Internet Marketing Strategies: Smart Restorations Limited Report

This report offers a comprehensive evaluation of internet marketing strategies, focusing on their application to Smart Restorations Limited, a small furniture selling firm aiming to expand its business. It delves into the components of internet marketing, including social media, blogging, search engine optimization, email lists, and affiliate marketing, highlighting their significance in driving business growth. The report also analyzes the marketing mix (product, place, price, and promotion) and additional elements (people, process, and physical evidence), assessing how these elements contribute to successful digital marketing. Furthermore, it compares various internet marketing tools, such as InfusionSoft, Canva, and Buffer, evaluating their functionalities and suitability for the company. The report concludes with an examination of the working of order processing, emphasizing the importance of customer interaction and niche marketing. Secondary research on the market, a survey to understand the barriers to online shopping, and the use of customer relationship marketing are also discussed. Finally, an internet marketing plan and pay-per-click advertisement are proposed to enhance Smart Restorations Limited's online presence and achieve its business objectives.

INTERNET MARKETING
STUDENT NAME:
STUDENT ID:
SUBJECT NAME:
PROFESSOR NAME:
1

Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Components of internet marketing............................................................................................3
1.2 Evaluation of the marketing mix of internet..............................................................................5
1.3 Comparison of the tools of internet marketing..........................................................................6
1.4 Examination of the working of the order processing.................................................................7
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................9
2.1 Mechanics of the Search Engine Marketing..............................................................................9
2.2 Newsletter of opt-in email marketing......................................................................................10
2.3 Online public relations.............................................................................................................11
2.4 Use of new digital media.........................................................................................................12
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................13
3.1 Secondary research on the market...........................................................................................13
3.2 Survey to understand the barrier to online shopping...............................................................13
3.3 Use of customer relationship marketing for the management and analysis of the interactions
of the customer..............................................................................................................................18
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................18
4.1 Internet marketing plan............................................................................................................18
4.2 Advertisement of the pay per click (Refer to POSTER)..........................................................18
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................19
Reference list.................................................................................................................................20
2

Introduction
Internet marketing can be best defined as the process of advertising and promote a brand or a
company via the internet. Broadly, it can be also termed as e-mail marketing or website
marketing or social media marketing. There are various technical and creative aspects of internet
marketing. These are development, sales, designing, and advertising. Besides, internet marketing
also deals with various stages of customer engagement process. Internet marketing is used these
days to enhance a company's brand identity.
Smart Restorations Limited, a small furniture selling firm, are targeting to develop its business
and triple its turnover in a period of two years with the help of Medium Blue Search Engine
Marketing. The main aim of this study is to critically evaluate the different aspects of the internet
marketing and how these aspects can help Smart Restorations Limited. The company’s team has
understood that printing brochures are a strategy of the yester years. In order to develop the
company and change its structure, it will have to introduce website marketing with major
priority.
Task 1
1.1 Components of internet marketing
These days everyone is taking the internet as their first choice of information and also for buying
and selling of products and services. Obviously, internet is becoming a new trend of business
management. There is a lot of competition for getting more customer base. This is why each and
every company is looking forward to having a good internet marketing strategy. Kalia et al.
(2015, p.121) stated that the internet marketing strategy comprises various methods to generate
profit. The key elements for internet marketing are described below. Other than these there are
some other features of internet marketing which are still under development. These are in turn
proving beneficial for the whole e-commerce and e-business strategies of the company. Their
reach, scope, immediacy, and interactive techniques are helping in making the whole process
innovating (Popa, 2015, p. 1269).
3

