Internet Marketing

Abstract

The issue of brand management is taking on new dimensions at a time of accelerated digitization. The aim of the chapter is to approach selected areas of the issue by pointing out the basic forms of promotion in the digital environment of the Internet. An appropriate mix of these forms is essential for effective marketing communication in the digital environment. Where appropriateness and efficiency are necessary factors that need to be taken into account in the process of building a brand in the eyes of reference markets. Understanding the fundamentals of the issue of promotion in online environment creates a precondition for a holistic approach, which in combination with scientific knowledge tools reduces uncertainty and increases the assumption of market success. The chapter in the form of a theoretical overview study presents the results of ongoing research into the topic of Internet marketing. It synthesizes the knowledge of the authors, as well as the results of the work of selected reference authors, who at the beginning of the millennium shaped the issue into the form in which it is known to the wider professional public by today. The theoretical overview, supplemented by highlighting the key context, presents a relatively clear starting point for an introduction to the study of the topic of Internet marketing.

1. Introduction

The issue of the application of marketing communication tools in the Internet environment has been of interest to both practitioners and researchers from academia for more than three decades. The chapter summarizes the core results of continuous research by the authors. The basic foundations of the topic will be presented in the following parts of the chapter in the form of a theoretical overview of the state of knowledge, so that a comprehensive view of the issue can be created from the synthesis of knowledge accumulated in individual parts of the work.

The topic as such is extremely dynamic, in any case, the cornerstones of marketing communication do not change over time. On the contrary, they complement each other and thus expand the knowledge and tool base. With the optimal combination of these tools, it is possible to significantly contribute to brand building in this hyperinformation time period.

As the authors of the study, we refrained from formulating the initial research question, as in such a vast topic, unambiguously answering any more ambitious research question would be quite problematic. Especially considering the already mentioned dynamics of the topic itself. Instead, we define a research problem, which in our case is the existence of the foundations of the topic, which defines the issue toward its further development.

Therefore, let us look at the topic from the point of view of context analysis. The following subchapters synthesize the findings of the state of knowledge. Following the introduction, in sections 1 and 2, the basic definitions, as well as the basic division of Internet marketing tools will be presented, which we will follow up with a detailed description of specific tools in individual parts of the work ending with conclusion.

2. Marketing on the Internet

David Meerman Scott [1] states that before the emergence of the website, organizations only had two significant options to draw attention to themselves. They could either buy expensive advertising space or get mentioned in the media. Then the web changed these rules. The Internet is not television. Organizations that understand the new marketing rules create direct relationships with their consumers.

Marketing on the Internet is referred to by various terms such as Internet marketing, web marketing, e-marketing, and so on. However, it should be noted that the concepts of digital marketing and online marketing also include marketing via mobile devices. E-marketing uses the basic marketing principles, which it applies to the Internet. This form of marketing, like traditional marketing, involves many activities related to influencing, preserving, and maintaining customer relationships. It focuses mainly on communication, but it also sometimes influences the formation of prices. E-marketing is considered a continuous process because the Internet environment is constantly changing. The Internet has greatly contributed to differentiated customization. Under this term, we can understand a sort of compromise where companies understand different customer needs and therefore adapt their products as well as the communication with them. It also explains mass customization, which means that the customer builds their product from basic components. For mass personalization, the company will contact the customer individually and suggest a standard product. As a result, the Internet gives us the opportunity to focus on customers with higher, but also lower values [2].

Addressed approach is the key to efficiency, and efficient use of corporate resources is the way to greater competitiveness.

3. Forms of Internet marketing

In this section, we briefly list and describe the forms of Internet marketing, which are increasingly being used every year and are gradually replacing the so-called old marketing rules. The selected forms of e-marketing will then be described in more detail in separate subchapters.

Although e-marketing offers many benefits to businesses, it is important to think about how to use it. Traditionally, there are four ways in which e-marketing can be applied in practice [3]. These ways are as follows:

• Websites,

• Internet advertising,

• E-mail marketing and webcasting,

• Marketing on social networks.

3.1 Websites

The costs for classic marketing and business are growing dramatically, but the results are stagnating. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations are adapting to modern trends in order to maintain a company’s viability. Costs spent on classic marketing nowadays represent an inadequately expended effort.

Most companies would have difficulty maintaining a high share of sales, production, or employment without their own website. If companies did not innovate in the areas of Internet marketing, they would be forced to sell at “any cost,” which would lead to lower prices for their own products with time. Finally, profits would also fall, and, with limited funding, the company would be forced to make cuts in human resources and product and technology innovation, areas that are an essential prerequisite for maintaining competitiveness. The Internet undoubtedly is one of the most extensive on-line information sources [4, 5]. And information is an important factor in company management and decision-making processes.

