Companies marketing online are generating two-thirds more sales than their competitors using marketing activities…
Companies marketing online are generating two-thirds more sales than their competitors using marketing activities. Latest research has shown that one in six of business web sites are not even marketed online – therefore restricting potential sales. To help businesses market their products and services online, UK online for business today is launching a new, free booklet, e-marketing – a guide for business.
Launched in support of Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) Marketing Effectiveness Campaign, the guide provides a detailed introduction on the use of online assets to market products and services to potential customers, ranging from a web site, the world wide web, email as well as messaging and texting. It outlines how the Internet can help businesses customise messages to specific customers cost-effectively, while reaching a global audience, 24 hours every day. It is also a valuable way of collecting customer information.
Liz Grant, director of UK online for business, said: Marketing is central to business success. Today, with such a proliferation of channels available from direct mail to text messaging, businesses can adopt a multi-channel approach in their marketing activity. Not only does this bring greater flexibility to the marketing process, it also helps companies exploit all opportunities and succeed in business.
Mike Johnston, International Chairman of the CIM, said: Customers want to know more and more about the companies they do business with. To serve them well, businesses also need to know more about their customers. The interactivity of new technologies enables companies to get ever closer to their customers – to really understand their needs and their behaviour. Know your customers and you can give them what they really want.
Waverley Excursion Ltd has already experienced the benefits of e-marketing. The company services the bustling pleasure cruise market, offering day trips, afternoon cruises and evening showboats across the UK. In 2001, the company started to develop a more strategic approach to business and considered a web site was an integral and necessary part of that approach. General Manager Kathleen O’Neill and team also identified that the web site would be an ideal medium to reach the corporate market – an important target for their marketing activities.
In September 2001, www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk went live after consultation and support from UK online for business. Kathleen also devoted time to marketing the web site by negotiating a number of links with other relevant web sites and promoting it in all online and offline materials. An electronic newsletter driving people to the site is also sent to the company database.
Kathleen O’Neill, General Manager of Waverley Excursions, commented: The benefits of the web site were immediately apparent. The online booking facility significantly reduced the burden on the telesales team and cash flow was improved as people paid prior to the excursion. Also, by integrating our online and offline marketing activities and continuing to monitor activity on the site, we are able to establish what is proving to be successful and where further work is required. It has proved to be an inexpensive way of successfully reaching our target corporate market.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
