Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Marketing

ADVANTAGES:

• Your business is open 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Further, your customers are worldwide in reach, and can shop anytime that they want to.
• The cost of spreading your message is almost nothing. Emailing your subscription base is cheaper than sending a letter through the mail.
• The updating of your subscribers can be done almost instantly through email. Visitors to your website can get up to the minute information on each visit. If you are having a sale, your customers can start shopping at the discounted prices literally as soon as they open their email. 

The internet can be a powerful tool that can put you on solid footing with bigger companies.

DISADVANTAGES :

• The online marketing is not free. The cost of software, hardware, web site design, maintenance of your site, online distribution costs and of course, time, all must be factored into the cost of providing your service or product.
• Internet is still regarded as a source of information gathering for the majority of your customers. Of the number of visitors to your site, the vast majority of visitors who are motivated to buy will do so in person. Many people prefer the live interaction when they buy. If you have a small business with one location, this may deter customers from buying.
• There is a lot of competition for your product already out there. By the time your visitor finds you, they have already been clicking many links. Unless they can find what they are looking for quickly, they are gone.
• There is not replacement for good old fashioned customer service. The majority of internet marketers lack customer service and inquiry response programs. The majority of websites also have poor navigation, which makes it difficult for your visitor to find what they are looking for. Many sites were created with a marketing view, not a customer service point of view.

If you work seriously, you will find many ways to improve your business.