what is e-Marketing?

“The Business Introduction Dance” As a small business owner you make lots of connections, you meet people at business networking events, trade shows, conferences and in your day to day business. So you are probably already familiar with the 'business introduction dance'. It goes something like this for most of us: The polite hello > The introductions and exchange of names > The business card exchange > The 30 second elevator pitch from each side > The realization there is no immediate need for the product or service the other person is offering > The polite goodbye. Sounds familiar? Just take a quick glance around your desk and I'm sure you will find "the pile"; we all have a collection of business cards we have accumulated from our previous business encounters. But how do you turn these business cards into prospects and ultimately into sales? Well, you need to implement a strategy to stay in touch so these contacts will know where to find you when they are ready to make a purchase. That's what we call, “top of mind marketing”!

 

What is eMarketing? It is the process of marketing your business using the Internet and electronic mail. The terms eMarketing, Internet marketing and online marketing are frequently interchanged, and can often be considered synonymous. eMarketing provides that base touching effort to customers and prospects; and, it is a strategy that even the smallest business can take advantage of.

 

eMarketing can serve various purposes: (1) Build brand awareness; (2) Promote or sell a new product or service; (3) Educate your customers; (4) Provide important information to your clients; (5) Build your company's credibility; and above all (6) “top of mind marketing”.

 

What are the advantages of eMarketing over traditional marketing? (1) Reach. eMarketing truly opens up new avenues for smaller businesses, on a much smaller budget, to access potential customers from all over the world; or in your very specific target geography. (2) Interactivity. It encourages a two-way communication, strengthens relationships and it cements loyalty. (3) Immediacy. eMarketing generates immediate action: sales, downloads, trials, registrations, enquiries. (4) Targeting. The nature of the Internet is such that its users will tend to organise themselves into far more focused groups or 'tribes'. Knowing where to look can quite easily find access to the niche markets you wish to target. (5) Adaptivity. With eMarketing, responses can be measured and analysed in real-time and campaigns can be tweaked and optimised continuously.

 

eMarketing may involve the use of emails, electronic newsletters, your website and web advertising. Used in conjunction with each other, eMarketing strategies can provide a well-rounded and persuasive marketing mix.

 

Email marketing is one of the most economical marketing tools around. E-newsletters often work well in conjunction with marketing emails. For example, if you are running a business, your clients might value a regular newsletter that contains business news and gives insights into industry issues or latest trends. The beauty of the e-newsletter is that, like email, it involves no printing costs and costs very little to distribute. It is an inexpensive way to strengthen your brand image. eMarketing can also be used to generate two-way communication. You can seek feedback from customers, encouraging them to fill in surveys, perhaps enticing them to do so with coupons or discounts. Email or eNewsletters can further complement the promotion of your website by encouraging subscribers to visit your site.

 

The hub of your eMarketing will be your website. It's your business presence on the web and people will judge you by it. While the website provides a way to market, it can also provide direct market intelligence. If you employ a website visitor tracking service, you will be able to analyse traffic on your site and this will give you constantly updated information on which of your products or services are generating the most interest. This can help with your marketing strategy.

 

In a nutshell. eMarketing offers you a range of flexible, low-cost marketing tools. It provides a range of channels for getting your marketing message out to customers and clients, it can help you to build better business relationships and place your company in the minds of your target audience. Why does it work? It allows targeting. It is data driven. It drives sales. It builds relationships, loyalty and trust. It supports sales through other channels. It's inexpensive.

 

How can Simplicity help? Simplicity provides a complete eMarketing service from conception to completion. We can Create, Send, Track, and Manage your campaign from start to finish. You will receive a Full Report about the success of your campaign with real time results. You won't just know which messages were received, bounced or blocked, you'll know exactly who's opened your messages, even which links they have clicked on. Whatever your level of expertise, we are always on hand to help. Whether it's advice on the message content or design; data acquisition, campaign analysis, the creation or re-design of your website; we can help with any part of the equation.

 

If you need any help with your marketing or web design, please do not hesitate to ask, even if it's just some advice you need. Simplicity would be happy to help. Interested to learn how we can help? View our services; or simply contact us to discuss how we can help.

 

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Who? Simplicity is a small web design and creative marketing company. For whom? We specialise in working with small, medium and start-up businesses. Why? Small feet, big shoes; just because you’re a small business does not mean you don’t need to get your message out there in a big way. What’s it all about? We help make your marketing and design matter, be known, be heard, be found; and make the pieces fit. It's not just about your products and sevices, it's about the whole experience. What’s the difference? Personal. We strongly believe in the personal approach to doing business. Creative. We fuse strategy & creativity into one compelling voice. No fuzz. We are practical & hands-on; passionate about what we do; and practice what we preach. Focus. We specialise in working with small companies and start-ups. Ideas. Ideas are the currency of our business. Ideas can have the power to change minds, transform brands and even make a difference to the bottom line. How much? Because we’re a small company without the high set-up costs of larger marketing firms and the fancy London postcode, we don’t charge London rates and are able to pass on some cost savings to our clients. What’s in the mix? [The Roadmap] Marketing Planning & Strategy: Get your marketing up and running. [Image Works] Branding & Brand Identity: Define who you are, what you can see, touch, feel, hear and watch. [A Box Of Chocolates] Demand Generation & Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Integrated marketing in harmony & style. The ideal blend of marketing initiatives. [The Bigger Picture] Website Design: Every website tells a story. Let your website do the work for you. [A Refreshing Change] Website Re-Design: Give your website an inspiring facelift. [The Perfect Pitch] Collateral Design: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. What is the concept? Simplexity. The concept behind Simplicity is to simplify complex matters and make the pieces fit. Simplicity, where ideas come to life.