Money is shifting to online media
01/16/09 05:51 AM
There are major signs that the online market is doing very well thank you very much. Century 21 is taking all their ad dollars out of TV and putting them into the Web, President Obama is going to sign a $650 million bill that is for technology, including more high speed Internet access, and he wants to redo the whole White House Internet presence and spend more time online communicating with people. In addition to all this Edmunds is going to invest $10 million in an online ad campaign to drive and drive sales of new cars and several US car manufacturers have indicated a major increase in interactive spending. Now what do they know that your company doesn't?
Perhaps they know that Americans are spending more time online than ever before. Maybe they know that broadband Internet penetration is at a record high and that as a result more American consumers are watching Video via the Web. Given the diminishing return of TV it's a smart move. The next logical step is going to be for these companies to demand better metrics but more importantly they are going to need eMarketing people who understand both marketing and why people use the Web and how they get information.
Yes there has been a lot of talk around social media and buzz marketing but the reality is that most marketers see the need for a social media program but for now they need to look at programs that will drive the business and the Web can do that more effectively than TV can. Along the way companies will make mistakes I am sure by not understanding how people use the Web and that clicks on ads are important but the biggest shortfall will be the not fully understanding and communicating what the story your Web metrics tell you. There is a gold mine of information to be had but you need someone who can translate the story into actionable terms to get business people excited.
Social media is but one pillar of the column of all online tactics that make up an interactive strategy. A lot of companies are going to be playing catch up when they read about online marketing successes. Tags: Marketing budgets, Social Media