Figure 1: Components of internet marketing
(Source: Al-Hadidi and Shannak, 2013, p.40 )
Social media
Various websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ are the most attractive source for
promoting business. It increases the potential of the company and allows the company to reach a
large number of people. Verma et al. (2016, p.213) opined that when any link is followed on
facebook, this means that the person is interested in that particular company products and is also
a potential customer of that company. Smart Restorations Limited also needs to get the help of
the social media to increase their customer base. A social media account is to be opened on any
or all of the given websites.
Blogging
Blogging is becoming a powerful internet marketing strategy. Alternately, this is automatically
increasing their business credibility among their customers. A business marketing strategist is to
be hired by the company who will constantly resolve the customer queries and make the blog
more attractive.
Search engine optimization
The process of improving the number of website visitors is called search engine optimization.
When the visitors search a particular word on the website related to the company SEO makes the
company website visible and acceptable to those customers. This is done by keeping the website
materials concise, clear and regularly updated. The potential customer can easily understand the
4

relevant topic. SEO strategists are kept to regularly update the website and answering the
customer queries frequently (Pike and Page, 2014, p.216). In this department, Smart Restorations
Limited has to get an SEO expert to make their company website more accessible and generate
the customer base.
Email Lists
Email listing is another feature of internet marketing. It is projected as an important aspect these
days because keeping the customer information in the company's database is an important
prospect. Öztamur and Karakadılar (2014, p. 518) said that keeping in touch with the old and
regular customers, sending relevant information about the company through emails gain the
customer trust. The customer gets regular updates about the company and a good idea about the
customer service. This would alternately increase the sales of the company as the customer
would start to buy the product that is recommended by the company via email. The company
should hire a database manager to keep their customer base and customer information with them
and regularly keep their company connected with their regular customers.
Affiliate Marketing
Fritz, (2013, p.76) stated that affiliate internet marketing is an important strategy for gaining
business momentum. The job of an affiliate manager is to promote the products via the internet
and present them in an attractive form to the target audience. When the product is sold the
affiliate manager gets a commission of it. It is a great way to make the business more profitable
and build customer trust. Affiliate manager of the Smart Restorations Limited would try to sell
the company products and get a commission from it, thus making the marketing strategy much
more profitable.
1.2 Evaluation of the marketing mix of internet
In order to become successful with internet marketing, Smart Restorations Limited needs to
apply the 4P's of marketing. The 4P's are Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Other than this
there are additional three components which are people, process, and physical evidence. These
are the main features of the marketing mix. Smart Restorations Limited has to make the digital
marketing tools or also known as e-tools more effective. Rastogi and Khan (2015, p.183)
conveyed that marketing mix refers to the various actions and tactics that a company should
5

apply to make their product more acceptable for their target customers This would avoid the
company certain pitfalls and become successful in the business world.
Product
It is the goods and services that are offered to the customers. The consideration of the design
quality, packaging, features and customer services are very much important for this aspect.
Along with the after-sales services that are offered when the product is developed. The study of
the market and what the consumers demand are a part of this strategy.
Place
The location of the business is the ‘place’ of the 4P. It is the strategy of how the product is
presented in front of the customer.In internet marketing ‘place' is becoming secondary, physical
location does not really affect these days. According to Dibb (2014, p.1162) Using a memorable
catchphrase or taglines can make the customer remember about the product.
Price
The amount of money the customers need to pay in order to get the product is the ‘Price'.
Keeping in mind that discounting and price setting are the vital component of the product, Smart
Restorations Limited needs to do an online examination of other similar business and a market
survey about the demand of the product sold. Pomirleanu (2013, p.171) conveyed that the price
of the product should be genuine, neither too high nor too low. This could affect the business of
the company heavily.
Promotion
Xiang (2015, p.245) opined that in order to make the product and service known to the target
audience various techniques are utilized. Most common of them is advertising. Advertising the
product on the various medium like the newspaper, the internet, television is the most common.
Besides, making the sample of the product available in various competitions and awards is also
useful for business. Public relation is also a part of the promotion. This can be done by holding
seminars, conferences, and events.
1.3 Comparison of the tools of internet marketing
InfusionSoft
Infusionsoft is an internet marketing tool which deals with email marketing. The main features of
this tool are the features of automation which are the reason for the effectiveness of the tool in
6