Great emphasis is placed on the need to access important facts in real time. Information available in real time in one place is essential to optimize business performance. The best place to maintain, collect, sort, update, and share information is a company’s own website.

3.2 Internet advertising

In most countries of the world, the Internet is fully commercial. A significant number of the World Wide Web users use it for trading purposes. The overwhelming majority of the population begins, and finishes, shopping right on the Internet. Therefore, targeted and accurate online advertising is an important part of the sales strategy of each company [6]. It is, therefore, possible to generalize the assertion that Internet advertising is one of the tools of Internet marketing.

3.3 E-mail marketing

E-mail marketing, or in other words, the sending of advertising emails or emails with informative value and an advertising message, is one of the basic tools of marketing on the Internet [7]. However, in some circumstances, this form of e-communication may be considered as unwanted interference with privacy or harassment, in which case e-mailing becomes spam (junk mail).

3.4 Marketing on social networks

Social networks mean a revolution in performance marketing as they allow people to search for groups according to very specific criteria. Sites like Facebook allow companies to filter profiles based on gender, age, education, employment, status, or based on keywords in pastimes and hobbies. This means that every business now can save financial costs by focusing on a group of potential customers through the above-mentioned filters. Thanks to effective social networking, companies can reduce costs and gain a lot of new customers.

4. Website marketing

The basis of all marketing activities on the Internet is the web. That is why it is very important to create the right website marketing. Website marketing is a way of attracting enthusiastic users to website based on its content and services [8].

4.1 Website

With today’s Internet penetration [9, 10], every company having a website is almost a matter of course. The quality of these sites often lags the average, but their very existence speaks to the purchasing power of the Internet. The service providers in this area are numerous and choosing a company to prepare you for a high-quality web presentation can be difficult without basic knowledge of functionality. A web presentation is prepared in HTML (x) and has been an indispensable part of the CSS cascading style for a year. The demanding nature of the programming languages in which the page is built is also directly proportional to the functionality requirements of the site. The quality and power of website processing can be evaluated by four crucial criteria, which are as follows:

1. Accessibility of the widest spectrum of the public and their software equipment, the simple and intuitive usability of the sites, the quality of the HTML code that can influence the results of search engines, attractiveness, and design suitability.

2. As users are reading less and less on sites, the trend of the text in the presentations, therefore, speaks clearly – as little text and as much information as possible.

3. The user comes to the page to find information, so website needs to provide it to them in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, they will leave the site and go on to other websites of the competition. The website should be simple and clear and based on the corporate identity of the company as much as possible.

4. There are several projects on global Internet markets that will evaluate a page individually according to its qualities and deficiencies, businesses can thus gain feedback from professionals.

If a website is to be competitive, company needs to be aware of the basic rules of its creation. These are issues such as:

• how it should look,

• how company wants to reach out to the customer,

• and what company can guarantee.

How should the home page look? According to Janouch [2], it should not be an unnecessarily long introductory presentation, as few will watch it to the very end. This was also reported by a survey conducted by Akamai on a sample of 1000 respondents. From the sample survey, up to 75% answered that if the presentation takes more than 4 seconds, they will leave the website. Then, 3 years later, Forrester conducted this survey, which revealed that this time had fallen to just 2 seconds. Therefore, home pages should avoid this, but also attempt to eliminate similar clichés, such as “Enter,” “Select Language,” “Welcome,” and so on. Another problem is missing text and site links, because not only a visitor, but even a search engine robot cannot navigate it because of the lack of keywords [2].

As far as the content of the website is concerned, it should be possible on to discover a minimum amount of information, such as the company description, contact information as company history, company structure, other company information, a description of products or services, or technology used. The company should have an available catalog for each target country, price information (if the company does not want to list the price list, it should at least provide indicative prices), and the possibility of feedback (by email, form, opening a discussion group, etc.). However, if subjects want to differentiate themselves from competitors, they must move their site to a higher level, as described by Hajsaleh [11]:

• Website must be a real asset for potential clients – What the customer will benefit from, that is, from using the product or service.

• The benefits should be hard for competitor to offer – This means something on site should be unique. At present, it is probably the most sophisticated option.

• Prospects should be of sufficient value for potential customers – Benefits must be strong enough for a visitor to become a true customer.

• The website itself must bring a unique advantage for the visitor – It is good if the company knows what distinguishes it from the competition, but its visitor must also be able to distinguish that. These are the unique benefits offered to customers, more than just the sale of products or services.

4.2 The use of the subconscious of the customer

There are several simple ways to increase the credibility of website:

• Google Map – Verifies the location and position of business, as this information is verified by post and a subsequent verification code after registration in this system.

