E-Marketing Introduction

Online Marketing for Food & Drink Producers

Bord Bia has produced a new report which identifies the obstacles, trends and opportunities for producers in terms of online marketing and eCommerce in order to develop their business online in Ireland and overseas markets. Download a copy of Bord Bia's Online Marketing for Food & Drink Producers

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Introduction to E-Marketing

"Marketing has changed. Traditional advertising does not work, brochure-like websites do not work, the web has given people ultimate freedom of choice and of goods. When there are no monopolies and constrictions, interrupting people's lives is not effective marketing anymore." Damien Mulley

There are no secrets. The networked market knows more than companies do about their own products. And whether the news is good or bad, they tell everyone. Cluetrain Manifesto

An online marketer now needs to find where people are congregating online and needs to engage them in a meaningful way. Be it in matching with what they are looking for, watching how they interact and understand what they’d like or listening to their natural opinions on your company or market and reacting to that.

What is eMarketing?

E-Marketing stands for ‘electronic marketing’. In contrast to traditional marketing, E-Marketing takes marketing techniques and concepts, and applies them through the electronic medium of the internet. Essentially, E-marketing threads the technical and graphical aspects of online tools together, allowing for design, advertising, brand development, promotion and sales.

Benefits of eMarketing:

Global reach and access to varying demographics. A website can reach anyone anywhere in the world who has access to the internet, you are only a search or a click of a button away from any internet user. This allows you to compete globally and test new markets you may not be able to reach through traditional channels.
Can be more cost effective than traditional marketing techniques. Traditional techniques such as television, press and radio would broadcast a message in a particular timeslot on the assumption that the correct target audience was being attentive. Expensive surveys post campaign would give the marketer the evidence of campaign traction alongside the obvious changes in revenue. E-Marketing allows you to track the results and instantly see where wastage has occurred and learn quickly which marketing channels deliver best to market.
A website is a 24/7 shopping destination. With a website and an online shopping engine it is working even when your shop or office is closed. The website also allows you to communicate with customers about your product lines in depth so they can be fully educated on your product benefits even before meeting your staff face to face.
Website content can be entertaining and interactive. Unlike the printed word or television, there is possibility of opening up two-way communication with your customer. This can occur as simply as an instant email response to customers and as complex as a regularly updated blog or micro-blog
Information and ability to purchase in the one place. It can be more cost-effective to update and re-skin your online shop front than re-paint or re-house your real life company shop fronts and the same goes for creating international versions.

In the following sections, we will provide you with information on the following e-marketing tools: