Internet and online marketing is still in its infancy. But, in the rapidly growing world of information technology, it’s old. In the span of just a decade, online marketing has spurned 4 full generations of online marketing professionals. You have dog years, now there is Internet years. Here is how it breaks down:
Generation 1. 1998 – 2002
Ask anyone from this generation what their ideal online marketing strategy would be and they will tell you to build a website and advertise with banner ads. While today it is still true that you need to build a web site, the act of banner advertising is not so lucrative. There are specialty performance marketing professionals and managers that create banner advertising campaigns, but they are usually paired with multi-level online marketing campaigns.
Generation 2. 2002 – 2005
Ask anyone from this generation what their ideal online marketing strategy would be and they will tell you to start a blog and implement Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising into it. Blogging is still an important part of online marketing. However, blogging is really taking a back seat to shorter information bursts. People no long read the long, thought out blogs that they did between 2002 and 2005. Additionally, PPC campaigns are still lucrative, but only in performance marketing campaigns which, as stated in Generation 1, is part of a well thought out, multi-level performance marketing campaign.
Generation 3. 2005 – 2008
Ask anyone from this generation what their ideal online marketing strategy would be and they will tell you to get on every social media network you can — MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr — and start an aggressive Adwords campaign. This is still incredibly relevant today. With the exception of MySpace, which is pretty much Internet’s forgotten amusement park. However, Facebook ad campaigns and Adwords campaigns are going toe-to-toe these days.
Generation 4. 2008 – 2010
Ask anyone from this generation (which is current) what their ideal online marketing strategy would be and they will tell you to RSS feed your social networking campaign together (linking Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog and everything together), get on FourSquare and develop iPad and mobile phone apps. Whew! Exhausting, right?
In the blog “Choosing The Right Online Marketing Campaign” [LINK TO THAT] we talk about the differences between all of these different online marketing strategies. What is important, however, for businesses in Savannah, GA and anywhere for that matter, is to realize there is not one single proven online marketing campaign for your business. There are a variety of them. They all work on separate levels. So, even if you have heard that a particular online marketing strategy works for another person, it does not mean it will work for you.
Make sure to consult with a marketing company that knows what they’re doing in the online realm in order to find out the best way to market your business, product or services online. E2 Marketing located in Savannah, Georgia will be able to do just that for you. Guaranteeing you maximized results and return on investment.
