P4 – Describe the Benefits and Opportunities to the Business of
Using Internet Marketing Within the Marketing Mix of a Selected
Business
P5 – Explain how Internet Marketing had made a Selected Business
More Efficient, Effective and Successful
Unit 12 - P4 and P5
The internet presents businesses with many opportunities to improve their
marketing efforts and possibly attain competitive advantages. The extent to
which a business takes up these opportunities is dependent on important
considerations, which are:
Does the business sell appropriate products for online sales?
Does the business have the internal IT resources and skills to monitor
and maintain a transactional website?
Does the businesses leadership have a strategic plan for e-commerce
and internet marketing?
Are the businesses competitors driving them to e-commerce and
internet marketing?
What are the financial and technological capabilities of the business?
Assuming the business has considered these things and has a clear strategy for
its online channel, the marketing benefits available from the internet can be
built and put into practice. There are three main areas that internet marketing
can benefit a business in, which are:
Communications
Product development
Business efficiency
Opportunities to access customers and markets
Trading online gives businesses the chance to access new customers, in new
markets on a global scale. Businesses are able to develop new communication
practices. Web technology allows businesses to present products and services
in detail, with substantial supporting information. The business can use a well-
planned website to capture data about customers such as their names,
addresses, postcodes telephone numbers and email addresses. The business is
able to build up a database of customers and provide personalised web pages
for returning customers according to their previous search and purchase
, history. Once a business is able to contact a customer it can us email to send
further product details or news about the business. In terms of websites
themselves they are a promotional tool. Online businesses seek to create a
look and feel that appeals to the self-image of their target market; this is often
through the use of hidden messages about lifestyle.
Opportunities to Improve Availability
Businesses are able to use the internet to create a 24-hour availability of their
products or services and make them more easily available. Digital media
breaks down any physical constraints and eliminates any time constraints. For
a business this can offer advantages as customers can access the service
anytime and anywhere. On the internet customers initiate contact and in order
to maintain the customers attention the business must present information
that is both relevant and interesting. Internet marketing is able to suit
individuals.
Substituting Online Products
The internet is a multimedia channel and is capable of delivering digital
content in the form of downloads to a home device. Nowadays it is common to
download music, films, radio and TV programmes. These services are an easy
alternative to visiting offline providers and in the case of radio services or TV
broadcasts, offer great flexibility in that users can choose when to listen to or
watch them.
Podcasts
A podcast is a small multimedia file that can be downloaded using the internet.
Podcasts are most commonly used by broadcasters, who make podcasts of
news summaries or snippets of shows. Any business can make use of
podcasting to deliver marketing information.
Market Development
The internet gives online businesses the chance to expand into new markets at
a low cost. A website is capable of creating an instant reach into wide
geographic areas and generates new export sales. However, this opportunity
must be balanced against the expenses and the red tape involved in exporting
to different parts of the world. It is easy to assume that as the internet is a
global phenomenon that a business can launch its website and instantly
generate vast sales globally. However, there are risks involved in an online
strategy; a business may not achieve profitability for a long time, even if it
achieves multi-billions worth of sales. Online services and products have to be
Using Internet Marketing Within the Marketing Mix of a Selected
Business
P5 – Explain how Internet Marketing had made a Selected Business
More Efficient, Effective and Successful
Unit 12 - P4 and P5
The internet presents businesses with many opportunities to improve their
marketing efforts and possibly attain competitive advantages. The extent to
which a business takes up these opportunities is dependent on important
considerations, which are:
Does the business sell appropriate products for online sales?
Does the business have the internal IT resources and skills to monitor
and maintain a transactional website?
Does the businesses leadership have a strategic plan for e-commerce
and internet marketing?
Are the businesses competitors driving them to e-commerce and
internet marketing?
What are the financial and technological capabilities of the business?
Assuming the business has considered these things and has a clear strategy for
its online channel, the marketing benefits available from the internet can be
built and put into practice. There are three main areas that internet marketing
can benefit a business in, which are:
Communications
Product development
Business efficiency
Opportunities to access customers and markets
Trading online gives businesses the chance to access new customers, in new
markets on a global scale. Businesses are able to develop new communication
practices. Web technology allows businesses to present products and services
in detail, with substantial supporting information. The business can use a well-
planned website to capture data about customers such as their names,
addresses, postcodes telephone numbers and email addresses. The business is
able to build up a database of customers and provide personalised web pages
for returning customers according to their previous search and purchase
, history. Once a business is able to contact a customer it can us email to send
further product details or news about the business. In terms of websites
themselves they are a promotional tool. Online businesses seek to create a
look and feel that appeals to the self-image of their target market; this is often
through the use of hidden messages about lifestyle.
Opportunities to Improve Availability
Businesses are able to use the internet to create a 24-hour availability of their
products or services and make them more easily available. Digital media
breaks down any physical constraints and eliminates any time constraints. For
a business this can offer advantages as customers can access the service
anytime and anywhere. On the internet customers initiate contact and in order
to maintain the customers attention the business must present information
that is both relevant and interesting. Internet marketing is able to suit
individuals.
Substituting Online Products
The internet is a multimedia channel and is capable of delivering digital
content in the form of downloads to a home device. Nowadays it is common to
download music, films, radio and TV programmes. These services are an easy
alternative to visiting offline providers and in the case of radio services or TV
broadcasts, offer great flexibility in that users can choose when to listen to or
watch them.
Podcasts
A podcast is a small multimedia file that can be downloaded using the internet.
Podcasts are most commonly used by broadcasters, who make podcasts of
news summaries or snippets of shows. Any business can make use of
podcasting to deliver marketing information.
Market Development
The internet gives online businesses the chance to expand into new markets at
a low cost. A website is capable of creating an instant reach into wide
geographic areas and generates new export sales. However, this opportunity
must be balanced against the expenses and the red tape involved in exporting
to different parts of the world. It is easy to assume that as the internet is a
global phenomenon that a business can launch its website and instantly
generate vast sales globally. However, there are risks involved in an online
strategy; a business may not achieve profitability for a long time, even if it
achieves multi-billions worth of sales. Online services and products have to be
