Do you know when the internet was invented? Or when it became as big as we know it to be today?
The invention of the internet happened in the year 1983, yes, it is that old. However, then it wasn’t used by the public. The internet was made public in the 90s. Even then it did not become too popular, which is understandable since it was a novel idea then.
It was only towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century that the web and its use became popular.
By the second decade, the internet’s eminence boomed to exponential proportions.
a). From writing assignments for school;
b). From making reports in your office;
c). From connecting with your family and friends, who live miles away;
d). From learning how to cook;
Internet’s presence was evident in every nook and corner of our lives.
Today, it has become a lifeline for each one of us, so much so that imagining a life without it is almost impossible even to consider, let alone living it.
So when the internet blew into the business domain and started working its magic, no one was surprised in the least.
There is no denying that the online business game has picked up a lot of paces, but what is being done even more aggressively is marketing using the internet.
Let us find out more about it.
What is Internet Marketing?
Marketing is a concept that is very commonly used by businesses. They use to promote and sell their products and services.
Everything that is involved in these two aspects of business comes under the term marketing.
a). From performing market research to identify consumer needs;
b). From getting the right design and use of the product;
c). From ensuring the packaging lures the customers in;
d). From making the price just right for the consumer and the business;
e). From advertising the products to make the consumer aware about the same;
a From satisfying the consumer even after the sale has been made;
Everything falls under the umbrella of marketing.
Now, when you involve the internet in the mix, marketing evolves into the concept of internet marketing.
Although I would say that internet marketing is just a tad less diverse than traditional marketing, it is equally vital to the conventional one if not more.
Internet Marketing’s Tools
You must have understood by now that this concept purely works on the utilization of the internet, now let us find out how?
Internet marketing used every single tool that the internet has to offer to capitalize it ultimately.
a). Using a website design that will appeal to the consumer and he can use it with use.
b). Using SEO for maximum traffic on the said website.
c). Using e-mails and messages to keep in touch with the consumer always.
d). Using all platforms of social media, be it Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to take advantage of its extensive user base.
Each one of these is exceptionally crucial for the business and its sales. However, I do feel that social media, particularly Facebook, is the most efficacious for a company to achieve the intended purpose out of online marketing.
Let us now find out why that is.
How Facebook Plays a Role?
When you hear the term social media, the first name that comes to mind is Facebook. Have you ever wondered why?
a). This is a platform that revolutionized the face of social media and the way people connect through it.
This is a platform that has close to 2 billion users across the globe, who are actively using its services.
b). This is a platform that is a preference for every single person. People may not have an Instagram account, but they sure will be on Facebook.
c). This is a platform that dominates the major players in social media, including Instagram and WhatsApp messenger.
d). This is a platform that has experienced the most significant and honestly, the most astounding growth for any company in just five years. The user count was 1.3 million in 2014 and look at what it is now.
A platform that has grown as much as it has will sure be able to let business in to further both their interests.
So, you tell me why a business would not want to take advantage of all of Facebook’s appeal and benefits to become as successful as it was meant to be.
Why is Facebook Better than the Rest?
Like I have already said, Facebook has become synonymous with the term social media. It has that kind of influence and power over other names in this domain.
1. Global Reach
At present, Facebook has about 1.69 billion active users. Do you think that these users will be from one nation alone?
Even the highest populated country, being China, has a total population of 1.439 billion. So, the possibility of Facebook users being concentrated in one nation is out of the box.
Facebook is an American brand. Still, only 20% of its users are American, the rest four-fifth of them are spread all across the globe, except North Korea, and you must know why.
So, Facebook provides the privilege, because that is what it is, to the business to take its operations worldwide.
You must be thinking that other social media and internet marketing tools can also do that. Let me tell you, yes they can, but the scale of doing that is very minute compared to it.
For instance,
Can you tell a local Russian brand website that you have ever landed upon?
Now tell me, have you ever landed on a Russian page on Facebook?
I am sure you must have because I am following a Russian cat named Ariel on Facebook. She is entirely something.
2. Targets All Ages
After that huge advantage, I did not think any other could beat it. However, there are other contenders.
Facebook is also imperative and supersedes other internet marketing tools because it can help a business target each age group on Facebook.
Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are platforms that are age-specific. You will never find your 70-year-old granddad clicking a picture with a dog face filter and sending it to his story.
There are 15-year-old users on Facebook dealing with puberty and its accompaniments. If a skincare line pops up on their feed, they would readily click on it.
There are also 40-year-olds, who are looking for companionship, and pages like Bumble on Facebook help them do just that.
I am 35 and was in financial duress for a long time. I found a Facebook page on financial advice and got to know that credit like loans without a guarantor could help people like me to change their situation when we do not have a person to back us.
So any business, despite its target audience’s age, can use this media to gain a customer base like no other.
3. More Consumer Engagement
It is often said that a business that interacts more with its customers has a chance of acquiring more turnover.
If this is true, then Facebook will give you the perfect opportunity to do just that, through two of its most engaging tools, the messenger which helps the clients get in touch with you and the live sessions that are the latest update in it.
Facebook Live
Now you can go live on Facebook to show the consumers what they can expect from you and the products you are offering.
Kim Kardashian West did the same with her Skims launch. She went live to show how stretchy and amazing her line was, and it did wonders for her sales.
The live option can also be used by the business to do Q and A sessions with your customer. This way not only can your business get great reviews, but you can also take criticism to use it constructively.
4. Offers No Prejudice
Facebook also does not promote or condone any form of bias. Any business, be it small or a multi-national can say make use of its place and gain momentum for its sales figure.
For instance,
I am following Nike on Facebook, because who doesn’t love its shoes. I follow to know about all the new products they are providing.
I also happen to follow a local British shoe manufacturer, because the customization he offers isn’t found with Nike.
The local business likes are not even 5% of what Nike has, yet I have made purchases from both.
Now, did you get what I meant by no prejudice? Facebook is the only marketing tool that can make this claim and substantiate it.
5. Winding Up
In the end, I want to say that there is virtually no competition between Facebook and internet marketing. One is incomplete without the other.
Internet marketing would not be able to reach an audience that Facebook provides it.
And Facebook would seem a little too bland without all the business pages and the sponsored ads.
I am sure you think so too, and would not tell me otherwise.
I know the title says that, however, the point of giving this blog a heading like that was to highlight the fact that these two concepts complement each other.
Description
Facebook is a social media platform that is virtually used by all of us, and we love the experience that it offers us. However, it is not just us that it benefits, but the businesses as well.
