Is it worth advertising on the Internet? Advantages and disadvantages of online advertising

Does anyone still remember ads in the newspaper? Interestingly, the youngest buyers in the market have never had a newspaper in their lives. The Internet has changed many things – including the way companies advertise. The glory days of billboards and newspaper advertising are long gone. There is no fooling now companies, both large and small, that have to, at least to some extent, move to the Internet to reach more customers in the majority. But it’s important to remember that every change has both good and bad sides.

What is Internet marketing?

Despite the fact that everyone thinks they know what marketing is-simply advertising on the Internet, why are there so many definitions – complicated and long. The father of marketing Philip Kotler says that Marketing is: „the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups get what they need and want by creating, offering and exchanging products that have value with others.” What is the most important essence? Recognizing and responding to a need How does Internet Marketing relate to this? They are based on the same goal, only the tools, costs, interactivity or time differ.

Internet advertising

Internet advertising, also known as online advertising or digital advertising, refers to the use of the Internet as a means to promote products, services or brands to a wide audience. It includes a variety of formats, including display advertising, search engine marketing (SEM), social media advertising, email marketing, influencer marketing, content marketing and affiliate marketing. The goal is to encourage consumers to take action, whether it’s to make a purchase, sign up or engage with a brand. 

No other form of marketing is evolving and changing as much as online advertising. New platforms, ad formats, targeting options, rate setting techniques and automations are constantly emerging. In the past year, online advertising has evolved to incorporate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, enabling advertisers to create highly targeted and personalized campaigns. 

The advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing

This article compiles 11 key advantages and disadvantages of online marketing to help you understand how to leverage its strengths and avoid its pitfalls.

1. It’s less expensive

Classical marketing as well as online marketing can be expensive, but online marketing can help you save money. Traditional ads, such as TV commercials and billboards, cost a lot, while online marketing offers a cheaper way to reach people. Remember that „cheaper” doesn’t mean „free.” You will have to pay for ads, preparing content and graphics, or buying special tools to help with online activities. However, even with these costs, online marketing is often cheaper than traditional methods.

2. Reach people around the world

One of the best things that online marketing makes available is its reach. Unlike old-school marketing, which is heavily tethered by location, the Internet allows you to communicate with people all over the world – and what better interactive communication.

However, it is important to remember that wanting to reach people around the world is not just about translating your ad and landing page. You need to understand different cultures, and change your message to fit local habits. 

There are many ways to do this.

3. … to the right people

In the past (although it still happens now), marketing was often like casting a big net hoping to catch the right fish. TV commercials, radio spots and print ads reached a lot of people, but not always the ones who would become customers. Internet marketing changes that. It allows you to target your message to exactly the right people. Platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other social media ads allow you to select your ideal customer with incredible accuracy. You can choose based on interests, location and demographics. It’s much better than choosing blindly, right?”

4. Easily measure results

How to find out how many people noticed your billboard ad and later bought your product? One of the frustrating things about old-fashioned marketing is how hard it is to find out if it’s working. It’s often difficult to answer that question. But with online marketing, you can track almost anything:

• how many people clicked on your ad,
• how many people viewed your ad,
• how many people bought something,

More importantly, the information is provided I real time, allowing you to see right away what is working and what is not. All this up-to-date data helps you make precise decisions about where to spend your marketing money and how to improve your strategies.

5.Change plans quickly

Online marketing allows you to change plans quickly. Replacing creative or introducing new communications? Why is this so important? Because people’s tastes and trends change very quickly, the market is constantly fluctuating, and new scandals emerge. With online ads, you can not only change them in literally minutes, but also respond to all communications and have an interactive conversation. Running such campaigns will help you respond appropriately to market changes, take advantage of new opportunities or respond to threats.

6. Talk to customers

Today’s customers want more than just to buy your product. They want to feel:

• heard,
• understood,
• appreciated,

Online marketing helps you better connect with people, by developing a strategy and taking care of the customer at every stage of the purchase funnel you will answer all the needs of your customers. How do you do it? 

• convert with people on social media,
• create a variety of content content that people can interact with,

7. Remember your brand

The adage „As they see you, so they write you” means that first impressions have a big impact on how others perceive and judge us. This is also true in running an online business. When conducting marketing activities, we need to be consistent in our communication and not run away from criticism and uncomfortable comments. Your online presence is like a digital storefront. It shows who you are and what you care about. Online marketing will help you shape the way people see you:

• share interesting content online,
• join conversations,
• show your company’s culture,

This makes your brand more human. Make people like you and tell others about you.

8. Watch out for competitors

Unfortunately, there are two sides to every medal and the challenges of Internet Marketing should not be overlooked. It allows you to reach people all over the world. But … it also means that your competitors can do it too and get people’s attention. The cure for this may be to stand out – although it may be difficult. 

It is not enough to simply be online. You need to create a brand that stands out and consistently create really good content. Care and communicate with your audience. and before anything else, be where the customer is.

9. User security and privacy

Online marketing comes with security and privacy risks. These threats can diminish customer trust, damage a brand’s reputation, cause it to lose money and ultimately collapse.Remember to keep abreast of legal changes and implement necessary solutions. Consent Mode v2 … is long overdue and should have been implemented.

10. time and work effort

Online marketing is not something you can set up once and forget. It requires constant attention and effort. You must constantly devote time to at least:

• creating, refreshing sharing content on social media,
• control user communication on social media,
• analyzing data and making necessary optimizations in ongoing campaigns,

For business owners and solo workers, doing all this on top of other work can be difficult. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or neglect other important parts of the business. But this can be easily managed with good planning or outsourcing.

11. Ad fatigue

The online world is full of voices trying to attract attention. Ads come at us from all sides, some more intrusive and others less so. This doesn’t change the fact that when people see so many posts and emails that they start ignoring the ads, it’s called „ad blindness.” This is a phenomenon in which viewers become indifferent or even negative toward ads as a result of their excessive quantity or repetition.

Summary

Thanks to the 11 tips in the article, everyone can certainly see why it’s worth – and even should be – advertising your business online. Online marketing opens up tremendous opportunities to reach a wide audience, but don’t forget about the challenges that can come with it. It is crucial that throughout this process we do not lose sight of the main goal – to identify and best respond to the needs of Our customers. It is their expectations that should guide actions to make Our communications effective and engaging.