Introduction
Customers and businesses have realized that flexibility in communication is among the best ways of reaching out to each other. The need for improved relations has contributed to organizations changing the way they do business in efforts to accommodate interactive platforms for responding to customer inquiries in real time. Online marketing is key to promoting effectiveness and efficiencies of how goods and services are offered to customers in ways to improve brand and customer loyalty. Among the major benefits offered by online marketing is the ability to easily reach out to global markets without incurring many costs in advertisements and communicating with customers. With most organizations focusing on how they can grow and increase their market scope, online marketing offers the solution since visibility is among the initiatives that keep an organization moving forward. The world is fast changing with the current generation creating situations that call for the need for businesses to shift from traditional practices where campaigns were done in the form of cards, public forums, radios or televisions. Using online marketing ensures that customers are brought closer to the business and feel part of the organization when they are given the opportunity to contribute through suggestions, questions, and comments that reach the organization immediately. Many consumers have shifted to reliance on social media platforms such as Facebook, blogs, and Twitter while organizations use additional tools such as content marketing to reach out to current and potential customers.
Research Objectives
Effectiveness of online marketing tools
Reliance on online marketing has increased over the years as the use of digital technologies increase. Digital marketing over the internet is becoming a common practice for all business ranging from sole proprietorships such as the local kiosk to large corporations including Apple. Online marketing tools include; search engine optimization, content marketing, influencer marketing, e-commerce and reliance on the social media. Many organizations save the costs of advertisements and expanding their market share through reliance on internet marketing. However, it is not easier as one may think since it requires the organization to understand how the online marketing tools work and how they could use it in an effective way to boost their business performance. The key strong point of online marketing is that it gives business the opportunity to promote their products while initiating an interactive platform with consumers. This implies that it is possible to get immediate feedback from customers while at the same time responding to their demands immediately. The fact that it is easier to start using online marketing tools and that it is less expensive compared to booking airtime on televisions and radios makes online marketing ideal for current and future marketing programs. The only thing that one has to do is to ensure that choose the most appropriate medium depending on what customers prefer most. The choice of the appropriate toll with then determine if the company’s web page will receive a lot of traffic or that is key to predicting higher sales in the future. The key objective is to increase company’s visibility not only in the domestic markets but internationally. The major focus of online marketing needs to be on reducing the risks that could lead to negative feedback from online users. To ensure successful implementation of effective online marketing tool, it is imperative that the organization conducts research to identify the most desirable and competitive channel. The need for effective online marketing implies that the company has to acquire the right talents to design and maintain the platforms. Since the organization will be dealing with a larger customer base, it is necessary that resources are available that can accommodate information traffic. The strategy is to create as much attention when consumers have access to the contents posted since, in the case of boring features, customers will be unconvinced of the ability of the firm to meet their needs. Organizations that lag behind in adopting online marketing lose a lot in terms of attracting and interacting with their customers. Effective online marketing is among the factors that give firms a competitive edge over others by allowing them to increase their market share and value. Effective online marketing improves ways through which customers find information on the location and the types of products offered while comparing additional aspects such as the prices and the quality of the products offered. Modern consumers realize the need to spend less time ordering products and making payments such that they shift their attention to companies that have made the step in implementing effective online marketing. It is no longer an aspect of inconveniences from long queues but the ability of business to deliver products at the door of consumers while at the same time providing them with key details on delivery of the goods and services requested. Social media platforms and content marketing are among the most embraced forms of online marketing since the majority of consumers could be reached through the two tools. Organizations also realize the need to reduce overreliance on salesmen who engage customers personally in product promotions since online marketing is more cost effective and reduces the costs of providing additional incentives to employees. The effectiveness of online marketing is reflected by the flexibility it offers regarding responding to customers’ orders, suggestions, comments and questions. To save the cost of making calls or avoid inconveniences of telephones, it is imperative that organizations identify the most appropriate medium and be able to take the necessary actions to implement it. The effectiveness of the online marketing tools starts with designing of the message and contents to be displayed on the company’s profile. Consumers’ attention is drawn by the presentation of the message such that boring information is disapproved and receives negative comments since customers enjoy the aspects of anonymity. Organizations have the advantage of creating their own internet profile and executing campaigns the way they prefer. The implication of such actions is that an organization is able to create a marketing campaign that fulfills the needs and expectations of a full spectrum of viewers. It is important for an organization to conduct market research before engaging in designing the contents of online platforms since they have to be assured of receiving a positive response from consumers. An additional motive to design effective