American Express » Internet

The first Generation of Internet Marketing

american business — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:50:24 +0000

The first generation of Internet marketing saw Web site owners work on getting linked from other sites because they saw the benefit of the traffic from those sites. Their link strategies primarily related to finding sites that related to different products or services but had the same target market as theirs and
requesting a link from the site’s owner.

Usually reciprocal links were negotiated, placement was negotiated, and graphics and text for the links were traded. The second generation saw link strategies get a little more sophisticated, certainly as link popularity and link relevancy became significantly prominent elements in the search engines’ ranking criteria.

Organizations took a very strategic approach to getting linked from as many sites as possible to improve their link popularity scores. They implemented very thorough, organized, and detailed link strategies.

Plan to Grow Your Business

american business — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:39:43 +0000

A common question that arises is, “How do you plan your Internet strategy in a world where technology is changing constantly?” This is a somewhat valid question. Yes, technology changes, but this does not affect only your Internet strategy; it affects every facet of your business. The best way to answer the question is with the following question: “How do you plan to grow your business?” If you don’t have an answer to this question, you have a bigger issue and probably should be reading a book on developing a business
strategy. More importantly, if the Internet (or related technologies) is not a part of how you plan to grow your business, you should definitely keep reading this Blog.

So how do you typically plan to manage the growth of your business? For starters, you forecast to the best of your ability where your business will be six months, one year, two years from now, and so on, and you develop a strategy to facilitate this growth both from a sales and a delivery point of view. How does this relate to the Internet? Well, your Web site and Internet strategy should be flexible enough to grow with your business without having
to start from scratch every time your business reaches a new milestone.Figure 2.1 illustrates what we refer to as “the foundation” for all Web site activities. If you don’t take the foundation into account, then the structure of your entire online marketing strategy will fall to pieces. The key components of your foundation include:
• Understanding your primary online marketing objectives
• Identifying your primary and secondary target market segments
• Having a clear understanding of what you’re promoting on your site.

Understanding the User

american business — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:23:38 +0000

Understanding your target market also affects “how” you target your customers. It’s one thing to know whom you are targeting, but if you get them to the front door and they are unable to open the door to see what’s inside, what is the point? For example, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 22 percent of American citizens 65 years of age and older use the Internet—a 47 percent increase between 2000 and 2004. This is a significant increase and will only continue to grow as more and more seniors embrace the Internet.

Now if you have a business that is targeting customers who fall into this category, you need to make sure that all of your customer touch points appeal to this market segment. This could be as simple as using appropriate font sizes on advertisements that you place on the Internet so that users with
poor eyesight can easily read your offer and visit your site, but this is just the
beginning. Once the user gets to your site, you have to make sure that everything on the site is accommodating, as many seniors will encounter different usability issues due to disabilities or sheer lack of knowledge of how the Internet works.

The Reliable Hughes Net

american business — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:32:49 +0000

I find that internet connection is no longer an additional thing in our life, but it is already become a basic and crucial thing. In our home, it also becomes the supporting tool for our activities whether it is for our children or us. Or children need internet connection to find information and help for their lesson. We all know that the internet provides unlimited information and we can also use online tutorial so our children get a better grade on their study. For us, we need internet connection to finish or even run our business.

With the important role of internet connection in our home, we need to use reliable internet connection that serves high speed access so we can do all of our internet activities perfectly. If we have never used internet connection in our home yet, then we should not think of using dial up internet connection because it will not work for us. Our children might even get frustrated by its bad connection. Satellite internet is the one that we need for reliable and super fast broadband internet connection.

We can find some reliable satellite internet provider such as Hughesnet Satellite Internet and WildBlue Internet. Both of the providers serve the best satellite internet facilities. To find more about the service, we can go to Satelliteinternetbroadband.com.

Internet marketing strategy

american business — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:10:48 +0000

A well-planned Internet marketing strategy distinguishes those businesses that are committed to the long-term potential of the medium from those who are simply marketing online because the market says they should. Typically, the latter can easily be detected. I am sure you’ve stumbled across a Web site that is nothing more than an electronic brochure—a site that does not communicate the promise of the brand to the target market or a site that is stamped “Last Updated . . .” only to display a date one or two years prior to your visit (or more.) These are examples of businesses that have yet to fully embrace the potential of the Internet and how it can not only grow their business, but also reach more users in a more cost-effective manner.