relation to the marketing campaigns. It also provides an excellent rate of delivery. As per Al-
Hadidi and Shannak (2013, p.40), the drawback of the tool is that it is very costly and therefore it
is not implemented on a large scale despite being powerful. However, it saves a lot of time and
the handling is very smooth after being set up. It provides high scalability as well.
Canva
It is a tool which can be used for the purpose of graphics designing. This can be used by anyone
who is able to learn the basics of graphics designing and the professional graphics designers do
not need to be hired. As per Mulcahy et al. (2014, p.627), the Canva is free of charge as it makes
the software which is cloud based. It can be used with a very low amount of monthly
subscription. It is very useful as it helps in creating an impact on the customers by providing
noticeable visual designs which help in shaping the perception of the customers. The Smart
Restorations Limited can make use of this tool as it will be very effective in the advertisement of
the office furniture through the attractive designing.
Buffer
A buffer is an automation tool for the social media. With the help of this, the updates can be
scheduled for different social media sites like the Facebook and the twitter. Armstrong et al.
(2014, p.52) mentioned that it provides an extension of the handy browser, optimal timing and
the mobile app which makes it unbeatable. The features of the plan are limited and are available
free of cost which is beneficial for a small firm like the Smart Restorations Limited. However,
the additional plans of the same can be availed by incurring the costs. It is worth using because it
provides the facility of saving the time which is beneficial in the case of any business.
1.4 Examination of the working of the order processing
The interactive order processing is the procedure which is related to the selection, packaging and
the delivery of the items to the customers. In the opinion of McClure et al. (2016, p.56), the
selection of the correct product is the most important element of the process. The other initial
points are the knowledge of the market and the creation of the persona for the products. The
profile of the person needs to be properly created keeping in mind the demands of the customers
and their buying standards as well as the values regarding the product. According to Baker
(2014, p.26), the estimation of the awareness of the brand within the customers needs to be done.
The potential customers are detected by tracking the browsing. After having done with the
7

browsing, the customers go for shopping and the number of potential customers. The exact
number of buyers depends upon the strength and the quality of the communications with the
buyers.
Figure 2: Working of the order processing
(Source: Babin and Zikmund, 2015, p.32 )
It is very important to establish the difference between the general market and the niche
marketing. As per Babin and Zikmund (2015, p.32), the products should be so created that they
can be used by all the people and the segmentation of the products need to be done based on the
characteristics of the products and the target customers for the same. The target customers for the
Smart Restorations Limited are the people who looking for the furniture for a new office at a low
price. The company can create the customer base following the stack of people who are browsing
the internet for such a purpose. This will help the company to find the appropriate customers and
increase the sales as per the intended ratio of three times. However, a lot of effort needs to be
applied as the customer satisfaction is difficult to achieve and the sales of the growth of a
company directly depend on the customer satisfaction.
8

Task 2
2.1 Mechanics of the Search Engine Marketing
The Search Engine Marketing is basically method internet marketing which deals with the
promotion of the websites by creating an enhancement in the visibility in the result pages of the
search engine by optimizing the site and creating proper advertisements. This can be done with
the help of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
The SEO is the process where the visibility of any website is manipulated. As per Christopher et
al. (2013, p.23), it is the tendency of the viewers to build a greater trust on the websites which
have a higher frequency of occurrence at the time of browsing. The higher frequency of the
appearance of the website makes it more known to the visitors and ultimately increases the
number of visitors to the particular website. The targets of the SEO may include the different
search tools like the Image search, video search, local search, news search, vertical search as
well as the academic search.
The advantages of SEO are as follows:
Increased Traffic: The higher number of clicks leads to an increase in the traffic which helps
the visitors to find the website more quickly. This also helps in the creation of the relevant
keywords and the description of the page which ensures the fetching of the page at the receipt of
any of the keywords (Peck et al. 2013, p.69).
ROI: The SEO is able to provide the results which are quantifiable and can be tracked
irrespective of the segregation of the website as a no e-commerce or an ecommerce site. The
agencies of the SEO have the ability to track all the aspects of the strategy which include the
ranking and the traffic.
Cost effective: The SEO is very cost effective as it is able to select the target customers online.
Increased site usability: The SEO helps in increasing the usability of the site and ultimately
makes the navigation easier for the visitors.
Brand awareness: With the increased rate if the fetching of the site, the exposure of the brand is
also increased with ultimately leads to the higher rate of awareness of the brand.
Disadvantages of SEO
9

