Online Marketing Strategies for Reaching Today’s Teens, Essay Example

Online marketing course has enabled me to learn more uses and importance of the internet when marketing products. These include how the internet is used since the production up to the time it is delivered to the final consumer. It is the easiest way of marketing products as compared to the offline marketing. This is because the marketer does not need to travel to different destinations when marketing products. The marketers will only design the ads and products, which will be posted on the website, social media, and even YouTube. This is as compared to trade shows and exhibitions where the marketer should be present in person to present the products to the consumers. Another important aspect of online marketing is that it is cheap in terms or funds used as compared to the offline marketing. The only cost that is incurred in this case is the payments to access the internet services. In offline marketing, the marketer will need to incur travel expenses, hire halls, and even food and accommodation Pan & Li 2011, p. 129.

Online marketing is always available for the customers to see and buy their products at anytime of the day. Consumers can decide to perform the transactions even at night since there is no time that online marketing is closed. Offline marketing poses serious inconveniences to the consumers since they cannot travel to visit the market places at the sometimes working in the office. Inline marketing is the solution to this problem since the consumer can spend a short time to view the products online and decide whether to buy or not without travelling. In the case of online marketing, the consumer can be seated in the office and at the same time, he/she is updated or informed of any changes in the products in the market and their prices.

During the course period, realized that in online marketing, the marketers will not advertise blindly to a wide area which consist of many people with different tastes on the products. The general method of advertising is not predictable since the marketer is not sure if all the populations covered will buy the products. Online advertising enables the marketers to customize their offerings to specific consumers have a higher possibility of buying the products. In this case, the products can be advertised directly to the targeted consumers. For example, the marketers or companies will capture the conducts of the customers like phone numbers, email, and the names used in the social media. Since the customers have been frequenting the organization to buy and their contacts retained, ads or adverts of new products or brand will be channeled directly to them. This tactic will cut the cost, which would have been used cover a wide area that will not yield more sales (Horn 2011, p. 26).

From the course, I have understood and realize that online marketing is the best method that should be applied in the current digital era. This is because most people have been transformed to using the internet in every activity that they are performing. When advertising online, many customers can be accessed since they are registered on the social media, and they are visiting the site frequently. In addition, many people can access the internet wherever they are because mobile phones are connected to the internet. Even when an individual is resting or travelling, he/she can access the social media web pages like facebook, twitter, histogram, and MySpace. This will enable them to access what the marketers or the organizations advertise. Search engines like Google can be used in online marketing, and the company or marketers will reach many customers because Google is the most visited site. Ads are set in a design that when the use opens the site it will pop up automatically, and the use will be interested to view the ads. The mission will have been accomplished since the user will have access.

From the course, I have learned various skills that will enable me to apply in the community and my personal life. For example, when I open my personal business, I will be able to know the tactics that I can apply in marketing my products. In this case, it will be easier as I will have known that many people are registered online, and it is the best method of marketing. The weakness with online marketing is the use customers’ information that is captured on various websites with the consent of the owners. In my own business, I will on this problem such that I will not disappoint the customers. The best way to use customers’ information is by requesting from the owner. This will enable the owner to release personal information, which is not sensitive when used on the internet or anywhere else (Sheehan 2010, p. 241).

In the current environment, online marketing is very important to the marketers and marketing organization since they will sell large volumes of sales leading to increased profits. Since the company will be making higher profits, they will expand their services, and more people will be employed in the organization. This will change the standard of living of the individuals in the community to a better position. On the side of the government, more revenue will be earned because, as the profits to the company increase, the taxes charged will also automatically increase. This method of marketing will be disadvantageous to the people who cannot access the internet since they will not be updated on the changes in prices of products or introduction of new products in the market.

Due to the first and efficient methods of marketing brought by the internet, more businesses will be opened in various places worldwide. Currently, many people have acquired skills in various fields, but there are no enough job opportunities to observe them. Their knowledge together with the frequently updated online marketing will enable them to be self-employed by running personal businesses. This will reduce the rates of crimes, which pose by unemployment problems. When people are unemployed, they will be idle, and they can do anything possible to earn a living including crime activities. The growth in businesses, which are stimulated by the online marketing, will increase the revenue to the government. The revenue will assist the government to improve infrastructure, which will enable the customers and organizations to move the products to different destinations without problems.

