The online commercial promotion (also called commercial promotion on the Internet) is the targeted publication of advertising content through the Internet. There are different methods of commercial promotion: among them the commercial promotion by email and by banners. Mobile device commercial promotion is also increasingly important due to the increasing number of mobile devices.
Trade promotion methods
As a medium, the internet offers numerous technical options that allow online businesses to target people through business promotion. Commercial promotion on banners, segmentation, commercial promotion on search engines, search engine optimization, pixels, commercial promotion by layers, interstices, prestitials, commercial promotion in text (for example, promotion commercial), site branding, web sponsorship, commercials, commercial video clips, and Internet radio commercial promotion are the most common online commercial promotion methods. At best, an ad campaign plays out even more like viral marketing. To make commercial promotion more effective, QR codes can be integrated into both online and offline advertising campaigns. Testimonials can also be integrated into business promotion to ideally target the target group and build trust.
Email advertising
The commercial promotion by email is one of the most used alternatives for commercial promotion. Newsletters, flyers, and other advertising materials can be sent over the Internet through the exchange of emails. Potential customers of the respective company can therefore be targeted and existing customers informed of the latest offers and news. According to § 7 paragraph 3 of the Unfair Competition Law, unwanted commercial promotion to potential customers is not allowed.
Banner advertising
Advertising banners are the most common form of graphic or flash files. Commercial promotion by banners is one of the most profitable forms of commercial promotion on the Internet and is mainly done through partner programs that are offered by affiliate networks. Commercial promotion in PC games, also called in-game commercial promotion, is also carried out using different alternatives for banners.
Targeting
Targeting is target audience oriented business promotion that targets selected target groups. The main challenge in this case is the precise definition of the target groups to which the commercial promotion should be directed.
Once the target group has been identified and analyzed, the sales procedure of a suitable marketing campaign can be optimized, for example, with the original or modified AIDA model.
Advantages and disadvantages compared to classic offline commercial promotion
Advantage
Compared to offline business promotion, online business promotion has the advantage that the reactions of the recipients can be measured directly. Another advantage of online business promotion is its powerful. An online magazine can be found and read simply by all users of the world. The alternatives for commercial promotion online are cheap, which makes it feasible for several companies to save significantly on commercial promotion.
The networking of people with common interests (theater, music, sport, etc.) on the Internet is beneficial for the company. Thanks to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), in which people can share their interests and personal information, it is possible to personalize the ads, define the target groups and, therefore, target people with targeted ads.
To directly attract the target group to call, the click-to-call option can be used. This allows users to have a conversation with the company with just one click. Google AdWords and others support this feature.
Disadvantages
Online business promotion only reaches people who use the Internet. Another disadvantage is the so-called banner blindness. According to this phenomenon, Internet users can see web banners and ignore the advertisement after a certain time.[1]. At the same time, users should also ensure that they only click on trusted brand banners, as malware can also be placed behind the banners (malicious commercial promotion).
Criteria for a good online commercial promotion
According to a survey conducted among Internet users in Germany, a good online business promotion should be, among other things, informative. Respondents chose between the three criteria: "interesting information", "creative" and "entertaining".
Online business promotion development
The experts are convinced of the increase of the expenses in commercial promotion in Internet in the United States. According to the study, the amount spent on online business promotion increased by 7 billion euros in 2012. That is a larger increase compared to 2011. In 2010, spending in Germany increased by the same amount, reaching approximately 5 billion euros. euros.
