The Internet has changed the way people do many things, from shopping, to studying, to communicating, so it should come as no surprise that it has also revolutionized advertising. Internet marketing strategies take advantage of the web's most innovative tools and apply them to their target demographic. Whether you are a self-employed entrepreneur or a large corporation, the same basic rules apply when choosing the web marketing strategy that is best for your product or service. These rules include determining your audience and their online patterns, and studying successful case studies of online marketing campaigns for products or services similar to yours.
If you are selling a product or service with a fairly narrow demographic, the best places to advertise would be websites dedicated exclusively to your niche market. For example, if you sell golf apparel, try advertising on a site that is popular amongst golf enthusiasts, or a forum within a larger social networking site, such as a golfers group on Facebook™. When it comes to online patterns, if you have determined that your demographic tends to stay tightly connected with peers via a forum or community message board, then consider advertising on web forums or social networking sites such as Twitter™.
Case studies of successful online marketing studies are never hard to find on the Internet, and it is important to study at least one that has effectively marketed a product or service similar to yours. In addition to the advertising tools they may have used in their web marketing strategy, such as viral video or ad banners, it also helps to note what types of devices they used. For example, a web marketing strategy that employs humor to advertise entertainment services is more likely to be successful than one which uses humor to bring attention to more serious topics, such as raising funds for cancer research.
In order to avoid alienating the audience you are trying to reach, your web marketing strategy should also be free of misleading and obtrusive ads. Some examples include ad banners with false promises, or popup ads which obstruct the main page and do not have a visible "X" to close the ad window. It is also important that your web marketing does not entail sending out spam, which is illegal.