The course enables me to learn that online marketing is important as compared to offline and other forms of marketing like print media marketing. This is because online marketing is there to stay since it cannot frequently change like other forms of marketing. Since there are frequent updates and improvements in technology, online marketing will be more effective. In the coming generations, many more people will be registered on online social media web pages, which mean that the customers will increase, and online marketing will be sustained in the market. Since many customers are registered online in various web pages like social media and YouTube, communication will be easier and simple because the company and customer will not incur extra costs on airtime. The only cost to be incurred is for the internet connection, which will serve both marketing and communication purposes (Sheehan 2010, p. 179).

Since the customers have been facing privacy problems associated with online marketing, they will be vigilant in the current environment by not exposing their crucial details. The customers will be cautious when visiting different sites where personal information are requested. In this case, the customers will release basic information, which are not sensitive when used in public or on the internet. The customers will remain save, and they will not opt to be deregistered on the social web pages or other online sites.

Cloud computing, social media, mobile devices, and mobile applications (apps) make me realize that there is arguably no profession or industry that has not been shaped by internet-enabled technologies to some extent. The popularity of these technologies and devices has for the first time challenged the supremacy of traditional print and electronic media, and this change has mostly been good for both marketers and consumers. As far as marketers are concerned, they have more control over their marketing activities in addition to low costs, and now they can communicate with consumers both ways as opposed to traditional media in which the communication is usually one way, i.e. from marketer to consumers only. Similarly, marketers can now reach their consumers anywhere because internet provides instant connectivity and in addition, internet-enabled technologies now exist in the palm of our hands. As far as consumers are concerned, they have more power because they can directly let marketers know what they want or need, and social media has also enabled consumers to employ word-of-mouth marketing with greater impact. Not surprisingly, companies try to respond to negative social media feedback and comments on a priority basis (Pan & Li 2011, p. 88). In other words, internet-enabled technologies have provided more options to marketers and have enabled them to achieve more with low-marketing budgets but at the same time, these technologies have also given more voice and power to consumers. Businesses are being forced to be consumer-focused now.

I don’t think they replace traditional sites because each marketing channel has its own strengths and weaknesses. One of the concerns about internet marketing has been privacy issues and reputed websites can help ease privacy concerns due to better security measures. In addition, visitors to certain websites have quite similar characteristics. Thus, they may appeal to marketers targeting certain market segments. In addition, websites often have valuable data on consumer behavior that marketers can use. There is a reason Google earns billions of dollars in revenues.

As far as desktop is concerned, I prefer to use the term ‘evolution’ in place of ‘death.’ Instead of saying desktop computer or laptop computer, I prefer the term ‘computing device.’ The trend from the desktop computer to a laptop computer to tablet devices now is nothing but the fact that computing devices are becoming more powerful and smaller at the same time for the sake of convenience. After tablet devices, the next shape of computing technology may be something like Google Glass and I would not be surprised if computing technology takes the shape of contact lens one day (Horn 2011, p. 25). One of the things I have learnt in this course is that products and services should be evaluated on the basis of needs and wants they meet. Desktop computer, laptop computer, and tablet devices meet same needs, but later devices offer better value due to convenience and other features that enhance overall user experience. One of the facts has been established that marketers and consumers will now be connected to each other round-the-clock seven days a week and 365 days a year. The only thing that will change is marketing strategies as consumers’ tastes and lifestyle needs evolve over time.

My favorite thing in the course was class discussions because it helped me better understand course concepts and also benefit from others’ observations in the real world that I missed out. There is one recommendation I would like to make which is to invite speakers from different industries so that they help us better understand the trends in the real world. This will also help us develop more realistic expectations of what real world is like and plan our career path accordingly.

References

Horn, L. (2011). Online marketing strategies for reaching today’s teens. Young Adult Library Services, 9(2), 24-27.

Pan, B., & Li, X. R. (2011). The long tail of destination image and online marketing. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(1), 132-152.

Sheehan, B. (2010). Basics Marketing 02: Online Marketing (Vol. 2). Ava Publishing.