Planning plays a critical role in the success of your Internet marketing strategy with regard to your Web site itself, the online communication channels that you choose, and how you actually execute each campaign you launch to your target market. Those businesses that are capitalizing on the mainstream use of the Internet are those that plan their Internet strategies well in advance. For example, research reveals that the average online marketer that is using targeted PPC campaigns or organic optimization as a means of driving traffic to their Web site are dedicating on average 36 percent of their total online advertising budget to the medium. That represents 15 percent of their total online/offline advertising budget. Does this seem like a surprise? It shouldn’t. It’s not unrealistic for search engine exposure to be able to represent 60 to 80 percent of a Web site’s total traffic.

You Must Take Online Marketing

american business — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:38:37 +0000

While we will not see a revolution in the heart of the Internet, we will continue to see rapid evolution that will open the door to new opportunities. Some businesses choose to fight change, but successful businesses are the ones that embrace change and are proactive in keeping pace with changing consumer demands. The Internet will continue to grow; it will become faster, it will become cheaper, and it will become smarter.

As a business going into a 3G environment, you need to be prepared to keep on top of ever-changing consumer demands, and you must take online marketing and using your Web site as a point of business seriously to succeed. In the coming sections of this book, we help lay out your plan to achieve success online. Good luck! The Internet is not going away any time soon; it’s going to evolve and become more ingrained in all our lives.

Embracing Broadband

american business — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:48:28 +0000

In the United States, we are approaching the 50 percent penetration mark for broadband connectivity. This means much more than high-speed Internet access; it means a much better user experience online with fewer limitations. Broadband access is mainstream and continues to rapidly expand. According to eMarketer’s “North America Broadband” report published in March 2005, it is expected that there will be approximately 70 million households with broadband Internet access in North America by 2008.

With the expansion of high-speed Internet access comes the freedom to design more demanding and visually appealing Web sites to meet the demands of the target market. In fact, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has recently increased file size standards.

Why does the growth of broadband matter? It too is changing the behavior of Internet users from how they socialize to how they shop. A majority of purchases made online are made by broadband users. They tend to spend more time online and connect to the Internet more often than dial-up users.

The Customer is The One With Total Control

american business — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:42:17 +0000

Today’s Internet user is much more savvy than those of years past. People filter out unwanted material and pay attention to only what they care about. People frequently block pop-up ads, block unwanted e-mail, subscribe to niche content that just relates to their interests, and use personalization features on Web sites to weed out content that is irrelevant to them.

Today’s Internet user is much more willing to vocalize his or her opinions, and we have seen the birth of the “prosumer” where people are getting involved in the customization and creation of products unique to their own needs. Again, it’s all about understanding the uniqueness of individuals and giving them what they want—exactly what they want. This relates directly to
Web sites that let customers personalize their experience too.

Did you know there is a community of people who have an affinity for a discontinued line of Pyrex coffee pots? You bet there is. The rapid adoption of peer-to-peer communications such as instant messaging, e-mails, and blogs has spawned all kinds of niche communities based around a shared interest. As a business, your job to market to and communicate with your target audience has become more challenging and at the same time more exciting. Online, the customer is the one with total control. He or she knows you’re not the only game in town and won’t think twice about going elsewhere to get exactly what he or she wants.

Consumers and the Internet

american business — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:21:53 +0000

We’re a demanding bunch, aren’t we? We don’t care how great you are, only that we can trust you, what you can do for us, and that it can be dealt with immediately. We, as consumers, just want you to make our lives easier. We, as consumers, want to be treated like the individuals that we are.

The Internet is growing up, and so too are consumer demands. Consumers hold all the cards online as the Internet is a pull-driven medium—it is the customer who decides if he or she is going to engage you and do business with you.After all, online you’re definitely not the only game in town, and customers know it.

The Internet has changed the way people behave. Look at e-mail and instant messaging—it has changed the way people communicate with each other. In the office environment, people will sooner e-mail the person sitting next to them than turn around and talk.

Business and the Internet

american business — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:29:19 +0000

It’s a world of opportunity out there for businesses smart enough to take advantage of it. Businesses are learning how to make money online, consumers are receptive to doing business online, and technology is making life easier as well as less expensive to accomplish what would have seemed like a dream only a couple years ago.

Businesses are using the Internet to get leads, sell their wares, provide customer service, market their business, and more. A recent study by wellknown hosting company Interland (http://www.interland.com/) uncovered that 69 percent of small businesses defined the Internet as critical in driving business. In that same study, almost all companies said the Internet is very or somewhat important to driving business.We are at a stage now where having an online presence is a necessity for businesses to compete today. Businesses are making money online and are not just spending it on SuperBowl ads.