ACCA P3 考試：Scope and Benefits of E-Marketing

1. Scope

Marketing objectives are the same for marketing in general terms or marketing for e-business. The difference is that e-marketing uses digital technology to identify, anticipate and satisfy customer needs and wants.

A key characteristic of traditional marketing media (e.g. advertising and direct mail) is that it is predominantly a "push" technology where the media is distributed to customers and potential customers. There is limited interaction with the customer.

In contrast, e-marketing, particularly the Internet, is predominantly a "pull" technology—the customer having initiated the visit to the website. This may lead to subsequent push activities (e.g. sending e-mails to those who have registered their interest on the site) but the initial communication is a pull event.

2. Benefits

E-marketing gives businesses of any size access to the mass market at an affordable price and—unlike TV or print advertising—allows truly personalised marketing.

Specific benefits of e-marketing include:

Global reach—a website can reach anyone in the world who has Internet access. This allows companies to find new markets and compete globally for only a small investment.

Lower cost—a properly planned and effectively targeted e-marketing campaign can reach the right customers at a much lower cost than traditional marketing methods.

Traceable, measurable results—marketing by e-mail or banner advertising makes it easier to establish how effective a campaign has been. Detailed information about customers' responses to advertising can be obtained.

24-hour marketing—using a website, customers can find out about products even if the company is closed.

Personalisation—if a customer database is linked to a website, then whenever someone visits the site he/she can be greeted with targeted offers. The more they buy from a particular source, the more the organisation can refine customer profile and market effectively to them.

One-to-one marketing—e-marketing allows companies to reach people who want to know about their products and services instantly. For example, many people take mobile phones and personal digital assistants wherever they go.

Combine this with the personalised aspect of e-marketing and a powerful targeted campaign can be created.

More interesting campaigns—e-marketing makes it possible to create interactive campaigns using music, graphics and videos.

Better conversion rate—with a website, customers are only a few clicks away from completing a purchase. Unlike other media, which require people to make a phone call, post a letter or go to a shop, e-marketing is seamless.