• Telephone contact – This is a good way for a customer to verify the situation by phone and thus the company gains respectability so that they have a place to turn to in case of problems.

• Choosing the right URL – In the past, domains were selected in conjunction with keywords, but today it has little effect. Therefore, simple names should be chosen instead so that they can easily be remembered. If company wants to use some keywords, they should be separated by a dash and not more than two keywords should be created.

• A detailed description of the company and activities – In this section the company history and description should be written, as well as what certificates or awards it holds. Strategic plans should not be written there.

• Verifying the trustworthiness of the website – There are companies on the Internet that, under certain conditions, must be complied with, given various certificates of the trustworthiness of a website.

4.3 Website certification

In order to find out if the website has standard source codes, companies can use websites designated for validation. They are determined by the type of scripting. Only some logos are listed in the following Table 1. Site encoding is contingent on W3C w3.org standards, that is, the validator.w3.org [12]. If these logos are placed on a site, the visitor will be sure that there is no bad source code on the site that could be left behind by the programmer through an oversight. They are also placed to provide assurance that the web page is properly displayed on any Internet-connected device.

Table 1.

Summary from the list of W3C validation icons. Source: [12].

4.4 Website creation

If company wants a website, it must have a marketing plan drawn up as part of the communication strategy on the Internet. Therefore, it is necessary at the beginning to realize and clarify the benefits that the website will bring to them and whether the costs and investments will be reimbursed. Benefits from own website are as follows [13]:

• increasing visibility, awareness,

• improving corporate image,

• market expansion, access to global markets,

• improving customer service,

• lower communication costs, cost-efficiency,

• increasing the speed of transactions.

Creating own website could be summarized in the following steps [2]:

1. Definition of goals – Whether it is an e-shop or a web page. If it is an e-shop, the goal is clear – selling goods or services. When it comes to an MDA (Most Desired Action) website, the goal is to present a product or service by taking a trial sample, launching a new product, downloading a catalog, providing a discount coupon, etc. In this way, it is necessary to try to determine the effectiveness of the MDA on the website.

2. Who the page is intended for – When creating the page itself, it is necessary to focus on the target group for who the content of website is intended.

3. Choosing the right keywords – This is important not only for the content of the page as such but also for the correct visibility of the site through web search engines.

4. Quality content – The main thing is to have a heading on the site. It is one of the most important elements on the site to make it easier to index and then easier to find it on Internet search engines. The heading text should grab the attention, it should have a slogan or motto of the company and it does not matter whether it is text or an image.

The allure of the heading itself consists of attracting attention, providing basic information about the offer, and motivating to read more content (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

The procedure for creating web pages. Source: [14].

As the eye-catching design and appearance are concerned, when a visitor arrives at the website, they must be able to easily navigate it. Visitors are divided into two categories:

• Those who are oriented according to the graphical representation (they largely also come from graphic ads),

• Those which come from text ads and focus on the text, especially the headings on the website.

4.5 Search engine optimization

The term search engine optimization (SEO) is simply a particular technique dealing with ways to place the site in the best position in the search [15]. The actual goal is not to be optimized for search engines, but for a customer who is looking for specific information and is orientated according to the content posted on the site. Therefore, when creating a site, it is necessary to focus primarily on the content side, while also using the search engine robot to automatically index the keywords it finds in the text. This method takes a little longer if the search engine robot records a full site, but thanks to keywords a greater number of customers are brought to the website. Therefore, if the company does not want to wait, it can increase this traffic through paid form of Internet advertising described below. However, these options also belong to the issue of SEO.

4.6 Web search engines and SEO

An explanation of how web search engines work can be described by a two-part structure from a robot (called a crawler, spider, bot, fish, or worm) and a web interface. A robot, whose algorithm is patented works automatically. Its main task is to browse websites on the Internet and index pages, text documents, PDF, Flash, and so on. The web interface is the search engine page itself [16]. Douglas Merrill from Google defines a Googlebot as a modern cartographer that creates a detailed map of everything it sees around itself [17].

4.7 Factors affecting SEO

The factors influencing SEO are many, we will describe some of the most basic ones:

• Robots.txt – The file located on the server where the page is stored. This file contains information on what the search engine robot is permitted or prohibited to index.

• Link building – This refers to building links. It is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to our own.

• Link baiting – It is like the previous type of linking, with the difference that a company does not put energy into external link sources but into the content section of the page to attract as many visitors as possible and they link to our site themselves.

As for the issue of link baiting, it is a relatively large construct. We will try to explain it with examples as follows [2]:

• Free links – This most often occurs between companies that work closely together and link to each other.

