Consumers, customers and clients alike are heading to the internet more and more often for information about products and services. Gone are the days when people relied on one way communication for information about brands and companies – the internet has revolutionised the world in hundreds and thousands of ways, one of those is marketing.

As consumers head to the web, internet marketing as an industry continues to evolve to match the interest shown by users. One of the most significant shifts in the way marketing is presented is the communication channels.  This shift in the industry has also accommodated a shift from one way communication such as,

1. television advertisements,
2. radio advertisements,
3. newspapers,
4. billboards,
5. direct mail, and
6. spam

To two way communication channels such as,

• content marketing including

1. whitepapers,
2. video blogs,
3. pod casts,
4. infographics and
5. eBooks,

• social media platforms including

1. Facebook,
2. Twitter,
3. LinkedIn,
4. Google plus,
5. As well as blogs.

As internet marketing has grown there has been an overall decline in the efficiency in old forms of marketing as customers are gaining more control over the media content they consume. This has triggered a fundamental shift in the way brands and companies are communicating with their audiences. Traditional marketing tactics do not provide any extra value to the consumer as they are not developed to educate or entertain audiences – they gain consumer attention by ‘beg, bug, or buying their way in’.

Another reason traditional marketing is becoming less effective is because products and services are being pushed, most times rather intrusively, on consumers when they are not necessarily receptive or interested.

In contrast to this, internet marketing is designed to be useful, educational and/or interesting to gain the consumers attention and earn their respect and trust, hence forming a relationship from which the consumer and business both prosper.

This is one of the main reasons internet marketing has become so effective – consumers now go to the businesses for information. They are engaging with products and services when they are interested in the content – for example, a consumer looking to buy pet food will enter a search in Google and will have a list of businesses selling pet food – this consumer is likely to convert into a sale as they are specifically looking for this product.

A few statistics taken from Voliter in relation to the rise of internet and content marketing are,

• 44% of direct mail is never opened.
• 86% of people skip television ads.
• 200 Million (Americans) have registered on ‘Do Not Call’ lists
• Traditional or Outbound marketing is 62% more expensive than inbound marketing

This last point highlights one of the other major reasons there is a massive incline in inbound marketing: it’s cheaper. Not only does it cost less than traditional marketing, it provides a better return on investment.

Blogs have the best ROI and lead generation with social media and SEO being second and third respectively.  Direct mail and trade shows are at the end of the list.

It is clear the way we interact with businesses is transforming on a fundamental level – but this is a positive change for both consumers and businesses alike. Consumers are able to ignore and avoid sales-y and intrusive marketing and find entertaining and educational information relevant to them when they are interested. Businesses are now able to focus on the quality of their products and services and devise ways to creatively earn attention and target their audiences more efficiently.

 Voltier Digital VIA Mashable