Online Marketing VS Offline Marketing – Two Worlds in Collusion

The world is online

With 1.4 billion people online, the Internet has shown incredible potential for advertising opportunities like search marketing and other forms of online marketing.  This phenomenon has led many to believe that offline marketing strategies are no longer as useful as they once were.  What those same people do not realize is that online marketing and offline marketing are actually in cahoots, so to speak.  One influences the other, and vice versa. If one stops to think about it, the cyber-world relies on real-world observations and concepts.  In return, the real world is becoming increasingly reflective of concepts found on the World Wide Web, and is where many online ideas are actualized.  With so much going on between the two, it would be pretty much impossible to cover everything in detail.  This article will instead take the general view, and just hope that it can do justice to the wonders in our increasingly integrated online-offline world.

Flogging stuff online

The term search marketing refers to one of the most common methods of flogging stuff in the cyber-bazaar.  With so many products that can be sold to a large audience, the Internet has proven to be the best way to reach potential customers all over the world.  Unfortunately, it is becoming saturated, and due to the nature of commercial competition, there are many brands of any single given product.  By changing the way search engines work, it becomes possible to advertise as users search for items.  In fact, the very keywords submitted for lookup become the basis for offering various services or products, either in straightforward advertising sections on webpages, or subtly, sometimes flagrantly, modifying the search engine results.  Another way of marketing online is by endorsement, just like in the real world.  User testimonials would be attached to products in an effort to convince potential buyers to purchase and use these products.   The measurement that many people find the best in terms of determining a website’s or product’s value is the amount of traffic and buzz that it generates.  The Internet is incredibly alive with gossip and massive interpersonal contact, so word gets around extremely quickly.  This can be used to the marketer’s advantage, whether to promote offered products or services, or undermining the efforts of rival companies.

Creating a buzz and positioning a client or their business as the celebrity in their market is what Search Marketing the Rebel Way is all about. When someone searches for a product or service online and see’s that there are multiple listings on Google’s front page all about one company, it gives the searcher confidence that this must be a decent company.  It also reduces the chance of them clicking on anyone else as you’ve knocked most of the competition off the first page, and lets face it who wants to go the to the 2nd or 3rd page.

From cyberspace to the real world

Perhaps the most amazing thing about online marketing is how it can be used to involve the users in product development.  Some examples include a digital fashion design contest for a popular online game, the winning entry from which was translated into a real-life article of clothing, and a company that makes instant noodles taking flavor suggestions from customers and realizing them.  These user-defined products often sell very well, since they are already favored in the virtual online world.  Real-world marketing now often incorporates various concepts from the digital world.  As an example, consider the use of digital artwork in posters and print ads.  The pixilated look is also iconic and has found favor on the fashion market, plus it has potential as a device in advertising for things like cameras and such.  Photomanipulation, or the editing of pictures has advanced with the power of digital tools.  Many of the designs seen today were inspired by artwork from various digital artists posting their works on the Internet.  Some of these artists became so popular on the Internet that they were hired in real life to produce works for print.  Television ads and shows alike are increasingly making use of sophisticated animations and transitions, as popularized across cyberspace.  Plus, keeping track of trend on the World Wide Web can tip one off to what would prove popular to the youth, who are often recognized as the frequenters of the digital world.

In closing

What the Internet provides for the real world is a repository for information and a continuously renewing source of inspiration, not only for online marketing as well as offline marketing, but also in daily living.  It is a true reflection of our collective culture and consciousness, an invaluable resource and peerless medium of expression.  As the Internet becomes a part of everyone’s lives, only time will tell where it will all lead.  And for those on the cutting edge of Search Marketing, a lot of money is waiting to be made!