• Exchanged links – If companies work in the same industry but differ in the type of goods or services supplied, they exchange links. If it concerns different fields that are not related, this factor could hurt company in the SEO rather than help.

The following image illustrates the differences in the exchange of links between two domains, as well as exchange of links between related pages as follows (Figures 2 and 3):

Figure 2.

Exchange of links between two domains. Source: [2].

Figure 3.

Exchange of links between related pages. Source: [2].

Other examples of how link baiting can occur are as follows:

• Purchased links – It is a banned tactic. If it happens, there is a risk of damage to placement in the search engine. Company can pay for the links in several ways. One way is to buy a link, that is, sign up for a paid catalog (dir.yahoo.com, business.com, jayde.com, rambler.ru, and others), for an article on a foreign or news site that links to our site, but company should consider the cost by comparing the PPC campaign.

• Buying older websites – Another option is to buy outdated sites. It is best if they are from the same industry as our company. Since links are already created on them, which can serve as a micro website for our needs, then it is preferable to buy such sites.

5. Internet advertising

Advertising, marketing, and trading on the Internet is one of the world’s most recent topics of last decades. In most countries of the world, the Internet is fully commercial. More than half of its users in the world use it for business purposes [18]. In the long years of the Internet, certain rules have been developed for marketing purposes, which are followed by most companies. Internet advertising should have a good visual effect [19]. We should focus on its objective on the visual side. The aim should be to determine which group of consumers the company wants to reach. The content is also important. It should be worthwhile for the group of consumers that the company has chosen to focus on. It is inappropriate to use large files whose download is lengthy and unattractive to potential consumers. In content, a company should primarily focus on valuable information that consumers would most likely be interested in if they were interested in our products or services. An important part of the ad should also be an effort to highlight the brand and image of the company. In this way, a company shows consumers on the Internet how it differs from others. Since advertising is part of a marketing strategy, it should also be accordingly formulated. Finally, it should be so persuasive that consumers should be convinced and decide to visit the site again. If all the above tips are met, the ad will be of interest to prospective customers. Such advertising on the Internet may then:

• increase sales,

• improve brand image,

• affect customer brand perception,

• bring new information on the product and brand.

It follows that Internet advertising has its own look, graphics, and idea to engage customers to maximize its impact. Therefore, advertising is something that will help our product, lure Web users to visit website, and eventually sign up on it too. Internet advertising is a needs-based advertising. Consumers ask for advertising if they need it, and then it should be delivered to them as well. With the flexibility and creative potential of the Internet, it is easier to create and fine-tune an ad than ever before. This means companies can launch a web ad immediately, and the results will arrive in just a few hours.

5.1 Contextual advertising

The contextual advertising philosophy is built on providing the user, after searching for a keyword, with relevant text links [20]. Most portals, as well as other sites, should have a search feature. In this way, the user can easily browse the content of the page or the database of indexed pages in case of a portal or search engine. The contextual advertising system offers the use of this functionality for commercial purposes, so that the result display space is divided into unpaid (organic) results and paid (commercial) results that are made up of advertising links to advertisements. Advertisers have space in their keyword search results that they determine themselves. Contextual advertising is shown in addition to the search even on the relevant pages, respectively articles related to that keyword. The content of the page is analyzed, and the relevance of the keywords is evaluated in relation to its content. Depending on the related keywords, relevant contextual ad links appear on the part of the page specified by the company. This display method is called the display of contextual links to content.

5.2 Graphic advertising

Graphic advertising, usually represented by the banner is another type of ad used on a website [21]. Banner is typically a rectangular image or animation, respectively interactive graphics, most often displayed near the edge of the screen. Banners are still one of the most common forms of advertising on the Internet. Graphic advertising is represented by different types of ad formats. Some banners enable the provision of more information or use more creativity to create a banner. The division of banner ads by formats is as follows:

• full banner (468 x 60 pixels),

• half banner (234 x 60 pixels),

• microbar (88 x 31 pixels),

• skyscraper (120 x 600 pixels).

The effectiveness of this form of Internet promotion is currently questionable, but in any case, there are factors that need to be considered when preparing campaigns, such as the following:

1. Targeting – It is important to decide where an ad will appear. If company chooses a provider itself, it is necessary to choose thematic sites to obtain focus.

2. Advertising format – The format is selected according to the objective determined by the advertiser. If company is interested in a long-term campaign focused on the brand, it is good to choose for example a video ad or a banner (graphical representation). In the second case – the short-term presentation of a particular product, banner, and text ads are also appropriate.

3. Design – All ads must have certain prerequisites to be successful from the point of view of processing. For banner advertising, it is most important that the banners be attractive graphically.

