same applied to a brand’s online and offline identity. But now, it will be naive for brands to assume that criticisms they garner on the Internet will not affect their offline sales. As the Internet becomes accessible to more people, it is important that offline and online marketing strategies merge and complement each other. This makes it imperative for marketing professionals to understand how consumers react to online product marketing.
Advertising is a crucial component of the marketing mix. An important reason why all businesses, big or small, have an online presence is because it is convenient and, in most cases, cheaper to advertise online. But even though it is easy to set