Online Marketing Strategies part 1

U.S. citizens spent $1.8 billion for online content in 2004, mainly in the entertainment/leisure category. This figure is up 13.7% compared to 2003. In this, I’ll define four market categories that may help you to bring in the dough and I’ll expand on one category – content – to show how commerce, communications, and search mechanisms can be added to build online revenue. Additionally, I’ll begin to examine how one man’s unusual Web site compares to these models.

Build Content and Commerce on What You Know

When people encounter sites that carry information, services, or products for a price, they usually have one of two reactions – they either move on or they pay. You probably experienced the same feelings yourself, especially since you pay to read the articles and books that DMX and its affiliates offer online. Sometimes you pass on articles because you may feel that they won’t hold your interest. Other times you may feel that you didn’t receive what you paid for, and at still other times you might feel that you received more than your money’s worth.

Did you ever ask yourself why you pay for knowledge, services, or products online? Are you a self-help type of person who enjoys solitary learning? Are you after a singular goal like learning how to “play” the stock market? Would you rather pay shipping charges than pay for gas when you venture out to purchase products? When you investigate your motives about why you pay for information, products, or services online, you begin to understand why others might pay as well. If you understand your market through this process, you have a leg up on your competition. However, it also helps to know how the Internet is seen by specialists, because this information may help you to streamline your offerings.

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Overview

How to Categorize the Internet

There are two sides to the pay-for-information coin, because while people pay for information, someone somewhere must come up with the material to make this give-and-take work. One way to discover what people pay for and who offers the material for a price is at Online Publishers Association (OPA). This site offers online content providers free information about who pays for what and why in many instances. You can find information about the Internet Activity Index (IAI) at OPA, and the Index provides a new way of looking at consumer engagement online. The IAI divides Internet usage into four distinct activities as follows:

  • Content - Web sites and Internet applications that are designed primarily to provide news, information and entertainment. Examples of those included in this segment are CNN.com, ESPN.com, Windows Media Player and MapQuest.
  • Communications - Web sites and Internet applications that are designed to facilitate the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information directly between individuals or groups of individuals. Examples of those included in this segment are Yahoo! Mail, AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Groups.
  • Commerce - Web sites and Internet applications that are designed for shopping online. Examples of those included in this segment are Amazon, eBay, Shopping.com and Dell.com.
  • Search - Web sites and Internet applications that scan the Web to provide prioritized results based on specific criteria from user-generated requests. Examples of those included in this segment are Google Search, MSN Search and Yahoo! Search.

According to OPA, it has become “increasingly clear” that each of these areas has a distinctly different business model associated with it, leading to a “natural and healthy segmentation of the marketplace.” When these segments are tracked by time spent on each activity, the IAI provides a benchmark for charting relative impacts created by changing market dynamics. Keep in mind that some Web sites cross over into multiple categories (such as Yahoo!, where mail is classified under communications and sports are classified under content).  The total amount of time spent by consumers in each category is captured by Nielsen/NetRatings and reported monthly by the OPA. Specific sites included in the Index are proprietary to NetRatings and the OPA.

 

Linda Goin

Linda GoinLinda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.

Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.

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