4. Funding – Some funding should be allocated to the campaign in advance to eliminate potential problems. If, for example, there were a lack of money in the middle of the campaign, it could cause it to either partially or fully lose its effect.

6. E-mail marketing and webcasting

Considering the dynamics of the industry, we are expanding the e-mail marketing tool with the topic of webcasting, as a phenomenon of an authentic form of e-communication.

6.1 E-mail advertising

E-mail-based advertising, or e-mail marketing, is a solution that is cheap, easy to access, relatively efficient, and requires little expertise [21]. But it also has its own risks. The main risks are the very benefits of this solution. This especially involves the low price. The low cost to reach any number of recipients is a good reason to use precisely this solution. With a minimum cost, companies can reach many potential customers. They also should send emails to those who ask for it. For example, when subscribing to web portals, the customer agrees to being sent emails on the site. In this case, these are authorized emails. There is also the second option of sending mail to interested users, whether they have requested it or not. In this case, however, it is SPAM. Apart from the legal aspect, SPAM has one disadvantage that in most cases, due to the antispam filter, they do not reach the user to whom they are addressed. E-mail ads may encounter several obstacles. The above-mentioned antispam filters have a significant share of nondelivery of mail directly to the addressee. They furthermore include overcrowded email boxes, the email content, poor integration with other forms of communication, inefficient customer segmentation, inadequate personalization, low user interest in sign-up, or irrelevant content.

In general, e-mail advertising can be divided into two ways [22]:

• Addressing only those users who have subscribed to the advertising or newsletters (registered to receive them). These are authorized emails.

• Sending emails to users who are prospective for the company, regardless of whether they have requested this service. These are unsolicited emails or SPAM.

6.2 Webcasting

Weblog, or in abbreviated blog, is a web application that contains chronologically sorted posts [21]. It integrates possibilities as it is a valuable source of news, trends, and attitudes, both for readers and for classical media. According to the content, weblogs are made up of personal diaries, newsletters, political campaigns, or journalism. A personal weblog is based on an individual, a collaborative small group of friends, or a broad community.

Other formal variants of weblogs have been developed:

• photoblogs,

• videoblogs,

• podcasts,

• linklogs,

• moblogs,

• tumblelogs, etc.

In general, weblogs are classified between social and community media. The benefits of blogs have recently been understood not only by individuals but also by companies. Thanks to blogs, commercial organizations can make use of the unimaginable ability to communicate widely with customers. With the help of blogs, companies can better prepare new products, offer, and sell goods, promote their brand, and stay in constant contact with customers [23].

6.3 Blog content

In the virtual environment of the Internet, we encounter several parts and tools that characterize the blog such as follows:

1. Posts – These are articles written by a blogger. The most recent post is always displayed at the top of the blog page, and the older posts are moved downwards while keeping the chronological order. By permanently posting individual posts to a permanent address, blog visitors can refer to the individual posts in their comments. Blog authors often place links to fresh posts on the sidebar, or links to posts with the most comments or the most interesting conversation.

2. Comments – Nearly all the software solutions for blog management offer readers the opportunity to attach their opinions and ideas to individual posts or to express their disapproval. Thanks to comments, a discussion between the author and the reader may start on the blog, which can attract other visitors. Comments can bring a lot of benefits to the operator, but they need to be given sufficient attention. One of the main reasons for actively monitoring comments is SPAM. For authors of these SPAM, the main benefit is a great deal of links to their site and hope that thanks to this number of links, Google or another web browser will consider the linked site as very interesting and will increase its rating.

3. Trackback – From a technical point of view, trackback web technology can tell one website that another page links to it. Trackback facilitates communication between blogs and is a warning that somebody is reacting to some article. Therefore, they do not have to respond with a comment in the article. It is a sort of thank you for the link.

4. Categories – Most blogging applications allow bloggers to create different categories into which they list individual articles. A list of these categories is displayed on the sidebar. When a user clicks on one of the categories, the blogging software automatically searches for all posts in this category and displays them.

5. Blogrolls – These are simply lists of links to other blogs that bloggers often show on their blog on the sidebar.

6. Calendar – Blogging applications allow you to view a calendar on the sidebar. This is a classic calendar that shows the months and days you entered the blog post. After clicking on the selected day, all the posts that were written on that day will appear.

7. Search – One of the best ways to make all articles available is by placing a search box on the sidebar. Thanks to the search function, which can search the entire content of a blog, readers easily get to the text containing the entered keywords.

8. Tags – A useful feature facilitating the organization of posts is by assigning tags. For example, a tag may be a common word (music, sport), but it can also be much more specific. Especially if it concerns product names (for instance Linux) and companies (for instance Microsoft). Tags are keywords according to which articles can be searched for. They can be seen on the sidebar, but also as tag clouds.