The basic disadvantages of the SEO are that the site is available to all the people and the people
other than the target audience can also visit the site. The success can be too fast which may lead
to an overburden of the demand which can also lead to the depreciation in the quality.
As said by Corley et al. (2013, p.179), the best practice in the SEO can be the use of a single
domain whenever possible, making it more readable by the human beings and the insertion of the
keywords ion the URL. The dynamic parameters must be excluded as and when possible and the
URLs must be kept matching to the titles.
The paid search engine marketing is a type of web marketing which is scalable and inexpensive
and is designed for the purpose of connecting the ads with the people who are interested in the
products provided by the company. In the words of Leung et al. (2015, p.1556), the pay per click
is one of the best tools of this category. In this case, the ads are visible only to the visitors who
are specifically searching for the products provided by the company. The Smart Restorations
Limited will have to pay only for such clicks which will prove to be cost-effective for the
company.
2.2 Newsletter of opt-in email marketing
10

Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing
The company is going to launch a campaign where the Facebook will be used for
the purpose of advertising. We will be creating a page on the Facebook. This page
will contain the details of the features of the new product to be launched by the
company. This will help in the promotion of the product. This email has been sent to
you as you are a subscribed member. For more information, log in to your email
using your password.
Log in
If you are not a subscribed customer and wish to subscribe, you can sign up to the
newsletter.
Sign up
2.3 Online public relations
The online public relations is closely related to the improvements of the results from the various
communication techniques of the digital marketing. These techniques of communication are
related to the SEO, social media, viral marketing, and the partnership marketing. It is a low-cost
technique which can be used for the purpose of increasing the awareness of the website or the
brand among the people (Dolnicar and Ring, 2014, p.32). However, a large amount of hard work
is required for the same.
The basic advantages of the online PR are as follows:
11

Reach the Online PR makes it very easy to reach a large number of people who can be made
aware of the product with the use of internet and therefore the benefits of the company can be
increased to a great deal.
Cost: The online PR is very cost effective as a number of people can be approached with the
involvement of minimum or almost negligible cost.
Credibility: The people are able to provide the feedback of the product and the positive
feedback of the customers add to the credits of the products.
Search engine optimization: The online PR also helps in the achievement of the SEO which has
numerous benefits associated with it.
Brand enhancement: The positive feedback along with the SEO leads to the enhancement of
the name of the brand.
Disadvantages
The major disadvantages of the online PR are that the understanding of the exact procedure is
difficult. The result of the PR are subject to high difference and the predictability is very tough
(Kent et al. 2013, p.800). Moreover, the company needs to hire a publicist for the successful
campaigns of the public relations.
The best practices in the OPR include the inclusion of the essentials of the campaign, the
identification of the appropriate link partners, measurements of the results from the OPR
campaigns as well as the use of videos for the online PR.
The company can make use of the media for the promotion and the advertising of the product
and the mobile commerce can also use in the business of the Smart Restorations limited which
will serve the purpose of selling the products through the mobile. The viral marketing technique
can be used for encouraging the consumers to share the information of the company through the
internet. The support needs to be provided to the online marketing with the help of the offline
techniques like the print publications and the cold calling.
2.4 Use of new digital media
The digital marketing refers to the marketing of the products of the company with the help of
digital media. The various media can be used for different purposes. The instant messages can be
sent to the target customers as it is an easier method of communication. Sweeney et al. (2015,
p.2) mentioned that the discussion group can be created where the customers will be able to
12