What is interactive marketing?

Interactive Marketing
Contrary to traditional marketing, interactive marketing is consumer-centered and uses electronic media such as Web sites to market to consumers. An interactive agency utilizing interactive marketing concepts knows that customers and marketers are of equal importance, and that both parties are active in the marketing process. Because of the increased involvement level and emphasis on the consumer, you may often run across the term "relationship marketing" as another branch of interactive marketing.

One thing an interactive agency knows is that advertising should not say the same thing to everybody, hence the importance and emphasis on data gathering. An interactive agency works to thoroughly understand the hidden reasons behind why customers choose to buy certain products and why they reject others. They then use this information captured through the data gathering process to send personalized messages such as through email marketing, mobile marketing and podcasting.

The keys to interactive marketing are: personalization & the Internet. Whether you are a start up corporation looking for Internet marketing consulting, or established and looking to promote via social media, always look to collect data and create personal brand experiences for each consumer.

The more obvious distinguishing factor of interactive marketing may be the use of computers and mobile devices for building internet traffic. An interactive agency perpetuates the ideals of interactive marketing by creating Web sites and other marketing tools that provide instantaneous interaction between consumers and marketers. At a traditional marketing firm, advertising is done through means of communication that cannot receive immediate feedback from customers. An interactive agency can use the Internet to create lines of customer feedback that can be used to improve an interactive marketing promotion. Traditional advertising media such as television commercials and billboards rarely receive substantial consumer feedback. Also, the convenience of the Internet is perfect in the new consumer environment where customers expect what they want, when they want it.

Effects of interactive marketing
Interactive marketing has had profound effects on the marketing industry. Today, downloading music, corporate blogging and checking a bank account balance online seem like second nature. Web sites like eBay have connected households around the globe for one big 24hr garage sale. Retail sites such as Amazon.com are now allowing people who live in areas of the country that marketers do not target (due to populate density, demographic profiling, etc) to find products online that they would not have been exposed to otherwise. Online games are creating new ways for marketers to acquire valuable consumer information, and these games also create brand awareness and loyalty. Interactive agencies are proving that interactive marketing is successful and beneficial to both marketers and consumers.