9. RSS – Something like the icing on the cake on blogs. The RSS abbreviation means Real Simple Syndication and is a news subscription that allows blog readers to subscribe to the blog and let you post new posts from the entire blog or only from selected categories. RSS has the role of informing the reader that something has changed on the website.

When creating a blog, companies need to choose one of the options for distributing news:

• Send headlines only – Only article headlines appear to news readers, so readers must join the blog if they want to read the post.

• Send the headline and a partial copy – In this case, the headlines of the articles appear, as well as the first few sentences of the articles.

• Send the headline and the whole copy – This way the user will see the entire post, so they can read it in one application without having to join the blog.

6.4 Weblog and promotion

Almost all commercial companies spend a lot of money on market research in their areas of interest to disseminate information about their business and the products. For most successful business companies, blogging is a way to spread general awareness of their activities.

We generally know four types of marketing blogs [23]:

• Blogs that help businesses better understand the market and interact with it,

• Blogs that support business awareness and visibility,

• Blogs aimed at selling products,

• Blogs to support increased website traffic.

Blogs helping companies better understand the market and communicate with it:

• Authors and blog readers create a “virtual group” in which companies follow and respond to comments. The lessons learned from these discussions are used to improve their products or services. That is, if it is in our interest to get a response from the target audience we want to reach, just post a product post on the blog, allow comments, and ask readers for a response. It is also important to pay close attention to what’s happening in the blog, in which readers contribute their comments to have control over the activity and exchanges of opinions that are going on here. Such monitoring is primarily based on authorizing comments and removing inappropriate texts.

Blogs promoting awareness and visibility of a company:

• The goal of many companies is to make users encounter their offers as often as possible when browsing the site. Blogs with many visitors differ from others in visibility and findability. Web servers that are often spoken about and to which links from many other websites lead are more visible than servers that are less discussed and less linked to. The same goes for blogs. The more sites that link to the posts in company blog, the more visible company will be. The sites that search engines place in the top places are findable because they are the most interesting for the given name. This means that the sites listed in the highest places have more customers than sites in the lower places. Such sites, which are in the leading places, must meet certain parameters that make them highly rated by the search engines, which prioritize them. As a result, the more interesting the site per search engine, the more visitors it will have. Therefore, it is clear that if company wants to get the highest possible placement, it must make sure that as many users as possible link to it. A company can achieve this by writing on a regular basis and by making a lot of interesting posts to get readers so interested that they want to alert other users via links.

Product sale blogs:

• Sales promotion blogs should not be written in a way that exerts pressure, forcing customers to buy, as readers will feel very negative, and this will be reflected in the content of the comments. Such blogs should include a brief introduction of the company with a link to the product overview. It is also beneficial if they contain descriptions of products and information about the good experience customers have with their products. Many potential customers do not trust buying through unfamiliar and unverified blogs, so companies should use the services of intermediaries that customers trust. Such online purchasing systems, which are often used to mediate sales, include, for example, Amazon, PayPal, Yahoo!, or eBay.

Blogs to support increased website traffic:

• Blogs can greatly increase business website traffic. Companies that want to set up a blog to increase the number of visits should first decide which Internet domain they want to place their blog on. Of course, most companies first consider running their blog in the same domain their company website is on. This means that when users visit a company blog, they are also in the domain of the business, and it follows that all links that point to blog posts improve the rating of the entire web presentation in the eyes of Internet search engines. However, such a solution is technically much more challenging than creating an account on a blog server such as Blogger.

7. Marketing on social networks

Social media enables people to exchange ideas and opinions, share site content, and network online. Social media differs from classical mainstream media, in which everyone can create their content, contribute to it, or comment on it. Social media can have various forms, such as audio, video, photo, and other image forms. They connect communities and reach out to people who want to join [1]. In short, social media can be defined as mutually open online applications that help create informal user networks. The positive thing about social media is that the user becomes an active content creator. They select what they want to receive and then comment on it.

When considering the use of social media for promotional purposes, it is necessary to set the target and the timeframe for achieving this goal in advance. Next, it is necessary to identify the target group of customers that we must observe, and based on this, it is then possible to determine where the group is moving and through what tools it gets to the relevant information. Social media include social networking sites, blogs, video and photo download sites, chat rooms and mailing lists, listservs, wikis, and social bookmarking.

Social media allow users to:

• Change communication – From passive to active participation Traditional media is based on viewers. And this is their main disadvantage. A viewer only looks, nothing more. In social media, one acts as a viewer, contributor, creator, and promoter. Passive viewing on the screen has prompted an active engagement in communication between the content creator and the recipient. People have the option of expressing their opinion with a simple like or contributing to the discussion with various comments. They also can create content, whether to make a video, write a blog, create a group, and in other ways. The term social media is a broad term that includes social networks, blogs, sharing videos and photos, wikis, podcasts, etc.

