SEM Times (Issue 5): What is Email Marketing?

Dear Reader,

It’s the time to move on to the next topic, called “e-Mail Marketing”. Today, in the world of Internet, email is one of the most powerful tools. In a recent study, it was found that ‘checking and sending emails’ is one of the most popular activities among the internet users worldwide.

Now, the question is how this powerful tool can be used for marketing. In other words, ‘what is email marketing’? If you have been reading the earlier issues, I am sure by now you would know how to derive the meaning of the term ‘email marketing’. Yes, you got it right! Fundamentally, Email Marketing is the technique to drive potential customers/users (i.e. visitors) to your shop (i.e. your website). How does it work?

- You create the database (consisting of email address and other details like name) of potential customers or users of your products/services

- You create the message to be sent to them

- You sent them the mails

- They open the mail and the interested ones come to your site


















Although it looks very simple but email marketing involves lots of parameters which determines the success or failure of your effort. Some of these important parameters are listed below:

1. What is the source of your email database? (Is it your own or borrowed from someone else?)
2. Have you taken the permission from the people to send them the mail?
3. What day and time are you sending the mail?
4. What is the subject of your mail?
5. What is the design and content of your mail message?

Please ensure that the email database you use is not bought/exchanged from someone else. It has to be created by you and you should have the permission to send mailers to the people in the list. Also, your message should contain the name and complete of your organization.

There exist different tools to create and send mailers and also to analyze the performance of your campaigns.

Without going into the details of the tools, I would like to complete this complete this topic at this end. I believe that it educates and simplifies ‘eMail Marketing’ for you. As always, you can get further details on this topic by being the user of the Online Marketing industry, or in other words by using ‘Google’.

We will learn Affiliate Marketing in the next issue.

Till then, have a great time and wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Happy Learning!
SEM Times

SEM Times (Issue 4): What is PPC?

Dear Reader,

It is the time to answer the next question: "What is PPC?"

PPC stands for Pay Per Click. It is one of the fastest growing Online Marketing or to be precise Online Advertising techniques. As mentioned earlier, it is an SEM (Search Engine Marketing) strategy.

Through PPC, you drive traffic (i.e. potential customers) to your shop (i.e. your website) by paying to Search Engines. The ads shown at the right column on the Google (when you search for a keyword) are the ones which are part of PPC advertisement on Google. For e.g., if you search for 'hotels in goa'on Google, you will see (atleast shown currently while I am writing this) an ad by www.makemytrip.com. It is also called Google Adwords. Here is how it works:

1. You pay to Search Engines to display your ads
2. You choose the key words for which you want to display your ads
3. When someone searches for the selected keywords, your ad is being shown
4. For each click made on your ad, you pay Google a fee (since you pay when someone clicks, it is called Pay Per Click)

















If for a same keyword, there are multiple advertisers, depending upon the amount you bid (to be paid to google for every click) and some other factors like performance of your ad (i.e. how many people who sees your ad clicks), your ad will be ranked from the top to bottom. If the number of advertisers are too many, your ad may be displayed on 2nd or further pages shown on search.

Google can also display your ad on other websites (who’ve subscribed to google) relevant to your topic. You can choose to take advantage of this service as well.

I hope this educates you about PPC. As always, your inputs are welcome and encouraged!

Will talk about eMail Marketing in the next issue.

Happy Learning!
SEM Times

SEM Times (Issue 3): What is SEO?

Dear Friend,

Now is the time to talk in detail about different online marketing strategies. To start with, we will talk about SEO, one of the two SEM (Search Engine Marketing) techniques and also one of the most popular Online Marketing strategies.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a process to increase website's ranking for relevant keywords on a Search Engine. For e.g. if you search for 'mp3 songs', mp3shits.com ranks 1st on Google. That means, mp3shits.com has done SEO for 'mp3 songs' keyword. Of course, there would be many other keywords. The process which makes mp3shits.com ranks top on Google for 'mp3 songs', is called SEO.

Will write about PPC in the next issue.

Happy Learning!
SEM Times

SEM Times (Issue 2): What are different methods of Online Marketing?

Dear Friend,

In our last issue, we learnt "What is Online Marketing?". Now, the next question is "What are different methods of Online Marketing?". In other words, how can you drive visitors (or customers) to your website (or shop)?

Below is the list of Key Online Marketing Methods:

1. SEM - Search Engine Marketing
   
1. SEO - Search Engine Optimization
2. PPC - Pay Per Click Advertisement (e.g. Google Adwords)
   
   
2. Email Marketing
   
   
3. Affiliate Marketing
   
   
4. Blogging (new entry to the list)
   
   
5. Banner Advertisement
   

There are other methods of online marketing other than the above list. Don't worry about the meaning of the above listed items. I'll be sharing about each in the issues following it.

As always, your inputs are welcome!

Happy Learning,
SEM Times

SEM Times (Issue 1): What is Online Marketing?

Dear Friend,

As I wrote earlier, my style may look odd but it is very simple, interesting and educating!

Let me first tell you "What is Marketing and Sales?".
Marketing - Driving people/potential customers to your shop
Sales - Selling your product/service to the people who've come to your shop

Ques: What is Online Marketing?
Ans: In the online world, shop = website, potential customers = website traffic/visitors. Thus, Online Marketing is "Driving visitors to your website".

Example: Amazon (http://www.amazon.com) drives visitors (i.e. poential customers) to its site and sell its products (especially books).

It is also called Internet Marketing or Web Marketing.













I hope its valuable. Your inputs are always welcome!

Happy Learning,
SEM Times

Welcome to SEM Times!

Hi,

Thank you very much for knocking at my blog!

Online Marketing and particularly SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is my passion.

You can look forward to best of the content and news on these subjects on my blog. I learnt Online Marketing, SEM, SEO my own way and I'll share the same with you all!

I'll use a very simple and yet powerful language.

Your feedback at all points of time will be highly valuable.

Happy Learning!
SEM Times