Introduction
Online advertising has been one of the leading marketing strategies for most organizations in the recent past. It is proper to mention that organizations have had a great time engaging their customers online especially through social media like Twitter blogging, Facebook pages, Google pages and online television services.
The moment a new product is introduced into the market, organizations enjoy a formidable force that ensures customer awareness creation. Offline interactions among customers ensure knowledge of the new products. This kind of advertising ensures rapid acknowledgement of new products, services and after sale benefits.
Hikaru & Nahoiro (2011) stated that online advertising involves firms marketing their products and services through the internet and usually do not rely on one single medium. They usually use various means to promote their products and service and this includes social media.
The current technological developments have allowed firms to involve their customers socially via tweets, offline messages, customer acquisition approaches and offline-word of mouth. Research has shown that when customers discuss about a product or service, it can only portray their knowledge about it and the willingness to keep interest for the brand in the long run (Jansen et al. 2009).
Search Engines
Australian experts in the Tourism sector have found out that online advertising is booming and growing at a faster rate because it is becoming popular among most of the population due to the social approach strategies (Ahasanul et al. 2011).
Optimization of Search Engines, abbreviated as S.E.O, refers to the practice of increasing traffic from the âunrestricted,â ânatural,â âtabloidâ or âgradualâ listings on the search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing (Armstrong & Barrett 2001).
These sites have web pages and other contents such as audiovisuals or local listings which the engines provide in a ranked manner depending on the most important as may be deemed by the reader (Arviddsson 2006). This search masterpiece allows consumers who want to know more about products or services offered by a particular organization to look up the websites or blogs hence obtain desired information.
It is therefore right to mention that online search optimization is one of the essentials in the business world in view of advertisements. Search engine advertising is the practice of increasing traffic from or conspicuousness arising from search engines (Chang & Thorson 2004). It is sometimes shortened as âsearch marketingâ.
It covers two broad areas silhouetted as gaining traffic through free efforts as well as increasing traffic by paying for search advertising (Arviddsson 2006). It is therefore paramount that a firm with a website can apply these search engines techniques to increase the visibilities of the results enlisted during the search for the same by potential customers. One of the key methods of optimizing search engines is by use of articles.
Owners of website normally hire professional writers to create articles that contain hyperlinks. These hyperlinks usually direct readers to specific pages on their websites once they click on such hyperlinks. In broader context, a firm giving keen eye on its customers and potential clients will ensure that they are well choreographed in their web pages and to hasten customer accessibility in search for more about them.
Ahasanul et al. (2011) reveal that advertisement is an important part of an organization especially a fast food restaurant where management needs to carry out various changes: for instance, diversity in slogans. This increases likeability of the potential customers towards the products.
Trip Advisor
Another online advertising technique that a firm (such as a hotel) can use is the Trip advisor. This has helped many customers looking for places to spend a night during the course of their journey. An organization with well-organized objectives will put such online travelersâ reviews, map and photos specifying locations of their products and services. Through online adverts, likeability increases.
Customers through word-of-mouth and on social media, instigate the intrigues by others. Trip advisor is therefore an important software that users can download in their phones in order to look up locations when they travel (OâGuinn, Allen & Semenik 2009).
Social media
It is important to note that online advertising is influenced by traditional advert media like TV. Most often, potential customers need a source of information before tweeting or blogging about a product or service. Company poised to attract more customers ought to interlink certain traditional media like TV or even print media to facilitate the online advert.
Matsumura & Yamamoto (2011) states that âthe source⊠mass media, marketing information that is created and sent by firms, and content created by others on other social media⊠cannot tweet about or follow something they do not know⊠plays an important role in raising the awareness levelâ.
Usually traditional advertising is the entrance point leading to interests in products and services, and thus leading to conversation and there after expanding customer base (Naik & Peters 2009).
Instant messaging on twitter has enabled social media bloggers to be a strategic target for various companies. World leading corporations have signed up accounts on twitter as a way of outreaching for a wider customer market (or rather product marketing strategy). Among them include the Mercedes Benz Company, the H&A, BMW and even Audi in United States.
According to Matsumura & Yamamoto (2011) ââŠof users make Twitter an attractive medium for firms, and thus Twitter has attracted lots of attention from firmsâ. A new product blogged about on twitter only takes a few seconds to be known by a very large group of people.
Hotel or restaurant advertising itself on twitter probably gets the highest number of customers especially if its services are of quality and up to standard requirements especially in this generation of economic and quality awareness. The management of a company or firm would therefore prefer channeling most of its publicity resources to micro-blogging on social media.
Consumers tend to talk about new products up-coming or already in the market in such a way that even those who lack accounts on social sites would get to know about it and most probably develop likeability. According to Chang & Thorson (2004), social media acts as a ground in which consumers and their potential sellers can develop a rapport which could lead to creation of interest in their products and services.
It is also an entertainment ground; moreover, a place where people interact and learn more about their social lives. These interactions accelerate conversation about products and services, which in turn spread as word-of-mouth.
However, it is important to note that not all products discussed by users of social media get a positive review. Some comments could even discourage already acquired customers from consuming certain products and this could have a negative impact on the manufacturers of such products in the market.
Facebook has also become an interesting platform that has led to the growth of many companies and/or firms that rely on the media. People interact on Facebook allowing potential firms, institutions and other corporate bodies to take into account the need to advertise products, services and even job vacancies to the general public.
This has seen most companies exacerbate their likeability, increased product sales within short periods of time and even improved profitability. Companies create blog pages on this medium when users are curious about particular information; there is a directive that ensures they find it.
As stated by Kaye (2013) âonce a Facebook user clicked on âAbout this ad,â he/she would be taken to the page of the third party Facebook Exchange (FBX) partner responsible for the adâ. Facebook search engine has many options that make a consumer comfortable using it; a consumer can easily opt out of a page if he or she is no longer interested.
In a wider view, this has enabled bloggers and Facebook users to only hold onto such firms they like the most. Studies especially on online behavioral advertisement has helped in applying accountability principle programs to further understand and allow users to primarily be at ease on social media operations (Kaye 2013).
In this aspect, many companies have found vast knowledge about their consumers especially in the e-commerce websites. Facebook is a social utility with a billion monthly users. Like other providers of free online content and services, Facebook is funded primarily by advertising revenue. This offers an appropriate platform for online advertisements (Lad 2010).
Google advertising
Google advertisement provides a remarkable approach that ensures users and product consumers get to know their desired products properly before bidding for them online or buying from the companies in question (Pride & Ferrell 2007).
This provides an opportunity for a firm to showcase its products on a Google web page with appropriate details such as price, probable discount, picture of the product, where to find it and about the delivery.
On several occasions, consumers search for information about what they want to buy before committing resources to the same. According to Hogan, Lemon, & Libai (2005) ads provide searchers with more specific information about your products before they ever visit your site.
Conclusion
It is appropriate to establish that online marketing or product marketing is a fundamental goal that every company must pursue especially in the current world. In the contemporary society, social media as a system for advertising has become an idea that canât be neglected. Every firm must employ online marketing strategies if it has to keep up with the customer trends.
Trusov, Bucklin & Pauwels (2009) indicate that tweets have strong impacts on customer acquisition. Therefore firms should come up with strategies that not only target offline customers but also those that use social media as a daily communication tool. Social media as an inbound marketing strategy can be a strong tool in that it targets customers globally increasing the returns that are likely to be received in the long run.
Businesses and firms still lag behind when it comes to online marketing. For those that have taken advantage of this untapped market their profits have been seen to double as the marketing strategy is cost effective compared to traditional marketing.
List of References
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