• Accessibility of content – Social media consists of people. This means that a person has a lot of opinions on one thing. Whether it is a political scandal or a new product on the market, there will always be several opinions on a particular subject. If people browse for a product or service over the Internet, they can see what other users’ opinions are or they can see a review. Most of this content comes from people who have some experience with a specific product or service. Users not only find out what the company is saying, but also what the world is thinking.

• Benefits for company marketing – Companies are also involved in creating and sharing this content. They want to take part in discussions about products and want to know what people are saying about them. Marketing on social media is, therefore, built to contribute to the creation of discussions and the sharing of opinions. The advertisements on the right or left side of social networks become a less important element. For every company and product, the promotion strategy obviously varies. However, there is a lot of evidence of the successful use of social media for effective promotion.

7.1 Social networks and promotion

Functions and options that are the content of social networks and that offer them for marketing purposes are important advertising channels that can be very targeted to marketing activities. The possibility of accurate targeting based on sociodemographic parameters offers space for very effective advertising campaigns. On the other hand, the ability to create a custom profile for both commercial and noncommercial purposes is represented by a PR channel that can be obtained and created by a community of fans of the product.

The profile page is then the place where all activities can be communicated very effectively and operationally. In addition to automatically posting messages to other fans’ profiles, they will also be able to be seen by their friends. If the profile is interesting for the friends, they, can, and often do become new fans [24].

The use of social networks for marketing purposes includes:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – All search engines prefer regularly updated content, and since social media texts are relatively often updated and added, it attaches great importance to such pages. It is important to use keywords in headings, in content, as well as in linking to relevant sites.

2. Building useful links to company own website – When commenting on foreign blogs and forums, or when posting/publishing posts, it is necessary to include backlinks to companies’ own web pages in these texts. Information is thus visible and even if the link cannot be directly linked to the site, it is important to leave at least one contact.

3. Building a stronger brand position – If users enter a name or brand when searching for a certain product type, attention should be paid to its display on the site. The company logo and any other brand names should be properly presented and visible.

4. Specialization – Since creating a profile on social networking sites is simple, there is no need to confine it to one main page, the purpose of which is to collect all potential clients. A smarter tactic is to create a few specialized profiles – up to individual products or services. They attract the attention of a particular target group and address its specific needs correctly.

Within marketing, social networks can be used to achieve the following goals:

• building PR and a good name,

• creating a community of supporters and fans,

• active communication with supporters,

• space for publishing content,

• ad campaigns with precise targeting.

Any organization or business can have a profile page on the social network. Depending on the business, the range of social networking options offered to meet marketing goals also varies. If the goal of promotion is sale, in this case, it is possible to promote in particular:

• the brand of goods or personal service,

• an event or action,

• specific entity (for example club, disco, restaurant, bar, cinema, etc.).

Otherwise, social networks serve as PR support and good relationship building, as well as regular communication with customers. For success on social networks, the following steps need to be reconsidered [25]:

• A thorough analysis of the potential offered by these networks for business,

• Knowing the target group,

• Careful tracking of statistics and measuring return on investment for decision-making on the further direction of activities.

Making real customers from fans is not easy, but it is possible. A well-organized competition attracts many social network users and some of them can be persuaded to purchase [26]. Active communication and creativity are the basis. The way to success is to not be afraid and to promote your company on social networks, not just be there.

Marketing and social networks today form an inseparable pair to help meet corporate goals [27, 28, 29]. It is a constantly effectively developing area, that should be included in the marketing plan of companies and organizations that can utilize the potential of social networks.

7.2 Promotional errors on social networks

Most small businesses know that they want to use social media for marketing [30, 31], but they often make critical mistakes in creating this strategy, which also costs them resources. The top 10 promotional mistakes include:

1. The absence of a plan – Many social networks are free, yet they still cost resources. They cost time and time is money. To avoid wasting time, it is good to process a very simple marketing plan. It is important for a business to ask what they want to achieve using social media and how they want to get it. Another point is determining how much time and resources a company wants to put into it. Once the plan is complete, the company can focus more on achieving the desired results.

2. Hastiness − After creating a plan, many entrepreneurs will throw themselves into everything that the social space offers. However, that can be a big mistake. Not all social media is designed for businesses as well. This can be avoided using a social networking survey on which social networks are best suited for business, where they can potentially flourish, and which network is being used by the competition and customers.

