Buzz Words: Internet Marketing

Wikipedia says the following about Internet marketing:

Internet marketing is the use of the Internet to advertise and sell goods and services. Internet Marketing includes pay per click advertising, banner ads, e-mail marketing, interactive advertising, search engine marketing (including search engine optimization), blog marketing, and article marketing.

This is essentially how I’ve always viewed Internet marketing in terms of what I do for a living. However it seems that lately there’s been a change in the way that phrase is used. I see lots of “Internet marketers” out there – but for the most part, they are individuals selling e-book courses and using what are called “squeeze pages” to do the majority of their marketing. They use phrases like “list building” and “joint ventures”, and charge you anywhere from $19.95 to several hundred dollars, sometimes over a thousand, to “teach you the secrets of success”.

While I don’t have a huge problem with these types of “businesses”, I’m kind of feeling a little like they’ve ripped a phrase that’s been used for years to define one type of business, and are twisting it around to be something completely different.

Can an individual learn to market their business online, by themself? Sure they can. Will one of those e-book courses teach them? Not necessarily – I think it would depend on the business. If you’re selling an e-book, and that alone is your business, then yes, you could probably learn something. But if you’ve got a bricks and mortar store, or a company that offers services as opposed to tangible goods, then you’re going to need a little more than just learning how to write a good sales pitch or find people to sign up for a joint venture, or how to build a list of subscribers to your email newsletter.

Some of the individual things I do as an Internet marketer for my clients are far beyond the realm of what’s written in these books. Some of those things, I don’t do at all, because they either don’t fit the scope of what the client’s needs are, or I don’t feel that they’re worth the effort, and would rather use the time more wisely. Part of being able to run a successful Internet marketing business is the fact that I’ve got over five years of experience doing this, and I’ve spent that time watching and learning about what works and what doesn’t. Does Mr. Businessowner have that amount of time to spend, in lieu of the money he’s spending on those e-book courses and emails subscriptions? I think not. I do what I do so that the business owner can focus on what he or she knows best, the business.

In the end, I guess those types of courses and sessions have their place – but it bothers me that there’s too much potential for confusion between what they teach, and what companies like Anubis Marketing do. REAL Internet marketing doesn’t involve a website (or worse, a single page) chock full of keyword-rich articles and affiliate links and Google ads to make money. It’s not something that happens overnight, and it’s not for those seeking a “get rich quick” opportunity. It should be an accompaniment to all other classic, standard forms of advertising for a full-fledged business.

What do you think of the phrase “Internet marketing”? Do you agree that it’s being misused at times, or do you feel that it’s a broad enough phrase to cover both kinds of approaches? Let us know in the comments.