6 Different Types of Internet Marketing Explained

Over the last few years, the internet has become one of the most important mediums and platforms for any type of business. Similarly, it has also changed the methods and techniques of selling. Internet marketing is one of the most profitable fields now. According to a recently conducted survey, more than 50% of the entire amount of money spent in the United States of America will be through the internet.

Here are some of the most recognized types of internet marketing:

1. E-Mail Marketing

Perhaps the most profitable, proven and highly-regarded form of internet marketing is e-mail marketing. It is also commonly referred to as direct e-mail marketing. As the name suggests, it is the type in which you create an e-mail list of your targeted prospects through various methods.

Later, you use that registry to directly send e-mails to your list. In these emails, you’re selling a particular product or service. If used properly, direct e-mail marketing gives you the best ROI (return on investment). Almost every blogger uses this strategy in their blogging monetization plan.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is currently a very popular internet marketing method. In fact, most people often confuse it with internet marketing. Actually, what you so commonly see in the internet world today is related to affiliate marketing.

In this type of internet marketing, there are generally three main parties involved: the owner of the product, the affiliate marketer and the consumer of the product. The affiliate marketer selects a product and then promotes it on the behalf of its owner. The consumer buys the product via the affiliate’s links and on each such sale, the affiliate marketer gets a pre-determined percentage as commission.

Most bloggers use this strategy as their primary source of income. It provides a win-win situation for everyone. The owner makes extra sales because of the marketing efforts made by someone else; the consumer gets to read in-depth reviews about a product before buying it, and the affiliate marketer gets a commission on each sale.

Related: Nine Ways to Add Video to Your Marketing Strategy

3. Inbound Marketing

You probably know what inbound marketing is, but not necessarily by its official name. Actually, you see it everywhere on the web. In this type of marketing, you offer informative and valuable content for free. This is very commonly observed in the blogosphere.

In exchange for that free content, bloggers often get the personal information of their blog readers and then later use that information for direct e-mail marketing and other marketing strategies. This method is a fruitful type of internet marketing, provided it is used correctly. Sign-up forms, free giveaways, reports, free downloadable links are some of the common methods used in inbound marketing.

Furthermore, many people now use this technique to get more likes and shares on social media websites. The idea is to give the content for free if the user likes your Facebook fan-page or if he follows you on Twitter. Improvisation is the key here.

4. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Over the past couple of years, social media marketing has become one of the most important and essential forms of internet marketing. Whether you want to sell products, market services, raise awareness for your brand or promote your blog or website, SMM is a great tool to use.

With over 2 billion active users, social networks provide an excellent platform for everyone. Moreover, it provides some absolutely unique advantages that none of the other types of internet marketing do. Some of the best benefits of using social media marketing are that you are able to gather your target audience at your created brand pages, get connected with them personally and gradually nurture the leads until you are all set to make the sales pitch.

5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing is another type of internet marketing that is common. Most believe that the era of search engine marketing is now over, but it is still out there as the most instant strategy to success.

What you do in search engine optimization (SEO) is improve your website to gain higher rankings for certain keywords. Although SEO is the best option for long-term, highly targeted and sustainable traffic, it can take a lot of time before the traffic starts rolling. On the other hand, search engine marketing can give you a head-start until your SEO starts bringing results.

6. PPC (pay-per-click)

These are the websites sponsored through contextual advertising. In simpler words, you pay to appear on the top of the search engines for certain keywords. It’s called PPC (pay-per-click) method and now it has grown into a separate type of marketing. You can set it up and see the traffic rolling in, in just a couple of hours, and this is what makes search engine marketing really special and unique.

Conclusion

So these are the different types of internet marketing. You don’t have to choose only one. Actually, most internet marketers use almost every type to some extent. Explore these types of internet marketing to see which one suits you best.

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