Page 297 - DMGT546_INTERNATIONAL_TRADE_PROCEDURE_AND_DOCUMENTATION

International Trade Procedures and Documentation

Notes Search Engine Optimization (SEO): the process of improving the visibility of a website or
a web page in search engines via the “natural” or unpaid (“organic” or “algorithmic”)
search results.
Social Media Marketing: the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media
websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Email Marketing: involves directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people
using electronic mail.

Referral Marketing: a method of promoting products or services to new customers through
referrals, usually word of mouth.
Affiliate Marketing: a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates
for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.

Inbound Marketing: involves creating and freely sharing informative content as a means
of converting prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers.

Video Marketing: This type of marketing specializes in creating videos that engage the
viewer into a buying state by presenting information in video form and guiding them to
a product or service Online video is increasingly becoming more popular among internet
users and companies are seeing it as a viable method of attracting customers.

14.2.2 Advantages and Limitations of E-marketing

The advantages of e-marketing are as follows:

24*7 Connectivity – The buyer can access the seller’s website 24 hours a day and 7 days a
week.
Less Expensive – E-Commerce websites can be launched with a very small budget. The
expenses involved are website development charges, web-space rental, hosting charges
and website maintenance charges.

Worldwide Reach – The biggest benefit of business over the internet is its global reach.
Online Payment Facility – The buyer can make online payments via credit card. This
facility speeds up the transaction, assuring the seller of payment.

Measurement of Effectiveness – By putting a counter on the website, the seller can count the
number of visitors to the website and the number of buyers who actually made online
purchase.

Ease of Operation – The buyer need not leave the comfort of office or home to purchase
goods on the internet. The payment can be made with a click of the mouse and the goods
can be delivered at the buyer’s door step.
User-Friendliness – Most e-marketing websites are very easy to use. The buyer is guided
through various procedures to purchase the good online. Many sellers have established
call centers to be in direct touch with the buyer.
Personalized Service – Visitors to the websites are normally advised to register themselves,
so that each time they visit the website they are recognized and provided suitable services.
Creation of Consumer Databases – The seller can keep a data base of the name, age,
address, sex, contact numbers and important dates, such as birthdays and marriage
anniversaries of online buyers.

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