3. Insufficient or no tracking of social response − Smaller businesses are usually limited by time and budget. Therefore, it is important to consider all aspects of doing business and to be sure it has some meaning. Social networks are no exception. Companies need to know what they want to achieve and that they will be able to track and check the goals they have set. This is possible with the different types of programs that social networks offer for monitoring traffic.

4. Insufficient provision of information − Many small businesses do not use the social networking capabilities associated with uploading images or videos and, in addition, do not provide enough information about themselves. It is a big mistake. All aspects of the company, such as the logo, contacts, and all business information, are a tool for selling and gaining customer interest and confidence. An important fact is that if the company profile is filled to the fullest, it is more likely that customers will find it in search engines as well.

5. Self-observation − It is very important that in conversations and debates the company not only mention its name but also that it discusses and asks questions. Equally important is answering questions, commenting, and responding.

6. Ignoring negative remarks and comments − From time to time, someone will negatively comment or respond to the content or post of the company on the social network. The first reaction, delete, is very common but also wrong. If a company removes a negative post, it does not believe in what it is doing. Instead of deletion, it is better to confront such comments and address them directly, so the company gets more loyal customers.

7. Ignorance − Wherever the company is mentioned on the Internet. Whether the company wants to socialize or not, a lot of information about it is publicly available on the Internet. Various sites may contain business information regardless of whether you created the profile. It is an opportunity how to further reinforce awareness on the Internet. However, it is important for the company to have access to this information from the administrators of such sites to update it and to see if the operators of the site have the same information about the company.

8. Not spending enough time − Building an image online takes time. If it is important for a business to be successful online, it must allocate enough time for it. It also must be constantly on-line to communicate and be in the picture. If the company does not have enough time, it is better not to start with it.

9. Low enthusiasm − For a company to survive on social networks, it needs to work hard at it. If it does not do marketing enthusiastically, it will not work. One option is to hire an employee who is solely responsible for social networks. For a company to succeed, it must also be sincere.

10. The selected social media is not appropriate for specific business − It is not good for all businesses to use social media that can also be very time-consuming for them.

8. Conclusion

The issue of effective promotion in the Internet environment is a constantly evolving construct. The synthesis of knowledge of traditional marketing and inhomogeneous virtual market creates an almost uncontrollable number of variables. Increased addressability in conditions of reduced authenticity creates even more discomfort in this context. Building brands and maintaining relationships with customers is therefore a challenge. In the Internet environment, not only players from the environment of small and medium-sized companies are challenged, but also big market players are literally waging a daily struggle with a turbulent environment in which, under certain circumstances, the voice of the individual carries the weight of the whole corporation.

Today’s Internet market offers a wide portfolio of communication tools. Adequacy and efficiency are key determinants of success. At the beginning of the new millennium, the very foundations of e-marketing communication represented a relatively homogeneous tool set for progressive marketers. Internet sites, as a basic communication element, were a relatively simple ecosystem in which the supply and demand sides of the market interacted. With the gradual development of technologies, the need to optimize this ecosystem arose. This involved both the optimization of the technical solution and the optimization of the content. With the advent of search engines, Internet marketing is entering a completely new era. Personalized content has increased the efficiency of spending resources on marketing communications. At the same time, it helped to better satisfy the needs of the market by revealing its latent needs. Content advertising support systems were able to generate relatively significant volumes of Internet traffic in the search engine-website direction. An evolutionary shift was noted by the establishment of virtual social networks in the environment of information flow. All these milestones represent the foundations of the topic as such. In the context of the research results, it can be concluded that the research problem identified by us, that is, the existence of the foundations of the topic, which define its further development, was examined in an adequate way. The chapter thus presents a clear and compact knowledge base from the point of view of the basic tools of Internet marketing. Understanding the fundamentals is key to understanding the broader context. From the website to the virtual social networks, this chapter is the starting point for an introduction to the study of the issue.

9. Limitations and perspectives for further research

From the point of view of limitations, it is necessary to point out that the text is almost dominantly based on the literature, which corresponds to the time in which the individual foundations were codified in practice. The topics of Internet marketing are extremely dynamic, individual tools are undergoing continuous development. In any case, the basics of the theme do not change, innovation as such expands the theme. It was this fact that was considered in processing the text.

From the perspective of further research on the topic, authors consider it necessary to point out the trends of accelerated digitization, which arose from market changes during the global pandemic. This trend is likely to determine the further development of the issue. It, therefore, needs to be given due attention.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Slovak Republic Scientific Grant Agency VEGA, grant number 1/0140/21.

This research was funded by the Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, grant number 05SVV2201.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Thanks

The authors of the chapter would also like to thank the students who over the years participated in the processing of creation of content for presented chapter.

Without their active involvement in the processes, the production of knowledge to the extent presented in the present text would not be possible.