contents is to promote influencer marketing where friends and relatives share the information on the organization among themselves hence spreading the message further. It is important that online marketing delivers the message according to the needs and expectations of consumers targeted such that in the case where the segment is the younger customers, the firm needs to identify the fact that young people prefer something that is innovative and fun. It is important to have a clear view of the attributes customers will be looking for when they decide to engage with the firm across the online marketing tools. An emphasis would be to encourage marketing personnel to be consumers themselves such that they will create contents that please them and ones that reflect the factors that could trigger the need to engage the organization actively. Failure to offer the uniqueness limits effectiveness of the online platforms since other firms will be quick fill the gap of inability to motivate customers to enquire about the products and services viewed across the online media. The need for the unique business profile, therefore, calls for a collaborative approach where several departments including ICT, marketing, and product development come together to brainstorm on ways to make a quick impression from their online contents. Companies, therefore, need to identify the fact that to build an effective online marketing tool; it is appropriate that they realize that customers are always sensitive on what is posted on the platforms with a single mistake leading to loss of reputation of the firm. Since online marketing relies on viral messages, it is likely that a negative impression would be spread to a larger population of current and potential customers. The advantage of having an effective marketing tool is that it provides customers with transparency in expressing their feelings such that the organization is able to identify the exact areas for improvement instead of spending a lot of effort and time trying to figure out where the problem could be. However, since most consumers enjoy anonymity, it is important for the organization to identify how to screen out for sincere messages since some responses from consumers could be unethical practices by competitors in trying to destroy the reputation of the company.
Factors that limit effectiveness of online marketing tools
Security concerns are major risks in online marketing since the organization has to assure customers of privacy and confidentiality of their personal and financial details. Not only does poor security features affect consumers but also the organization tends to suffer huge losses regarding lost reputation and stealing of financial information by cyber criminals. Hackers are stealing credit cards and other sensitive information such that in case the organization is unable to curb such incidences, then it loses the trust of consumers who then switch to rivals who have the capacity to protect personal and financial details. With the increase in online marketing tools, cyber crime is also on the rise targeting channels that could be easily exploited and information stolen. Billions of consumers globally have embraced Facebook and Twitter as a way of reaching out to sellers while businesses are keen on engaging consumers through email marketing. Some cases require customers to provide financial and personal details which face the threat of cyber-attacks if the information systems of organizations are not adequately protected. Effective online marketing tools call for robust security systems and controls where it is easier to identify suspicious access to information and implement ways that lead to the arrest of the perpetrators. However, while in many incidences, arresting suspects becomes difficult, it is desirable to have upgraded systems while installing controls such as passwords and authentication system that deny access to unauthorized users. The organization has to assure customers that they can trust it to protect their details when making online ordering and payment. Security breaches to the online tools create the need for the organization to rely on the most secure platforms that have additional authentication from the provider besides the one used by the company. The data has to be secured by putting in place address verification systems for activities such as credit card transactions. The other option is to have stronger passwords and involve employees in information security training programs to ensure they are able to identify suspicious access and online communication that breach business ethics.
Conclusion
Effective online marketing plays a strategic role in improving the competitive position of an organization. Using online marketing ensures that customers are brought closer to the business and feel part of the organization when they are given the opportunity to contribute through suggestions, questions, and comments that reach the organization immediately. Many consumers have shifted to reliance on social media platforms such as Facebook, blogs, and Twitter while organizations use additional tools such as content marketing to reach out to current and potential customers. With the modern business environment changing and more business and organizations preferring flexible interactions, it is, therefore, imperative that organizations take the step to implement the most suitable online marketing channels to establish their visibility bin the market. Effective online marketing also reduces the costs of advertisements since an organization does not have to rely on televisions and radios that require the booking of airtime. It is also the best way of carrying out market research due to the ability to have immediate feedback from respondents. However, it is not easy to establish an effective online marketing since consumers are always keen on the contents reflected in the profiles and the uniqueness of the marketing message. It is the duty of an organization to make sure it undertakes market research to identify what customers look for when they access company’s information on the internet and how to create a first-time impression on consumers. However, building an effective online marketing cannot be achieved if the organization does not undertake measures to improve security features such that it is possible to prevent theft of financial and personal details of clients. Hackers are stealing credit cards and other sensitive information such that in case the organization is unable to curb such incidences, then it loses the trust of consumers who then switch to rivals who have the capacity to protect personal and financial details.
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