Integrated Marketing Creates Momentum! – by Vicki Donnowitz
November 9, 2009
Creating Success for the New Year – Your Annual Business Planning Session- by Dean R. DeLisle
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IT’S NOT AN INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN WITHOUT AN INTERNET COMPONENT

First, I need to apologize to those who consider themselves the “masters” of internet marketing. You’re not going to find new PPC formulas or savvy Permission Based Marketing strategies in this article. No, right now we are going back to basics, and providing a reality check for those who have remained hesitant, and have yet to harness the power of the internet to capture additional market share.

Let’s begin with some elementary information…

  • It is estimated that there are over 1 billion people on‐line daily.
  • It is estimated that 3 out of every 4 U.S. internet users will make an on‐line purchase this year.
  • And, according to a recent global survey conducted by The Nielsen Company, approximately 85 percent of the world’s “online” population has used the internet to make a purchase.

Now, if you are a business owner that believes having a web presence is the same as internet advertising, you may want to pay attention to the next round of figures…

  • Experts predict online advertising revenue will total $50 to $73 BILLION by the year 2011 (Keep in mind that is just over 2 years away), and constitute 14% of all total advertising.
  • Current primary sectors include: Search Engine Advertising, Display/Banner Advertisements, Digital Video Advertisements, and e‐mail Advertisements.
  • Future sectors include mobile advertising, and if it follows a similar trend as internet marketing…all of these estimates could be extremely low. It’s important to note that 1 out of 3 U.S. internet users (over 70 million people) currently access the internet through their phone. Now, imagine when the technology catches up to the demand!Usually the typical entrepreneur doesn’t have several hundred thousand dollars to invest in detailed focus groups and segmented test markets across global markets. So what we do, as savvy professionals, is look for trends and opportunities. With that being said…there is a reason so many of the high profile industries are shifting their focus and media dollars to an online avenue.

Does this mean you abandon your other marketing efforts and campaigns? Absolutely not. It just means that that internet has to be a core element of your integrated strategy. However,

don’t confuse an online presence with online advertising. Having a web‐site doesn’t constitute having an internet strategy.

Also, when conducting an internet campaign, remember the same rules apply. Just as you would fail if you conducted a direct mail campaign without first identifying your market, and looking at their tendencies, the same would apply for internet marketing.

For example…

According to the Neilson Company, credit cards are the most common method of payment for online purchases. 60 percent of global online consumers used their credit card for online purchases, while only one in four online consumers chose PayPal. Of those paying with a credit card, more than half used Visa.

Different cultures and countries have a higher predisposition to purchase on‐line. South Korea is the leader with approximately 99% of their internet users making on‐line purchases. Would you guess that the U.S. comes in at number 8 on that list?

One of the core philosophies of Forward Progress is to identify your target market. Without this foundation, it is virtually impossible to build anything of value. This same building block absolutely must be applied to your internet strategy. Without it, you will flounder, be frustrated, and waste precious time and money.

There’s a reason that billions of dollars are being poured into online advertising…it works! If the internet isn’t part of your integrated strategy…well, then it’s not really integrated.

Rick Sherman is a senior level business adviser and consultant for Forward Progress, Inc. and the President of New Essence Media, a marketing agency focused on developing strategies through “Intelligent Integration”. For Additional Information: [email protected]