Online Marketing for enterprises and organizations. An Introduction.

Over the past twenty years the Internet has become a perfect global showcase for any kind of public or private organization aiming to sell its brand in just one click. All companies should implement actions in order to attract users developing online recruitment, engagement and customer loyalty techniques.

The World Wide Web (WWW). Concept and evolution

The evolution of the internet has been constant since the moment it become popular among users, in the mid-1990s. That’s why enterprises and organizations have had to adapt to the upcoming changes. We can classify the story of the World Wide Web in three main periods.

1. Web 1.0. Until the explosion of the dot-com bubble (2001), we find a one-way communication model. Users consume the content generated by the issuers, replicating the traditional scheme of the mass media. The first webpages, in fact, have a simple appearance and they are designed and managed by computer specialists.
2. Web 2.0. The user stops being a simple consumer and has the opportunity to become an issuer. Interaction among users makes possible the evolution of the WWW concept, thanks to tools such as web communities and forums, wikis and blogs. This 2.0 moment culminates with the consolidation and popularization of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). This process gives increasing importance to the communicative process at the expense of the instrument itself. This is why professionals on communication, such as journalists, massively use WWW 2.0
3. Web 3.0. In the current decade, the innovative effect of the network is multiplied through new parameters of efficiency, personalization and adaptability to new devices. Therefore, a new way to use the internet arises through new tools such as clouds, responsive webs and apps for mobile phones and tablets. This is related with the idea of a more intuitive web, equipped with artificial intelligence that facilitates the daily life of users and needs new specialized professionals ad hoc, such as community managers and experts in SEO, among others.

The importance of a Communication Plan

The network is the space where companies and organizations place their virtual showcase competing with hundreds, thousand or even millions or rivals. Against this fierce competitive landscape, it is essential to distinguish our product from the rest in two ways: developing a good brand strategy and positioning it in search engines and social networks.

Following the classic pattern of the communicative process, the challenge is to communicate a revised and renewed message through several new channels in order to reach new receivers. The main advantages of the internet, compared with traditional marketing tools, are a lower cost and an ideal environment for innovation.

Networks, in plural, allow us multiple options to correctly disseminate our message. It is essential that our company or organization can create relevant content for its audience, in its language, and to communicate it through the most appropriate means among the various options the internet allows. It is necessary, therefore, to target messages according to the channel that we use (website, Newsletter, blog or others social networks).

Once the strategy is designed through an online Marketing Plan, we should not only implement it but also to constantly self-asses its degree of execution and success and review it on a regular basis.

In this sense, users’ feedback is a key element to define a powerful brand image, as well as an added value to define the user experience (UX). Many companies offer support through social networks. The immediacy in the service is a factor of high added value in a field where the offer is almost infinite and competition is fierce.

U·TRANS is working with all kind of institutions (public administrations, third sector, universities and research centers and private institutions) in order to improve their brand and the way to communicate their message. Next posts will discuss what are the best channels (blogs, social networks) to reach our potential audience through the internet.